Mary of Guise

queen consort of Scotland

Written by

The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last updated

July 15, 2026

Quick Summary

Mary of Guise was the queen consort of Scotland and regent for her daughter, Mary Stuart. She was born in Lorraine, France, and married King James V of Scotland in 1538. After James V's death in 1542, their infant daughter Mary Stuart became queen, and Mary of Guise served as regent.1

Mary of Guise pursued pro-French policies, which led to conflict with Scotland's Protestant nobles during the Scottish Reformation. She attempted to suppress Protestantism, sparking an uprising. Despite recapturing Edinburgh with French aid, an English army intervened, and Mary of Guise died in 1560. Her daughter, Mary Stuart, proved unable to rule Scotland effectively.1

Summary created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

4 Britannica Sources

Ask Britannica AI about this topic

Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.

Mary, Queen of Scots
Early life
…Scotland and his French wife, Mary of Guise. The death of her father six days after her birth left Mary as queen of Scotland in her own right. Although Mary’s great-uncle King Henry VIII of England made an unsuccessful effort to secure control of her (Mary inherited Tudor blood through…
Read More
…Scotland and his French wife, Mary of Guise. The death of her father six days after her birth left Mary as queen of Scotland in her own right. Although Mary’s great-uncle King Henry VIII of England made an unsuccessful effort to secure control of her (Mary inherited Tudor blood through…
Read More