Mary Queen of Scots: Descended from John the Fearless
- 8 January 2026
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- 11 Min Read
From Burgundy to Scotland: The Women Who Carried Mary’s Line
Overview
An exploration of Mary Queen of Scots’ Burgundian ancestry, tracing her descent from John the Fearless and the formidable women whose marriages and regencies linked Burgundy, France, Lorraine, and Scotland.
Cite This Work
Abernethy, S. (2026). Mary Queen of Scots: Descended from John the Fearless – Medieval History. Medieval History – Yesterday in a Nutshell. https://historymedieval.com/mary-queen-of-scots-descended-from-john-the-fearless/
During research for my book, The Formidable Women Who Shaped Medieval Europe: Power and Patronage at the Burgundian Court, I kept finding new women, each with a unique story**, and this led me to discover how Mary Queen of Scots was related to Philip the Bold and John the Fearless, the Valois Dukes of Burgundy. Let’s take a look at some of the formidable women in this branch of the family tree.
16th-century anonymous painting of Margaret
Margaret of Bavaria, wife of John the Fearless, Duke of Burgundy
John the Fearless married Margaret of Bavaria. At the time, he was thirteen, and Margaret was twenty-two. Margaret lived under the guidance of her mother-in-law, Margaret of Male, wife of Philip the Bold, for several years, enjoying the arts and culture of the Burgundian court. When John reached canonical age, Margaret gave birth to several children, including her son Philip, the future Philip the Good, who was born while her husband was away on crusade in the Balkans.
Once John became Duke of Burgundy in 1404, Margaret would act as his regent in several of his territories while he engaged in the Armagnac–Burgundian civil war and pursued ruling France in the name of his nephew, King Charles VI, who suffered from mental illness. She performed her duties impeccably, and he trusted her implicitly. The Valois dukes had a deliberate policy of marrying their daughters, nieces, and granddaughters into surrounding entities for political and territorial gains.
Margaret of Bavaria governed Burgundian territories with authority and competence while her husband pursued war and power politics.
Agnes of Burgundy, Duchess of Bourbon
Agnes of Burgundy, Duchess of Bourbon
One of Margaret of Bavaria’s several daughters, Agnes, married the son of the Duke of Bourbon, one of the princes of the blood of the family of the king of France, who supported the Armagnac coalition during the Armagnac–Burgundian civil war. This union would serve a political purpose in pursuing peace with the Armagnacs. It also put Agnes in a delicate position, and she spent her life doing everything she could to unite the Houses of Bourbon and Burgundy, including arranging marriages, along with her brother, Philip the Good, for her many offspring.
Catherine of Bourbon, Duchess of Guelders and Gulik and Countess of Zutphen
Agnes and Charles, Duke of Bourbon, would have eleven children together, with five daughters who survived infancy and married. Catherine, born c. 1440 in Liège, grew up in the French and Burgundian court, where she met her future husband, Adolf of Egmont, Duke of Guelders and Gulik and Count of Zutphen. Adolf would visit the court and participate in tournaments staged by Philip the Good.
Following extensive negotiations, Catherine and Adolf were married in Bruges on 18 December 1463, with Philip the Good in attendance. Adolf departed while Catherine stayed on, with Adolf visiting her regularly. Her daughter Philippa, named after the Burgundian duke, was born in Brussels in March 1465. Philip the Good, Catherine’s mother Agnes, and Adolf’s mother Catherine of Cleves all attended the baptism.
Burgundian influence grew in Guelders, and the duchy had to fight for its independence. At first, Adolf sided with Philip the Good and his mother in a scheme to overthrow his father, Arnold. Following a prolonged and contentious feud, Adolf took his own father prisoner and had himself named duke in his place in 1465.
On September 1466, Catherine, along with an entourage of fifty-seven, departed to join Adolf in Grave. On 14 March 1467, while pregnant, Catherine and Adolf visited the Burgundian court in Brussels. Catherine’s son was born on 9 November 1467 and named Charles after his uncle, Charles the Bold, husband of Catherine’s sister Isabella of Bourbon.
Catherine preferred to live in Nijmegen with her two children. After a few months of illness, Catherine died at Valkhof Castle on 21 May 1469, at the age of twenty-nine. Adolf, highly involved in ducal business, entrusted the guardianship and education of his two children to his sister Catherine of Egmont. They buried Catherine in a private crypt in St Stephen’s Church.
Catherine’s short life reflects the risks faced by women whose political marriages bound together rival dynasties.
Philippa of Guelders (1464-1547), wife of René II of Lorraine (1451-1508)
Philippa of Guelders, Duchess of Lorraine and Bar
The regent of France and Duchess of Bourbon, Anne de Beaujeu, and a close relative of Catherine of Bourbon, arranged for her daughter Philippa of Guelders to marry René II, Duke of Lorraine and Bar. By medieval aristocratic standards, this was a highly successful marriage. Philippa had a strong and formidable character and gave birth to many children, including her eldest son, Antoine, who succeeded his father as Duke of Lorraine, and Claude, the first Duke of Guise.
These children were born in several locations, demonstrating that Philippa travelled from castle to castle with her husband. When they stayed in the Lorraine capital of Nancy, they lived in the ducal palace, which they renovated and enlarged, commissioning many artists from Lorraine. The duchy became renowned for its intellectual and cultural life, as René indulged his interest in literature, humanism, and fine arts, and Philippa indulged her love of gardening.
