Mary of Guelders (c1434-1463)

{{Showfacts person Mary of Guelders (c. 1434 – 1 December 1463) was the Queen Consort of Scotland as the spouse of king James II of Scotland. She served as Regent of Scotland from 1460 to 1463.
 * given_name=Mary
 * middle_name=of
 * surname=Guelders
 * sex=F
 * father=Arnold, Duke of Gelderland (1410-1473)
 * mother=Catherine of Cleves (1417-1479)
 * joined_with=James II, King of Scotland (1430-1460)
 * ifmarried-g1=true
 * short_name=Mary of Guelders
 * notes=

Background
She was the daughter of Arnold, Duke of Guelders and Catherine, eldest daughter of Adolph IV, Duke of Cleves.

Marriage and children
Mary married James II, King of Scots, at Holyrood Abbey in Edinburgh on (3 July 1449), and they had seven children.


 * An unnamed son. {Both born and died on 19 May, 1450).
 * James III of Scotland (1451 - 1488).
 * Alexander Stewart, III Duke of Albany (c. 1454 - 1485).
 * David Stewart, Earl of Moray (c. 1456 - 1457. He was created Earl of Moray on 12 February 1456.
 * John Stewart, 1st Earl of Mar and Garioch (c. 1459 - 1479).
 * Princess Margaret of Scotland. Married William Crichton, 3rd Lord Crichton of Auchingoul. She became the mother of Margaret Crichton and mother-in-law of George Leslie, 4th Earl of Rothes.
 * Princess Mary of Scotland (May 1453- May 1488). Married first Thomas Boyd, 1st Earl of Arran and secondly James Hamilton, 1st Lord Hamilton. She became the mother of James Hamilton, 1st Earl of Arran.

Regency
After her husband's death, Mary acted as Regent for their son James III of Scotland until her own death 3 years later. As regent, she appointed Bishop Kennedy as her chief advisor; their companionship was described as well functioning.

Mary was also brought into the War of the Roses, which was taking place in England at that time. While still mourning the death of King James II, the Lancastrian Queen Margaret of Anjou fled North across the border seeking refuge from the Yorkists, and Mary sypathetically aided Margaret and took Edward of Westminster into her household to keep them out of Yorkist hands.

Mary's dealings with Margaret were mainly providing aid to the desposed Queen; Mary gave a number of Scottish troops to help Margaret and the Lancastrian cause. As well as providing troops she and Margaret organised a betrothal of Prince Edward to King James III's sister Princess Margaret in 1461. For her support Mary wanted the Northern town of Berwick on the border, which Margaret was willing to give.

However relations between the two decreased by the increasing alliance between King Edward IV and Duke Philip of Burgundy who was an uncle of Mary and if she showed friendship to Margaret, Edward's enemy, it could threaten the alliance that Duke Philip needed with King Edward IV against the French King Louis XI.

Edward IV tried to ward off Mary's support of Margaret by proposing marriage to the widowed Queen, which she rejected. Her uncle Philip pressured her to call off the betrothal of Margaret of Scotland and Prince Edward, to Margaret's disappointment.

Trinity College Church
A devout Catholic, Mary founded Trinity College Church ca. 1460 in memory of her husband. The church, located in the area now known as Edinburgh's Royal Mile, was demolished in 1848 to make way for Waverley station, although it was partially reconstructed in 1870 under the name Trinity Apse. Mary was buried in the church, although her coffin was moved to Holyrood Abbey in 1848.