James III (10 July 1451/May 1452 – 11 June 1488) was
King of Scots from 1460 until his death at the
Battle of Sauchieburn
The Battle of Sauchieburn was fought on 11 June 1488, at the side of Sauchie Burn, a stream about south of Stirling
Stirling (; sco, Stirlin; gd, Sruighlea ) is a city in central Scotland, northeast of Glasgow and north-west of Edinbur ...
in 1488. He inherited the throne as a child following the death of his father,
King James II
James VII and II (14 October 1633 16 September 1701) was King of England and King of Ireland as James II, and King of Scotland as James VII from the death of his elder brother, Charles II, on 6 February 1685. He was deposed in the Glorious Re ...
, at the siege of
Roxburgh Castle. James III's reign began with a minority that lasted almost a decade, during which
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...
was governed by a series of
regents
A regent (from Latin : ruling, governing) is a person appointed to govern a state ''pro tempore'' (Latin: 'for the time being') because the monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge the powers and duties of the monarchy, ...
and factions who struggled for possession of the young king, before his personal rule began in 1469.
James III was an unpopular and ineffective king, and was confronted with two major rebellions during his reign. He was much criticised by contemporaries and later chroniclers for his promotion of unrealistic schemes to invade or take possession of
Brittany
Brittany (; french: link=no, Bretagne ; br, Breizh, or ; Gallo: ''Bertaèyn'' ) is a peninsula, historical country and cultural area in the west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known as Armorica during the period ...
,
Guelders and
Saintonge at the expense of his regular duties as king. While his reign saw Scotland reach its greatest territorial extent with the acquisition of
Orkney and
Shetland through his marriage to
Margaret of Denmark, James was accused of
debasing the
coinage
Coinage may refer to:
* Coins, standardized as currency
* Neologism, coinage of a new word
* '' COINage'', numismatics magazine
* Tin coinage, a tax on refined tin
* Protologism
''Protologism'' is a term coined in 2003 by the American literary ...
, hoarding money, failing to resolve feuds and enforce criminal justice, and pursuing an unpopular policy of alliance with
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
. His preference for his own "low-born" favourites at court and in government alienated many of his bishops and nobles, as well as members of his own family, leading to tense relationships with his brothers, his wife, and his heir. In 1482, James's brother,
Alexander, Duke of Albany, attempted to usurp the throne with the aid of an
invading English army, which led to the loss of
Berwick-upon-Tweed and a coup by a group of nobles which saw the king imprisoned for a time, before being restored to power.
James's reputation as Scotland's first
Renaissance
The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history
The history of Europe is traditionally divided into four time periods: prehistoric Europe (prior to about 800 BC), classical antiquity (800 BC to AD ...
monarch has sometimes been exaggerated. The artistic legacy of his reign was slight when compared to that of his two immediate successors, and consists of the patronage of painters and musicians, coins that display realistic portraits of the king, the
Trinity Altarpiece, and the King's Chapel at
Restalrig. James III was killed at the Battle of Sauchieburn, following a rebellion in which his heir was the figurehead of the rebels, and succeeded him as
James IV
James IV (17 March 1473 – 9 September 1513) was King of Scotland from 11 June 1488 until his death at the Battle of Flodden in 1513. He inherited the throne at the age of fifteen on the death of his father, James III, at the Battle of Sauch ...
.
Early life
James was the first surviving son born to
King James II
James VII and II (14 October 1633 16 September 1701) was King of England and King of Ireland as James II, and King of Scotland as James VII from the death of his elder brother, Charles II, on 6 February 1685. He was deposed in the Glorious Re ...
and his wife,
Mary of Guelders, the daughter of
Arnold, Duke of Guelders
Arnold of Egmond (14 July 1410 – 23 February 1473) was Duke of Guelders, Count of Zutphen.
Life
Arnold was born in Egmond-Binnen, North Holland, the son of John II of Egmond and Maria van Arkel.
On 11 July 1423, Arnold, still a boy, su ...
, and a great-niece of
Philip the Good,
Duke of Burgundy
Duke of Burgundy (french: duc de Bourgogne) was a title used by the rulers of the Duchy of Burgundy, from its establishment in 843 to its annexation by France in 1477, and later by Holy Roman Emperors and Kings of Spain from the House of Habsburg ...
. The exact date and place of James's birth have been a matter of debate. Claims have been made that he was born in May 1452, or on 10 or 20 July 1451. The place of birth was either
Stirling Castle, or
St Andrews Castle
St Andrews Castle is a ruin located in the coastal Royal Burgh of St Andrews in Fife, Scotland. The castle sits on a rocky promontory overlooking a small beach called Castle Sands and the adjoining North Sea. There has been a castle standing a ...
(the seat of the
Bishop of St Andrews), depending on the year. His most recent biographer,
Norman Macdougall, argued strongly for late May 1452 at St Andrews. The infant
Duke of Rothesay was born during the crisis which had seen his father stab
William, Earl of Douglas to death in
Stirling Castle. This murder did not end the power of the
Douglases, but created a state of intermittent
civil war
A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country).
The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...
until James struck a decisive blow against the Douglases in 1455 at the
Battle of Arkinholm
The Battle of Arkinholm was fought on 1 May 1455, at Arkinholm near Langholm in Scotland, during the reign of King James II of Scotland. Although a small action, involving only a few hundred troops, it was the decisive battle in a civil war be ...
and
Parliament
In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: representing the electorate, making laws, and overseeing the government via hearings and inquiries. Th ...
declared the extensive Douglas lands forfeit and permanently annexed them to the Crown. James III ascended the throne following the death of his father at the
siege
A siege is a military blockade of a city, or fortress, with the intent of conquering by attrition, or a well-prepared assault. This derives from la, sedere, lit=to sit. Siege warfare is a form of constant, low-intensity conflict characteriz ...
of
Roxburgh Castle on 3 August 1460, and the new king was brought to
Kelso from
Edinburgh
Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian on the southern shore of t ...
with his mother. It was not considered possible to have the king journey to
Perthshire for a coronation at
Scone Abbey
Scone Abbey (originally Scone Priory) was a house of Augustinian canons located in Scone, Perthshire (Gowrie), Scotland. Dates given for the establishment of Scone Priory have ranged from 1114 A.D. to 1122 A.D. However, historians have long be ...
