JAMES III OF SCOTLAND

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Who was the real King James III of Scotland and what was remembered in history about his reign?

TIME-LINE AND ADDITIONAL FACTS ON KING JAMES THE III OF SCOTLAND

THE TIME-LINE OF JAMES III OF SCOTLAND

1451

10TH JULY: James is born at Stirling or St Andrew’s castles the son of James II of Scotland and Mary of Guelders

1452

James sister Margaret Stewart is born

1453

13TH MAY: James sister Mary Stewart of Arran is born

1454

James brother: Alexander Stewart, Duke of Albany is born

1455

James brother David Stewart, Earl of Moray is born

1456

James brother John Stewart, Earl of Mar and Garioch is born.

1457

18TH JULY: James brother David Stewart, Earl of Moray died.

1460

4TH MARCH: Edward IV as king of England; Henry VI of England has been deposed.
3RD AUGUST: James father James II, Scotland is killed by cannon, known as "The Lion", when it exploded, in an accident.
10TH AUGUST: James coronation as King James of Scotland the third of his name. James is crowned at Kelso Abbey, Roxburghshire by James Kennedy, Bishop of St Andre
James is betrothed of Margaret of Denmark

1461

Margaret of Anjou, the wife of Henry VI of England fled England, seeking refuge with James mother Mary of Guelders. Mary sympathetically aided Margaret and took Edward of Westminster into her household to keep them out of Yorkist hands.
Margaret the sister of James is briefly engaged to the young Edward of Westminster the son of the deposed Henry VI England

1462

James mother, Mary of Guelders pays the Lancastrian Margaret of Anjou to leave Scotland after pressure from Duke Philip of Burgundy

1463

Colin Campbell, 1st earl of Argyll, is sent by James to negotiate a truce with Edward IV of . one of the terms of the truce was that neither of them would support the enemies of the other.
1ST DECEMBER: James mother Mary of Guelders died at Roxburgh castle, Roxburghshire

1464

James brother Alexander is captured by the English
11TH JUNE – A 15-year-truce between the kingdoms of England and Scotland is signed

1467

26TH APRIL: James sister Mary Stewart, Countess of Arran married, Thomas Boyd

1468

James took the control of his kingdom himself
Orkney is pledged by Christian I, in his capacity as King of Norway, as security against the payment of the dowry of his daughter Margaret, betrothed to James. As the money is never paid, the connection with the crown of Scotland becomes perpetual.

1469

Thomas Boyd escorts James future wife Princess Margaret from Denmark to Scotland
JULY: James married Margaret of Denmark

1470

James gained his hold and rights of the Norwegian Earldom of Orkney for the Scottish crown
3RD OCTOBER: the deposed king Henry VI re-gains his England for short time of six months.

1471

11TH APRIL: Edward IV regains his English throne from deposed king Henry VI

1472

15TH JANUARY: James granted Dunoon castle to Colin Campbell, 1st earl of Argy
20TH FEBRUARY Orkney and Shetland are returned by Norway to Scotland, due to a defaulted dowry payment.

1473

17TH MARCH James son James IV of Scotland is born at Stirling Castle, Stirling, Scotland

1474

Marriage Alliance was agreed to with Edward IV of England by which the future James iv of Scotland was to marry Princess Cecily of York, daughter of Edward IV

1476

MARCH: James son James Stewart, Duke of Ross is born and titled at his baptism Marquess of Ormond.
Margaret James sister is proposed as a match for George Plantagenet, Edward iv of England’s, younger recently widowed brother

1477

John Stewart, Earl of Mar and Garioch is dead.

1479

James brother John was accused of treason and imprisoned at Craigmillar castle.
brother Alexander is imprisoned in Edinburgh castle and all his titles are taken after working with the English
SEPTEMBER: James brother Alexander Duke of Albany, fled to France and tries to get king Louis xi support in attacking his brother, Louis XI would not assist him in this matter.
DECEMBER: James son John Stewart, Earl of Mar is born

1480

OCTOBER: James writes to Louis XI of France asking for guns and artillerymen to repulse further attacks

1481

James son James Stewart, Duke of ross was created Earl of Ross

1482

11TH JUNE: Alexander Stewart, Duke of Albany, the brother of James iii of Scotland declared himself king of Scotland and swore loyalty to Edward iv of England.
James declares war on England for protecting his brother Alexander.
The end of marriage negotiations of Cecily of York and future James Scotland.
22ND JULY: James is taken from launder bridge to Edinburgh and imprisoned there.
1ST AUGUST – Anglo-Scottish Wars: Richard, Duke of Gloucester invades Scotland, and captures Edinburgh
22ND AUGUST: James is brought back to Edinburgh
24TH AUGUST – Capture of Berwick: The Scots surrender the border town of Berwick-upon-Tweed to Richard, ending his campaign
19TH OCTOBER: James wrote an official letter to Lord Darnley confirming he was being held against his will.

