Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley

Henry Stewart or Stuart, Duke of Albany (7 December 1546 – 10 February 1567), styled Lord Darnley before 1565, was king consort of Scotland from 1565 until his murder at Kirk o' Field in 1567. He is usually called Lord Darnley. He was the father of James VI and I.

Henry, Lord Darnley
King consort of Scots
Tenure	29 July 1565 – 10 February 1567
Born	(1546-12-07)7 December 1546 Temple Newsam, Yorkshire, England
Died	10 February 1567(1567-02-10) (aged 20) Kirk o' Field, Edinburgh, Scotland
Burial	Holyrood Abbey
Spouse	Mary, Queen of Scots m. 1565; dec. 1567
Issue	James VI and I
House	House of Stuart
Father	Matthew Stewart, 4th Earl of Lennox
Mother	Margaret Douglas
Religion	Roman Catholicism

Darnley was the second son of Matthew Stewart, 4th Earl of Lennox, and his wife, Lady Margaret Douglas. He was their oldest surviving son. Darnley's maternal grandparents were Archibald Douglas, 6th Earl of Angus, and Margaret Tudor, widow of James IV of Scotland. It is the common belief that Henry Stewart was born on 7 December, but this is disputed. He was a first cousin and the second husband of Mary, Queen of Scots, and was the father of her son James VI of Scotland, who succeeded Elizabeth I of England as James I.^[1]

Darnley was found dead outdoors, dressed for bed, after an explosion near his bedroom. Many people thought the Queen had arranged his murder.

References

1. Elaine Finnie Greig, 'Stewart, Henry, duke of Albany [Lord Darnley] (1545/6–1567)', Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004; online edn, Jan 2008 accessed 4 March 2012