Shortly after Mary had visited Darnley on what was to be the last occasion, an explosion happened at two o'clock in the morning at Kirk O' Field in the Royal Mile in Edinbugh and not far from Holyrood Palace. Darnley and his servant were mysteriously found dead in the garden.
There was no sign on their bodies of what had killed them. Some believed that they were strangled or suffocated while other people said they heard Darnley screaming for mercy, but nobody really knows who killed them. Some people thought that the Earl of Bothwell and Mary were involved but after standing trial for the murder, Bothwell was found not guilty.
Marriage to Bothwell
Only three months after the death of her husband Darnley, Mary married Bothwell who had divorced his wife. Some people thought that she was marrying Darnley's murderer and others thought she was forced to marry Bothwell. She had little happiness in her life at this time.
Many Scottish Lords were unhappy at Mary marrying Bothwell and formed an army against her. At Carberry Hill, near Edinburgh, Mary surrendered to them provided that Bothwell was allowed to go safely.
Mary was then imprisoned in Loch Leven Castle. She was pregnant with twins at the time but because of the strain on her, she had a miscarriage. She was forced to abdicate (to give up her crown) and her son James was crowned James VI of Scotland when he was just thirteen months old.