1483

8TH JANUARY: James is restored to power.
9TH APRIL: Edward IV England is dead, Edward V is king of England
26TH JUNE: Richard III is king of England after he deposes his nephew Edward V

1484

22ND JULY: The Battle Of Lochmaben Fair, Scottish rebels against Scottish royalists, A 500-man raiding party led by Alexander Stewart, Duke of Albany, and James Douglas, 9th Earl of Douglas, is defeated by forces loyal to Albany's brother James; James Douglas is captured Result Scottish Royalist Victory
21ST SEPTEMBER – Treaty of Nottingham: A three-year truce between the kingdoms of England and Scotland is signed

1485

7TH AUGUST: James brother Alexander Stewart, Duke of Albany died after a duel with the Duke of Orléans in Paris,
22ND AUGUST: Henry VII is king of England after the battle Bosworth

1486

5TH MARCH: Pope Innocent VIII blessed a golden rose and sent it to James
14TH JULY: James wife Margaret of Denmark died at Stirling Castle, Stirling.

1488

2ND FEBRUARY: The future James IV Scotland is delivered into hands of rebels, and set up as their leader.
MAY: James sister Mary Stewart, Countess of Arran died
11TH JUNE– Battle of Sauchieburn. Part of second rebellion against James III. Result Decisive rebel victory James is killed.

King James III of Scotland was Buried At Cambuskenneth Abbey, Stirling

James III and his Queen Consort Margaret

POLITICAL OFFICES OF THE COURT OF JAMES III SCOTLAND

James Stuart was King of Scotland for twenty-eight years.

James was the great-great-grandson of John of Gaunt, who was the son of Edward III of England

James mother Mary of Guelders. Mary was regent for her son James for the first three years of his reign.

Margaret, James’s sister became the mistress of William Crichton, 3rd Lord Crichton (an enemy of her brother, James III) they had an illegitimate daughter, once lord Crichton’s wife had died, Margaret became his second wife.

James was a very unpopular and ineffective monarch owing to an unwillingness to administer justice fairly. He was a very complex character who could come over very unreasonable, and manipulative.

James Stewart, Duke of Ross, was James III, favourite son, which did cause tension in the future between his heir James IV and James Duke of Ross.

It was through his marriage to Margaret of Denmark that the Orkney and Shetland islands became Scottish.

Robert Cochrane was a favourite of James. Robert is said to have designed the Great Hall at Stirling Castle,

When Alexander Stewart, Duke of Albany sided with the future Richard III England, he said, to Richard that if he helped put him on the Scottish throne, he would give parts of Scotland to England.

During the crisis of 1482, when James was deprived of power by his brother for several months, as the Scottish nobles rebelled against King James’s wife was said to have shown more interest in the welfare of her children than her spouse, which lead to a permanent estrangement

When the rebels in Scotland, made James son, Prince James their figurehead earlier in the year, James III became determined to get hold of his son and settle the matter. However, he broke his written word that he would negotiate first, instead of travelling south to Edinburgh from his stronghold in the north. This breaking of his word apparently caused some of his strong supporters to desert him

During the second rebellion, the rebels set up the 15-year-old James son as their nominal leader. They fought James III at the Battle of Sauchieburn, with his son, by their side. It is unknown whether James was killed in battle, or killed when fleeing the battle scene.

JAMES III OF SCOTLAND

Who was the real King James III of Scotland and what was remembered in history about his reign?

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THE TIME-LINE OF JAMES III OF SCOTLAND

1451

10TH JULY: James is born at Stirling or St Andrew’s castles the son of James II of Scotland and Mary of Guelders

1452

James sister Margaret Stewart is born

1453

13TH MAY: James sister Mary Stewart of Arran is born

1454

James brother: Alexander Stewart, Duke of Albany is born

1455

James brother David Stewart, Earl of Moray is born

1456

James brother John Stewart, Earl of Mar and Garioch is born.

