Mary, Queen of Scots has a Valois Child

A month after the death of Henri II of France in 1559 there were rumours that Mary Stuart, Queen of Scotland and Queen Consort of France, was pregnant by her husband Francis II of France. These rumours were strong enough that they were reported to the English Queen and Mary took to wearing the floating tunics of pregnant, highborn women. However, by September the rumours ended and there was never even a hint that the young woman was pregnant. But what if she actually was.

This seems unlikely, given that the conventional way to understand the illnesses of Francis II of France was that he was physically underdeveloped and most likely had failed to undergo puberty by the time of his death. There is another train of thought, however, that says that the marriage had to be consummated for 2 reasons:

1) Officially and unofficially it was noted at the time of their marriage the two had consummated their union. Multiple reports say it was so.

2) The mere rumour of a pregnancy means that there would have been some form of consummation and thus reason to suspect.
There are arguments against these, but in this case let's say Francis, 15 at this time, had just begun the transition through puberty and by some miracle had impregnated the Queen of Scots. Now we know that Mary herself was extremely fertile, her 2 sexual relationships both culminated with children fairly quickly and both seem to have been normal pregnancies [1], so we can assume that, even with the faulty genes of the Valois/Medici children, the child will be healthy.

Now we have a child, due between January and March of the next year, so let's say late February at full term. This child, if it's a girl, is heir to the Scottish Throne but not the French Throne. If it's a boy it's heir to both [2]. So, for the sake of continuing this train of thought, we'll give Mary a little son, most likely names Henri after both the recently deceased French King and the English King from which Mary gets her claim to the English Crown. This child would hopefully be generally healthy, though it would probably inherit problems from both sides. Let's say this Dauphin/Duke of Rothesay is healthy but has gained the Stewart/Stuart tendancy for hysterical spells [3] and a club foot [4].

Looks wise, we can make a few educated guesses. Height ran through the Guise family strongly, judging by Mary, her mother and the rest of her various uncles and cousins. However, it was not noted from the Valois or Medici families, although only Francis II of France was noted as especially tiny. So, with a little but of luck, we can make the choice that little Henri will be tall, perhaps bewteen 5 ft. 9 in. and 6 ft. [5]. In the child's colouring, we can guess that it will have the dark Medici eyes and darker hair, either the dark ruddy brown of Mary of the plainer brown of the French royal family. For the sake of the argument let's give it dark eyes and dark hair. Most likely it will be fairly attractive, with regular features like it's mother and grandfather, although there is the distinct possibility of a few unattractive Medici features creeping in. So we have a tall, mostly healthy man with dark colouring and pretty decent features.

He'd be Catholic, and most likely somewhat intelligent. Neither of his parents were huge intellectuals, but we know both could read and write well and Mary could speak at least 4 languages [6]. I doubt we'd be getting a male Elizabeth, but we could definitely see a man with a good head on his shoulders. However, there would most likely be a high romantic streak with him. Both Mary and Francis were highly romantic in their attitudes and even with the realistic viewpoints of the Queen Dowager Catherine de' Medici there will be that overall atmosphere that will feed into the personality of our Dauphin. But in counterpoint, he would also most likely be influenced by his mother's merciful attitude to religion. In an age of fanatics, I hope that Mary's attitude would be inherited.

Now onto what happens when Mary is ultimately made a widow. Francis II, even if he has a child isn't the healthiest of men and so I'm going to make the call that he'll die around the same time as OTL. Now Mary has 2 choices. Stay in France to raise her child and possibly lose Scotland for him, or do what her mother did for her and hold onto Scotland for her son, who is now King Henri III of France. I would say that, ultimately, duty would have her return to Scotland and thus the Queen of Scots would have to leave her son in France, becoming a romanticized figure to him while she's away and a fun visitor when she comes to the French Court.

Mary would, of course, end up remarrying, although who to is an entirely different question. She probably won't marry a Hapsburg, due to her now unbreakable bond with the Valois monarchy. I'd say something similar to OTL will happen and she'd end up with Lord Darnley. If she goes as OTL and has a son around 1566, who we shall name James, this creates serious tensions for the future. Mary has now given birth to what is a strong counter to King Henri III, with a Scottish born, fully royal alternative. James, who we shall make the Duke of Albany, will be raised at first to respect his brother's legitimacy as future-King of France and perhaps to expect a role as Regent once his mother dies. However, if the Darnley Plot goes as OTL, Mary now has a more obvious escape route. Back to her son.

