Editing Border reivers (section)

====The Scottish Reformation, the Borders, and Mary's Downfall====
In 1564, a feud erupted between the [[Clan Eliott|Elliot]]s and the [[Clan Scott|Scott]]s, marked by cycles of raids and retaliation. As tensions escalated, this conflict became entangled with the broader political and religious instability of the [[Scottish Reformation]], where both the English and Scottish crowns vied for influence in the Borderlands. The Protestant [[James Stewart, 1st Earl of Moray|Lord Moray, James Stewart]], sought to weaken the Catholic [[Mary, Queen of Scots]], further exacerbating the turbulence.<ref>MacDonald Fraser, George. The Steel Bonnets: The Story of the Anglo-Scottish Border Reivers. HarperCollins, 1995, p. 292-293</ref> Queen Mary's half-brother, James Stewart, led a foray into the region, capturing between twenty and thirty reivers,<ref>Fraser, George MacDonald. The Steel Bonnets: The Story of the Anglo-Scottish Border Reivers. HarperCollins, 1989., pp. 288–289</ref> before seizing another forty.<ref>Fraser, George MacDonald. The Steel Bonnets: The Story of the Anglo-Scottish Border Reivers. HarperCollins, 1989., pp. 292–293</ref>  Amidst this unrest, [[James Hepburn, 4th Earl of Bothwell|James, Earl of Bothwell]] was involved in Border feuds, and after surviving an attack by [[Little Jock Elliot|Jock of Park]], an Elliot, his political influence grew.<ref>Moffat, Alistair. The Reivers: The Story of the Border Reivers. Birlinn, 2007, p. 238.</ref>

By 1566, Mary visited Bothwell at [[Hermitage Castle]] while he recovered from the wounds inflicted during a raid.<ref>Moffat, Alistair. The Reivers: The Story of the Border Reivers. Birlinn, 2007, p. 239.</ref> This visit marked the beginning of a closer relationship between Mary and Bothwell, which soon became intertwined with the scandal surrounding the murder of her husband, [[Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley|Lord Darnley]], in 1567.<ref>Magnusson, Magnus. Scotland. Alfred A. Knopf, 2000, p. 357-258.</ref> Bothwell was widely suspected of orchestrating Darnley's murder, and shortly after, he married Mary, sparking a political crisis.<ref>Magnusson, Magnus. Scotland. Alfred A. Knopf, 2000, p. 358.</ref> Their union, controversial due to the circumstances of Darnley's death, [[Chaseabout Raid|led to rebellion]] and ultimately Mary's abdication in 1567.<ref>Magnusson, Magnus. Scotland. Alfred A. Knopf, 2000, p. 362.</ref>