, so James III was
crowned at
Kelso Abbey, a week after James II's death, and two days after the fall of Roxburgh.
Early reign
The Queen Regent
During the early years of James III's reign, the government was led by the
queen mother
A queen mother is a former queen, often a queen dowager, who is the mother of the monarch, reigning monarch. The term has been used in English since the early 1560s. It arises in hereditary monarchy, hereditary monarchies in Europe and is also u ...
, Mary of Guelders, as
regent
A regent (from Latin : ruling, governing) is a person appointed to govern a state '' pro tempore'' (Latin: 'for the time being') because the monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge the powers and duties of the monarchy ...
, while James was educated by Archibald Whitelaw, the
Secretary of State and a
classical scholar who had taught at
St Andrews and
Cologne
Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) is the largest city of the German western state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the fourth-most populous city of Germany with 1.1 million inhabitants in the city proper and 3.6 millio ...
. In March 1461 the first parliament of the reign appointed a council of regency consisting of the
Bishop of St Andrews, the
Bishop of Glasgow
The Archbishop of Glasgow is an archiepiscopal title that takes its name after the city of Glasgow in Scotland. The position and title were abolished by the Church of Scotland in 1689; and, in the Scottish Episcopal Church, it is now part of th ...
, and the earls of
Angus,
Huntly,
Argyll, and
Orkney. Mary of Guelders emerged as an astute and capable ruler, pursuing a pragmatic foreign policy during the
Wars of the Roses
The Wars of the Roses (1455–1487), known at the time and for more than a century after as the Civil Wars, were a series of civil wars fought over control of the English throne in the mid-to-late fifteenth century. These wars were fought bet ...
taking place in
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
. Following the defeat of the
Lancastrians by the
Yorkists at the
Battle of Towton in March 1461,
Henry VI of England,
Margaret of Anjou, and
Edward, Prince of Wales fled north across the border seeking refuge. They were received by Mary of Guelders and lodged at
Linlithgow Palace and the Dominican friary in
Edinburgh
Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian on the southern shore of t ...
. The Lancastrians expected Mary to provide them with Scottish troops to help Henry VI recover the throne, but she had no intention of becoming involved in a war on their behalf. Mary sought to gain as much as she could from the Lancastrian fugitives, while opening negotiations with the victorious Yorkists to explore the possibility of a truce. In return for the loans and a year's refuge in Scotland that Mary of Guelders granted them, in April 1461 the Lancastrians surrendered
Berwick to the Scots. This period also saw disputes between Mary and
James Kennedy,
Bishop of St Andrews over who had control over the person of James III, and over foreign policy, with the bishop favouring an alliance with the Lancastrians, while Mary initially wanted to continue playing off the warring parties in England against each other, before eventually supporting the Yorkists. Although the sources for the period are vague, it is believed that Kennedy and his supporters mounted a coup in the autumn of 1462 by taking possession of the 10-year-old James III following an armed confrontation with Mary's supporters in Edinburgh. Mary of Guelders died in December 1463, leaving Bishop Kennedy in undisputed control of government.
Kennedys and Boyds
Bishop Kennedy died at St Andrews in May 1465, and his elder brother,
Gilbert Kennedy, Lord Kennedy, assumed custody of James III. Lord Kennedy's guardianship lacked the sanction of Parliament, and his advancement of the Kennedy kin, such as the appointment of his half-brother,
Patrick Graham, as the new bishop of St Andrews, made his regime increasingly unpopular. In July 1466, James III was seized while hunting at
Linlithgow Palace by a large armed group led by
Robert, Lord Boyd and his son,
Thomas, and was taken to
Edinburgh Castle as the
Boyds and their supporters mounted a coup to seize control of the government by gaining possession of the king during his minority. Gilbert, Lord Kennedy was then imprisoned in Stirling Castle for a period. The 14-year-old king was forced to declare before
Parliament
In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: representing the electorate, making laws, and overseeing the government via hearings and inquiries. Th ...
in October that he had not been offended by being taken from Linlithgow, and that it was his intention to appoint Lord Boyd as his governor, to serve until his twenty-first year. The Boyd faction made itself unpopular, especially with the king, through self-aggrandizement such as the creation of Lord Boyd’s son,
Thomas, as
earl of Arran, and Arran's marriage to the king’s 13-year-old sister,
Mary
Mary may refer to:
People
* Mary (name), a feminine given name (includes a list of people with the name)
Religious contexts
* New Testament people named Mary, overview article linking to many of those below
* Mary, mother of Jesus, also calle ...
in 1467, which antagonised the king and considerable sections of the
three estates.
The Boyds sought to maintain power by gaining a diplomatic success, and in August 1468 an embassy was sent to
Denmark
)
, song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast")
, song_type = National and royal anthem
, image_map = EU-Denmark.svg
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of Denmark
, establish ...
to secure a royal marriage. The ambassadors’ negotiations resulted in a treaty which provided for an alliance between Scotland and Denmark, and James III’s marriage to
Margaret, the only daughter of King
Christian I of Denmark and Norway. Margaret’s
dowry
A dowry is a payment, such as property or money, paid by the bride's family to the groom or his family at the time of marriage. Dowry contrasts with the related concepts of bride price and dower. While bride price or bride service is a payment ...
was 60,000
Rhenish guilder
The Rhenish ''gulden'' or Rhenish ''guilder'' (german: Rheinischer Gulden; la, florenus Rheni) was a gold, standard currency coin of the Rhineland in the 14th and 15th centuries. They weighed between 3.4 and 3.8 grams ().
History
The Rhenish ...
s, 10,000 of which were to be paid before the Scottish embassy left Denmark.