Let's say Mary escapes without James. The young woman, now almost 26 years old, is no longer the innocent, pretty girl who left to fulfill her duty to her son but an attractive woman in her mid-20s, with a somewhat scandalous reputation and a free position as King of Scotland by her side. I'd say any eligible bachelors at the French Court will be clamoring for her hand and I can see anyone particularly handsome catching her eye and thus I believe we'd have Mary now in France. For this I think I'll marry her to François, Duke of Montpensier, who would be single around the return to France and seems to be her type. He only had 1 son OTL so Henry and James will have a little brother or sister shortly after, perhaps 2 children before she's 30 and the relationship inevitably ends. Let's call these little children Francis and Marie de Bourbon.

Mary would attempt to retake Scotland and regain her child, but I see her ultimately failing. Thus, eventually she's return to France and take up court there as the "Real Scottish Monarch", while little James is toted as James VI of Scotland. Ultimately I think that Elizabeth would agree to allow this child to succeed her as King of England and thus Great Britain and France are going to war for another 100 years.

[1] The miscarriage of twins has been generally attributed to the outside events and pressures of the time and prior to the actual miscarriage it seems to have been a generally healthy pregnancy.

[2] Salic Law applies to France but not Scotland.

[3] The Stewart/Stuart hysteria can be seen in both James V of Scotland and Mary, Queen of Scots. They both tended to high, nervous energy and thus also to massive drops that culminated in sudden ill-health and, in Mary's case, short fainting spells.

[4] The club-foot was something inherited from Anne, Duchess of Brittany and continues throughout the French Royal family. Claude, Duchess of Brittany had one, as did her granddaughter Claude de Valois, Duchess of Lorraine. It seems to have skipped Henri II's generation, but with the various problems his children with Catherine de' Medici had, it is most likely to show up in our Prince Henri too.

[5] Mary herself was 5 ft. 11 in.

[6] French, Scots, Latin and Greek.
 
Nice couple of thoughts though - Mary had no desire to leave France even in OTL - she was hoping for another pro-French match or an equal status match elsewhere - Scotland was the last resort for her in OTL. During her husband's brief reign the Guise had effectively been able to gain the upper hand at the French Court which played into France's own religious turmoil.
With a male heir the Guise including Mary herself will be in a fight for control with the Queen Dowager and the more moderate elements at the French court - If Catherine de Medici gains the upper hand then and only then might Mary be forced out but given her position as a Queen Dowager and Queen Mother that's no guarantee - the Guise are going to push her to remarry in France if at all whilst Catherine is going to hope to get rid of her with a foreign match. The situation in Scotland will probably remain much the same with the Lords of the Congregation in control and constantly dealing under the table with Elizabeth's England to the annoyance of their Catholic Queen comfortably widowed in France. Technically a healthy male heir by Francis will force the English to an alternate solution to their succession problems - the pressure on Elizabeth to come to the altar would be even more considerable than in OTL.
 
I agree. I think Mary would have been more likely to have remained in France - not only was it the country she loved and now viewed as home, but as her only child is now the King she would want to stay and make sure he was well cared for and that there were no threats to his position. Also, as the mother of the King, it would be hard for Catherine de Medici to force her to leave, especially with her Guise uncles in her corner. One question of course is how the Lords of the Congregation would have reacted to the prospect of a Catholic King of France one day being their future sovereign. Could it have led to some sort of rebellion? Mary might have had to visit Scotland, if only to reassure them that there would be no attempts to turn Scotland back into a Catholic country - though that might not have been enough to ease their concerns.

And yes, I agree that the pressure would certainly be on for Elizabeth to get married and produce an heir to stop England becoming subject to French rule down the line.
 
It was the custom for ALL widows of French kings to go into strict seclusion for two months after the monarch's death so that ANY possible pregnancy of the queen would have been considered the unquestionably legit posthumous offspring of the king. Had Mary attempted to refuse to go into seclusion not only would that have let the court (and world) know that she the late King Francis not ever been intimate but it also may have damaged her rep as having not been a true wife to the king.
Ironically, it was DURING Mary's seclusion as a widow that her mother-in-law Queen Catherine FINALLY was able to emerge as a power player in the French court via being able to openly dominate Mary's 11-year-old brother-in-law. Up to that point, Catherine de Medici's influence had been strictly behind-the-scenes if not altogether muted -especially during her own husband's reign.
Had Mary been proven to have been with child AND had the child been born fullterm (and male), I agree that Mary would have not only fought tooth-and-nail to STAY in France (which she not only loved and considered her home whilst she cattily referred to her actual birthplace as 'her savage nation' as something that provided her ample income and extra clout in the French court but NOTHING more) but I think as the Queen Mother/ Queen of Scots with Guise relatives living in France she would have been able to overcome the Queen Grandmother's scheming without too much difficulty.
Also, as hot blooded as Mary was, I do NOT think she would have remarried anybody as she likely would have admired her own mother's example to have kept her own power and shuddered at the fate of her late grandmother Margaret Tudor Stewart Douglas who had two disastrous remarriages after James IV's death and wound up not only losing her Regency power but also alienated her own son James V. I think Mary may have done a bit of teasing of potential suitors to play them off against each other and maybe even crossed the physical line (then hidden any pregnancies under her skirts before farming them out like Catherine the Great eventually did) but would NOT have actually remarried.
 
