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James IV of Scotland

 
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James IV (17 March 1473 – 9 September 1513) was King of Scots from 11 June 1488 to his death. He is generally regarded as the most successful of the Stewart
House of Stuart

The House of Stuart, also known as the House of Stewart is an important European royal house. Founded by Robert II of Scotland, the Stewarts first became monarchs of the Kingdom of Scotland during the late 14th century....
 monarchs of Scotland, but his reign ended with the disastrous defeat at the Battle of Flodden Field
Battle of Flodden Field

The Battle of Flodden or Flodden Field was fought in the county of Northumberland in northern England on 9 September 1513, between an invading Scottish people army under King James IV of Scotland and an English army commanded by Thomas Howard, Earl of Surrey....
, where he became the last British monarch to be killed in battle.

s IV was the son of James III
James III of Scotland

James III was King of Scots from 1460 to 1488. James was an unpopular and ineffective monarch owing to an unwillingness to administer justice fairly, a policy of pursuing alliance with the Kingdom of England, and a disastrous relationship with nearly all his extended family....
 and Margaret of Denmark
Margaret of Denmark

Margaret of Denmark was the daughter of King Christian I of Denmark , Norway , and Sweden , and his wife Dorothea of Brandenburg....
, probably born in Stirling Castle
Stirling Castle

Stirling Castle, located in Stirling, is one of the largest and most important castles, both historically and architecturally, in Scotland. The Castle sits atop the Castle Hill, a volcanic Crag and tail, which forms part of the Stirling Sill geological formation....
. As heir apparent
Heir apparent

An heir apparent is an heir who cannot be displaced from inheriting; the term is used in contrast to heir presumptive, the term for a conditional heir who is currently in line to inherit but could be displaced at any time in the future....
 to the Scottish crown he became Duke of Rothesay
Duke of Rothesay

The title Duke of Rothesay was the official title possessed by the heir apparent to the throne of the Kingdom of Scotland. A separate Scottish throne has not existed since the Treaty of Union 1707 in 1707, which saw the joining of the Kingdom of Scotland with the Kingdom of England to form the Kingdom of Great Britain under Anne of Great Brit...
.






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James IV (17 March 1473 – 9 September 1513) was King of Scots from 11 June 1488 to his death. He is generally regarded as the most successful of the Stewart
House of Stuart

The House of Stuart, also known as the House of Stewart is an important European royal house. Founded by Robert II of Scotland, the Stewarts first became monarchs of the Kingdom of Scotland during the late 14th century....
 monarchs of Scotland, but his reign ended with the disastrous defeat at the Battle of Flodden Field
Battle of Flodden Field

The Battle of Flodden or Flodden Field was fought in the county of Northumberland in northern England on 9 September 1513, between an invading Scottish people army under King James IV of Scotland and an English army commanded by Thomas Howard, Earl of Surrey....
, where he became the last British monarch to be killed in battle.

Early life

James IV was the son of James III
James III of Scotland

James III was King of Scots from 1460 to 1488. James was an unpopular and ineffective monarch owing to an unwillingness to administer justice fairly, a policy of pursuing alliance with the Kingdom of England, and a disastrous relationship with nearly all his extended family....
 and Margaret of Denmark
Margaret of Denmark

Margaret of Denmark was the daughter of King Christian I of Denmark , Norway , and Sweden , and his wife Dorothea of Brandenburg....
, probably born in Stirling Castle
Stirling Castle

Stirling Castle, located in Stirling, is one of the largest and most important castles, both historically and architecturally, in Scotland. The Castle sits atop the Castle Hill, a volcanic Crag and tail, which forms part of the Stirling Sill geological formation....
. As heir apparent
Heir apparent

An heir apparent is an heir who cannot be displaced from inheriting; the term is used in contrast to heir presumptive, the term for a conditional heir who is currently in line to inherit but could be displaced at any time in the future....
 to the Scottish crown he became Duke of Rothesay
Duke of Rothesay

The title Duke of Rothesay was the official title possessed by the heir apparent to the throne of the Kingdom of Scotland. A separate Scottish throne has not existed since the Treaty of Union 1707 in 1707, which saw the joining of the Kingdom of Scotland with the Kingdom of England to form the Kingdom of Great Britain under Anne of Great Brit...
. 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
Battle of Sauchieburn