However, Christian I was unable to raise more than 2,000 of the promised 10,000 guilders, and in May 1469,
Orkney and
Shetland were
pledged by him, as king of Norway, to James III as security until the outstanding amount of Margaret’s dowry. However, James had no intention of allowing the Danes to redeem their rights in Orkney and Shetland, and would quickly acquire full sovereignty over the islands. The Boyds’ misuse of power to enrich themselves with lands and offices had made them many enemies, and in April 1468 there was an attempt by the king’s half-uncles, the
Earl of Atholl
The Mormaer or Earl of Atholl was the title of the holder of a medieval comital lordship straddling the highland province of Atholl (''Ath Fodhla''), now in northern Perthshire. Atholl is a special Mormaerdom, because a King of Atholl is repor ...
and
James Stewart of Auchterhouse, and his younger brother, the Duke of Albany, to seize Edinburgh Castle and free the king from the Boyds. The impending marriage of the now seventeen-year-old James III signalled an appropriate moment for him to bring his minority to an end, and the king began to plot his revenge against the Boyds in the summer of 1469, while Lord Boyd was on an embassy to the English court, and the earl of Arran was one of the ambassadors in Denmark.
Personal rule
When the fleet bearing Margaret of Denmark and the Scottish ambassadors arrived in
Leith, the king’s sister, Mary, wife of the earl of Arran, informed her husband that the king was planning to have him arrested, and the couple fled together to Denmark by sea, and then to
Bruges
Bruges ( , nl, Brugge ) is the capital and largest city of the province of West Flanders in the Flemish Region of Belgium, in the northwest of the country, and the sixth-largest city of the country by population.
The area of the whole city a ...
, where they were soon joined by Lord Boyd, who fled there from England. At a Parliament held in November, Lord Boyd, his brother, Sir Alexander, and the Earl of Arran, were all found guilty of
treason
Treason is the crime of attacking a state authority to which one owes allegiance. This typically includes acts such as participating in a war against one's native country, attempting to overthrow its government, spying on its military, its diplo ...
and their peerages were forfeited. Sir Alexander was condemned to death and beheaded. James III married 13-year-old Margaret of Denmark in July 1469 at
Holyrood Abbey,
Edinburgh
Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian on the southern shore of t ...
, in a service overseen by Archibald Crawford, the
Abbot of Holyrood. The marriage produced three sons:
James, Duke of Rothesay,
James, Duke of Ross, and
John, Earl of Mar.
James III began his personal rule in 1469, yet his exercise of royal power was affected by the fact that he was one of the few Stewart monarchs who had to contend with the problem of an adult, legitimate brother. In 1469 James had two surviving younger brothers,
Alexander, Duke of Albany and
John, Earl of Mar, then aged fourteen and about twelve, and three Stewart half-uncles (the earls of
Atholl
Atholl or Athole ( gd, Athall; Old Gaelic ''Athfhotla'') is a large historical division in the Scottish Highlands, bordering (in anti-clockwise order, from Northeast) Marr, Badenoch, Lochaber, Breadalbane, Strathearn, Perth, and Gowrie. H ...
and
Buchan
Buchan is an area of north-east Scotland, historically one of the original provinces of the Kingdom of Alba. It is now one of the six committee areas and administrative areas of Aberdeenshire Council, Scotland. These areas were created by ...
, and the
Bishop of Moray), and each of them would complicate the politics of the reign. From the positive beginnings after his assumption of active control of government in 1469,James Ill’s relationship with Parliament would lead to opposition, criticism, and outright confrontation over his foreign and domestic policies. The failure of the king to listen to the grievances raised by the three estates, or to abide by the concessions he made to them, were significant causes of the two major rebellions in 1482-3 and 1488.
Foreign schemes and alliance with England
James's policies during the early 1470s revolved primarily around ambitious continental schemes to emphasize the prestige of the king and the Stewart dynasty, expand the territory under James's rule, and agree to an alliance with England. The main business of the parliament James III called in 1471 was the granting of a tax to fund an embassy to the continent to allow him to act as arbitrator between
Charles the Bold
Charles I (Charles Martin; german: Karl Martin; nl, Karel Maarten; 10 November 1433 – 5 January 1477), nicknamed the Bold (German: ''der Kühne''; Dutch: ''de Stoute''; french: le Téméraire), was Duke of Burgundy from 1467 to 1477. ...
,
Duke of Burgundy
Duke of Burgundy (french: duc de Bourgogne) was a title used by the rulers of the Duchy of Burgundy, from its establishment in 843 to its annexation by France in 1477, and later by Holy Roman Emperors and Kings of Spain from the House of Habsburg ...
, and
Louis XI of France. The embassy would also seek a Burgundian or French marriage for the king's sister,
Margaret. In February 1472, James's second continental scheme saw him ask Parliament to fund his plan to lead an army of 6,000 men to assert his tenuous claim to the
Duchy of Brittany, which derived from his aunt,
Isabella. Parliament granted a tax of £5,000 to fund the sending of this army to the continent as part of a Franco-Scottish invasion against
Francis II, Duke of Brittany
Francis II ( Breton: ''Frañsez II'', French: ''François II'') (23 June 1433 – 9 September 1488) was Duke of Brittany from 1458 to his death. He was the grandson of John IV, Duke of Brittany. A recurring theme in Francis' life would be ...
, though protests by the clergy about the king leading an army abroad while he had no issue to succeed him eventually led to James abandoning his plans for an invasion of Brittany. That same year James also acted as an intermediary in negotiations between Denmark and France.
In April 1473, the battle of succession for
Guelders between James's grandfather,
Arnold, Duke of Guelders
Arnold of Egmond (14 July 1410 – 23 February 1473) was Duke of Guelders, Count of Zutphen.
Life
Arnold was born in Egmond-Binnen, North Holland, the son of John II of Egmond and Maria van Arkel.
On 11 July 1423, Arnold, still a boy, su ...
