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Summary
- Early years and ascension to the throne
- Government and domestic policies
- Cultural and artistic patronage
- Foreign policy, diplomacy and war
Key Facts And Information
Let’s find out more about James IV of Scotland!
Following the death of his father, James III of Scotland, at Sauchieburn in 1488, James IV succeeded to the Scottish throne at the age of fifteen. He proved to be an exceptional ruler, implementing reforms in his government, military and navy, as well as improving the royal income and economy. His patronage of culture, arts, and sciences made his court an intellectual and cultural hub in Scotland. His uneasy relationship with England led to war in 1513, during which he fought and was killed, alongside a huge proportion of Scottish nobility, at the Battle of Flodden.
Portrait of James IV of Scotland
Early years and ascension to the throne
- Born on 17 March 1473 at Stirling Castle, James was the eldest son of James III of Scotland and Margaret of Denmark. At birth, he was given the title Duke of Rothesay as heir to the Scottish throne. Much of his early years were spent at Stirling Castle under the care of his mother, alongside his two younger brothers, James and John.
- In 1478, James’s welfare and education were formally entrusted to his mother. While there is not much record of his early childhood, it is evident that he received a good education.
- His tutors were Archibald Whitelaw, a humanist scholar and secretary of state, and theologian John Ireland, all under the guidance of his mother.
- Alongside his native Scots, James learned many languages, including Latin, Spanish, French, German, Flemish, Italian, and Gaelic.
- He visited Edinburgh in the summers of 1474 and 1479. During the 1470s, his nurse was Agnes Turing, the wife of an Edinburgh merchant.
- Back in October 1474, a peace treaty had been signed between James III and Edward IV of England, in which James was promised to marry the English king’s daughter, Cecily of York, once they were old enough.
- This indicated the beginning of the Scottish king’s efforts to form a closer relationship with England, an unpopular policy in Scotland.
- Other English brides were proposed for young James in the following years, including Anne de la Pole, niece of Richard III, in 1484, and another daughter of Edward IV in 1487.
- The reign of his father was marked by unpopularity, with two major rebellions against him and troubled relations with his close family, particularly his younger brother, Alexander, Duke of Albany.
- When the peace with England collapsed in 1480, James III’s widely disliked pro-English policy rebounded badly upon him. The breakdown of peace led to an invasion of Scotland and the capture of Berwick by Richard, Duke of Gloucester, in 1482, with the support of Albany.
- When the Scottish king attempted to counter the invasion, his own men rebelled. As a result, he was briefly imprisoned by his own councillors.
- During his imprisonment, Albany went to Margaret and young James at Stirling Castle to discuss the situation.
- The 1482 crisis impacted the peaceful life the nine-year-old James had known at Stirling.
- Margaret died in 1486. James III’s increasing favouritism towards his second son was evident by this point. This likely made James uneasy, especially when that brother was arranged to marry one of Edward IV’s younger daughters in 1486–87 and was given the Dukedom of Ross in 1488.
- It is uncertain why the Scottish king appeared to favour his second son over his heir. It is believed that his mistrust of James might have been rooted in the young prince’s meeting with Albany during the 1482 crisis.
- In April 1488, James left Stirling without his father’s knowledge, provoking another rebellion against James II, this time led by the earls of Angus and Argyll, and the Home and Hepburn families.
- He sided with the rebels, as it is claimed that he had heard that his father was planning to march to Stirling with a large army to imprison him. He became the symbolic leader of the rebels, who claimed they had removed him from Stirling to protect him from his father’s anger.
- James and many of the rebels feared for their safety under James III’s rule.
- The conflict reached its peak in June 1488 at the Battle of Sauchieburn, just outside Stirling. The rebels defeated the royal army, and James III was killed in the battle. Some sources later claimed that the prince had ordered that no harm be done to his father during the battle. He was deeply remorseful for the indirect role he played in his father’s death. As a result of the conflict, the 15-year-old James succeeded to the Scottish throne.
Government and domestic policies of James IV of Scotland
- The triumphant rebels moved quickly to establish their power. A day after Sauchieburn, the newly proclaimed James IV issued his first charter. The rebel leaders were recompensed with offices of state and posts in the royal household. Edinburgh and Stirling castles and the king’s coffers were secured. The coronation of the new king occurred on 24 June 1488 at Scone Abbey, with Robert Blackadder, Bishop of Glasgow officiating the ceremony. The burial of James III took place a few days after the coronation at Cambuskenneth Abbey.
- James IV quickly demonstrated that he intended to rule differently from his father. Guardians were appointed to manage the young king’s government during his minority, including Patrick Hepburn, 1st Earl of Bothwell, Archibald Douglas, 5th Earl of Angus, and William Elphinstone, Bishop of Aberdeen.
