The title is the real description for what happened in Stirling (Scotland) in 1565. At that time queen of Scotland was the famous Mary Stuart (Stewart in the original form) already a young widow (she was 23 y.o.). She was examining different princes to choose a possible husband, possibly he would have had to be on the ereditary lines of England to improve her rights on the near kingdom and, as a matter of fact, acceptable also for her cousin queen Elisabeth I to avoid troubles.
A common cousin to both the queens was the catholic prince Henry of Stewart-Lennox called lord Darnley, son of Mattew earl of Lennox and of Margaret Douglas, niece of the king Henry VIII of England and aunt of the queen of Scotland.
To this prince queen Elisabeth gave the permission to travel to Scotland to visit his father. It was obvious that queen Mary was interested in this young prince handsome and romantic and in fact she met him on 17 february 1565 at Holyrood, one of the queen's residences.
Afterwards they met each other occasionally until the april: while thay were both in Stirling, lord Darnley fell ill, apparently a flu that became worse. The closeness of these two young cousing plays certainly some importance and they both found themselves in love. A little after the prince health improved, but with the increasing of the queen's love incereases also the bad side of his character, in particular his vanity and overbearing manner.
In Mary Stuart love played in simil manner, she was acting with no sobriety or moderation, loosing the wiseness that she has demonstrated until then.
The marriage that followed on 29 luglio 1565, it was between the worsts of the known history. It caused the death of the young Darnley and the destitution of Mary as queen of Scotland. Then the throne goes to the child born from this union, that became James VI as king of Scotland and after James I as king of England and Ireland (when Elizabeth I died withoud hereds in 1603).

In the following table the parents and grandparents of this prince are reported.

James V Stewart king of Scotland	Marie de Lorraine of the dukes of Guisa	Mattew Stewart earl of Lennox	Margaret Douglas earl of Angus

Let's rest for a moment on the dynastic genealogical connections of these princeps so important at that time: it is interesting to notice that between the families in the England royal "entourage" it is possible to find the Spencers of Althorp (the family of the late Diana ex princess of Galles) exactly in the right corner of the scheme; while between the families in the Scottish royal "entourage" it is possible to find, always on the right, the Lyons of Glamis, some ascendants of the queen mother of England a hundred year old Elizabeth of Bowes-Lyon.

On the right a photograoh of Stirling castle. Rising on the top af a hill dominating the surrouding plain this castle was coinsidered impregnable. The owner of the castle was an important person in Scotland aristocracy.

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