THE JAMESES.
_Return of the King_ (1)--_state of the Highlands_
(2)--_murder of James_ (3)--_judicial reforms_ (4)--_James
II._ (5)--_Crichton and Livingstone_ (6)--_the Douglases_
(7)--_majority of James_; _fall of Douglas_ (8)--_siege of
Roxburgh_ (9)--_James III._ (10)--_Orkney and Shetland_
(11)--_relations with England_ (12)--_revolt of the nobles_
(13)--_battle of Sauchieburn_ (14)--_Church matters_
(15)--_James IV._ (16)--_English intrigues_ (17)--_state
of the Highlands_ (18)--_differences with England_
(19)--_battle of Flodden_ (20)--_state of the Church_
(21)--_James V._ (22)--_Albany's regency_ (23)--_English
interference_ (24)--_the "Erection"_ (25)--_fall of Angus_
(26)--_internal affairs_ (27)--_English war_ (28)--_death
of James_; _his character_ (29)--_Mary_ (30)--_treaties
with England_ (31)--_first English invasion_ (32)--_second
English invasion_ (33)--_third English invasion_; _fight at
Pinkie_ (34)--_internal affairs_ (35)--_Regency of Mary of
Lorraine_; _first marriage of Mary Stewart_ (36)--_social
progress_ (37)--_state of education and literature_
(38)--_summary_ (39).
=1. James I., 1424-1436. Return of the King.=--In 1424 James came home
and brought with him his English wife, _Joan_, daughter of the _Earl of
Somerset_. As he had been taken in time of peace, a ransom could not
decently be demanded, but the Scots were required to pay forty thousand
pounds to defray the expenses of his eighteen years' maintenance and
education. The King, now at last restored to his kingdom, let eight
months pass quietly before taking vengeance on those who had so long
kept him out of it. He spent this time in winning the confidence of
the people and of the lesser barons. He then seized _Albany_, his two
sons, and twenty-six other nobles at _Perth_, whither they had come
to attend the Parliament. _Albany_ and his two sons were tried before
a jury of twenty-one peers, many of whom sat only to secure their
own safety. They were found guilty of treason and put to death at
_Stirling_. James himself presided at the trial, thereby reviving the
ancient practice of the King's personal administration of justice.
=2. The Highlands.=--When James had thus got rid of his dangerous
cousins, he turned his attention to the _Highlands_ and _Western
Isles_, which presented a strange mixture of Celtic and of feudal
manners. They were ruled partly by Norman barons, and partly by native
chiefs, and these barons or chiefs were both alike upheld by that
personal devotion of their vassals which was the strong point of Celtic
clanship. James summoned the chiefs to a parliament at _Inverness_ in
1427. They obeyed the summons, and were at once seized and imprisoned.
Three of them were hanged at that time. Several others shared the same
fate at a later date. Others were imprisoned, and a small remnant only
allowed to go away unhurt. _Alexander, Lord of the Isles_, was among
these last, and the first use he made of his recovered liberty was
to bring his islemen down on Inverness, which they destroyed. James
hurried northward again and defeated him in _Lochaber_. Alexander gave
himself up to the King's grace, and was confined in _Tantalion Castle_.
But his kinsman, _Donald Balloch_, set himself at the head of the clans
and they defeated the royal army. James determined to crush the Celts
once and for ever. An additional tax was levied for the purpose, and
James set out once more for the north. But the chiefs, who saw that the
King was just then too strong for them, met him with proffers of homage
and submission. Such submissions were, however, practically worthless.
In the eyes of the Celts they were just as little binding as the
parchment title-deeds by which the government sought to change their
chiefs into feudal barons.
=3. Murder of James.=--The policy of James was to reduce the power
of the baronage, and to balance it by strengthening the clergy and
encouraging the commons. He made strict search into the titles by
which the several nobles held their lands, and more especially into
the actual state of the estates which had been held by the Crown
in the time of Robert the First. He deprived the Earl of March of
his earldom, on the ground that Albany, who had restored it to him,
had not the power to confer upon him the estates which he had once
forfeited by the transfer of his allegiance to England. James also
took from _Malise Grahame_ his earldom of _Strathearn_, which he had
inherited through his mother, on the ground that it was a male fief.