- His ascension to the throne was marked by turmoil, as Scotland faced internal strife. Similar to his father, James IV encountered a major rebellion led by the Master of Huntly, the Earl of Lennox and Lord Lyle early in his rule. The rebels laid siege to several castles, but they were defeated by the king.
- James IV sought to consolidate his power, and this was reflected in his determination to deal with the internal strife in his kingdom. In the 1490s, he took decisive action against the rebellious Archibald Douglas, who was initially an important ally of the Crown.
- In the same period, he dealt with the problem area of the Western Highlands and Hebrides through military force and diplomacy, which eventually weakened the power of the Lord of the Isles.
- During James IV’s reign, the holding of Parliaments significantly declined. Between 1488 and 1496, Parliament met ten times. Meanwhile, there were only three in the remaining years of his reign.
- The summoning of Parliament depended on the need for extraordinary revenues in the form of taxation. During the years that there were no ongoing conflicts, James IV had no need to convene Parliament and seemed to have found other methods of raising revenues.
- He also realised that generating revenues through extensive taxation was likely to provoke resistance without bringing in the sums required.
- James IV was also reluctant to call meetings, owing to the inclination of the representative assembly for dissent.
- This decline in the holding of Parliaments was likewise observed in other European monarchies, as reliance on conciliar government grew in prominence.
- In fact, James IV managed to govern effectively due to his utilisation of general councils and greatly enlarged sessions of the Privy Council.
- Increasing the relatively limited Crown income was one of James IV’s aims from the beginning of his reign. He sought to obtain greater returns from all possible sources of revenue.
- His own income was sourced from the revenue from Crown lands, burgh customs, mails, tolls, and duties. This was expected to finance all government expenses.
- James IV was able to increase his annual income through several sources of revenue.
- He benefited significantly from the appointment of his younger brother, Duke of Ross, to the vacant see of St Andrews, which was the highest office of the Scottish church, and to various abbeys. This meant that the Crown received a huge amount from the revenues of the archbishopric and church offices.
- James IV also received substantial funds from the English princess Margaret Tudor’s dowry, as well as payments made to the Crown by the holders of land, and judicial fines for criminal offences.
- James IV was keenly aware of the importance of a strong military to safeguard Scotland’s borders and maintain internal peace. During his reign, Scotland saw significant advances in naval development.
- The king invested in a fleet of warships, acquiring a total of at least 38 ships. This amounted to a significant percentage of royal expenditure, particularly in the latter years of his reign.
- The two most popular of James IV’s ships were the Margaret, named after his wife, and the largest warship of its time, the Great Michael. The latter was especially designed to transport a main armament of heavy artillery.
- Naval expansion also meant that the king ordered conscription to crew the ships, as well as founded new dockyards.
- To strengthen Scotland’s defence capabilities, James IV erected fortresses and made repairs to several castles to defend some areas from hostile attacks.
- He also improved artillery and modernised the Scottish army by importing guns, shot, and powder from France, and by supporting the production of large bronze guns in the royal gun foundry.
- He enhanced the training of soldiers and established a more professional standing army, which helped to assert Scotland’s power on the battlefield.
- James IV initiated legal reforms to streamline justice. He set up a more organised system for royal courts, ensuring that cases could be addressed more effectively and with royal oversight. He went out on justice ayres across the kingdom throughout his reign in order to enforce the rule of law. In terms of economy and trade, the king promoted the growth of trade, particularly in wool and fish, and established important trade links with other countries in the continent.
Cultural and artistic patronage
- James IV was a significant patron of the arts and culture, inviting numerous scholars, artists, and craftsmen to his court. As a result, his court became an intellectual and cultural hub in Scotland.
- The king was interested in practical and scientific matters, hence the printing press known as Chepman and Myllar Press came to Scotland.
- He also issued the Incorporation of Surgeons and Barbers of Edinburgh a royal charter and founded the University of Aberdeen.
- He also took an interest in dentistry, bloodletting on patients, and treating and dressing ulcer wounds.
- James IV also commissioned the construction of new buildings or remodelling of several royal residences, including the Palace of Holyroodhouse, Falkland Palace in Fife, Stirling Castle, Edinburgh Castle, Linlithgow Palace, Rothesay Castle, and Dunbar Castle. Contemporary European architectural styles were used in some of these.
- The king also enforced what has been known as Scotland’s first education act, which introduced compulsory education at grammar school for the eldest sons and heirs of all barons and freeholders of substance.
