Who Was Alive

Were Mary, Queen of Scots and William Shakespeare alive at the same time?

Yes. Mary, Queen of Scots and William Shakespeare were alive at the same time for 22 years, from 1564 to 1587.

Mary, Queen of Scots was 21 when William Shakespeare was born.

William Shakespeare was 22 when Mary, Queen of Scots died, aged 44.

Mary, Queen of Scots

Queen of Scotland from 1542 to 1567

Born 8 December 1542 · died 8 February 1587, aged 44

William Shakespeare

English playwright and poet

Born April 1564 · died 23 April 1616 (Julian calendar), aged 51 or 52

  1. Michelangelo
  2. Martin Luther
  3. Mary, Queen of Scots
  4. Miguel de Cervantes
  5. Francis Bacon
  6. Galileo Galilei
  7. William Shakespeare
  8. René Descartes
  9. Rembrandt
Mary, Queen of Scots and William Shakespeare in bold, with some of their best-known contemporaries. Drag across to see the age each reached in any year. Faded ends mark uncertain dates.