, and his son
Adolf
Adolf (also spelt Adolph or Adolphe, Adolfo and when Latinised Adolphus) is a given name used in German-speaking countries, Scandinavia, the Netherlands and Flanders, France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Latin America and to a lesser extent in vari ...
, provided the king with another continental scheme. The deposition of Arnold by his son in 1465, and his reinstatement at the hands of Charles the Bold in 1471, had left Arnold wishing to alter the succession to prevent the duchy falling to either his son or the Duke of Burgundy, and in 1472 he asked James or one of his brothers to travel to Guelders and take possession of the duchy. Duke Arnold died in February 1473, and with him any serious likelihood of putting his succession plans into effect, but James III was undaunted, and sent an ambassador to Charles the Bold to press his claim. James also sent ambassadors to France offering military aid to Louis XI against England in return for a pension of 60,000 crowns a year, and to reassert the claim James's father had made to the French province of
Saintonge, a claim which dated back to the Treaty of Perth-Chinon between
James I of Scotland and
Charles VII of France, when the province was offered to the Scottish king in return for an army of Scottish troops which were never sent. These unrealistic schemes resulted in parliamentary criticism, especially since the king was reluctant to deal with the more mundane business of administering justice at home. Parliament opposed James's plans to leave the country and, in refusing to condone the king’s requests, also attempted to persuade the king to turn to the administration of justice. The king’s failure to take an active and personal role in the same, and his use of remissions and respites as a source of money, would prove one of the most frequently occurring themes in Parliament for the rest of the reign.
In October 1474, James III concluded a truce with
Edward IV of England which was to last for forty-five years, and was to be accompanied by a marriage alliance between James's heir, the infant
Duke of Rothesay, and Edward's daughter,
Cecily of York
Cecily of York (20 March 1469 – 24 August 1507), was the third daughter of King Edward IV of England and his queen consort Elizabeth Woodville.
Shortly after the death of her father and the usurpation of the throne by her uncle King Richard I ...
, when both of them reached marriageable age. The prospective bride's dowry was 20,000 marks sterling, which would be paid in advance in annual installments of 2,000 marks over a period of seventeen years. On 20 February 1472, Parliament brought the negotiations, which had begun with the Treaty of Copenhagen, to an end by annexing and uniting the earldom of Orkney and the lordship of Shetland to the Scottish Crown. In theory, Christian I of Denmark or his successors could still redeem the islands by paying the balance of Queen Margaret’s dowry; but in practice, with Christian’s continuing financial difficulties and the strong control the Scottish Crown exercised over Orkney and Shetland, this was highly unlikely. This Anglo-Scottish treaty, the first alliance between the two kingdoms in the fifteenth century, preserved the peace between Scotland and England and provided James III with a substantial financial gain. By 1479, he had amassed 8,000 marks in English dowry payments - roughly the equivalent of his annual income from regular sources. James would continue to press for English alliances for the rest of his reign, although he also sought a marriage alliance with
Mary of Burgundy
Mary (french: Marie; nl, Maria; 13 February 1457 – 27 March 1482), nicknamed the Rich, was a member of the House of Valois-Burgundy who ruled a collection of states that included the duchies of Limburg, Brabant, Luxembourg, the counties of ...
for his brother Albany in 1477, and renewed the Franco-Scottish alliance with
Charles VIII of France in 1484. However, the peace policy was unpopular in Scotland, and went against the traditional enmity between the two kingdoms. Opposition was particularly associated with Albany, and was one of the causes of his estrangement from the king and James's unpopularity by 1479.
Lord of the Isles
James III turned to unfinished business from his father's reign in 1475: the destruction of
John MacDonald,
Lord of the Isles and
Earl of Ross. The greatest lord in Gaelic Scotland, John ruled over sprawling territories in the
Hebrides
The Hebrides (; gd, Innse Gall, ; non, Suðreyjar, "southern isles") are an archipelago off the west coast of the Scottish mainland. The islands fall into two main groups, based on their proximity to the mainland: the Inner and Outer Hebr ...
, the
western Highlands and the north-east. In 1462 John had agreed to the
Treaty of Westminster with Edward IV of England, a treaty which proposed that if Scotland was conquered by Edward, the kingdom would be partitioned, with the lands north of the
Firth of Forth to be divided between the Lord of the Isles and the
Earl of Douglas, and held from the English crown. The confrontation began in September 1475, when John was accused of a number of offences against the Crown, including treasonable dealings with England and the Earl of Douglas, and besieging
Rothesay Castle. When John did not appear for trial before Parliament in December, he was declared forfeit. The earls of
Lennox,
Argyll,
Atholl
Atholl or Athole ( gd, Athall; Old Gaelic ''Athfhotla'') is a large historical division in the Scottish Highlands, bordering (in anti-clockwise order, from Northeast) Marr, Badenoch, Lochaber, Breadalbane, Strathearn, Perth, and Gowrie. H ...
and
Huntly were ordered to pursue John MacDonald and invade his territories. The Lord of the Isles appeared before the king in Edinburgh in July 1476 and the forfeiture was rescinded. The earldom of Ross was annexed to the Crown,
Kintyre
Kintyre ( gd, Cinn Tìre, ) is a peninsula in western Scotland, in the southwest of Argyll and Bute. The peninsula stretches about , from the Mull of Kintyre in the south to East and West Loch Tarbert in the north. The region immediately nor ...
,
Knapdale, and the offices of
sheriff of
Inverness and
Nairn were lost, and the Lord of the Isles was reduced to a mere
Lord of Parliament. On the day of the forfeiture of the Lord of the Isles, James III had Parliament approve his
act of revocation. The king stood at the height of his power, having removed the Boyds, annexed Orkney and Shetland, humbled the Archbishop of St Andrews, agreed to peace and an alliance with England, and forfeited the Lord of the Isles. His authority now extended from the Northern Isles to Berwick-upon-Tweed, and across the Lordship of the Isles.