It was the custom for ALL widows of French kings to go into strict seclusion for two months after the monarch's death so that ANY possible pregnancy of the queen would have been considered the unquestionably legit posthumous offspring of the king. Had Mary attempted to refuse to go into seclusion not only would that have let the court (and world) know that she the late King Francis not ever been intimate but it also may have damaged her rep as having not been a true wife to the king.
Ironically, it was DURING Mary's seclusion as a widow that her mother-in-law Queen Catherine FINALLY was able to emerge as a power player in the French court via being able to openly dominate Mary's 11-year-old brother-in-law. Up to that point, Catherine de Medici's influence had been strictly behind-the-scenes if not altogether muted -especially during her own husband's reign.
Had Mary been proven to have been with child AND had the child been born fullterm (and male), I agree that Mary would have not only fought tooth-and-nail to STAY in France (which she not only loved and considered her home whilst she cattily referred to her actual birthplace as 'her savage nation' as something that provided her ample income and extra clout in the French court but NOTHING more) but I think as the Queen Mother/ Queen of Scots with Guise relatives living in France she would have been able to overcome the Queen Grandmother's scheming without too much difficulty.
Also, as hot blooded as Mary was, I do NOT think she would have remarried anybody as she likely would have admired her own mother's example to have kept her own power and shuddered at the fate of her late grandmother Margaret Tudor Stewart Douglas who had two disastrous remarriages after James IV's death and wound up not only losing her Regency power but also alienated her own son James V. I think Mary may have done a bit of teasing of potential suitors to play them off against each other and maybe even crossed the physical line (then hidden any pregnancies under her skirts before farming them out like Catherine the Great eventually did) but would NOT have actually remarried.

Ok, ITL Henri III of France was born shortly before Francis II of France's death. Mary in m timeline underwent the 2 months of seclusion and ultimately decided to defend her son's rights in Scotland, only to fall for Darnley as OTL and end up leaving Scotland following her husband's death/murder. I do think my idea of a third marriage was questionable, however I do stand by the decision for her to return to Scotland around this time ITL.
 
So Henri III is born February 1560 and is crowned king of France in December of this year, aged only 10 months. In OTL, she left France, in about July 1561, would she stay, with her son until an age to suit the pair of them? Acting as regent?

What if she acts as the "King's Mother" until the age of 5/6 returning to Scotland, in about 1566? This would remove any attempt by her to marry a Scottish nobleman or could a new treaty be signed between France and Scotland, stating that Henri III of France would succeed as Henry I of Scotland on the death of his mother?

I suspect that a marriage would be proposed by his aunt Elisabeth of Valois,between himself and her daughter (and his cousin), Isabella Clara Eugenia, infanta of Spain and Portugal, fathered by Philip II of Spain. Isabella would be six years younger then him and was the only person whom her father permitted to help him with his royal work, such as sorting his papers and translating Italian documents into the Spanish language for him. Isabella remained close to her father until his death on 13 September 1598, and served as his primary caretaker during the last three years of his life, when he was plagued by gout and frequent illness.
IOTL, After her uncle, Henry III of France, was assassinated by the fanatical young monk Jacques Clément on 2 August 1589, Philip II claimed the French crown on behalf of Isabella Clara Eugenia despite France's Salic Law, which forbade cognatic succession. So this proves that Philip would be more than happy to have his daughter marry into the crown.

So just for @Kynan 's sake here is a help full family tree :D

King of France.png
 
Ok so: On the 18th of May, 1580, Henri III of France was married to his first cousin Isabella Clara Eugenia, Infanta of Spain. Daughter of Philip II of Spain and Elisabeth de Valois, she had been in competition with the Archduchess Margaret of Austria, who later assumed a role within the Catholic Church as a nun after it was agreed to marry the King of France to the Infanta of Spain. Isabella and Henri would not be close as a couple, particularly since Henri had a mistress in the lovely Marguerite de Bourbon, who would continue to be his mistress until 1589, when he moved onto what would be his only other public mistress, Charlotte de Montmorency. Isabella would die in 1585 with the couple's 3rd child, the Dauphin Louis, after 2 unfortunate miscarriages. Due to his newly single status, the King went on a streak of extreme hedonism until his mother's illness in 1587, at which he married the Navarrese Princess Catherine de Bourbon, a woman aged 37 who would give him 1 child, a daughter named Marie Catherine after his ailing mother and grandmother.

