Mary of Guise (22 November 1515 – 11 June 1560) was a queen consort of Scotland as the second spouse of King James V

James V of Scotland

James V was King of Scots from 9 September 1513 until his death, which followed the Scottish defeat at the Battle of Solway Moss...

. She was the mother of Mary, Queen of Scots, and served as regent

Regent

A regent, from the Latin regens "one who reigns", is a person selected to act as head of state because the ruler is a minor, not present, or debilitated. Currently there are only two ruling Regencies in the world, sovereign Liechtenstein and the Malaysian constitutive state of Terengganu...

 of Scotland

Scotland

Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...

 in her daughter's name from 1554 to 1560. A native of Lorraine, she was a member of the powerful House of Guise

House of Guise

The House of Guise was a French ducal family, partly responsible for the French Wars of Religion.The Guises were Catholic, and Henry Guise wanted to end growing Calvinist influence...

, which played a prominent role in 16th-century French politics.
Mary was born at Bar-le-Duc

Bar-le-Duc

Bar-le-Duc, formerly known as Bar, is a commune in the Meuse département, of which it is the préfecture . The department is in Lorraine in north-eastern France-Geography:...

, Lorraine

Lorraine (province)

The Duchy of Upper Lorraine was an historical duchy roughly corresponding with the present-day northeastern Lorraine region of France, including parts of modern Luxembourg and Germany. The main cities were Metz, Verdun, and the historic capital Nancy....

, the eldest daughter of Claude of Lorraine, Duke of Guise

Claude, Duke of Guise

Claude de Lorraine, duc de Guise was a French aristocrat and general. He became the first Duke of Guise in 1528....

, head of the House of Guise, and his wife Antoinette de Bourbon

Antoinette de Bourbon

Antoinette de Bourbon was a French noblewoman of the House of Bourbon. She was the wife of Claude de Lorraine, Duke of Guise...

, herself the daughter of Francis, Count of Vendome, and Marie de Luxembourg

Marie de Luxembourg

Marie of Luxembourg was a French noblewoman, the elder daughter and principal heiress of Pierre II de Luxembourg, Count of Saint-Pol, by Margaret, a daughter of Louis, Duke of Savoy...

.