- His court and royal household consisted of various foreign peoples such as French, Italian and German minstrels, Flemish metalworkers, and Spanish dancers. A number of Africans were also present, with some working as servants or were enslaved, and others who were likely courtiers, invited guests or musicians.
- James IV’s patronage of culture, arts, and sciences had a profound impact on Scotland, contributing substantially to the nation’s cultural development and its integration into broader European intellectual currents. His support helped foster an environment that allowed the arts and sciences to flourish, bringing both domestic and international attention to Scotland.
Foreign policy, diplomacy and war
- James IV was a shrewd diplomat who sought to secure Scotland’s position in Europe through alliances and marriages. His international relations were central to his foreign policy and strategic goals. His reign was defined by both the pursuit of peace and the inevitability of conflict, particularly with England.
- In 1492, the king renewed the alliance with France, ensuring mutual military and economic support. Treaties were also made with Denmark and Spain. In fact, he aided his uncle, John, King of Denmark, by sending a fleet of five ships and 2,000 troops during the Dano-Swedish War in 1502.
- It was James IV’s relationship with England that significantly impacted his reign. Truces were initially negotiated with Henry VII of England in 1493 and 1494.
- In 1495, James IV agreed to a defensive alliance with Hugh Roe O’Donnell, King of Tyrconnell, and discussed support for Perkin Warbeck, the pretender to the English throne.
- He welcomed Warbeck in Scotland that same year. His support for Warbeck’s cause was likely driven by his desire to improve Scotland’s international standing.
Portrait of Henry VII
- James IV’s invasion of England alongside Warbeck occurred in September 1496. Several English castles were destroyed. However, his army immediately retreated when resources were used up and support for Warbeck appeared to be limited.
- The king later provided a ship and a hired crew for Warbeck, as he wished to be rid of the pretender.
- In August 1497, James IV again launched an invasion of England, laying siege to Norham Castle with a huge artillery train.
- His use of military campaign led Henry VII to realise that the Anglo-Scottish border was vulnerable, hence a peace treaty between Henry VII and James IV was arranged.
- The Treaty of Ayton was signed in September 1497, which stipulated the following:
- A seven-year truce between Scotland and England
- Border wardens on either side were granted new powers
- Shipping and trade were to be conducted according to the 1464 Treaty of York
- Neither king should harbour the other’s rebels
- The Spanish monarchs were assigned to arbitrate future disputes and unresolved issues.
- It was also during this time that the marriage of James IV to Henry VII’s eldest daughter, Margaret, was considered.
- The Treaty of Ayton was followed by another peace agreement called the Treaty of Perpetual Peace in 1502, which committed the rulers of England and Scotland to peace.
- The marriage between the 30-year-old James IV and 13-year-old Margaret was also finalised, with the marriage by proxy completed in January 1503 at Richmond Palace.
- The marriage was celebrated in person in August in Holyrood Abbey and was officiated by Robert Blackadder, Archbishop of Glasgow and Thomas Savage, Archbishop of York.
- It took a few years until Margaret bore her first child with James IV. Between 1507 and 1514, the couple had six children, but only one survived infancy.
- In 1507, James IV was given the title Protector and Defender of the Christian Faith by Pope Julius II, and received the Blessed sword and hat at Holyrood Abbey.
- In 1508, he was preparing to go on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. His uncle, the king of Denmark, attempted to persuade James IV not to proceed with the plan.
- Archbishop Blackadder’s death while on board a ship from Venice to Jaffa seems to have convinced James IV of the impracticality of sailing to Jerusalem.
- When rumours spread that James IV was planning to renew the alliance with France in 1508, Henry VII sent Thomas Wolsey to Scotland to persuade the Scottish king against it. However, Wolsey failed.
- Nevertheless, relations between Scotland and England remained stable until the death of Henry VII in 1509. Henry VIII succeeded to the English throne, and Anglo-Scottish relations soon deteriorated.
- Henry VIII was focused on France and had no intention of appeasing James IV. He also believed that in accordance with the 1502 Treaty of Perpetual Peace, the Scottish king owed him obedience.
- In 1511, Pope Julius II created a Holy League against France, which included the Papacy, Venice, Spain and the Holy Roman Empire, with England joining a few weeks later.
- In 1512, relations between the Scottish and English kings continued to become worse with the passage of the Subsidy Act by the English Parliament, declaring that the king of Scotland owed homage to Henry VIII. This was in contrast with the 1502 peace treaty.
- England believed that it was James IV who had broken the peace and was already making plans for war. However, James IV had not acceded to Louis XII of France’s urgent requests to renew the Auld Alliance by this point.
