Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley

Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley, was the second husband of Mary, Queen of Scots, and the father of the future James VI and I. His royal ancestry and marriage gave him dynastic importance, but his ambition and unstable relationship with Mary caused political conflict.

Darnley took part in the conspiracy that murdered David Rizzio and was himself killed near Kirk o’ Field in 1567. Suspicion surrounding his death helped precipitate Mary’s downfall and civil war in Scotland.