The Washington herald., 1916-07-10
YOUR WEDDING DAY
The Famous Men and Women Who
Have Shared 1t.
July l0-Mary. Queen of Scots, and
Lord Darnley.
BY MARY MARSHALL.

When Mary Stuart returned from
France to Scotland after the death of
her child-husband. King Francis II,
every tongue was wagging over the in
teresting question of whom she would
marry next In spite of her youth she
had already won something OF reputa-
tion for eccentricity, and those who
knew her best felt sure that one OF her
passionate and intriguing nature would
not long remain widow. However,
Mary Stuart kept her courtiers guessing
declaring that she wished that her
cousin, Queen Elizabeth. then reigning
in England, were a man, so that she
might marry her and thus unite the
destinies OF Scotland and England Lit
tie did she dream at this time that this
same cousin would later find it expedient
to sever Mary's fair head from her
shoulders.
But Mary's widowhood was not happy.
One day she would tearfully complain
that no one loved her we'll enough to
wed her, and the next she would laugh
ingly declare that she could wed whom
she pleased. Within a few hours. per-
haps, she would put on her most somber
mourning and declare that she would
never be consoled for the loss of her
first husband. In the meantime, she
must have taken a natural feminine
pleasure in watching the maneuvers of
her numerous suitors.
There was the Archduke Charles of
Austria, there was the King OF Den
mark and there was Eric XIV, King of
Sweden. OF Scotch nobles-actuated
either by a passion for the beautiful
queen herself or a desire to share her
royal honors-there were dozens and
dozens
1t is said that Mary's real motive for
postponing her second marriage and
choosing from among her many suitors
was the fact that she herself wished to
wed the son of Philip II. king of Spain
Could she have accomplished this, she
would have been the most powerful
woman in Europe, perhaps the most
powerful woman of all history: for at
that time the Spanish domains included
a large share of the western continent
as we'll as the extensive Spanish holdings
in Europe. Mary herself was queen of
Scotland, and, with the powerful Span
ish monarch to back her, she would have
had very little trouble in asserting her
claim to the English throne To be
queen regent of Scotland and England
and consort of the monarch Of Spain
and limitless territories in America
what dream for an ambitious woman!
But the project fell through. And quite
clearly Mary was disappointed. For sew
eral days at a time, she would keep to
hCi Dtu, COIHpldllIlB lnat She naQ wear
led herself with too much dancing.
When she had adjusted herself to her
disa ppointment. Mary wasted little time
in finding a husband. Her choice fell
upon Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley, who
was tall, well proportioned, "beardless
and lady faced" "A young, pretty fool"
he was called by some of the disappoint-
ed Scotch noblemen of harder mein, who
saw their own disappointment in this
lads success. In keeping with his
youthfulness, Darnley fell i'll of the
measles shortly after finding favor with
the queen, and no little scandal was rails
ed by those who hated Mary Stuart when
she personally nursed him through this
interesting malady.
At all events. no time was lost in ac-
complishing the marriage, and the we'd
ding ceremony, which took place in the
chapel of Holy Rood between five and
six in the morning, occurred, 1t is said.
before the necessary papal bull came, a
dispensation necessary in view of the
fact that Mary was a kinswoman of
Lord Darnley.
Was it to remind herself of her deem
disappointment in failing ito gain a royal
Spanish husband, or was it out of respect
to her deceased French husband. or was
it simply to humor an idle whim. that
Mary appeared at the altar to marry
Lord Darnley not in bridal array but in
the great mourning gown of black she
had worn at her first husbands funeralp''
Copyright 1871