Henri III of France (b.1560) m. Isabella Clara Eugenia of Spain (b.1566: d.1585) (a), Catherine de Bourbon (b.1559) (b), p. Marguerite de Bourbon (b.1556) (c), Charlotte de Montmorency (b.1571) (d)

1a) Miscarriage (c.1581)

2a) Miscarriage (c.1582)

3a) Louis de Valois, Dauphin of France (b.1585)

4b) Marie Catherine de Valois, Fille de France (b.1588)​
 
Due to his newly single status, the King went on a streak of extreme hedonism until his mother's illness in 1587, at which he married the Navarrese Princess Catherine de Bourbon, a woman aged 37 who would give him 1 child, a daughter named Marie Catherine after his ailing mother and grandmother.

Henri III of France (b.1560) m. Isabella Clara Eugenia of Spain (b.1566: d.1585) (a), Catherine de Bourbon (b.1559) (b), p. Marguerite de Bourbon (b.1556) (c), Charlotte de Montmorency (b.1571) (d)

1a) Miscarriage (c.1581)

2a) Miscarriage (c.1582)

3a) Louis de Valois, Dauphin of France (b.1585)

4b) Marie Catherine de Valois, Fille de France (b.1588)​

Catherine was a confirmed Calvinist and refused to convert to Roman Catholicism, I doubt the French government and Pope Sixtus V, especially with his over-ambitious foreign policy, having in OTL excommunicated both Elizabeth I of England and Henry IV of France.

The other thing is, do we add the two mistresses to the list? Really they should have their own list and only if they give illegitimate children.

So I would suggest as his second wife, I could suggest:
- 13 year old, Marie de' Medici
- Anne of Austria (B. 1573)
- Maria Christierna of Austria (B. 1574)
- Archduchess Margaret of Austria (B. 1567)

- If possible what about Virginia de' Medici, an illegitimate daughter of Cosimo I de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany and Camilla Martelli? Cosimo married Camilla in 1570, at the explicit order of Pope Pius V, their daughter, Virginia, was legitimised and integrated into the Tuscan line of succession. Virginia is a very fertile woman and is more than ready to marry in 1586.

Henri III of France (b.1560) m. Isabella Clara Eugenia of Spain (b.1566: d.1585) (a), Virginia de' Medici (b.1568) (b)

1a) Miscarriage (c.1581)

2a) Miscarriage (c.1582)

3a) Louis de Valois, Dauphin of France (b.1585)

4b) Marie Catherine de Valois, Fille de France (b.1588)

5b) Francis Stewart de Valois, Duke of Orleans (1591)

6b) Henri de Valois, Duke of Brittany (1593)

7b) Jacob Guillaume de Valois, Duke of Normandy(1594)

8b) Henrietta de Valois, Duchess of Anjou (1595)

9b) Alexandre de Valois, Duke of Maine (1599)

10b) Louisa Thérèse de Valois, Duchess of Berry (1601–1640)

11b) Élisabeth de Valois, Duchess of Toulouse (1603)

12b) Charles de Valois, Duke of Calais (1606)

13b) Virginie Maria de Valois, Countess of Vermandois (died 1609)


Again their first child can be named after his mother and grandmother, while the others have a mixture of French and Scottish such as Charles and Jacob, while others are just feminine versions of other names.​
 
Ok so: On the 18th of May, 1580, Henri III of France was married to his first cousin Isabella Clara Eugenia, Infanta of Spain. Daughter of Philip II of Spain and Elisabeth de Valois, she had been in competition with the Archduchess Margaret of Austria, who later assumed a role within the Catholic Church as a nun after it was agreed to marry the King of France to the Infanta of Spain. Isabella and Henri would not be close as a couple, particularly since Henri had a mistress in the lovely Marguerite de Bourbon, who would continue to be his mistress until 1589, when he moved onto what would be his only other public mistress, Charlotte de Montmorency. Isabella would die in 1585 with the couple's 3rd child, the Dauphin Louis, after 2 unfortunate miscarriages. Due to his newly single status, the King went on a streak of extreme hedonism until his mother's illness in 1587, at which he married the Italian Princess Virginia de' Medici. The marriage would be somewhat happy, with 7 children being born.

Henri III of France was not close to his uncles. After the death of the Duke of Orleans in 1575 and his younger brother Henri, who was assassinated in 1579 while acting as King of Poland. The Prince Francis Hercules de Valois, who in 1580 was made the Duke of Orleans, later died in 1588 after attempting to court the English Queen. After his mother's death in 1594 at the age of 52, Henri III claimed the Scottish Throne. However, his younger brother James Stewart in Scotland was proclaimed King. The Prince, however, sent word to his brother that he would be willing to act as Regent of Scotland. And thus Scotland was ruled by the Duke of Albany, who would send reports to his brother and in 1591 married the Archduchess Margaret of Austria, with whom he had 2 sons.

