On this day in 2011

The National Museum of Scotland is one of the Edinburgh’s most popular tourist attractions. It was formed in 2006 through the merging of the Royal Scottish Museum and the Museum of Scotland, and extended in 2011, with new galleries opening on 29 July.

The foundation stone of the Royal Scottish Museum building, which remains part of the enlarged museum, was laid by Prince Albert on 23 October 1861, and the first part of the museum opened five years later. Construction continued until the late 1880s, resulting in a surprisingly light building of 24m-tall columns, an 80m-long glass ceiling, and an open interior, The building is said to have been inspired by the Crystal Palace, built in London for the Great Exhibition of 1851. It is in stark contrast to the sandstone drum to which it is attached. Opened in 1998, this is part of the Museum of Scotland building, which extends around the corner.

Entry to the National Museum of Scotland is free. Inside, visitors will find that its collections have been logically divided, with halls devoted to the natural world, industry, wildlife, and so on.

Dolly the Sheep, which was cloned at the University of Edinburgh’s Roslin Institute, is now held by the museum and frequently put on display.

The 2011 renovation saw the opening up of the Royal Scottish Museum building’s basement storage area, which now the main entrance hall, from which visitors climb to the main galleries.

 

...and on this day in 1565

Mary, Queen of Scots, was born in 1542, and had been promised in marriage to Dauphin Francis, heir to the French throne, before she turned five. The Dauphin himself was just three. The intention had been to unite the Scottish and French thrones, and thus secure French support in Scotland’s ongoing conflict with England.

Mary moved to France after her fifth birthday and married Francis in 1558, when she was still fifteen. At that point, Francis became king consort of Scotland.

Queen Mary widowed

The marriage was not to last. Francis ascended to the French throne in 1559 when his father was killed in a sporting accident. Despite still being a teenager, Francis was in poor health, and he delegated much of his role to his mother and Mary’s uncles.

Then, less than a year and a half after coming to power, he fainted and died. It remains unclear exactly why, and several theories have been proposed, including poisoning, infection and illness. He was succeeded by his brother, and Mary returned to Scotland in late summer 1561.

Queen Mary marries Lord Darnley

She and ruled as a widow until marrying her cousin, Lord Darnley, in 1565, five months after their second meeting. Their first meeting had been four years earlier when she was mourning the death of her first husband.

Mary was widowed for a second time when Darnley was murdered in 1567. Her decision to marry the man accused of his murder ultimately led to her forced abdication in favour of her son, James VI of Scotland and I of England.