He therefore transferred it to the next male heir, _Walter Stewart,
Earl of Athole_, grand-uncle of Grahame, the only surviving son of
Robert the Second. These measures roused the dislike and distrust of
the class they were aimed at, and a conspiracy was formed against the
King. At its head was _Sir Robert Grahame_, uncle of Malise, who had
been banished for denouncing the King's doings in Parliament. Through
the connivance of the Earl of Athole, the High Chamberlain, the
conspirators got entrance to the King's quarters, when he was keeping
his Christmas in the monastery of the _Black Friars_ at _Perth_, and
there they treacherously murdered him, 1436. James left one son and
five daughters. _Margaret_, the eldest, was married to the _Dauphin_,
afterwards _Louis the Eleventh of France_.
=4. Judicial Reforms.=--James held many parliaments, and pretty nearly
all are noteworthy for passing wise measures for the common good. In
his first parliament, the "_Committee of the Articles_," which dated
from the reign of David the Second, was acknowledged as an established
part of the parliament. This committee was elected by the parliament
at the beginning of its session, and nearly the whole power of the
Estates was made over to the persons chosen to form it, who were called
the _Lords of the Articles_. They consulted together and considered
the Articles presented to them in parliament, which were then passed
by the vote of the Estates and became law. This custom, by which the
business of the whole parliament was left in the hands of a committee,
was afterwards found to be the weakest point of the legislature, and
paved the way for a great deal of bribery and corruption. Statute law
in Scotland dates from this reign, as it was James who first caused a
collection of statutes to be made, and separated those that were still
in force from those that had fallen out of use. He also regulated
weights and measures, and fixed a standard for the coinage, so that
it should be of the same weight and fineness as the money in England.
From his reign also dates the appointment of the office of _Treasurer_;
the publication of the acts of parliament in the language spoken by
the people; the first effort towards the representation of the lesser
barons by commissaries; and an attempt to establish a supreme court
of civil jurisdiction, which was to consist of the _Chancellor_ and
three other persons chosen by the Estates, and to sit three times a
year. In order that the Scottish people might learn to compete with the
English bowmen, James established schools in the different parishes for
the practice of archery. In short, he strove in every way to make his
people profit by what he had learnt and observed during his long exile
in England. He was a patron of learning, and was himself a scholar and
one of the earliest and best English poets. The longest of his poems is
called the "_King's Quhair_" or book. In it he sang his love for his
fair English bride in strains that prove him to have been a true poet.
It is written in stanzas of seven lines each, a very favourite measure
in those days, which was afterwards called the "roial rime" in memory
of this poet-king.
=5. James II., 1436-1460.=--The young King, who was only six years old
when his father was killed, was crowned at _Holyrood_, as _Scone_,
the customary crowning-place, was too near the Highlands, where the
conspirators had taken refuge, to be safe. He was then taken by his
mother for greater security to _Edinburgh Castle_. The object of the
murderers was to place on the throne the Earl of Athole, who, as being
the son of the second marriage of Robert the Second, was looked on as
the true heir by the party who held that the first marriage of that
king was not valid. If this were their design, it was not seconded by
the people, who were filled with sorrow and anger at the death of the
King, who had made himself popular by all the good he had done for
them. A hue-and-cry was raised after the murderers, who were taken and
put to death with cruel tortures.
=6. Crichton and Livingstone.=--The first part of the reign was a
struggle for the wardship of the King's person, which gave nearly
royal power to whoever held it. The rivals for this honour were
_William Crichton_, the _Chancellor_ and governor of Edinburgh Castle;
_Alexander Livingstone_, the governor of _Stirling_, the other great
stronghold; and the _Queen-mother_. The Queen, who feared that
Crichton would try to separate the young King from her if she stayed
in Edinburgh, succeeded in getting herself and her child out of his
hands by a stealthy flight to _Stirling_. But she soon found that they
had only changed jailers, for Livingstone kept as strict a guard over
the King as Crichton had done. A few years later she married _Stewart,
Lord of Lorn_, after which she took no further part in public affairs.