The Battle of Sauchieburn was fought on June 11, 1488, at the side of Sauchie Burn, a brook about two miles south of Stirling, Scotland. The battle was fought between as many as 30,000 troops of King James III of Scotland and some 18,000 troops raised by a group of dissident Scottish nobles including Alexander Home, 1st Lord Home, nominally...
 on 11 June 1488, and James took the throne and was crowned at Scone
Scone, Scotland

Scone is a village in Perth and Kinross, Scotland. The Middle Ages village of Scone, which grew up around the Scone Abbey, was abandoned in the early 19th century when a Scone Palace was built on the site by the Earl of Mansfield....
 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
Cilice

A cilice was originally a garment or undergarment made of coarse cloth or animal hair used in some religious traditions to induce some degree of discomfort or pain as a sign of repentance and atonement....
 around his waist, next to the skin, each Lent
Lent

Lent, in Christianity, is the period of the liturgical year leading up to Easter. Conventionally it is described as being forty days long, though different Christian denominations calculate the forty days differently....
 as penance.

Reign

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
Lord of the Isles

The designation Lord of the Isles , now a Scotland title of Peerage of Scotland, emerged from a series of hybrid Viking/Gaels rulers of the west coast and islands of Scotland in the Middle Ages, who wielded sea-power with fleets of galleys....
 under control in 1493. For a time, he supported Perkin Warbeck
Perkin Warbeck

Perkin Warbeck was a pretender to the England throne during the reign of King Henry VII of England. Traditional belief claims that he was an impostor, pretending to be Richard of Shrewsbury, 1st Duke of York, the younger son of King Edward IV of England, but was in fact a Flemings born in Tournai around 1474....
, the pretender to the English throne, and carried out a brief invasion of England on his behalf in 1496. However, he recognized that peace between Scotland and England was in the interest of both countries, and established good diplomatic relations with England, at that time emerging from a period of Civil War, and in 1502 signed the Treaty of Perpetual Peace with Henry VII
Henry VII of England

Henry VII was the Kingdom of England and Lordship of Ireland from his usurpation of the crown on 22 August 1485 until his death on 21 April 1509, as the first monarch of the Tudor dynasty....
. He also saw the importance in building a fleet that could provide Scotland with a strong maritime presence. James founded two new dockyards for the purpose and acquired a total of 38 ships for the Royal Scottish Navy, including the Margaret
Scottish warship Margaret

The Margaret was a Scotland warship in the 16th century.It was built at Leith around 1505 by order of King James IV of Scotland, as part of his policy of building a strong Scottish navy....
, and the carrack
Carrack

A carrack or nau was a three- or four-Mast sailing ship developed in the Atlantic Ocean in the 15th century by the Portugal. It had a high rounded stern with an aftcastle and a forecastle and bowsprit at the stem....
 Michael
Michael (ship)

Michael was a carrack or great ship of the Royal Scottish Navy. She was too large to be built at any existing Scottish dockyard, so was built at the new dock at Newhaven, Edinburgh, constructed in 1504 by order of King James IV of Scotland....
 or Great Michael. This latter, built at great expense at Newhaven
Newhaven, Edinburgh

Newhaven is a harbour village on the Firth of Forth, within the City of Edinburgh, Scotland, between Leith and Granton, Edinburgh. It has about 5000 inhabitants....
 and launched in 1511, was in length, weighed 1,000 tons and was, at that time, the largest ship in Europe.

