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At the death of Mary I, Queen of Scots, the British Isles have undergone a transformative period of their history, the likes of which is perhaps rivalled only by the invasion of the Anglo-Saxons. In the life of two women, Mary I in Scotland and Elizabeth I in England, the islands have undergone war, hardship, and prosperity. All of it, oddly enough, the result of the same man: Henry VIII of England.

To recap events prior to 1561: Henry VIII of England was a transformative monarch who divorced his kingdom from the Catholic Church and created an English monarchy unrivalled in power in all history. His desperation for an heir eventually produced Prince Edward Tudor, the future brief Edward VI, but also produced Princesses Mary and Elizabeth, later to be queens in their own right. At the same time Scotland saw James V die a mere six days after the birth of Princess Mary, his own surviving legitimate child, who immediately became Mary, Queen of Scots. Henry VIII attempted to force a royal marriage between Mary and Edward, the so-called "Rough Wooing", which led to Mary instead being betrothed to the future Francis II of France and spending her life from 1548 to 1561 in France. Francis II died young, leaving Mary widowed, and by that point Henry VIII was long dead. Edward VI died young, Mary I of England died without heirs, and Elizabeth I came to the throne in 1558. Later, after the death of Francis II and her falling out with the French court, Mary returned to Scotland in 1561.

From there, events began to shift dramatically. Elizabeth and Mary both found themselves struggling to keep hold over kingdoms divided between Catholics and Protestants, and making matters worse Catholics in England saw Mary as the legitimate Queen of England. Mary for her part wanted to keep hold over affairs in Scotland, and after the unexpected assassination of Reformist preacher John Knox later that year she found herself able to more easily rein in the new Scots Kirk. A series of meetings and later clandestine letters between Mary and Elizabeth helped to establish the new order of the day: Scotland and England agreed to stay out of each other's affairs and leave them to their own matters. Scotland and England looked inwards, allowing the two a modicum of peace. Aside from the brief "War of the Marches" of 1584-1585, conflict between the two nations subsided.

It was around this same time that the two nations began two separate efforts at colonization. England settled a colony in Roanoke, while Scotland settled a colony in New Caledonia. The two set their colonies down intentionally far from each other to avoid any potential for conflict, especially as the regions between were catching the interest of the Netherlands and Sweden. Increasing cooperation between the two states also allowed the two to increase trade and ease political tensions to the point that the relationship between the two was characterized as the "Informal Alliance", where Scotland had eventually distanced itself from France in favor of a more English-friendly policy. Internally, Scotland began to develop with pre-industrialization of its economy and becoming a nation benefiting from international trade which allowed to invest back into itself and further grow internally, playing a game of "catch-up" to England. By 1620 Scotland had gone from a poor and poorly-run state to one with a strong government and growing economy.

This was also the period when the Renaissance truly came into being for the British Isles. Elizabeth I was a patron of artists and playwrights, one of the most famous being William Shakespeare, while Mary I's reign saw a reinvigorated interest and fascination in Scottish culture and history, leading to one of the first great Scottish plays being written and performed: The Blood of Bannockburn Castle, a dramatic retelling of the victory of Robert I, King of Scots over King Edward II at the Battle of Bannockburn. Scottish national identity during this period would revive and reinvigorate itself, with Mary I being hailed as "The Scottish Lady" in poems and books of the time. Literacy increased significantly, and economic prosperity brought a general increase in the quality of life for people all across Scotland. Trade goods from across Europe, the Americas, Africa, and India flowed into Scotland, and through several clever investments Mary I managed to become one of the wealthiest monarchs in Europe of the day.

This didn't come without significant struggle. In 1601, Elizabeth died without heirs, and through her arrangements with Mary the Lord Darnley became King Henry XI, which was met by an attempted invasion by Spain to dislodge both Mary and Henry XI in favor of the infanta Isabella Clara Eugenia. Through a joint Anglo-Scottish naval effort, Spain was unable to land forces, and France formed a defensive pact with England and Scotland that became known as the "League of Three Crowns". It wouldn't last long, and after victory in 1603, in 1611 Henry XI was killed by Catholic assassins in the "Gunpowder Plot", touching off the "War of the Three Kingdoms", in which time a massive Catholic uprising against both England and Scotland rocked the two nations, while Ireland similarly attempted rebellion and separation. After eight years of conflict, the situation was resolved with a status quo ante bellum as Henry X became King of England, Scotland remained stable, and Ireland remained under English rule, albeit with less direct oversight.

In the final years of Mary I's reign over Scotland, the situation re-stabilized. England began to firmly embrace the Puritain movement, Scotland worked to break the power of the old Clans, and Ireland became a state both ruled and not ruled by the English monarchy. At the time of Mary I's death, the three (two) kingdoms were at peace and in a new era of prosperity, but with an uncertain future. Francis I, the newly-coronated King of Scots, was already of middle age and had a towering legacy inherited from his mother, while English democracy was being steadily eroded by the Puritan regime. Nonetheless their presence in world affairs was now emplaced and Scotland under Mary I in particular had managed to navigate the complexities of religion and politics to become a nation with enough presence and influence to stand as a sovereign power with the capacity to affect European politics in its own way. With a growing colonial empire, trade stretching across the world, and being strong enough to stand firm on its own against England for the first time in decades, along with being a rising star in the world at large, a small nation that can punch well above its weight.