Parliament, Mar and Albany
James III's pursuit of unpopular and arbitrary policies saw increasing opposition in Parliament, with the most criticism directed towards the king's failure to go out on justice ayres, his making money from granting remissions for serious crimes, and his frequent recourse to taxation. Complaints from Parliament that royal justice was not being actively administered by the king in person occurred throughout his reign, partly due to his practice of delegating responsibility to appointed justices, and allowing ayres to be held without his presence.
James III's "low-born" favourites at court and in government began to alienate many of his bishops and nobles. The most high profile royal favourites was
William Scheves
William Scheves (sometimes modernized to Chivas or Shivas) (died 1497) was the second Archbishop of St. Andrews. His parentage is obscure, but he was probably the illegitimate son of a royal clerk, John Scheves. Sixteenth-century accounts cl ...
, who began his career in royal service in 1471 as a court physician, before his rapid promotion as
Archdeacon of St Andrews,
dean
Dean may refer to:
People
* Dean (given name)
* Dean (surname), a surname of Anglo-Saxon English origin
* Dean (South Korean singer), a stage name for singer Kwon Hyuk
* Dean Delannoit, a Belgian singer most known by the mononym Dean
Titles
* ...
of
Dunkeld
Dunkeld (, sco, Dunkell, from gd, Dùn Chailleann, "fort of the Caledonians") is a town in Perth and Kinross, Scotland. The location of a historic cathedral, it lies on the north bank of the River Tay, opposite Birnam. Dunkeld lies close to t ...
, and
coadjutor of
St Andrews, before being appointed as
Archbishop of St Andrews
The Bishop of St. Andrews ( gd, Easbaig Chill Rìmhinn, sco, Beeshop o Saunt Andras) was the ecclesiastical head of the Diocese of St Andrews in the Catholic Church and then, from 14 August 1472, as Archbishop of St Andrews ( gd, Àrd-easbaig ...
. Other unpopular favourites included
John Ramsay, 1st Lord Bothwell and
Robert Cochrane. In 1479 conflict developed between the king and his two brothers
John, Earl of Mar and
Alexander, Duke of Albany. The Earl of Mar was imprisoned at
Craigmillar Castle for unspecified reasons, and died there in mysterious circumstances. The reasons behind James III’s assault on Albany have been difficult to understand. Albany had helped James to power in 1469, and was an effective
Warden of the Marches
The Lord Warden of the Marches was an office in the governments of Scotland and England. The holders were responsible for the security of the border between the two nations, and often took part in military action. They were also responsible, alo ...
, having resisted an incursion by
Richard, Duke of Gloucester in 1474. It has been suggested that the most likely causes of the rift between James and Albany were the latter's opposition to the Anglo-Scottish alliance, his being responsible for serious violations of the truce, and his abuse of his position and challenge to royal authority by the ruthless enforcement of justice in the
Marches
In medieval Europe, a march or mark was, in broad terms, any kind of borderland, as opposed to a national "heartland". More specifically, a march was a border between realms or a neutral buffer zone under joint control of two states in which diff ...
.
In May 1479, Albany was accused of
treason
Treason is the crime of attacking a state authority to which one owes allegiance. This typically includes acts such as participating in a war against one's native country, attempting to overthrow its government, spying on its military, its diplo ...
for arming and provisioning
Dunbar Castle
Dunbar Castle was one of the strongest fortresses in Scotland, situated in a prominent position overlooking the harbour of the town of Dunbar, in East Lothian. Several fortifications were built successively on the site, near the English-Scotti ...
against the king, assisting known rebels and deliberately causing trouble on the
Anglo-Scottish border
The Anglo-Scottish border () is a border separating Scotland and England which runs for between Marshall Meadows Bay on the east coast and the Solway Firth in the west. The surrounding area is sometimes referred to as "the Borderlands".
The ...
, in violation of the truce between Scotland and England. Albany fled by sea to
Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...
, where in September 1479 he was welcomed by
King Louis XI, and received royal favour by his marriage to
Anne de La Tour d'Auvergne
Anne de La Tour d'Auvergne (1496–1524) was sovereign Countess of Auvergne from 1501 until 1524, and Duchess of Albany by marriage to John Stewart, Duke of Albany. In her marriage contract, she was called 'Anne de Boulogne fille de Jehan ...
.
War with England
Since the treaty of October 1474, relations between Scotland and England had remained generally peaceful. Edward IV continued to pay the annual instalments of the dowry for his daughter's future marriage to James III's heir, and both kingdoms avoided any significant breaches of the truce. In 1478 James proposed strengthening the alliance with England still further by offering his sister Margaret as a bride for Edward IV's brother-in-law,
Anthony Woodville, 2nd Earl Rivers
Anthony Woodville, 2nd Earl Rivers (c. 144025 June 1483), was an English nobleman, courtier, bibliophile and writer. He was the brother of Queen Elizabeth Woodville who married King Edward IV. He was one of the leading members of the Woodvi ...
. Soon afterwards, however, the truce began to break down, with several instances of Scottish cross-border raiding and pillaging. In 1480 Edward IV sent an envoy to Edinburgh with what was essentially a
declaration of war, informing James that the English king intended to wage war against the Scots unless his demands were met: that the Scots make reparations for breaches of the truce; that James return Berwick, Roxburgh and Coldingham to English dominion; and that James do homage to Edward for the Scottish Crown. However, Edward was prepared to maintain the peace if James would surrender Berwick and hand over his son and heir as a guarantee of his intention to carry through with the marriage of the Duke of Rothesay and Cecily of York.
Richard, Duke of Gloucester was appointed
lieutenant-general, and commissions for the defence of the border were issued in
Yorkshire
Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other English counties, functions have ...
,
Cumberland, and
Northumberland
Northumberland () is a county in Northern England, one of two counties in England which border with Scotland. Notable landmarks in the county include Alnwick Castle, Bamburgh Castle, Hadrian's Wall and Hexham Abbey.
It is bordered by land ...
