Mary returned to the land of her birth to find a very different Scotland to the one she left behind as a child.
From being a Roman Catholic country allied to France, Scotland had become a Protestant nation allied to its former enemy, England.
Scotland was now unique in the world - it was a Protestant country with a Catholic ruler, who was also a woman. Mistrust and murder followed.
Choose a key event below to find out more.
At 2am on the 10th Feb. 1567 an explosion was heard at a house in Kirk O' Fields, Edinburgh. The King of Scotland, Lord Darnley, had been murdered.
After being defeated at the Battle of Langside, Glasgow, Mary decided she had run out of options. She crossed the Solway Firth into England to seek help from the English Queen.