James was a true Renaissance
Renaissance

The Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Italy in the late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe....
 prince with an interest in practical and scientific matters. He granted the Edinburgh College of Surgeons
Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh

The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, traces its origins to 1505 when the Barber Surgeons of Edinburgh was formally incorporated as a Craft Guild of Edinburgh, and granted a royal charter in 1506 by James IV of Scotland of Scotland....
 a royal charter in 1506, turned Edinburgh Castle
Edinburgh Castle

Edinburgh Castle is an ancient stronghold which dominates the sky-line of the city of Edinburgh from its position atop the volcanic Castle Rock....
 into one of Britain's foremost gun foundries, and welcomed the establishment of Scotland's first printing press
Printing press

A printing press is a mechanical device for applying pressure to an inked surface resting upon a medium , thereby transferring an image. The mechanical systems involved were first assembled in Germany by the goldsmith Johannes Gutenberg around 1439, based on existing screw-presses used to press cloth, grapes etc., and possibly to print wood...
 in 1505. He was a patron of the arts, including many literary figures, most notably the Scots makars whose diverse and socially observant works convey a vibrant and memorable picture of cultural life and intellectual concerns in the period. Figures associated with his court include William Dunbar
William Dunbar

William Dunbar , Scotland poet, was probably a native of East Lothian. This is assumed from a satirical reference in the Flyting of Dunbar and Kennedie , where, too, it is hinted that he was a member of the noble house of Dunbar....
, Walter Kennedy
Walter Kennedy

Walter Kennedy was a Scotland makar associated with the renaissance court of James IV of Scotland. He is perhaps best known as the defendant against William Dunbar in The Flyting of Dumbar and Kennedie, but his surviving works clearly show him to have been an accomplished "master" in many genres....
 and Gavin Douglas
Gavin Douglas

Gavin Douglas was a Scotland bishop, makar and translator.Douglas was a prolific writer in Middle Scots. His principal work is the Eneados, a complete translation of the Aeneid of Virgil, which was completed in 1513....
 who made the first complete translation of Virgil's Aeneid
Aeneid

The Aeneid is a Latin Epic poetry written by Virgil in the late 1st century BC that tells the legendary story of Aeneas, a Troy who traveled to Italy, where he became the ancestor of the Rome....
 in northern Europe. His reign also saw the passing of the makar Robert Henryson
Robert Henryson

Robert Henryson was a poet who flourished in Scotland in the period c. 1460?1500. Counted among the Scots language makars, he lived in the royal burgh of Dunfermline and is a distinctive voice in the northern renaissance at a time when the culture was on a cusp between medieval and renaissance sensibilities....
.

James was well educated and a fluent linguist. In 1499 the Spanish envoy Pedro de Ayala reported that he was able to "speak Latin, French, German, Flemish, Italian and the barbarian Gaelic, the native tongue of nearly all his subjects". He was the last King of Scots who is known to have spoken Scottish Gaelic. The king's interest extended beyond acquisition of languages; as part of a language deprivation experiment
Language deprivation experiments

Language deprivation experiments have been attempted several times through history, isolating infants from the normal use of spoken or signed language in an attempt to discover the fundamental character of human nature or the origins of language....
, James sent two children to be raised by a mute
Mute

Mute may refer to:* Muteness, a speech disorder in which a person lacks the power of articulate speech* Mute, a silent letter in phonology* Mute a 2005 film...
 woman alone on an island, to determine if language was learned or innate. [This citation is flawed]

When war broke out between England and France as a result of the Italian Wars
Italian Wars

The Italian Wars, often referred to as the Great Italian Wars or the Great Wars of Italy in historical works, were a series of conflicts from 1494 to 1559 that involved, at various times, most of the Italian city-states, the Papal States, all the major states of western Europe as well as the Ottoman Empire....
, James found himself in a difficult position as his obligations under the Auld Alliance
Auld Alliance

The Auld Alliance refers to a series of treaties, offensive and defensive in nature, between Scotland and France aimed specifically against England....
 with France conflicted with the treaty made with England in 1502. The new king of England, Henry VIII
Henry VIII of England

Henry VIII was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. He was also Lordship of Ireland and claimant to the Early Modern France. Henry was the second monarch of the House of Tudor, succeeding his father, Henry VII of England....
, 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 Field
Battle of Flodden Field

The Battle of Flodden or Flodden Field was fought in the county of Northumberland in northern England on 9 September 1513, between an invading Scottish people army under King James IV of Scotland and an English army commanded by Thomas Howard, Earl of Surrey....
 on 9 September, ending Scotland's involvement in the War of the League of Cambrai
War of the League of Cambrai

