Languages Spoken by Mary, Queen of Scots

Mary Stuart (1542–1587) was a polyglot monarch, fluent in:

• Scots – native tongue (Lowland Scots dialect).
• French – raised at French court (1548–1561); first language of adulthood.
• Latin – scholarly, diplomatic, liturgical standard.
• Italian – courtly language; corresponded with Italian statesmen.
• Spanish – learned for Habsburg/Philip II diplomacy.
• Greek – reading knowledge (humanist education).

Usage

• Wrote poetry, letters, and ciphers in French, Scots, Latin.
• Used multilingual cipher correspondence during imprisonment (Babington Plot).
• Spoke French with Darnley, Bothwell, and French ambassadors; Scots with Scottish lords.

Her linguistic versatility reflected Renaissance royal education and the cosmopolitan courts she navigated.