Mary, Queen of Scots (b.1542: d.1594) m. Francis II of France (b.1544: d.1560) (a), Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley (b.1545: d.1568) (b)

1a) Henri III of France, I of Scotland (b.1560) m. Isabella Clara Eugenia of Spain (b.1566: d.1585) (a), Virginia de' Medici (b.1568) (b)

1a) Miscarriage (c.1581)

2a) Miscarriage (c.1582)

3a) Louis de Valois, Dauphin of France (b.1585)

4b) Marie Catherine de Valois, Fille de France (b.1588)

5b) Francis de Valois, Duke of Orleans (b.1590)

6b) Madeleine de Valois, Fille de France (b.1591)

7b) Henri de Valois, Duke of Anjou (b.1593)

8b) Miscarriage (c.1594)

9b) Louise de Valois, Fille de Valois (b.1597)

10b) Charles de Valois, Duke of Berry (b.1599)

11b) Marguerite de Valois, Fille de France (b.1602)
2b) James Stewart, Duke of Albany (b.1567) m. Margaret of Austria (b.1567) (a)

1a) James Stewart, 2nd Duke of Albany (b.1596)

2a) Alexander Stewart (b.1600)​
 
Mary Stuart, Queen of Scots in Exile

Mary, Queen of Scots in exile was at first a romantic figure. Not quite 30 when she was ran out of Scotland and forced to leave her youngest child, she returned to the French Court as a woman mistreated in 1569 and immediately petitioned her son for an army to take back her country and his inheritance. However, the regency council, headed by Catherine de Medici, refused to consider her pleas and thus the twice widowed Queen of Scotland took the stance of a martyr, ran out of her country for her religion.

The young woman, after an appropriate time of one year since Lord Darnley's death, began to accept the young men of the world to court her. One man in particular that catches her eye is the Duke of Montpensier, recently wedded to Renee d'Anjou, who he would seperate from in 1570 after 4 years of failed marriage. The two assumed a passionate love affair that lasted until 1572, when the Duke would return to his neglected bride after being ordered by the King to end this flirtation with her mother. This was due to the plan put in place by Catherine de Medici that same year, for the Queen of Scots to marry the young King Henri III of Navarre, promising to help her daughter-in-law in the retaking of Scotland. This was a promise that would never be kept.

The wedding took place in September of 1572. The bride was the still beautiful but fading Mary, Queen of Scots and the groom was a handsome, young Henri III of Navarre. A short and non-glamorous ceremony, it was followed the next day by the even more somber marriage between Catherine de Bourbon and Henri, Duke of Angoulême. The new royal couples were both somewhat unhappy. Mary felt outshone by the opposing bride, who's youth contrasted with the 30 year old Queen. However, the proof in Mary's fertility shone in 1573 when, aged 31, she gave birth to her third child, the Princess Marie de Bourbon. Followed by a miscarriage in 1575 and finally a son in the form of Prince Henri de Bourbon.

The Queen of Scots returned to the French Court in 1578, following the announcement of the King of France's betrothal to the Infanta Isabella Clara Eugenia of Spain, who would marry the King in 1580. She came to plead for her son's help, but found that instead there had been an agreement between France and Scotland in which the young Prince James was made regent, with a regency council headed by the 12 year old Prince of Scotland. With this final news that her son would not be helping her, the Queen of Scotland wrote a letter to the Scottish Parliament, and in essence said that because she had no way of ending this particular situation she gave her approval.

Mary would be among the first to welcome the Infanta in 1580 and would be the first to send news of the wedding to the King of Spain, hoping to both be kind to the father who had just given away his first child in matrimony and also was one of the most powerful monarchs in Europe. Her letter was full of praise for the bride, who she referred to as "as beauteous as her mother" and "as graceful any French maiden". However, in a more private letter to a friend in 1584, after a meeting with the Queen of France's sister as the Duchess of Savoy, she proclaimed that in fact Catherine Michelle of Spain was the more attractive of the two. However, for the time being Mary would enchant the young girl, who's first pregnancy ended in miscarriage in June of the next year.

Mary's next few years were spent in the French court, slowly aging and becoming highly uncomfortable with that knowledge. In 1584 her daughter Marie, aged 11, joined her mother as the Queen of Scotland began to look for a husband for her daughter. the King of Navarre was a lenient husband and allowed Mary to have much say over their daughter, although he was much stricter for their son. In 1585 she hit upon a great match that was agreed to, between her sister-in-law's only child Juan of Portugal and the Princess Marie. Juan, aged 10, was the only child of the union between the King of Portugal and the Princess of France, who left Portugal in 1586 to rekindle what would be a life long romance with the Duke of Guise, who chose to leave his wife of 20 years for the Queen of Portugal. However, despite Sebastian's death in 1591, the two would never marry due to the continual good-health of the Duke's wife, who would actually travel with Marie de Bourbon in 1591 as part of her wedding entourage.

