Thursday October 1st 2026
A tale of two Marys in a new exhibition at the National Museum of Scotland (photo by Duncan McGlynn)
Written by Midlothian View Reporter, Liam Eunson
A major new exhibition exploring the life and legacy of Mary, Queen of Scots is set to open at Edinburgh’s National Museum of Scotland next year.
Mary, Queen of Scots: Renaissance and Resistance will run from 12 June to 14 November 2027, bringing together around 100 objects and loans from across Europe, including items which have never previously been displayed in Scotland.
The exhibition will explore Mary as a Renaissance monarch who operated on a European stage, as well as her resistance to those who sought to remove her from the Scottish throne.
Mary returned to Scotland in 1561 as a teenager following the death of her first husband, Francis II of France.
She arrived in a country experiencing major political and religious upheaval following the Protestant Reformation. Just six years later, she was forced to abdicate, with Scotland undergoing significant changes during the same turbulent period.
The exhibition will examine the decade between Mary’s return to Scotland and her abdication, exploring the impact of the Renaissance, religious revolution and political conflict on her reign.
Among the items going on display will be the Penicuik jewels, which highlight Scotland’s connections with Renaissance ideas and culture across Europe.
Letters from the period surrounding Mary’s downfall will also be displayed alongside a spectacular silver casket believed to have once contained correspondence and sonnets that played a role in the events leading to her abdication.
The exhibition will also explore how Mary’s reputation was shaped by accounts written by those who opposed her.
Following her abdication in 1567, Mary’s opponents portrayed her as a guilty and unstable ruler and linked her to the murder of her second husband, Lord Darnley.
The exhibition will instead seek to present a broader picture of Mary, including her education, political position and life at the French court.
A highlight loan will be a portrait of Mary by French artist François Clouet, lent by His Majesty The King from the Royal Collection.
Dr Anna Groundwater, Principal Curator of Renaissance and Early Modern History at National Museums Scotland, said:
“Mary’s story is so often told through the words of the men who sought to defeat her in the 1560s, and her autonomy downplayed or dismissed entirely, but she was far from passive.
“She was famed for her beauty, vivacity and ability to charm. Raised at the sophisticated French court, she was well-educated, had an extensive library and spoke several languages.
“This exhibition will explore different versions of Mary, those she inhabited and those portrayed by others, telling a story of Renaissance and resistance.”
Tickets for Mary, Queen of Scots: Renaissance and Resistance are available through National Museums Scotland, with entry free for National Museums Scotland members.
The exhibition will also feature a programme of events at the National Museum of Scotland.
It will run at the Edinburgh museum from 12 June until 14 November 2027.
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