Description
At the death of Mary I, Queen of Scots, the British Isles have undergone a transformative period of their history, the likes of which is perhaps rivalled only by the invasion of the Anglo-Saxons. In the life of two women, Mary I in Scotland and Elizabeth I in England, the islands have undergone war, hardship, and prosperity. All of it, oddly enough, the result of the same man: Henry VIII of England.

To recap events prior to 1561: Henry VIII of England was a transformative monarch who divorced his kingdom from the Catholic Church and created an English monarchy unrivalled in power in all history. His desperation for an heir eventually produced Prince Edward Tudor, the future brief Edward VI, but also produced Princesses Mary and Elizabeth, later to be queens in their own right. At the same time Scotland saw James V die a mere six days after the birth of Princess Mary, his own surviving legitimate child, who immediately became Mary, Queen of Scots. Henry VIII attempted to force a royal marriage between Mary and Edward, the so-called "Rough Wooing", which led to Mary instead being betrothed to the future Francis II of France and spending her life from 1548 to 1561 in France. Francis II died young, leaving Mary widowed, and by that point Henry VIII was long dead. Edward VI died young, Mary I of England died without heirs, and Elizabeth I came to the throne in 1558. Later, after the death of Francis II and her falling out with the French court, Mary returned to Scotland in 1561.

From there, events began to shift dramatically. Elizabeth and Mary both found themselves struggling to keep hold over kingdoms divided between Catholics and Protestants, and making matters worse Catholics in England saw Mary as the legitimate Queen of England. Mary for her part wanted to keep hold over affairs in Scotland, and after the unexpected assassination of Reformist preacher John Knox later that year she found herself able to more easily rein in the new Scots Kirk. A series of meetings and later clandestine letters between Mary and Elizabeth helped to establish the new order of the day: Scotland and England agreed to stay out of each other's affairs and leave them to their own matters. Scotland and England looked inwards, allowing the two a modicum of peace. Aside from the brief "War of the Marches" of 1584-1585, conflict between the two nations subsided.

It was around this same time that the two nations began two separate efforts at colonization. England settled a colony in Roanoke, while Scotland settled a colony in New Caledonia. The two set their colonies down intentionally far from each other to avoid any potential for conflict, especially as the regions between were catching the interest of the Netherlands and Sweden. Increasing cooperation between the two states also allowed the two to increase trade and ease political tensions to the point that the relationship between the two was characterized as the "Informal Alliance", where Scotland had eventually distanced itself from France in favor of a more English-friendly policy. Internally, Scotland began to develop with pre-industrialization of its economy and becoming a nation benefiting from international trade which allowed to invest back into itself and further grow internally, playing a game of "catch-up" to England. By 1620 Scotland had gone from a poor and poorly-run state to one with a strong government and growing economy.

This was also the period when the Renaissance truly came into being for the British Isles. Elizabeth I was a patron of artists and playwrights, one of the most famous being William Shakespeare, while Mary I's reign saw a reinvigorated interest and fascination in Scottish culture and history, leading to one of the first great Scottish plays being written and performed: The Blood of Bannockburn Castle, a dramatic retelling of the victory of Robert I, King of Scots over King Edward II at the Battle of Bannockburn. Scottish national identity during this period would revive and reinvigorate itself, with Mary I being hailed as "The Scottish Lady" in poems and books of the time. Literacy increased significantly, and economic prosperity brought a general increase in the quality of life for people all across Scotland. Trade goods from across Europe, the Americas, Africa, and India flowed into Scotland, and through several clever investments Mary I managed to become one of the wealthiest monarchs in Europe of the day.

This didn't come without significant struggle. In 1601, Elizabeth died without heirs, and through her arrangements with Mary the Lord Darnley became King Henry XI, which was met by an attempted invasion by Spain to dislodge both Mary and Henry XI in favor of the infanta Isabella Clara Eugenia. Through a joint Anglo-Scottish naval effort, Spain was unable to land forces, and France formed a defensive pact with England and Scotland that became known as the "League of Three Crowns". It wouldn't last long, and after victory in 1603, in 1611 Henry XI was killed by Catholic assassins in the "Gunpowder Plot", touching off the "War of the Three Kingdoms", in which time a massive Catholic uprising against both England and Scotland rocked the two nations, while Ireland similarly attempted rebellion and separation. After eight years of conflict, the situation was resolved with a status quo ante bellum as Henry X became King of England, Scotland remained stable, and Ireland remained under English rule, albeit with less direct oversight.

In the final years of Mary I's reign over Scotland, the situation re-stabilized. England began to firmly embrace the Puritain movement, Scotland worked to break the power of the old Clans, and Ireland became a state both ruled and not ruled by the English monarchy. At the time of Mary I's death, the three (two) kingdoms were at peace and in a new era of prosperity, but with an uncertain future. Francis I, the newly-coronated King of Scots, was already of middle age and had a towering legacy inherited from his mother, while English democracy was being steadily eroded by the Puritan regime. Nonetheless their presence in world affairs was now emplaced and Scotland under Mary I in particular had managed to navigate the complexities of religion and politics to become a nation with enough presence and influence to stand as a sovereign power with the capacity to affect European politics in its own way. With a growing colonial empire, trade stretching across the world, and being strong enough to stand firm on its own against England for the first time in decades, along with being a rising star in the world at large, a small nation that can punch well above its weight.