Mary had planned to travel with her daughter to Portugal in 1591 as part of a plan to endear herself to her new son-in-law. However, this plan and whatever plans had been hung on it were derailed by a long illness in the coming months, which ended with the Queen of Scots feeling healthy again but being treated as an invalid at the Court. She would briefly return to Navarre in 1592 to give her blessing to her son following his betrothal to Catherine de Lorraine, who later broke the betrothal to become an Abbess. This potential bride was replaced in 1595 by Marie de' Medici, who would join him the following year.

Meanwhile Mary would attempt several times to set up trips to Scotland, privately hoping that the country would rise for their Queen. However, with the marriage of her son in 1594 to Margaret of Austria, which would produce two sons, she found her prospects to be laughable. Eventually the trips were not even rumoured for and in 1599, following the second pregnancy of her daughter-in-law, the Queen sent a rosary to the highly religious Duchess of Albany.

Mary's relations with another daughter-in-law during this time were quite a bit less secure. In 1585, following a difficult labour, Queen Isabella succumbed to childbed fever and died, leaving behind a healthy Dauphin. Hoping to find more success as a matchmaker, Mary attempted to arrange a match between her son and the 11 year old Maria Christina of Austria or even his widowed aunt-in-law Catherine de Bourbon. However, the matches she proposed had been put aside in favour of Virginia de' Medici, the illegitimate daughter of the Grand Duke of Tuscany given dubious legitimacy by a later marriage between her parents. Endorsed by Queen Dowager Catherine de' Medici, Mary found the very idea of her son, the precious King of France and future King of Scotland, entirely repugnant and thus, upon their wedding in 1587, left the country, only to return following her daughter's wedding celebrations.

Virginia de' Medici was not a popular woman within the French Court. Not a beauty, she found her attempts at wit failing and her connection to the aging Queen Dowager a liability. However, her husband found the plump, plain girl quite pleasing and thus celebrated heavily when their first child, the Princess Maria Catherine de Valois, was born. She was followed by 6 siblings and the Queen would find some modicum of popularity within the court simply based off her fertility. Not even the famed Charlotte de Montmorency could seperate the two, however strong the attraction between the King and his mistress would stay to be. But one woman dared act against the Queen: Mary, Queen of Scots.

The Queen's last few years left her at the court, refusing to leave for fear her son would never allow her to return. She acted as chief mourner in 1592 following Catherine de' Medici's death and in 1594 found an unsympathetic joy in the miscarriage of the Queen of France in contrast to her own daughter's twin sons, both of whom miraculously survived. However, even Mary knew she was not long for this world and in 1599 the Queen of Scots died, living only long enough to be godmother to the new Duke of Berry, a child whom she left all her wealth in her will, aside from various trinkets and charitable donations.

In death the troublesome Queen of Scots bestowed two awkwardly placed gifts on her son and his family. The first was a crown that, while he found joy in having Scotland added to his empire, he had no way to control, which would be seen in 1602 with the Rebellion against taxes for "The French King". The second was the sudden wealth of his younger son. While he had not made his other sons paupers, the wealth of Mary, Queen of Scots was of a considerate size by her death, due to her luck with finding a highly skilled accountant following her return and certain, hasty gifts the King had given in the early years of his full control of the government as he attempted to become her favourite child. But, with a certain honour, the King of France refused to ever take to the idea of stealing from his son.

The Queen of Scots was a vibrant personality. A beauty in her youth, her looks and romantic personality drove her to several bad choices that ended in a life quite a bit happier then it had any right to be. Within 10 years of her death all of her sons and one grandson sat on their own thrones, a stark contrast to the unwedded and childless Elizabeth I of England, who would actually hold a muted celebration of "that woman's most wonderous death". However, even after years of mostly failure, Mary Stuart was remembered fondly by all who knew her. She was a woman made to please and, at the very least, she succeeded in that.
 
The Duke of Albany and the English Throne (Part One: Before the Throne)

Born in 1566, within 12 months of his mother's return to Scotland, the Duke of Albany was raised amongst men who wished to not teach him how to rule, but rule through him. A handsome lad, his chief regent, the Earl of Moray, attempted to distract him throughout his youth by plying him with liquor and women. According to the Duke himself, he slept with over 100 women by the age of 16 and, had he not decided to learn the basics of statecraft, would have doubled that number within a year.