. But during the summer of 1480, the
Earl of Angus
The Mormaer or Earl of Angus was the ruler of the medieval Scottish province of Angus. The title, in the Peerage of Scotland, is held by the Duke of Hamilton, and is used as a courtesy title for the eldest son of the Duke's eldest son.
Histor ...
carried out a large-scale raid into Northumberland, culminating in the burning of
Bamburgh Castle
Bamburgh Castle is a castle on the northeast coast of England, by the village of Bamburgh in Northumberland. It is a Grade I listed building.
The site was originally the location of a Celtic Brittonic fort known as ''Din Guarie'' and may have ...
. By October, James III had written to
Louis XI of France asking for guns and artillerymen to repulse further attacks. The spring and autumn of 1481 saw English ships raid the
Forth, attacking
Blackness Castle and harassing shipping. There does not seem to have been a land-based invasion of Scotland, but there were three raids into England by a Scottish army in that year. Edward IV had made invasion preparations and began to travel north, but went no further than
Nottingham
Nottingham ( , locally ) is a city and unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located north-west of London, south-east of Sheffield and north-east of Birmingham. Nottingham has links to the legend of Robi ...
. In 1482, Edward IV launched a full-scale invasion led by the Duke of Gloucester, the future
Richard III. James's brother Alexander, styled "Alexander IV", was included as part of the invasion party. James, in attempting to lead his subjects against the invasion, was arrested by a group of disaffected nobles at
Lauder
The former Royal Burgh of Lauder (, gd, Labhdar) is a town in the Scottish Borders in the historic county of Berwickshire. On the Southern Upland Way, the burgh lies southeast of Edinburgh, on the western edge of the Lammermuir Hills.
Etymo ...
Bridge in July 1482. It has been suggested that the nobles were already in league with Alexander. The king was imprisoned in
Edinburgh Castle and a new regime, led by "lieutenant-general" Alexander, became established during the autumn of 1482. Meanwhile, the English army, unable to take Edinburgh Castle, ran out of money and returned to England, having
taken Berwick-upon-Tweed for the last time.
Restoration to power
Whilst imprisoned in Edinburgh Castle, James was politically sidelined during the years 1482–83, and his two half-uncles (including
Andrew Stewart) managed to form a replacement government with his brother Alexander, Duke of Albany, in place as acting lieutenant-general of the realm. He was eventually freed by late September 1482. After having been freed, James was able to regain power by buying off members of Albany's government, such that by December 1482, Albany's government was collapsing. From 1483, he was able to "steadily reduce any remaining support for Albany". In particular, his attempt to claim the vacant earldom of Mar led to the intervention of the powerful
George Gordon, 2nd Earl of Huntly
George Gordon, 2nd Earl of Huntly (died 8 June 1501) was a Scottish nobleman and Chancellor of Scotland from 1498 to 1501.
Life
George was the son of Alexander (Seton) Gordon, 1st Earl of Huntly and his second wife Elizabeth Crichton, daughter ...
, on the king's side.
In January 1483, Albany fled to his estates at
Dunbar. The death of his patron, Edward IV, on 9 April left Albany in a weak position. Following the
Battle of Lochmaben Fair, he was forced to flee back to England, where he was condemned, and he never engaged James III again. Following this, he returned to Scotland, but was caught and imprisoned in the same castle where James had been incarcerated. He managed to escape from the castle after killing his guard and moving down by using a rope made of bedsheets. In 1483, he sailed back for France. In August 1484 James III proposed a truce and alliance with
Richard III and a marriage between the Duke of Rothesay and Anne de la Pole, Richard's niece.
On
Laetare Sunday, 5 March 1486,
Pope Innocent VIII blessed a
Golden Rose
The Golden Rose is a gold ornament, which popes of the Catholic Church have traditionally blessed annually. It is occasionally conferred as a token of reverence or affection. Recipients have included churches and sanctuaries, royalty, military ...
and sent it to James III. It was an annual custom to send the rose to a deserving prince. Giacomo Passarelli,
Bishop of Imola
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Imola ( la, Diocesis Imolensis) is a territory in Romagna, northern Italy. It is a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Bologna. , brought the rose to Scotland and returned to London to complete the dispensation for the marriage of
Henry VII of England
Henry VII (28 January 1457 – 21 April 1509) was King of England and Lord of Ireland from his seizure of the crown on 22 August 1485 until his death in 1509. He was the first monarch of the House of Tudor.
Henry's mother, Margaret Beauf ...
. In 1486 and 1487 James proposed a truce with England and the marriage of his second son, James, Marquess of Ormond, to
Catherine of York
Catherine of York (14 August 1479 – 15 November 1527), was the sixth daughter of King Edward IV of England and his queen consort Elizabeth Woodville.
Soon after the death of her father and the usurpation of the throne by Richard III, Catherin ...
, the sister-in-law of
Henry VII of England
Henry VII (28 January 1457 – 21 April 1509) was King of England and Lord of Ireland from his seizure of the crown on 22 August 1485 until his death in 1509. He was the first monarch of the House of Tudor.
Henry's mother, Margaret Beauf ...
. In April 1487 the Pope granted James III an
indult which strengthened the power of the Scottish Crown over ecclesiastical appointments, allowing the king and his successors to effectively appoint their own candidates when vacancies occurred in cathedrals and monasteries.
Despite a lucky escape in 1482, when he easily could have been murdered or executed in an attempt to bring his son to the throne, James did not reform his behaviour during the 1480s. Obsessive attempts to secure alliance with England continued, although they made little sense given the prevailing politics. He continued to favour a group of "familiars" unpopular with the more powerful magnates. He refused to travel for the implementation of justice and remained invariably resident in Edinburgh. He was also estranged from his wife,
Margaret of Denmark, who lived at Stirling Castle with her sons.
