| Lord Darnley | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Biographical Information | |
| Title: | King consort of Scotland Duke of Albany |
| Reign: | 29 July 1565 – 10 February 1567 |
| Born: | 7 December 1545 |
| Burial: | Holyrood Abbey |
| Religion: | Roman Catholic |
| House: | Stuart |
| Relationship Information | |
| TV Character Information | |
| Portrays: | King Darnley |
| Portrayed by: | Will Kemp |
Lord Darnley was King Regent of Scotland after marrying the young Mary, Queen of Scots.
Childhood
Darnley was born in 1545, in Leeds, England. Through his parents, he had claim to both the Scottish and English Thrones, as he was descended from both James II of Scotland and Henry VII of England.
Darnley's father, Lord Lennox, had been declared guilty of treason in Scotland for his part in The War of the Rough Wooing, siding with the English as an opponent of Mary of Guise and Regent Arran, and his Scottish estates were forfeited in 1545. His father lived in exile in England for 22 years, returning to Scotland in 1564. Darnley's mother, Lady Lennox had left Scotland in 1528.
Lord Darnley was well educated and brought up conscious of his status and inheritance. He became well-versed in Latin and grew up familiar with Gaelic, English, and French. He excelled in singing, lute playing, and dancing.
Darnley was strong and athletic, a good horseman with knowledge of weapons and a passion for hunting and hawking. Darnley wrote a letter to Mary I of England in 1554 mentioning a drama or map he had made, the Utopia Nova. [1]
Spoilers
On 3 February 1565 Darnley left London, England and 9 days later he was in Edinburgh, Scotland. On 17 February he presented himself to Mary, Queen of Scots at Wemyss Castle. John Knox preached he danced a galliard with Mary that night. From then on, he was constantly in Mary's company.
As a preliminary to the marriage, Darnley was made Lord of Ardmanoch and Earl of Ross at Stirling Castle on 15 May 1565. An entourage of 15 men were made knights, including one of Mary's half brothers, Sir Robert Stewart of Strathdon, Robert Drummond of Carnock, and James Stewart. Mary sent John Hay, Commendator of Balmerino, to speak to Queen Elizabeth; Elizabeth demanded Darnley's return and gave John Hay plainly to understand her small satisfaction.
A proclamation was made at the Cross of Edinburgh on 28 July that government would be in the joint names of the King and Queen of Scots, thus giving Darnley equality with, and precedence over, Mary.
On 29 July 1565, the marriage took place by Roman Catholic rites in Mary's private chapel at Holyrood, but Darnley (whose was raised Catholic, but later influenced by Protestantism) refused to accompany Mary to the nuptial mass after the wedding.
Later in Life
Soon after Mary, Queen of Scots married Darnley, she became aware of his vain, arrogant and unreliable qualities, which threatened the well-being of the state. He was unpopular with the other nobles and had a violent streak, aggravated by his drinking. Mary refused to grant Darnley the Crown Matrimonial, which would have made him the successor to the throne if she died childless. By August 1565, less than a month after the marriage, William Cecil heard Mary had become pregnant.
Mary's private secretary, David Rizzio was stabbed 56 times on 9 March 1566 by Lord Darnley and his confederates, Protestant Scottish nobles, lead by Lord Ruthven in the presence of the seven-months-pregnant Queen in her dining room. The murder (he was rumored to be the father of Mary's unborn child) was part of Darnley's bid to force Mary to cede The Crown Matrimonial.
When the Spanish Ambassador in Paris heard this news, the headlines were that Darnley "had murdered his wife, admitted the exiled heretics, and seized the kingdom." However, on 20 March, Darnley posted a declaration denying all knowledge of or complicity in the David Rizzio murder. Mary no longer trusted her husband, and he was disgraced by the kingdom.
Mary and Darnley's son Prince James was born on 19 June 1566 at Edinburgh Castle. His godparents were Charles IX of France, Elizabeth I of England and Emmanuel Philibert, Duke of Savoy.
Following the birth of Prince James, the succession was more secure; in late 1566 and early 1567, Darnley and Mary appeared to be close to reconciliation as she was often seen visiting his chambers. Darnley, however, alienated many who would otherwise have been his supporters through his erratic behavior.
Death
Darnley was murdered eight months after Prince James' birth. On 9-10 February 1567, his body and that of his valet were found in the orchard of Kirk o' Field, in Edinburgh, where they had been staying.
During the weeks leading up to his death, Darnley was recovering from smallpox (or syphillis, as has been spectulated). Darnley stayed at Kirk o' Field while Mary attended the wedding of Bastian Pagez, one of her closest servants, at Holyrood.
At around 2am on the night of 10 February 1567, two explosions rocked the foundation of Kirk o' Field. These explosions were later attributed to two barrels of gunpowder that had been placed in the small room under Darnley's sleeping quarters. It was later determined that the two men were killed by strangulation, believed to have taken place after the explosion.
Notes
- Lord Darnley's real name is actually Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley.
- Had a son named Prince James with his wife, Mary, Queen of Scots.
- His son's godparents were Charles IX of France, Elizabeth I of England and Emmanuel Philibert.
- Lord Lennox was Lord Darnley's father. He was second cousins once removed to King James V, and (at best) third in line of succession for the Scottish Crown.
- Lord Darnley did have Tudor Blood in him, through his mother Lady Lennox.
- Lord Lennox was (at best) third in line of succession for the Scottish Crown. He spent most of his youth in exile in England, but returned to Scotland to assert his claims to the line of succession when King James V died in 1542.
- Mary, Queen of Scots had briefly met her future husband, Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley in February 1561 when she was in mourning for King Francis II. Darnley's parents, Lord and Lady Lennox, who were Scottish aristocrats as well as English landowners, had sent him to France ostensibly to extend their condolences while hoping for a potential match between the two.
- History's Mary, Queen of Scots and Lord Darnley were married on On 29 July 1565 in Mary's private chapel at Holyrood Palace in Edinburgh, Scotland.
- Mary, Queen of Scots was 7 months pregnant, and was held at gunpoint and David Rizzio was stabbed numerous times. He was stabbed 56 times by King Darnley, and his friends. His murder was lead by Lord Ruthven.
- On 2 April 1566, Lord Ruthven sent their testimony on David Rizzio's murder to Queen Elizabeth I, declaring they had acted the best for King Darnley, Mary, Queen of Scots, state and religion.
- April 1567, the late David Rizzio's brother, Joseph was accused and acquitted with Lord Bothwell of Lord Darnley's murder.
- The Lennox Jewel was most likely made for his mother, Lady Lennox. Theories vary as to when the jewel was made and for what occasion. In 1842, the jewel was bought by Queen Victoria.
- The War of the Rough Wooing Lord Lennox soon married Lady Margaret Douglas, daughter of Margaret Tudor and half-sister of the deceased King James V. When the Parliament of Scotland rejected the Greenwich treaty, Lennox changed sides and supported King Henry VIII of England's military efforts to secure a marriage between in The War of the Rough Wooing. After the defeat of his supporters at the Battle of Glasgow Muir, he fled once more to England.
- The Treaty of Greenwich, was a marriage contract between Mary, Queen of Scots, and King Henry VIII's son Edward Tudor.
Family Tree