In 1587, in a letter to his brother, the Duke himself would write of his childhood:

"There is not much of which to speak of in the time which you ask. I was born, then I was a man. I learnt little in between, except that wine was good and women were better."

Of course, there were definitely events in his childhood that were both highly impactful and thus worth discussing. The first was, of course, his mother's escape from Scotland to France in 1569. Aged 3, the Duke was said to have been at the city walls, waiting to leave with her for travel to a new castle, when news came that the Queen of Scotland had become lost. Of course, the Queen was not quite lost, simply leaving. Having been unhappily married for 3 years to the syphilitic Henry Stuart, the Queen had let slip to various nobles she might be happier in a widowed state. Of course, Mary would claim this was not meant to incite the following events, but ultimately they would act upon the implied commands and kill Lord Darnley, who's guard would kill three of the seven assailants, including James Hepburn. Whatever the cause, Mary found the accusations and threats to imprison her unbearable and this left for France in June of 1569.

The Duke of Albany, meanwhile, was a loose end for the Parliament to dispose of. Rumours abounded that the child had been killed off in vengeance for his mother's crimes, or that he had been spirited away either to France or England, to be raised away from the Scottish people. Those rumours were proved to be false following a ride through the city of Edinburgh with the Earl of Moray, but there were still things to decide. Of course, the first idea was to have Prince James declared King and simply remove Scotland completely from France's grasp. But to basically declare war on such a large country was suicidal. Eventually, it was decided to send word that the Duke of Albany would act as his mother and brother's regent in Scotland. The plan had flaws and it would not be until 1578 that the Queen of Scots accepted what the status quo was, and even then only reluctantly.

His childhood also held the honour of being filled with no less then 3 kidnapping attempts before he turned 12. All of these attempts were done on behalf of the Queen, hoping to return her Scotland and present the Duke of Albany to her in return for reward. One of these actually became a full, highly violent fight and from that point on the Duke would refuse to have anyone at his court wear the any shade of pale yellow, as that was the colour of the clothes the assailants had been wearing. However, in spite of these issues, James Stuart led a mostly simple childhood.

The Duke was a fast developing child. Tall like his mother, he stood at 6 feet at age 13 and would be nicknamed The Giant of Scotland by many of his contemporaries. Not a handsome young man, he instead held an animal magnetism in his adulthood that even Elizabeth I of England, upon meeting him in 1591, would call "highly intoxicating". But a handsome man he was not, with a too long nose and very weak jaw. In fact, he was frequently compared badly to his brothers, the Kings of Spain and Navarre. Both were named as the handsomest men in their respective kingdoms, although it was generally agreed that the King of Navarre was probably the best looking, with a strong set of regular features and none of his King-Brother's deformities [1].

Whatever his appearance, the Duke of Albany was a prize amongst Scottish women and many of the most beautiful vied for his eye as he grew into manhood. In 1578, aged 11 (almost 12), the Duke claims he fell in manhood with a beautiful girl named Rosaline. The mysterious Rosaline was almost certainly either a fake name or a prostitute, but what is true is that, by the age of 13, the Duke of often seen with woman after woman. According to contemporaries, this was set up by his uncle in an attempt to infect him with any type of sexually transmitted disease and thus kill him and give the Earl a chance for the throne. But, due to the fact that Prince James never seems to have caught any such disease, it is more likely that, as the young man grew into manhood James hoped to focus him on pleasure, thus allowing the Earl to rule without interruption.

While this worked for a while, the young man was not an idiot. Easily as intelligent as his French brothers, he decided in 1582, to take the reigns of government. His decision was a shock to the Parliament but ultimately they had to give in; his very existence as Regent was why they were so powerful and to deny him that right at the time that their Queen was still making powerful friends across the sea was not a good move. And so, James Stuart, Duke of Albany began what would be a long career in ruling.

His first decision was to emphasis to his brother that he was a loyal man. In 1584, upon his brother's command, he was betrothed to one Marie de' Medici. However, this betrothal was broken in 1588 for a much greater match, the Princess Catherine de Bourbon, widowed Duchess of Anjou and Queen Dowager of Poland. However, following her refusal to remarry, the King of France offered his brother 2 options. The first was to bring back the betrothal to Marie de' Medici, who at this point was 13 years old. The second was marriage to the Archduchess Margaret of Austria, who was now 21 years old and highly religious. The decision was made in 1589 in favour of Margaret of Austria and thus, the next year, Margaret began a year long journey to Scotland, prevented by a 6 month illness that landed her in the Court of Navarre for an extended period. Eventually, in February of 1591 she entered the Scottish Court and was married in an expensive public ceremony that led to 2 months of celebrations.