Rebellion and death at Sauchieburn
In January 1488, James III used a meeting of Parliament to publicly reward those who had been loyal to him in the past, and tried to gain supporters by creating four new
Lords of Parliament. He also raised his second son,
James, Marquess of Ormond, to the dignity of
Duke of Ross. Coming after the king’s negotiations in 1486 and 1487 for a marriage alliance for his second son, it was clearly designed to enhance his status and make him a more attractive prospect as a bridegroom, and only furthered the perception amongst the king’s opponents that he was favouring his second son at the expense of the heir to the throne. But opposition to James was led by the Earls of
Angus and
Argyll, and the
Home and Hepburn families. James's heir, the fifteen-year-old
James, Duke of Rothesay, left
Stirling Castle without his father's knowledge on 2 February 1488, marking the beginning of a four-month rebellion against James III.
Prince James became, perhaps reluctantly, the figurehead of the rebels, whose aim seems to have been the establishment of a council of regency, with the Prince as its figurehead and the king in protective custody. The rebels claimed that they had removed Prince James from Stirling to protect him from his vindictive father, who had surrounded himself with wicked Anglophile counsellors. Like the Prince, many of the rebels also feared for their safety if James III continued to rule. The king made more enemies among his nobles by dismissing the Earl of Argyll from the
Chancellorship, for reasons which remain a mystery, and replacing him with
William Elphinstone
William Elphinstone (143125 October 1514) was a Scottish statesman, Bishop of Aberdeen and founder of the University of Aberdeen.
Biography
He was born in Glasgow. His father, also William Elphinstone, later became the first Dean of the Fa ...
, the
Bishop of Aberdeen
The Bishop of Aberdeen (originally Bishop of Mortlach, in Latin Murthlacum) was the ecclesiastical head of the Diocese of Aberdeen, one of Scotland's 13 medieval bishoprics, whose first recorded bishop is an early 12th-century cleric named Nec ...
.
James III sought armed assistance from
Henry VII of England
Henry VII (28 January 1457 – 21 April 1509) was King of England and Lord of Ireland from his seizure of the crown on 22 August 1485 until his death in 1509. He was the first monarch of the House of Tudor.
Henry's mother, Margaret Beauf ...
and moved north from Edinburgh to
Aberdeen
Aberdeen (; sco, Aiberdeen ; gd, Obar Dheathain ; la, Aberdonia) is a city in North East Scotland, and is the third most populous city in the country. Aberdeen is one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas (as Aberdeen City), and ...
in March, probably realising that his position in Edinburgh was becoming precarious, with the Duke of Rothesay and the rebel army nearby, either at Linlithgow or Stirling. The king failed to raise support for the royal cause in the north-east, and then made the mistake of agreeing to negotiate a settlement with the rebels, before promptly breaking his word and, on the advice of his half-uncle the
Earl of Buchan
The Mormaer () or Earl of Buchan () was originally the provincial ruler of the medieval province of Buchan. Buchan was the first Mormaerdom in the High Medieval Kingdom of the Scots to pass into the hands of a non-Scottish family in the male li ...
, marching south from Aberdeen to settle the rebellion by force, which lost him the support of several more nobles. Following an inconclusive skirmish between the royal and rebel forces at
Blackness Castle, James III retreated to the safety of Edinburgh Castle, where he rewarded his supporters and attempted to gain new ones by distributing cash, jewels and land. Matters came to a head in June 1488 when James III left Edinburgh Castle and led his army towards Stirling. The royal and rebel armies joined battle south of Stirling on 11 June 1488 at the
Battle of Sauchieburn
The Battle of Sauchieburn was fought on 11 June 1488, at the side of Sauchie Burn, a stream about south of Stirling
Stirling (; sco, Stirlin; gd, Sruighlea ) is a city in central Scotland, northeast of Glasgow and north-west of Edinbur ...
, on what contemporaries described as the 'field of Stirling'.
James III was killed at some stage during the course of the battle, although the circumstances of the king's death are unclear, and it took some time to establish with certainty that the king had been killed. The 16th-century chroniclers
Adam Abell and
John Lesley alleged that James III was slain in Milton mill on the
Bannock Burn.
Robert Lindsay of Pitscottie, writing in 1576, states that the king fled to Stirling, but was thrown from his horse and fainted near Milton mill, where he was cared for by the miller and his wife. As the retreat of the royal forces to Stirling was taking place, the king came to and called for a priest to make his confession. A priest (possibly a servant of Lord Gray, one of the rebel lords) who was passing by asked where the king was and, on being led to the king, stabbed him to death. There is no evidence available to corroborate this story, but it has been generally accepted as at least an approximation of the truth.
George Buchanan
George Buchanan ( gd, Seòras Bochanan; February 1506 – 28 September 1582) was a Scottish historian and humanist scholar. According to historian Keith Brown, Buchanan was "the most profound intellectual sixteenth century Scotland produced." ...
says that James fell from his horse whilst fleeing to one of his ships, stationed in the Forth, rather than to Stirling. He took refuge in some mills but being overtaken, he was slain there, with a few attendants. However, his most recent biography concludes that he was simply killed in the battle.
James III was buried beside his queen in front of the high altar of
Cambuskenneth Abbey
Cambuskenneth Abbey is an Augustinian monastery located on an area of land enclosed by a meander of the River Forth near Stirling in Scotland. The abbey today is largely reduced to its foundations, however its bell tower remains. The neighbouring ...
. His son and successor, James IV, attended the ceremony and in atonement for his involvement in his father's death, from 1496 appointed a chaplain to sing for the salvation of their souls; records of this continued until the
Scottish Reformation. The remains of James and Margaret were re-interred under a new stone monument at
Queen Victoria
Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 216 days was longer than that of any previo ...
's expense in 1865.
Marriage and issue
James married Margaret of Denmark at
Holyrood Abbey, Edinburgh, in July 1469. They had three children:
Fictional portrayals
James III has been depicted in plays, historical novels and short stories. They include the following:
* ''Price of a Princess'' (1994) by
Nigel Tranter
Nigel Tranter OBE (23 November 1909 – 9 January 2000) was a writer of a wide range of books on castles, particularly on themes of architecture and history. He also specialised in deeply researched historical novels that cover centuries of Sco ...
