1542: Birth of Mary Queen of Scots
Mary of Guise		Mary is born six days before the death of her father, James V. Her mother, Mary of Guise, acts as Regent.

		1547: Death of Henry VIII
Henry VIII		Mary is born six days before the death of her father, James V. Her mother, Mary of Guise, acts as Regent.

		1548: Mary goes to France
Francis		Mary of Guise arranges for Mary to live at the French court. She is betrothed to Francis, heir to the French throne.

		1558: Marriage of Mary and Francis
Young Mary		The marriage took place at Notre Dame in Paris. Mary was fifteen years old.

		1558: Elizabeth I becomes Queen of England
Elizabeth I		Mary's father-in-law, Henry II, claims that Elizabeth is illegitimate and that Mary is the rightful Queen of England.

		1559: Death of Henry II of France
Francis II		Francis becomes Francis II of France. Mary is now Queen of Scotland and France.

		1560: Deaths of Mary of Guise and Francis II
Mary in 1560		A disastrous year for Mary. Without her husband, she no longer ruled France and was forced to return to Scotland. Without her mother, she would be left alone to rule a country she hardly knew.