How was Mary, Queen of Scots related to Elizabeth?
Rachel Davis
Updated on March 08, 2026
Mary was Elizabeth's cousin and an heir to the English throne through her Tudor grandmother, Margaret, Henry VIII's older sister.
Why did Mary, Queen of Scots have a claim to the English throne?
As Henry VII of England's great-granddaughter, Mary was next in line to the English throne, after Henry VIII's children. Given her youth and sex, the Scottish nobility decided that they must make peace with England, and they agreed that she should marry Henry VIII's son, the future Edward VI.Is Mary Tudor related to Queen Elizabeth?
In 1553, Elizabeth's half sister, Mary Tudor (Catherine of Aragon's Catholic daughter) became England's first female monarch. Elizabeth now took the position of “second person” in the country, causing her sister—who later became known as "Bloody Mary"—great anxiety.Is Anne Boleyn related to Queen Elizabeth?
Queen Elizabeth I was the daughter of King Henry VIII and his second wife, Anne Boleyn.Are the Windsors related to the Tudors?
So, yes, the House of Windsor is descended from the House of Tudor and the House of Plantagenet - through one of Henry VII's daughters, who married a Scottish king and whose great-grandson was King James I of England (at the same time that he was King James VI of Scotland), then through James' great-grandson Georg of ...Queen Elizabeth I Vs Mary Queen of Scots | Two Golden Queens | Channel 5 #RoyalFamily
Who was the rightful heir Mary or Elizabeth?
In Catholic eyes, after Mary Tudor's death, there were no more rightful heirs that descended from King Henry VIII. To find an heir, one had to go back to Henry VII's descendants — which made the Catholic Mary Stuart, not Elizabeth, the rightful successor to Mary Tudor's throne.Was Mary Stuart the rightful Queen of England?
1558-59: The rivals take the stageYet for many Catholics in England and abroad, Elizabeth was illegitimate. They saw Mary Stuart, queen of Scotland and legitimate granddaughter of Henry's sister Margaret Tudor, as the rightful queen of England.