Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley not together in early 1545 and a letter of March 1566, from Mary Queen of Scots, indicates Darnley was then nineteen years old. Therefore the date 1546 would seem probable. A descendant of both James II of Scotland and Henry VII of England, Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley, was heir to two royal houses, the House of Stuart and the House of Tudor, thus he had claim to both the Scottish and English thrones, a claim that may have cost him his life. In 1545, his father, Matthew Stewart, 4th Earl of Lennox was found guilty of treason in Scotland for
Stewart of Darnley so they could live in France to strengthen the Auld Alliance. Important members of this branch were: The eldest son of Alan Stewart of Darnley (d.1439) was John Stewart, Lord Darnley, head of the House of Stewart of Darnley, who was created Earl of Lennox. He died in 1495 and was succeeded by the following descendants: In 1580 the head of the House of Darnley King James VI of Scots granted the title Duke of Lennox to Esmé Stewart, 1st Duke of Lennox a cousin and a member of a French branch of the Royal Stewarts. The following English members