France also had a changing of kings in 1547. When Francois I died on March 31, his ambitious, warlike, son, Henri II, ascended to the French throne. Henri’s inner circle included two of Mary’s uncles—Francois, Duke of Aumale, Charles, Cardinal of Guise—who easily persuaded the newly crowned French king to peruse a stronger alliance with Scotland. The Anglo-French conflict that ensued had a major effect on Mary Queen of Scots, which allowed her to start a new life in France.
The ‘Rough Wooing’ ended with the Battle of Pinkie Cleugh and France’s new alliance with Scotland, which proposed the marriage of Henri’s three-year-old son, the Dauphin Francis, to a four-year-old Mary. With the promise of French military help, and the added bonus of French dukedom for himself, Arran agreed to the French marriage.
When the marriage agreement was in place, Mary—who was five-years-old by this time, was sent to France, which would be her home for the next thirteen years. She was accompanied by her own court, which included among them her two illegitimate half-brothers, and the ‘four Marys’, four girls her own age, all named Mary, who were daughters of some of the noblest families in Scotland. On August 15, 1548 Mary and her court arrived in France.
Once at Carrieres, most of her Scottish attendants were ordered home and the four Maries were sent off to a Dominican convent school. Henri said that the reason for this separation was that he wanted Mary served by French attendants so she could learn the language and manners of her new home. Also, the French court was a place of sophistication—it was reputed to be the most sophisticated court in all of Europe—and Mary’s own countrymen, who were thought to be ill-mannered, unattractive, and ill-mannered, were unsuitable companions for the prospective wife of the dauphin. Only Mary’s governess, Lady Janet Fleming, with strong persuasion from Mary’s mother, was allowed to stay, although she was later sent away after she gave birth to Henri’s illegitimate child.
Henri decided that Mary was to be brought up in the royal household alongside his legitimate children and treated as though she was his own daughter. Mary was given precedence over all the royal children except Francois. She shared the best apartments with Elizabeth, who soon became her friend. It was said that Mary was an enchanting child. Regal, graceful, vivacious, beautiful, and clever, Mary became a favorite at the French court, where both the king’s mistress, Diane de Poitiers, and his wife, Catherine de Medici oversaw her childhood.
While staying at the French court several attempts on her life by the English where made as her importance in French politics waxed and waned. When Mary was struck down with a form of malaria in 1556 and was almost at deaths door, Queen Catherine nursed her back to health, once again reaffirming Mary’s position had shifted and she was once again a prominent and powerful player at the French court. In autumn of 1557, Henri deemed it the right time for his son and Mary to marry and entered into the final talks with the Scottish parliament. Before the marriage contracts were finalized, Henri decided to take advantage of Mary’s youth and had her to sign three secret documents on April 4, 1558 that went against everything Scotland had been promised.