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James V (10 April 1512 – 14 December 1542) was King of Scots from 9 September 1513 until his death.
Early lifeThe son of King James IV of Scotland, he was born on 10, 11 or 15 April 1512, at Linlithgow Palace, West Lothian, and was still an infant when his father was killed at the Battle of Flodden Field on 9 September 1513. He was crowned in the Chapel Royal at Stirling Castle on 21 September 1513. During his childhood, the country was ruled by regents, first by his mother, Margaret Tudor (sister of King Henry VIII of England), until she remarried in the following year, and thereafter by John Stewart, 2nd Duke of Albany, who was himself next in line for the throne after James and his younger brother, the posthumously-born Alexander Stewart, Duke of Ross. In 1525, Archibald Douglas, 6th Earl of Angus, the young king's stepfather, took custody of James and held him as a virtual prisoner for three years, exercising power on his behalf. James finally escaped in 1528 and assumed the reins of government himself. ReignHis first action as king was to remove Angus from the scene, and he then subdued the Border rebels and the chiefs of the Western Isles. James V increased his royal income by tightening control over the royal estates and from the profits of justice, customs and feudal rights. He also gave his illegitimate sons lucrative benefices, thereby diverting substantial church wealth into his coffers. James spent a large amount of his wealth on building work at Stirling, Falkland, Linlithgow and Holyrood. James V did not tolerate heresy, and during his reign a number of outspoken supporters of church reform were executed. The most famous of the reformers sentenced to death was Patrick Hamilton who was burned at the stake as a heretic at St Andrews in 1528. Illegitimate childrenJames V fathered about nine[1] known illegitimate children, at least three of whom were sired before the age of twenty. The most notable were:
MarriagesJames renewed the Auld Alliance with France, and on 1 January 1537, he married Madeleine of Valois, the daughter of Francis I of France. Following her death a few months later, he proceeded to marry, on 12 June 1538, Mary of Guise, the daughter of Claude, Duke of Guise and the widow of Louis of Orleans, Duke of Longueville. Mary already had two children from her first marriage, and the union produced two legitimate sons, James Stewart, Duke of Rothesay (b. 22 May 1540), and Robert Stewart, Duke of Albany (b. 1541). However, both died in infancy in April 1541, the second just eight days after his baptism. In 1542, their only child to survive to adulthood, Mary, later Queen of Scots, was born. War with EnglandThe death of his mother in 1541 removed any incentive for keeping peace with England, and war broke out. Initially the Scots won a victory at the Battle of Haddon Rig in 1542, but later in the year they suffered a more serious defeat at the Battle of Solway Moss. Although this is now disputed by some historians, by some accounts he experienced a nervous collapse after this defeat, and he was on his deathbed at Falkland Palace on 8 December when his only living heir, a girl, was born. Before he died, he is reported to have said, "it came wi' a lass, it'll gang wi' a lass" ("It began with a lass and it will end with a lass"). This was a reference to the Stewart dynasty, and how it had come to the throne through Marjorie, the daughter of Robert the Bruce. As it happened, his words came true, although not with his daughter Mary I who married a Stewart cousin (Lord Darnley), but with the last monarch of the House of Stewart, Queen Anne. Outside interestsAccording to legend James would sometimes travel around his kingdom disguised as a common man, describing himself as the Goodman of Ballengeich, and sometimes even seducing women. However it has been suggested that, if he did do this, many people may have recognised him e.g. because of his red hair. James V so liked red clothing that during the festivities in Paris in 1537 he upset the city dignitaries who had sole right to wear that colour in processions. They noted he could not speak a word of French.[2] Later lifeJames was succeeded by his infant daughter, Mary, Queen of Scots. He was buried at Holyrood Abbey alongside Madeleine and his sons by Mary of Guise. Titles, styles, honours and armsTitles and styles
James' full style prior to acceding the throne was Prince James Stewart, Duke of Rothesay, Earl of Carrick, Lord Renfrew, Prince and Great Steward of Scotland Ancestors
References
Donaldson, Gordon (1965). Scotland: James V to James VII. Edinburgh: Oliver & Boyd.
This article incorporates text from the public domain 1907 edition of The Nuttall Encyclopædia.
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