48.
             Mary, Queen of Scots received a royal welcome from Henry II upon her arrival in France. The King of France was very fond of Mary and said, "The little Queen of the Scots is the most perfect child." Mary also met several relatives including her maternal grandmother, Antoinette de Guise. She first met her betrothed husband when she was five and he was four. Mary and Francis became close even as children; they traveled together between the French Royal palaces. Mary received the traditional education of a French princess; she learned French, Latin, Spanish, Italian, and Greek. She also learned to dance, sing, and play the lute, and Mary became well versed in religious matters. She learned statecraft and mercy from her uncle, Cardinal de Guise.
             In 1558, Mary, Queen of Scots married the Dauphin of France in a lavish affair at Notre Dame Cathedral. Mary had a very regal appearance; she was tall with an oval face and hazel eyes, which was framed by her golden-red locks of hair. Mary was considered to be one of the most beautiful princesses in Europe by the French people. Mary was not always in good health, and she was prone to sickness, but her husband was far worse than she was, because he came close to death on several occasions.
             Later that year, Queen Mary I of England passed away leaving no heirs to the throne. Henry II encouraged Mary, a relative of Queen Mary of England, to assume the royal arms of England, because in the eyes of Catholic Europe, Henry VIII's other children were not legitimate heirs to throne, because they were not Catholic and were born outside the sanctity of Catholic marriage. Mary, Queen of Scots, was the closest Catholic relative of Henry VIII, so she was considered to be the next heir to the English throne. However, Queen Elizabeth I ascended to the throne of England, and from that day forth, she was suspicious of Mary.
             Mary and Francis I were crowned Queen and K...