James IV Stewart

  General Notes:

As heir apparent to the Scottish crown he became Duke of Rothesay. His father was not a popular king and faced two major rebellions during his reign. During the second rebellion the rebels set up the 15-year-old James as their nominal leader. His father was killed fighting the rebels at the Battle of Sauchieburn on 11 June 1488 and James took the throne and was crowned at Scone on 24 June. When he realised the indirect role which he had played in the death of his father he decided to do penance for his sin. From that date on, he wore a heavy iron chain cilice around his waist, next to the skin, each Lent as penance.

James IV quickly proved to be an effective ruler. He defeated another rebellion in 1489, took a direct interest in the administration of justice and finally brought the Lord of the Isles under control in 1493. James was well educated and it was claimed that he was fluent in Scots, English, Scottish Gaelic, Latin, French, German, Italian, Flemish (Dutch), Spanish and Danish; he was the patron of the Scottish makar, or poet, William Dunbar, who is known for his song Lament for the Makaris, (which is often called after its refrain: timor mortis conturbat me - Latin for "the fear of Death frightens/confounds me.") an ubi sunt qui ante nos fuerent poem in which Dunbar laments past makars including Chaucer and speaks of the general transitory nature of the "warld."

He was a true Renaissance prince with an interest in practical and scientific matters. James granted the Edinburgh College of Surgeons a royal charter in 1506, turned Edinburgh Castle into one of Britain's foremost gun foundries and welcomed the establishment of Scotland's first printing press in 1505.

James also loved ships and saw the importance in Scotland having a large navy. He acquired 38 ships for the Royal Scottish Navy, including the Margaret and founded two new dockyards. His finest creation was the carrack Michael or Great Michael built at vast expense at Newhaven and launched in 1511, she weighed 1,000 tons, was 240 feet (73 m) in length and was then the largest ship in Europe.

For a time he supported Perkin Warbeck, the pretender to the English throne, and carried out a brief invasion of England on his behalf. However, James recognised that peace between Scotland and England was in the interest of both countries and so signed the Treaty of Perpetual Peace (1502) and married Henry VII's daughter Margaret Tudor on 8 August 1503 at Holyrood Abbey, Edinburgh.

The union produced around six children:

James, Duke of Rothesay, who died at barely a year old.
An unnamed daughter, stillborn at Holyrood Palace on 15 July 1508.
Arthur, Duke of Rothesay, who died before his first birthday.
James V, the only one to reach adulthood.
A second stillborn daughter in November 1512 at Holyrood Palace.
Alexander, Duke of Ross, born posthumously, and died before his second birthday.


James also had seven illegitimate children with four different mistresses:

with Marion Boyd:

Alexander, later Archbishop of St Andrews
Catherine Stewart, who married James Douglas, 3rd Earl of Morton

with Margaret Drummond:

Margaret.

with Janet Kennedy:

James, created Earl of Moray
two children who died in infancy

with Isabel Buchan, daughter of James Stewart, 1st Earl of Buchan:

Lady Janet Stewart


When war broke out between England and France as a result of the Italian Wars, James found himself in a difficult position as his obligations under the Auld Alliance with France conflicted with the treaty made with England in 1502. The new king of England, Henry VIII, attempted to invade France in 1513 and James reacted by declaring war on England. Hoping to take advantage of Henry's absence, he led an invading army southward, only to be killed, with many of his nobles and common soldiers, at the disastrous Battle of Flodden on 9 September, ending Scotland's involvement in the War of the League of Cambrai. A body, thought to be his, was recovered from the battlefield and taken to London for burial. Because he was excommunicated, the embalmed body lay unburied for many years in the monastery of Sheen in Surrey and was lost after the Reformation. James' bloodstained coat was sent to Henry VIII of England (then on campaign in France) by his queen Catherine of Aragon.

Rumours persisted that James had survived and had gone into exile but there is no evidence to support them.

James's decision to invade England is often seen as ill-considered. However it has been argued that it can be criticised only if Scotland was not entitled to pursue an independent foreign policy and the military force was adequate for the task but the Battle of Flodden was lost through poor general-ship. Undoubtedly his death ushered in a period of prolonged instability in Scotland.

James IV is also significant in Scottish history as the last King of Scots who is known to have spoken Scottish Gaelic. ²⁶

James married Margaret Tudor of Scotland, daughter of Henry VII Tudor and Elizabeth Plantagenet, on 8 Aug 1503. (Margaret Tudor of Scotland was born on 29 Nov 1489 and died on 18 Oct 1541.)

James next had a relationship with Margaret Drummond, daughter of John Drummond Baron and Elizabeth Lindsay. (Margaret Drummond died in Apr 1502 ⁶⁸.)

James next had a relationship with Margaret Boyd, daughter of Archibald Boyd and Christian Mure.

James had a relationship with Isabel Stewart, daughter of James Stewart Earl of Buchan and Margaret Ogilvy.