She efficiently ran the ducal household, raised and supervised the education of her children, and acted in her husband’s stead while he was away taking care of his own business. In 1508, René fell ill following a wolf hunt in Normandy and died on 10 December, at the age of fifty-seven. Philippa made the argument that she should act as regent for her son Antoine, but the nobility of Lorraine agreed that, at the age of nineteen, Antoine had reached adulthood and could rule on his own. Philippa remained the supreme head of the family and would administer the government of Lorraine while Antoine followed King Louis XII on his adventures in Italy and lived occasionally at the French court.
By 1515, Antoine had married and was in complete control of Lorraine. Philippa’s son Claude, Duke of Guise, married Antoinette de Bourbon, and she gave birth to her eldest child, Marie of Guise. Philippa attended the birth at the castle of Bar-le-Duc and acted as godmother to the child. Marie of Guise would spend a good deal of her childhood with her grandmother.
Philippa now lived alternately in Bar and Joinville, exercising guardianship over her minor children. When her youngest son reached the age of thirteen and came into possession of his title and property, Philippa finally realised her long-term dream of entering monastic life. Her health was failing, and she informed her children she needed fresh air and planned a brief visit to Pont-à-Mousson, a convent of the Poor Clares, north of Nancy. Within a few days of her arrival, she told the nuns she intended to stay there the rest of her life.
Her children were horrified, as the order kept strict living conditions. The Church could offer a career for an intelligent girl as an abbess, but Philippa chose a life of poverty at the age of fifty-eight, and she suffered from ill health. Indeed, once ensconced in the convent, she became mortally ill but somehow managed to survive. Her family tried many times to get her to return home or at least take advantage of some small comforts, such as a nice bed or superior food. Philippa resisted it all.
King Francis I of France visited Philippa many times when he had political troubles, asking for prayers and advice and sending her precious relics. Philippa had a reputation as a visionary and foretold many events. She even predicted the death of one of her own sons in battle. Her youngest, Francis, died in the Battle of Pavia in 1525.
Holy Roman Emperor Charles V visited her, seeking advice about retiring to a monastery, something he eventually did himself when he abdicated his position as emperor in 1557. From 1540, Philippa was forced to stay in bed all day with an attack of hepatic colic. She kept her eyes on the crucifix at all times. After living in the convent for twenty-eight years, Philippa died on 28 February 1547, in the presence of several members of her family.
From duchess to Poor Clare, Philippa of Guelders chose spiritual authority over dynastic comfort.
Portrait of Mary of Guise (1515-1560), Queen of James V of Scotland and mother of Mary, Queen of Scots, c. 1537, by Corneille de Lyon
Marie of Guise, Queen of Scots, daughter of Philippa of Guelders’ son Claude, Duke of Guise
Philippa’s granddaughter, Marie of Guise, attended the coronation of Eleanor of Austria, the second wife of King Francis I of France, and during the celebrations, she met Louis, Duke of Longueville. They were immediately attracted to each other, and the family decided in the spring of 1534 that they would marry, and her father would provide a modest dowry. Longueville had extensive estates in Normandy and the Loire Valley. The wedding took place on 4 August 1534, in the Louvre chapel royal, with the king in attendance.
The marriage was successful, and Marie gave birth to two sons. In the winter of 1536–7, Marie was back at court to witness the marriage of her friend Madeleine, the daughter of the king, to James V, King of Scots, in the Cathedral of Notre-Dame in Paris. After weeks of celebrations, Marie returned to her castle of Châteaudun. By June 1537, her husband had died, probably of smallpox, leaving her a widow at twenty-one.
Her second son died a few months later. Shortly before, on 7 July 1537, Queen Madeleine of Scotland had died in the arms of King James V at Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh. King James sent word to King Francis that he sought another wife. Francis had no intention of sending another daughter to the cold climate of Scotland and suggested the widow of the Duke of Longueville as a bride.
Mary, Queen of Scots, François Clouet (workshop), National Gallery of Scotland
Mary Queen of Scots
Marie did not approve. She wanted to stay in France with her remaining son. But soon the king’s arguments prevailed, and after gaining favourable terms in her marriage treaty, she sailed for Scotland in June 1538. She gave birth to two sons who died while still young. Marie finally gave birth to Mary, Queen of Scots, on 8 December 1542. James V died six days later, and Marie of Guise would rule Scotland as regent for her daughter until she died in 1560. Mary, Queen of Scots, returned to Scotland in the summer of 1561 to take over governance of her realm.
Mary Queen of Scots inherited not only a crown, but generations of Burgundian political inheritance shaped by formidable women.
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Sources
Abernethy, S. (2025). The formidable women who shaped medieval Europe: Power and patronage at the Burgundian court. Pen & Sword History.
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Susan Abernethy
Susan’s passion for history dates back fifty years, leading her to study for a Bachelor of Arts degree in history at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. She is currently a member of the Rocky Mountain Medieval and Renaissance Association, the Society for Renaissance Studies, and the Historical Association. Her work has appeared on several historical websites and in magazines and includes guest appearances on historical podcasts. Her blog, The Freelance History Writer, has consistently published over 500 historical articles since 2012, with an emphasis on European, Tudor, Medieval, Renaissance, Early Modern, and women’s history. She is currently working on her third non-fiction book.
