Succession · monarch of Scotland
Why did James VI and I succeed Mary, Queen of Scots?
Forced abdication of the queen; infant king under successive regents. Son — Mary's only child, by Lord Darnley.
The short answer
After Darnley's murder and her marriage to Bothwell, Mary surrendered to rebel lords at Carberry Hill in June 1567 and was imprisoned at Loch Leven, where on 24 July 1567 she was made to abdicate in favour of her thirteen-month-old son. James VI was crowned five days later. Regents governed until the 1580s.
Who they were
Family relationship
Son — Mary's only child, by Lord Darnley.
How power passed
Forced abdication of the queen; infant king under successive regents
Key points
- Forced abdication at Loch Leven, 24 July 1567
- James crowned 29 July 1567 aged thirteen months
- Regents: Moray, Lennox, Mar, Morton
Related family connections
- How were Elizabeth I of England and James VI and I related?
First cousins twice removed - How were Mary, Queen of Scots and Elizabeth I of England related?
First cousins once removed - How were Henry VIII of England and Mary, Queen of Scots related?
Great-uncle and great-niece - How were Mary, Queen of Scots and Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley related?
Half first cousins
Sources
- Mary, Queen of Scots Abdication of 1567
- James VI and I Coronation as an infant and the regencies
Explanation written and reviewed by HistorIQly · reviewed 2026-09-18. Part of House of Stuart. Background on Wikipedia.