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You are here: UK History > Royal History > Scottish Monarchy > James III
James III was king until his death at the Battle of Sauchieburn in 1488. He inherited the throne as a child following the death of his father at the siege of King James II. James III reign began with a minority that lasted for almost a decade, during which time Scotland was governed by a series of regents who struggled for custody of the king before he was able to rule independently in 1469
Quick Facts:
Born: 10th July 1452
Died: 11th June 1488
Reign: 1460-1488
Parents: James II of Scotland and Mary of Guelders
Predecessor: James II
Successor: James IV
Spouse: Margaret of Denmark
Children: James IV of Scotland; James Duke of Ross and John Earl of Mar
Royal House: House of Stewart
Unlike his father, James III was an unpopular and ineffective king and...Read More
James III was king until his death at the Battle of Sauchieburn in 1488. He inherited the throne as a child following the death of his father at the siege of King James II. James III reign began with a minority that lasted for almost a decade, during which time Scotland was governed by a series of regents who struggled for custody of the king before he was able to rule independently in 1469
Quick Facts:
Born: 10th July 1452
Died: 11th June 1488
Reign: 1460-1488
Parents: James II of Scotland and Mary of Guelders
Predecessor: James II
Successor: James IV
Spouse: Margaret of Denmark
Children: James IV of Scotland; James Duke of Ross and John Earl of Mar
Royal House: House of Stewart
Unlike his father, James III was an unpopular and ineffective king and dealt with two major rebellions during his reign. He was often criticised for his optimistic schemes to invade or take possession of various European strongholds, including Brittany, Guelders (his mother's homeland) and Saintonge at the expense of his kingly duties. He was accused of hoarding money, failing to enforce criminal justice and pursuing an unpopular policy of alliance with England. His preference for his favourites at court and in government alienated many of the nobles and his own brother attempted to usurp the throne with the help of the English army.
However, his reign did see Scotland reach its greatest territorial extent after he acquired Orkney and Shetland through his marriage to Margaret of Denmark. He is also known as being a renaissance monarch, as the many painters and musicians gained patronage during his reign. He is also one of the first kings to have his realistic likeness displayed on a coin.
James was the first surviving son of King James II, he was born during the crisis that saw his father murder the Earl of Douglas and would ascend the throne following the siege of Roxburgh Castle where his father was killed by an exploding canon. After the news of James II’s death reached Queen Mary, she brough the new king to Kelso from Edinburgh. It was not considered possible for the pair to journey to Scone Abbey, so he was crowned at Kelso Abbey instead.
During the early years of his reign, the government was led by his mother, Mary of Guelders as regent, while James was educated by Archibald Whitelaw, the Secretary of State. In March, the first parliament appointed a council of regency consisting of the Bishop of St Andrews, the Bishop of Glasgow and the Earls of Angus, Huntly, Argyll and Orkney.
During this time, Mary of Guelders emerged as an astute and capable ruler, pursuing a pragmatic policy during the War of the Roses which was taking place in England. Following the defeat of the Lancastrians by the Yorkists, Henry VI of England, Margaret of Anjou and Edward the Prince of Wales fled into Scotland where Mary gave them refuge. The Lancastrians expected Mary to provide them with troops, but she had no intention of involving Scotland into the war and instead used them to negotiate with the Yorkists. In return for the loans and a year’s refuge, Mary guaranteed the surrendering of Berwick to Scotland.
While she was doing well in policy, domestically there were ongoing disputes between Mary and James Kennedy the Bishop of St Andrews over who would have control of James III and foreign policy. Mary of Guelders died in December 1463 leaving Bishop Kennedy in control of the government.
Bishop Kennedy assumed custody of James III, but this lacked the sanction of parliament and his regime became increasingly unpopular. The young king was then abducted while out hunting at Linlithgow Palace by Lord Boyd and brought to Edinburgh Castle while the Boyds attempted to seize control of the government. At fourteen, the king was forced to stand before parliament and insist that he had not been offended by the abduction and that he intended to appoint Lord Boyd as his governor until he turned 21. The Boyds were also unpopular, especially after Lord Boyd made his son the Earl of Arran and married him off to the king’s 13 year old sister Mary, which antagonised the king.
It was the Boyds that sent an embassy to Denmark to secure a royal marriage for James, negotiating a treaty which provided an alliance between Scotland and Denmark and the wedding of James III to Margaret, the only daughter of King Christian I of Denmark and Norway. King Christian was unable to raise the full amount of the promised dowry and instead offered Orkney and Shetland until the outstanding amount was paid. James had no intention of relinquishing the land and would acquire full sovereignty over these lands as soon as he could. The Boyds made many enemies during this time and the Duke of Albany and Earl of Atholl, both relatives of the king’s, attempted to seize Edinburgh Castle and release him.
With a marriage on the cards, James believed it was time for him to bring his minority to an end and began plotting revenge on the Boyds.
