April 24, 1558

Mary, Queen of Scots (December  8, 1542 to February  8, 1587), married the heir to the crown of France, at an old church, on April 24, 1558. That would have been at Notre Dame de Paris. She was already the queen of Scotland at the time she married the dauphin. And Mary had a legitimate claim to the English throne as well, based on, as these things are, her family tree: her grandmother was Henry VIII's sister.  Catholics, the majority faith in Europe, viewed her as the only legitimate heir to her cousin (another Mary; we can allow the reader to sort this out on their own, if they are confused.)

Mary Queen of Scots is a mesmerizing figure in modern history. The story of how she lost the throne of Scotland is told very well by Antonia Fraser, (Mary Queen of Scots, (1969) ) but many many others have also tried to unravel the mysteries in her biography.  What is not puzzling is why the then current person on the English throne was suspicious of Mary's presence nearby. Elizabeth I, of England, had among other things, seen an insignia Mary Queen of Scots displayed. This device showed  the royal  symbols of Scotland, England, and France together in one design.  This was a public declaration of Mary's  claim to England. They never met: these players on the stage of history--- though their fates  were tightly entwined.

Mary spent almost twenty years imprisoned by Elizabeth.  Elizabeth finally had Mary Queen of Scots beheaded. Twenty years is a long time and one way women passed their days was embroidery. There is a piece of embroidery Mary Queen of Scots completed while being confined in an English castle.  This embroidery is part of the museum pieces now displayed at Holyrood Castle in Edinburgh. There is a large head of a cat in the picture Mary sewed. The resemblance of the cat to her captor is symbolic.