The War of the League of Cambrai, sometimes known as the War of the Holy League and by several other names, was a major conflict in the Italian Wars....
. 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
Sheen

Sheen could mean:Places:*In London, England, United Kingdom:** Sheen or West Sheen, an alternative name for Richmond, London** East Sheen** North Sheen...
 in Surrey
Surrey

Surrey is a counties of England in the South East England of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire, and Berkshire....
, and was lost after the Reformation
English Reformation

The English Reformation was the series of events in 16th century England by which the Church of England first broke away from the authority of the Pope and the Roman Catholic Church....
. James' bloodstained coat was sent to Henry VIII of England (then on campaign in France) by his queen Catherine of Aragon
Catherine of Aragon

Catherine of Aragon also known as Katherine or Katharine; was the List of English consorts as the Wives of Henry VIII of Henry VIII of England, and Princess of Wales by her first marriage to Arthur, Prince of Wales....
. Rumours persisted that James had survived and had gone into exile, but there is no evidence to support them.

Legacy

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 generalship. Undoubtedly his death ushered in a period of prolonged instability in Scotland.

Marriage

After signing the Treaty of Perpetual Peace
Treaty of Perpetual Peace (1502)

The Treaty of Perpetual Peace was signed by James IV of Scotland and Henry VII of England in 1502. It agreed an end to the intermittent warfare between Scotland and England which had been waged over the previous two hundred years....
 with Henry VII of England
Henry VII of England

Henry VII was the Kingdom of England and Lordship of Ireland from his usurpation of the crown on 22 August 1485 until his death on 21 April 1509, as the first monarch of the Tudor dynasty....
, he married Henry's daughter Margaret Tudor
Margaret Tudor

Margaret Tudor was the elder of the two surviving daughters of Henry VII of England and Elizabeth of York, and the elder sister of Henry VIII of England....
 on 8 August 1503 at Holyrood Abbey
Holyrood Abbey

Holyrood Abbey is a ruined Augustinian Abbey in Edinburgh, Scotland. The abbey was built in 1128 at the order of King David I of Scotland....
, Edinburgh
Edinburgh

Edinburgh ; is the Capital city of Scotland, a position it has held since 1437. It is the seventh largest city in the United Kingdom and the second largest Scottish City status in the United Kingdom after Glasgow....
.

The union produced six children:
  • James, Duke of Rothesay
    James, Duke of Rothesay

    James Stewart, Duke of Rothesay is a name and title shared by two short-lived heirs to the throne of the Kingdom of Scotland....
     (b. Holyrood Palace
    Holyrood Palace

    The Palace of Holyroodhouse, or informally Holyrood Palace, founded as a monastery by David I of Scotland in 1128, has served as the principal residence of the Kings and Queens of Scotland since the fifteenth century....
    , 21 February 1507 – d. Stirling Castle, 27 February 1508).
  • An unnamed daughter, stillborn at Holyrood Palace on 15 July 1508.
  • Arthur, Duke of Rothesay
    Arthur Stewart, Duke of Rothesay

    Arthur Stewart, Duke of Rothesay was the second son of James IV of Scotland and Margaret Tudor, and had he outlived his father, James IV of Scotland would have been King of Scotland, he was named after his uncle Arthur, Prince of Wales, who like his namesake had he outlived his father, would have been King of England....
     (b. Holyrood Palace, 20 October 1509 – d. Edinburgh Castle, 14 July 1510).
  • James V
    James V of Scotland

    James V was King of Scots from 9 September 1513 until his premature death at the age of thirty, which followed the Scottish defeat at the Battle of Solway Moss....
     (b. Linlithgow Palace, 15 April 1512 – d. Falkland Palace, Fife, 14 December 1542), the only one to reach adulthood and successor of his father.
  • A second stillborn daughter at Holyrood Palace on November 1512.
  • Alexander, Duke of Ross
    Alexander Stewart, Duke of Ross

    Alexander Stewart, Duke of Ross was the fourth and last son of King James IV of Scotland and his queen Margaret Tudor.He was born posthumously, after his father died at the Battle of Flodden Field, during the reign of his infant brother King James V of Scotland....
     (b. Stirling Castle, 30 April 1514 – d. Stirling Castle, 18 December 1515), born after James's death.

