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You are here: UK History > Royal History > Scottish Monarchy > James V
James V was King of Scotland from 9th September 1513 until his death in 1542. He was crowned at the age of 17 months after his father died at the Battle of Flodden. He was the oldest surviving son of James IV and Margaret Tudor and spent much of his early life being used as a pawn by various nobles, including his stepfather the Earl of Angus.
His reign saw the beginnings of Protestantism in Scotland and he has been described as a vindictive king whose policies were largely motivated by the pursuit of wealth and a paranoid fear of his own nobility.
Quick Facts:
Born: 10th April 1512
Died: 14th December 1542
Reign: 1513-1542
Parents: James IV of Scotland and Margaret Tudor
Predecessor: James IV
Successor: Mary Queen of Scots
Spouse: Madeline of France and then...Read More
James V was King of Scotland from 9th September 1513 until his death in 1542. He was crowned at the age of 17 months after his father died at the Battle of Flodden. He was the oldest surviving son of James IV and Margaret Tudor and spent much of his early life being used as a pawn by various nobles, including his stepfather the Earl of Angus.
His reign saw the beginnings of Protestantism in Scotland and he has been described as a vindictive king whose policies were largely motivated by the pursuit of wealth and a paranoid fear of his own nobility.
Quick Facts:
Born: 10th April 1512
Died: 14th December 1542
Reign: 1513-1542
Parents: James IV of Scotland and Margaret Tudor
Predecessor: James IV
Successor: Mary Queen of Scots
Spouse: Madeline of France and then Mary of Guise
Children: James, Duke of Rothersay; Mary, Queen of Scots; James Stewart, 1st Earl of Moray
Royal House: House of Stewart
James V was the third son of James IV and his wife Margaret Tudor, the daughter of Henry VII of England. He was the only one of James' legitimate children to survive infancy. He received the title of Duke of Rothersay and Prince of Scotland on his birth and became king at just seventeen months old when his father was killed at the Battle of Flodden.
He was crowned at Stirling Castle three weeks after the death of his father and during his childhood, the country was run by a series of regents, beginning with his mother until she remarried and then by the Duke of Albany, next in line to the crown.
At the age of four, he was moved to the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh, but then later was moved to Craigmillar Castle, a more rural location where he was left under the care of Antoine d’Acres. When he was 12, James dismissed his regents and was proclaimed ruler by his mother, however, his estranged step father Archibald Douglas, 6th Earl of Angus, took custody of the king and virtually held him prisoner for three years, exercising power on his behalf. Several attempts were made to free the king, all of which were unsuccessful. James finally escaped his stepfather in 1528 and assumed the reins of government himself.
Once gaining power for himself, his first action was to remove Angus from the scene. The Douglas family, excluding the king’s half sister, Margaret, who was already in England, were forced into exile and James besieged their castle at Tantallon. He then employed a series of professional lawyers and diplomats to aid him. He increased his income by taking control of royal estates and gave his illegitimate sons lucrative benefices, allowing him to divert church wealth into his own funds. His domestic and international policy was hugely affected by the Reformation, especially after Henry VIII broke from the catholic church. James was against heresy and had several protestants persecuted, including having some burned at the stake.
Much like his father, James V spent a large amount of money during his reign on extensively remodelling all the major residences and several minor ones, including new structures with most of the work taking place at Falkland Palace and Stirling Castle.
Later in his reign, James gained the nickname King of the Commons as he would frequently travel around Scotland disguised as a common man. He was a patron of poets and authors and was a keen lute player.
As early as 1517, negotiations were in place for James to marry the one of Francis I of France’s daughters. He married Madeleine of Valois, which renewed the Auld Alliance. Madeleine had long been unwell, so much so, that her father initially refused the match, however, he was reluctantly persuaded. Madeleine and James had met each other on a few occasions before the marriage and it was said that James was rather impressed by her. The pair married in France and spent some months travelling around the country before embarking for Scotland in 1537. Less than a month after arriving in Edinburgh and being crowned, Madeline died at Holyrood Palace in James’ arms having suffered with tuberculosis.
Following the death of Madeleine, James began a search for a new wife, turning again to France to continue the interests of an alliance. Initially, he tried to persuade Francis I to allow him to marry his remaining daughter, but the French king offered Mary of Guise instead, the daughter of the Duke of Guise. A marriage contract was finalised in 1538 and a proxy wedding was held in France with Lord Maxwell standing in for James V. Part of the marriage contract dictated that should the king die first that Mary would retain her joint houses, earldoms and lordships for the remainder of her life. James and Mary married in person in June 1538. They had two sons, James and Robert, who both died on 21st April, when James was a year old and Robert was nine days old. Their third and final child, Mary, was born on 8th December 1542.
Like his father, James had a number of mistresses with whom he had several illegitimate children.
The death of James’ mother, Margaret Tudor, ended any incentives to pursue peace with England leading to war to break out. The Scottish originally were the victors after the Battle of Haddon Rig, however Mary of Guise’s pregnancy stopped any chance of a meeting between James and Henry. James asked if they could wait until the birth, however Henry did not accept this and mobilised his forces. James returned to Edinburgh following a defeat at the Battle of Solway Moss. He journeyed to Linlithgow Palace with Queen Mary, who was in the final stages of her pregnancy. He then travelled to Falkland Palace where he took ill.
Despite the defeat at Solway Moss, James continued to have support for his war policy and continued his plans to renew conflict with England. Despite being on his deathbed, he continued to liaise with his nobles and it was here that he received the news of his daughter’s birth.
James V died at Falkland Palace on 14th December 1542 at the age of 30. The king had been ill on a number of occasions during the past decade, though it is believed that this final time he may have had cholera or dysentery. The king was succeeded by his infant daughter, Mary Queen of Scots.
On 7th January, the king’s body was moved to Holyrood Abbey where he was buried beside his first wife and his two sons. Two years later, his tomb was destroyed by invading English armies in 1544 and again in 1547.
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