The
Crown Matrimonial is a legal concept used to describe a person's right to co-reign equally with his or her spouse.
The Crown Matrimonial was offered to King
Francis II of France, husband of Queen
Mary I of Scotland, by the
Parliament of Scotland. This offer was one of
Mary of Guise's greatest achievements as regent of Scotland, as it wouldn't only make Francis legal co-sovereign of Scotland with Mary of Guise's daughter Mary I, but would also grant Francis the right to keep the Scottish throne if he outlived Mary I and would be able to pass it on to his descendants by a wife other than Mary I. The
Crown of Scotland was to be sent to France, where it was supposed to be kept at the Abbey of Saint Denis. However, the offer was never realized, as the Hamilton family who were close to the throne, joined the Protestants and opposed it.
[John Guy, Queen of Scots: The True Life of Mary Stuart, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2005]Mary I's second husband,
Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley, demanded the Crown Matrimonial. The Protestant peers promised to make him sovereign by the consent of Parliament. They agreed that Henry, as the new sovereign, would pardon all the exiled Protestants and allow them to return to Scotland. However, the plan was never realized.
See also