Their marriage was not a strong one and it would be 6 years before their first child, named James Stuart, was born, and another 4 before their second son, Alexander, was born. James was only nominally Catholic to keep his brother believing in his loyalty and with his highly religious bride he found a consistent enemy. After the troubling birth of Prince Alexander in 1600 his wife left him to begin a religious order in Madrid, with an invitation of Philip III of Spain. Her husband, meanwhile, would never remarry but instead, in 1601, began a romantic relationship with Catherine Henriette de Balzac d'Entragues, who had been a mistress to James' stepfather for a few years before being exiled from Navarre. Their relationship was high strung and despite constant pleas the Duke of Albany never agreed to marry the Frenchwoman.

The Duke of Albany was the favourite to take the English Throne following the realization that Elizabeth I of England would never provide the English people with an heir. She was supposed to have lusted for the Duke and in 1591, during his and his bride's only visit to England, the English Queen was said to have offered him her throne for a single night with him. While most certainly a false story, it does seem the prevailing wisdom at the time that James would be King of England following the Queen's death. This severely angered the French King, particularly after the death of their mother. While James seemed resigned to the prospects he now had, he sent over 20 documented letters on the subject to his brother's, claiming that he has no say in the matter and the crown will fall to others less willing to listen to Henri III's wise advice. The flattery and pleas work in regaining his favour, however James would always be the least favourite of his brothers.

[1] Henri III of France suffered from a club foot. While most took pains to ignore his limping walk, the King of Navarre would actively mock it in a friendly matter.
 
Good chapter but I dont see the king of France marying a Medici again especialy a bastard.
It was already difficult for henry IV and Marie de Medici was half Hasburg and the Marriage was still considered a Mesaliance Marie was the daugther and grandaugther of the Grand-duke while Virginia was only the bastard daugther of the duke her father and mother were from common stock even their familly where considered noble in Florence they werent in France fr the french they were just upstart.
 
Interesting.

I'll keep an eye on this.
One thing though - if he is Catholic (even if only nominally to keep his brother sweet) and his two sons are being raised Catholic, would England really let them gain the throne?
 
Mary, Queen of Scots (b.1542: d.1594) m. Francis II of France (b.1544: d.1560) (a), Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley (b.1545: d.1568) (b), Henry III of Navarre (b.1553) (a)

1a) Henri III of France, I of Scotland (b.1560) m. Isabella Clara Eugenia of Spain (b.1566: d.1585) (a), Virginia de' Medici (b.1568) (b)

1a) Miscarriage (c.1581)

2a) Miscarriage (c.1582)

3a) Louis de Valois, Dauphin of France (b.1585)

4b) Marie Catherine de Valois, Fille de France (b.1588)

5b) Francis de Valois, Duke of Orleans (b.1590)

6b) Madeleine de Valois, Fille de France (b.1591)

7b) Henri de Valois, Duke of Anjou (b.1593)

8b) Miscarriage (c.1594)

9b) Louise de Valois, Fille de Valois (b.1597)

10b) Charles de Valois, Duke of Berry (b.1599)

11b) Marguerite de Valois, Fille de France (b.1602)​
2b) James I of Engand, Duke of Albany (b.1567) m. Margaret of Austria (b.1567) (a)

1a) James Stewart, Prince of Wales (b.1596)

2a) Alexander Stewart (b.1600)
3b) Marie de Bourbon (b.1573) m. Juan IV of Portugal (b.1574) (a)​

1a) Manuel of Portugal (b.1591)

2a) Miscarriage (c.1592)

3a) Juan of Portugal (b.1594)

4a) Henri of Portugal (b.1594)

5a) Louisa of Portugal (b.1597: d.1598)

6a) Miscarriage (c.1598)

7a) Sebastian of Portugal (b.1600)

8a) Maria of Portugal (b.1602)​

4b) Miscarriage (c.1575)

5b) Henri de Bourbon, Prince of Navarre (b.1578) m. Marie de' Medici (b.1575) (a)

1a) Marie de Bourbon (b.1597)

2a) John de Bourbon (b.1599)

3a) Anne de Bourbon (b.1600: d.1600)

4a) Marguerite de Bourbon (b.1603)

5a) Louis de Bourbon (b.1607)​
 
No important king would want to marry a Valois princess if they have Virginia for a mother she his a Bastard born from an Ennobled common man and a common woman and she dont have any right to the sucession of tuscany she brings nothing.
 
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Interesting.

I'll keep an eye on this.
One thing though - if he is Catholic (even if only nominally to keep his brother sweet) and his two sons are being raised Catholic, would England really let them gain the throne?

London is worth a Mass (or not, in this case)
 
No way Mary Stuart go back in Scotland when she can stay in France and been regent for her own son. She would be crazy to left her son in the hands of her mother-in-law and for what? Scotland? That was not enough.
 
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