Once Margaret of Denmark was on her way to Scotland, the king’s sister, Mary, who had been married to the Earl of Arran, informed her husband that the king intended to have him arrested. The couple fled together to Bruges where they were joined by Lord Boyd. At a parliament held in November, Lord Boyd, his brother and his son were all found guilty of treason and had their peerages stripped.
James married Margaret of Denmark, who was 13, in July 1469 at Holyrood Abbey. The marriage produced three sons.
James began his personal rule, but his power was affected by the fact that unlike many of his forebearers, he had a living brother who had also reached adulthood. James had two younger brothers, Alexander ,who was now the Duke of Albany, and John, Earl of Mar, then aged fourteen and twelve, respectively, as well as three uncles, all of which had a claim to the throne and would work to complicate his reign. From the beginning, James’ relationship with parliament frequently met with opposition and confrontation over his foreign and domestic policies. The failure of James to listen to the grievances were the cause of two major rebellions in 1482 and 1488.
On 20th February, Parliament annexed and united Orkney and Shetland into the Scottish Crown. Technically, they could have returned to Christian I of Denmark on the payment of Margaret’s dowry, but Christian’s financial difficulties made this unlikely.
James’ policies mostly revolved around ambitious schemes to expand his territory and ally with England. He pressed for a tax to be granted to fund an embassy to the continent and seek a marriage for his sister Margaret. He also wanted funds to send an army to the continent to claim the land at Brittany, though this was abandoned.
James did managed to conclude a truce with Edward IV of England, which would last for 45 years and was to be accompanied by a marriage alliance between his infant son and the English Princess, Cecily of York, when they reached a marriageable age.
James’ unpopular policies saw growing opposition in parliament. A conflict developed between the king and his brothers, the Earl of Mar and the Duke of Albany. The Earl was imprisoned for unspecified reasons and died in mysterious circumstances. The Duke was accused of treason for assisting rebels and causing trouble on the border to undermine the truce between England and Scotland. He fled to Paris where he lived comfortably under the protection of King Louis XI.
The truce with England remained relatively peaceful until 1480, when Edward IV sent an envoy to Edinburgh with a declaration of war in retaliation to border skirmishes. He was however prepared to maintain the peace if James surrendered Berwick and handed over his son to prove his intent to go through with the promised marriage among other demands. James asked Louis XI for aid and in the spring and autumn of that year, English ships raided the Forth. There was not a land based invasion, but there were a number of raids on both sides. In 1482, Edward IV launched a full scale invasion led by his brother Richard, who would go on to be Richard III. James brother, the Duke of Albany was included as part of the invasion party. James was arrested by a group of disaffected nobles, it has been suggested that they were in league with his brother, Alexander. The king was imprisoned in Edinburgh Castle and his brother established a new regime. However, the English were unable to take Edinburgh and ran out of money, when they returned to England.
While imprisoned, James was politically sidelined and his brother and two uncles formed a government in his place. He was eventually freed in September 1482, where he was able to regain power by bribing enough government ministers for his brother’s regime to fall.
In January of the following year, James' brother, the Duke fled to his estates and after the death of Edward IV, was forced to flee to England, where he was condemned. The brothers never spoke to each other again. Following this, the Duke returned to Scotland but was caught and imprisoned at Edinburgh. He managed to escape by killing his guards and using his bedsheets as a rope, he later escaped to France.
James proposed a truce and alliance with Richard III, who had deposed his nephew in England and claimed the throne. As part of this alliance, he proposed a marriage between his son and Richard’s niece. Richard was usurped by Henry VII not long after.
In March, the Pope blessed a golden rose and sent it to James III, an annual custom where a rose was sent to a deserving prince. An envoy brought the rose to Scotland before returning to London to complete the marriage of Henry VII of England to Elizabeth of York. James proposed a new truce, with the marriage of his second son to Catherine of York, the new king Henry’s sister in law. The pope also granted James strengthened power over the Scottish church.
James didn’t seem to learn from the events leading up to his brother’s rebellion, however. He continued to pursue an alliance with England despite opposition. He refused to travel to implement justice and by this time, was estranged from his wife who lived at Stirling Castle with their sons.
In January 1488, James III used a meeting of parliament to reward those who had been loyal to him and tried to gain new supporters. There was more opposition and James III’s fifteen year old son left Stirling Castle without knowledge or permission, marking the beginning of a four month rebellion. The prince would unwillingly become a figurehead of the rebels who planned to depose his father and put him in charge with a council of regents. The rebels claimed that they had removed the prince from Stirling to protect him from his father.
James sought assistance from Henry VII and moved to Aberdeen, but failed to raise support for his cause. In June, the two sides came together at the Battle of Sauchieburn. James III was killed at some stage during the battle, though there are conflicting reports as to the nature of his death. He was buried beside his quee. His son and successor attended the ceremony and in atonement for his involvement in his father’s death, from 1496 appointed a chaplain to sing for their souls, something that continued until the Scottish Reformation.
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