1457

18TH JULY: James brother David Stewart, Earl of Moray died.

1460

4TH MARCH: Edward IV as king of England; Henry VI of England has been deposed.

3RD AUGUST: James father James II, Scotland is killed by cannon, known as "The Lion", when it exploded, in an accident.

10TH AUGUST: James coronation as King James of Scotland the third of his name. James is crowned at Kelso Abbey, Roxburghshire by James Kennedy, Bishop of St Andre

James is betrothed of Margaret of Denmark

1461

Margaret of Anjou, the wife of Henry VI of England fled England, seeking refuge with James mother Mary of Guelders. Mary sympathetically aided Margaret and took Edward of Westminster into her household to keep them out of Yorkist hands.

Margaret the sister of James is briefly engaged to the young Edward of Westminster the son of the deposed Henry VI England

1462

James mother, Mary of Guelders pays the Lancastrian Margaret of Anjou to leave Scotland after pressure from Duke Philip of Burgundy

1463

Colin Campbell, 1st earl of Argyll, is sent by James to negotiate a truce with Edward IV of . one of the terms of the truce was that neither of them would support the enemies of the other.

1ST DECEMBER: James mother Mary of Guelders died at Roxburgh castle, Roxburghshire

1464

James brother Alexander is captured by the English

11TH JUNE – A 15-year-truce between the kingdoms of England and Scotland is signed

1467

26TH APRIL: James sister Mary Stewart, Countess of Arran married, Thomas Boyd

1468

James took the control of his kingdom himself

Orkney is pledged by Christian I, in his capacity as King of Norway, as security against the payment of the dowry of his daughter Margaret, betrothed to James. As the money is never paid, the connection with the crown of Scotland becomes perpetual.

1469

Thomas Boyd escorts James future wife Princess Margaret from Denmark to Scotland

JULY: James married Margaret of Denmark

1470

James gained his hold and rights of the Norwegian Earldom of Orkney for the Scottish crown

3RD OCTOBER: the deposed king Henry VI re-gains his England for short time of six months.

1471

11TH APRIL: Edward IV regains his English throne from deposed king Henry VI

1472

15TH JANUARY: James granted Dunoon castle to Colin Campbell, 1st earl of Argy

20TH FEBRUARY Orkney and Shetland are returned by Norway to Scotland, due to a defaulted dowry payment.

1473

17TH MARCH James son James IV of Scotland is born at Stirling Castle, Stirling, Scotland

1474

Marriage Alliance was agreed to with Edward IV of England by which the future James iv of Scotland was to marry Princess Cecily of York, daughter of Edward IV

1476

MARCH: James son James Stewart, Duke of Ross is born and titled at his baptism Marquess of Ormond.

Margaret James sister is proposed as a match for George Plantagenet, Edward iv of England’s, younger recently widowed brother

1477

John Stewart, Earl of Mar and Garioch is dead.

1479

James brother John was accused of treason and imprisoned at Craigmillar castle.

brother Alexander is imprisoned in Edinburgh castle and all his titles are taken after working with the English

SEPTEMBER: James brother Alexander Duke of Albany, fled to France and tries to get king Louis xi support in attacking his brother, Louis XI would not assist him in this matter.

DECEMBER: James son John Stewart, Earl of Mar is born

1480

OCTOBER: James writes to Louis XI of France asking for guns and artillerymen to repulse further attacks

1481

James son James Stewart, Duke of ross was created Earl of Ross

1482

11TH JUNE: Alexander Stewart, Duke of Albany, the brother of James iii of Scotland declared himself king of Scotland and swore loyalty to Edward iv of England.

James declares war on England for protecting his brother Alexander.

The end of marriage negotiations of Cecily of York and future James Scotland.

22ND JULY: James is taken from launder bridge to Edinburgh and imprisoned there.

1ST AUGUST – Anglo-Scottish Wars: Richard, Duke of Gloucester invades Scotland, and captures Edinburgh

22ND AUGUST: James is brought back to Edinburgh

24TH AUGUST – Capture of Berwick: The Scots surrender the border town of Berwick-upon-Tweed to Richard, ending his campaign

19TH OCTOBER: James wrote an official letter to Lord Darnley confirming he was being held against his will.

1483

8TH JANUARY: James is restored to power.

9TH APRIL: Edward IV England is dead, Edward V is king of England