Laird of Misrule
Mary WineScotland was split between a French marriage alliance and an English one. The core of this disagreement was the matter of religion—the Church of Rome or Protestantism. Between 1544 and 1550, much of lowland Scotland was occupied by English troops intent on finding the baby queen, to take her to England, so she would be raised as a Protestant.
Edinburgh was burned, and numerous other towns suffered the same fate. Scots were forced to become “Assured Men”, bound by contract to defend the English marriage. Mary Stuart was smuggled out of Scotland at five years of age, and sent to France, where she was raised in the Catholic faith.
Peace was restored in 1550, but much blood had been spilt. The topic of religion divided the lowland Scots, and trust would take a long time to be restored.
When Henry VIII’s son, Edward, died without issue, his sister Mary Tudor took the throne of England in 1553. She belonged to the Church of Rome and began to enforce a return to this faith. England had been a haven for those who embraced the break with the Catholic Church under Henry VIII, but suddenly, they had to recant or flee.
The lowlands of Scotland were also torn in this battle between faiths. The only stability laid in clan allegiance. Castles offered protection from invading troops, while clansmen manned the walls, and rode the land to protect their clan members.
It was a time when anything could happen. And sometimes, it did.