- Henry VIII’s continued hostile stance against Scotland compelled James IV to renew the Franco-Scottish alliance in July 1512. The Scottish king could still remain neutral in any Anglo-French conflict.
- Before Pope Julius II’s death in February 1513, he had been convinced by Christopher Bainbridge, Archbishop of York, to impose an interdict as a general censure against the Scottish people.
- Bainbridge was also given the power to excommunicate James IV if he were to break the treaty with England.
- James IV attempted unsuccessfully to convince the new Pope, Leo X, to countermand the interdict.
- Pope Leo X then threatened the Scottish king with ecclesiastical censure for abandoning peace treatises. In 1513, Bainbridge excommunicated James IV.
- When England finally invaded France as part of the Holy League that year, James IV declared war on England, mustering the Scottish army and despatching a naval fleet to join the ships of the French king.
- The Scottish fleet first joined the attack on the English royal garrison at Carrickfergus, and later joined the French at Brest. However, the fleet was unable to take part in the war due to delay.
- James IV had despatched the majority of his experienced artillerymen with the expedition, which would have unintended consequences for his land campaign that culminated in the Battle of Flodden.
Battle of Flodden
- James IV’s huge Scottish army had besieged and captured several castles. His force of some 34,000 men outnumbered the English force by 8,000. He encamped his invading army on a commanding hilltop position at Flodden Edge, a hill to the south of Branxton, on 4 September 1513, and awaited the English force.
- On 9 September, the English force led by Thomas Howard, Earl of Surrey, set off to cross the River Till. Surrey intended to outflank the Scots and either attack or blockade them from the rear. James IV’s scouts must have reported the approach of the English, and so ordered his army to break camp and move to Branxton Hill.
- James IV started the battle with an artillery duel, but his heavy guns failed to perform well. This enabled the light English guns to turn a rapid fire on the dense ranks of Scottish infantry.
- The Scottish infantry armed with pikes began a downhill advance. The outnumbered English formation was forced back. James IV directed the advance of the next formation in line.
- The Scots soon found an area of marshy land lay in their path, which broke up their formations. They lost the momentum. Close-quarter fighting emerged, for which the English were better equipped.
- Fierce fighting continued. The English troops were directed to take no prisoners, which meant that the Scottish army suffered substantial casualties. James IV himself was killed in the battle.
- A huge portion of the Scottish nobility died in the Battle of Flodden. This was a major blow to the realm, and in fact, led to a political crisis in Scotland.
- James IV’s body was found amongst the thousands of Scottish dead on the battlefield. It was then taken to Berwick-upon-Tweed, where it was embalmed, sealed in a lead-lined coffin, and sent to Sheen Priory in Surrey.
- Owing to his excommunication prior to his death, James IV stayed unburied at Sheen Priory. Henry VIII obtained a papal dispensation to have the Scottish king buried in St Paul’s Cathedral in London, but his coffin remained above ground.
- Henry VIII’s wife, Catherine of Aragon, received the surcoat of James IV, still covered in blood, which she sent to the English king who was on campaign in France.
- Three weeks after the Scottish defeat at Flodden, James IV’s heir, James V, was crowned at only one-year-old in the Chapel Royal. A General Council of the Realm was formed to oversee the administration of Scotland during James V’s minority.
- James IV was the last monarch in Great Britain to be killed in battle. Many rumours persisted in the succeeding years that he had survived or that his body was buried elsewhere. Following Henry VIII’s dissolution of the monasteries, his remains were shoved into a lumber room. After his coffin was rediscovered during the reign of Elizabeth I of England, it remains uncertain what happened to the Scottish king’s body.
Image Sources
- https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b8/James_IV_of_Scotland_%282%29.jpg/800px-James_IV_of_Scotland_%282%29.jpg
- https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0d/Enrique_VII_de_Inglaterra%2C_por_un_artista_an%C3%B3nimo.jpg/800px-Enrique_VII_de_Inglaterra%2C_por_un_artista_an%C3%B3nimo.jp
Frequently Asked Questions About James IV of Scotland
- Who was James IV of Scotland?
James IV was the King of Scotland from 1488 until his death in 1513. He is often considered one of Scotland’s most successful and popular monarchs due to his efforts to modernise the country and strengthen royal authority.
- Whom did James IV marry?
In 1503, he married Margaret Tudor, daughter of Henry VII of England. This marriage later led to the Union of the Crowns in 1603, when their great-grandson, James VI of Scotland, became James I of England.
- What impact did James IV’s reign have on Scotland?
His reign is seen as a time of relative stability and growth. Despite the tragic end at Flodden, he improved governance, supported cultural development, and laid the foundations for a stronger Scottish state.