Illegitimate children

James also had five illegitimate children with four different mistresses:

  • with Marion Boyd
    Marion Boyd (mistress)

    Marion Boyd , also known as Margot or Margaret, was a mistress of King James IV of Scotland.They had two children: Alexander Stewart , born about 1490, and Catherine, who married James Douglas, 3rd Earl of Morton....
    :
    • Alexander
      Alexander Stewart (Archbishop of St Andrews)

      Alexander Stewart was an Illegitimacy son of King James IV of Scotland and the King's mistress Marion Boyd . His father had him appointed Archbishop of St Andrews at no more than 15 years of age....
       (b. before 1493 – d. Battle of Flodden Field
      Battle of Flodden Field

      The Battle of Flodden or Flodden Field was fought in the county of Northumberland in northern England on 9 September 1513, between an invading Scottish people army under King James IV of Scotland and an English army commanded by Thomas Howard, Earl of Surrey....
      , 9 September 1513), Archbishop of St Andrews
      Archbishop of St Andrews

      The Bishop of St. Andrews was the ecclesiastical head of the Diocese and then, as Archbishop of St Andrews , the Archdiocese of St Andrew's Cathedral, St Andrews....
      .
    • Catherine Stewart, who married James Douglas, 3rd Earl of Morton
      James Douglas, 3rd Earl of Morton

      James Douglas, 3rd Earl of Morton was a grandson of James Douglas, 1st Earl of Morton and Joan, a daughter of James I of Scotland. He married Catherine Stewart, an illegitimate daughter of King James IV of Scotland and Marion Boyd ....
      .
  • with Margaret Drummond
    Margaret Drummond (Mistress)

    Margaret Drummond was a daughter of John Drummond, 1st Lord Drummond and a mistress of King James IV of Scotland. She was a great-great-great-great-niece of the Margaret Drummond who was King David II of Scotland's second queen....
    :
    • Margaret Stewart (b. ca. 1497), married firstly John Gordon and secondly Sir John Drummond.
  • with Janet Kennedy
    Janet Kennedy

    Janet Kennedy , the first daughter of John Kennedy, 2nd Lord Kennedy, became a Mistress of King James IV of Scotland. Through her father, she was a great-great-granddaughter of King Robert III of Scotland....
    :
    • James
      James Stewart, 1st Earl of Moray (1501 creation)

      James Stewart, Earl of Moray was the illegitimate son of James IV of Scotland and his mistress Janet Kennedy. He was created Earl of Moray in 1501, and was young enough to avoid fighting at the disastrous Battle of Flodden Field in 1513....
       (b. bef. 1499 – d. 1544), created Earl of Moray
      Earl of Moray

      The title Earl of Moray has been created several times in the Peerage of Scotland.Prior to the formal establishment of the peerage, Earl of Moray, numerous individuals ruled the kingdom of Moray or Mormaer of Moray until 1130 when the kingdom was destroyed by David I of Scotland....
      .
  • with Isabel Buchan, daughter of James Stewart, 1st Earl of Buchan
    James Stewart, 1st Earl of Buchan

    Sir James "Hearty James" Stewart, 1st Earl of Buchan of the third creation , the second son of Sir James Stewart, "the Black Knight of Lorne," by Joan Beaufort, Queen of Scotland the widow of James I of Scotland....
    :
    • Lady Janet Stewart
      Lady Janet Stewart

      Janet Stewart, Lady Fleming was an illegitimate daughter of James IV of Scotland who served as governess to her niece, Mary I of Scotland, and was briefly a Royal mistress to Henry II of France....
       (b. bef. 1510 – d. 20 February 1562), married Lord Malcolm, 3rd Baron Fleming; later she became mistress of King Henry II of France
      Henry II of France

      Henry II , of the House of Valois and the son and successor of Francis I of France, was King of France from 31 March 1547, until his death....
      , with whom she had a son.


Titles and styles


  • 17 March 1473–11 June 1488: The Duke of Rothesay


  • 11 June 1488–9 September 1513: His Grace The King


Ancestors