. The book takes place in the years 1465–1469. The main character is
Mary Stewart, Countess of Arran
Mary Stewart, Countess of Arran (13 May 1453 – May 1488)Charles Cawley, . Updated 24 May 2011 was the eldest daughter of King James II of Scotland and Mary of Guelders. King James III of Scotland was her eldest brother. She married twice: first ...
, a sister of James III. She is depicted joining her husband
Thomas Boyd, Earl of Arran
Thomas Boyd, Earl of Arran (died c. 1473) was a Scottish nobleman.
Thomas was the son of Robert, 1st Lord Boyd, who was a regent during the minority of King James III of Scotland. His father was able to have Thomas created Earl of Arran and Ba ...
, in a mission to the court of
Christian I of Denmark
Christian I (February 1426 – 21 May 1481) was a Scandinavian monarch under the Kalmar Union. He was king of Denmark (1448–1481), Norway (1450–1481) and Sweden (1457–1464). From 1460 to 1481, he was also duke of Schleswig (within Den ...
. The two negotiate the cession of
Orkney and
Shetland from the
Kalmar Union to the
Kingdom of Scotland
The Kingdom of Scotland (; , ) was a sovereign state in northwest Europe traditionally said to have been founded in 843. Its territories expanded and shrank, but it came to occupy the northern third of the island of Great Britain, sharing a l ...
.
* ''Lord in Waiting'' (1994) by Nigel Tranter. The book takes place in the years 1474–1488. It covers events of the reign of James III as seen from the perspective of "Sir John Douglas", brother of
Archibald Douglas, 5th Earl of Angus
Archibald Douglas, 5th Earl of Angus (c. 1449October 1513), was a Scottish nobleman, peer, politician, and magnate. Tradition has accorded him the nickname Archibald 'Bell-the-Cat' due to his association with the 1482 rebellion against Jam ...
. James III is depicted as influenced by
William Sheves, the court astrologer and alchemist, later Archbishop of St Andrews. Douglas would rather have Mary Stewart (see above) on the throne.
* ''The Admiral'' (2001) by Nigel Tranter. The book takes place in the years 1480–1530. It covers the career of
Andrew Wood of Largo and the formation of the
Royal Scots Navy. James III is depicted favoring Wood with the title of
Lord High Admiral of Scotland
The Lord High Admiral of Scotland was one of the Great Officers of State of the Kingdom of Scotland before the Union with England in 1707.
The office was one of considerable power, also known as ''Royal Scottish Admiralty'', including command ...
.
* ''James III: The True Mirror'' (2014) by
Rona Munro
Rona Munro (born 7 September 1959) is a Scottish writer. She has written plays for theatre, radio, and television. Her film work includes Ken Loach's '' Ladybird, Ladybird'' (1994), ''Oranges and Sunshine'' (2010) for Jim Loach and ''Aimée & J ...
, a co-production between the
National Theatre of Scotland
The National Theatre of Scotland, established in 2006, is the national theatre company of Scotland. The company has no theatre building of its own; instead it tours work to theatres, village halls, schools and site-specific locations, both at h ...
,
Edinburgh International Festival
The Edinburgh International Festival is an annual arts festival in Edinburgh, Scotland, spread over the final three weeks in August. Notable figures from the international world of music (especially european classical music, classical music) and ...
and the
National Theatre of Great Britain. The James Plays – ''James I'', ''James II'' and ''James III'' – are a trio of history plays by Rona Munro. Each play stands alone as a vision of a country tussling with its past and future. This play concentrates on James' relationships with his wife Margaret, his court favourites and the powerful lords he has alienated.
* ''The Unicorn Hunt'' (1993) by
Dorothy Dunnett
Dorothy, Lady Dunnett (née Halliday, 25 August 1923 – 9 November 2001) was a Scottish novelist best known for her historical fiction. Dunnett is most famous for her six novel series set during the 16th century, which concern the fictiti ...
. Volume 5 in ''
The House of Niccolò
''The House of Niccolò'' is a series of eight historical novels by Dorothy Dunnett set in the mid-fifteenth-century European Renaissance. The protagonist of the series is Nicholas de Fleury (Niccolò, Nicholas van der Poele, or Claes), a boy ...
'' series.
* ''To Lie with Lions'' (1995) by Dorothy Dunnett, Volume 6 in ''
The House of Niccolò
''The House of Niccolò'' is a series of eight historical novels by Dorothy Dunnett set in the mid-fifteenth-century European Renaissance. The protagonist of the series is Nicholas de Fleury (Niccolò, Nicholas van der Poele, or Claes), a boy ...
'' series.
* ''Gemini'' (2000) by Dorothy Dunnett, Volume 8 in ''
The House of Niccolò
''The House of Niccolò'' is a series of eight historical novels by Dorothy Dunnett set in the mid-fifteenth-century European Renaissance. The protagonist of the series is Nicholas de Fleury (Niccolò, Nicholas van der Poele, or Claes), a boy ...
'' series.
* "Sunset at Noon" by Jane Oliver (1955), a fictional account of the life of James IV and the Battle of Flodden.
Ancestors
References
Sources
*
Macdougall, Norman, ''James III, A Political Study'', John Donald (1982)
*
Macdougall, Norman, ''James III'', John Donald (2009), a fully revised and updated edition with substantially different conclusions on James III's career compared to the 1982 edition.
*
*Coombs, B. Material Diplomacy: A Continental Manuscript Produced for James III, Edinburgh University Library, MS 195. ''The Scottish Historical Review'' (October), 2019
External links
Illustrated history of James III
{{DEFAULTSORT:James 03 Of Scotland
Scottish princes
Scottish people of Dutch descent
House of Stuart
Dukes of Rothesay
Monarchs killed in action
Medieval child rulers
1451 births
1488 deaths
15th-century Scottish monarchs
High Stewards of Scotland
15th-century Scottish peers
People from St Andrews
Scottish pre-union military personnel killed in action