Her flight to Stirling gave Livingstone for a time the advantage in
the possession of the King, till Crichton contrived to kidnap him
back to Edinburgh. But as the rivals found that it would be more for
the interest of each to act in concert with the other, they made an
agreement, by which James was sent back to the custody of Livingstone.
=7. The House of Douglas.=--_Archibald, Earl of Douglas_, was at this
time the most powerful baron in Scotland. Besides holding _Galloway_,
_Annandale_, and other great estates in Scotland, he had inherited
the _Duchy of Touraine_, which had been conferred on his father by
the King of France for good service done against the English, and in
his foreign duchy he possessed wealth and splendour beyond anything
that the Scottish king could boast. The family still had a hold on the
popular favour won for them by the Good Lord James. They had also some
pretensions to the crown of Scotland, for _Archibald_, brother and heir
of the Good Lord James, had married a sister of the _Red Comyn_, who
was slain by Bruce. The Douglases therefore represented the claim of
the _Comyns_, which, as we have seen, was better than that of _Bruce_.
They were also descendants of _Robert the Second_, through _Euphemia_,
one of the children of his second marriage, to whom those who looked
on his first family as illegitimate held that the crown ought to have
gone. _Douglas_ had been chosen _Lieutenant-Governor_ of the kingdom,
and had ample power to quiet the rival parties had he chosen to
exercise it. But he did not, and his nominal government was ended by
his death in 1439. _William_, his son, who at seventeen succeeded to
all this pride and power, kept up a state and retinue almost royal,
and much violence and oppression were laid to his charge. Crichton
and Livingstone agreed to compass his downfall, and for this end they
invited him and his brother _David_ to visit the King at Edinburgh.
They came, were seized, and, after the form of a trial, were beheaded
in the Castle-yard. The power of their house was thus broken for a
time. The estates were divided; part went with the title to their
grand-uncle _James_, the male heir, while _Galloway_ went to their
sister _Margaret_. But on the death of James they were re-united, for
his son _William_ married _Margaret of Galloway_, his cousin. He then
went to court, to do his duty, as he said, to his sovereign, pretended
that the King had chosen him _Lieutenant-General_ of the kingdom, and
got most of the power into his own hands. He and Livingstone joined,
and tried to make Crichton give up the seals by besieging him in
Edinburgh Castle; but he held out so well that they were forced to make
terms with him. Douglas grew more proud and powerful every year. He
was already lord of nearly all the southern country, and he joined in
a bond with the great chiefs of the north,--the _Lord of the Isles_,
who was now _Earl of Ross_, and _Alexander, Earl of Crawford_, the
head of the house of _Lindsay_ and representative of the fallen _Earls
of March_. He held meetings of his vassals, to which he summoned all
those who either were or, as he thought, ought to be his dependants.
Nor did he scruple to put to death any who opposed him, in direct
defiance of the King's commands. But as the Earl's retainers numbered
5,000, while the King had not so much as a bodyguard, his commands were
not easily enforced. On one occasion the King sent _Sir Patrick Gray_
to demand the release of his nephew, _M'Lellan_, tutor or guardian of
the young _Laird of Bunby_, or Bomby, whom Douglas had put in ward
because he failed to appear at one of the gatherings of his vassals.
Douglas received him courteously, but said he could on no account hear
the King's message till his visitor had dined. Meanwhile he had the
prisoner brought out and beheaded. When he heard the King's order he
feigned great respect for it, and, showing the body, said, "There lies
your sister's son; he wants the head, but the body is at your service."
Sir Patrick had to hide his anger as best he might till he had got safe
out of his hands.
=8. Majority of James.= =Fall of Douglas.=--The King's majority was
soon followed by the ruin of _Livingstone_. _Douglas_ was too strong
to be openly attacked. He was invited to _Stirling_ and received in a
friendly way. James remonstrated with him about the bonds, and urged
him to break them off. Douglas refused. James in a fit of passion cried
out, "If you will not break the bonds, this shall," and stabbed him.
Sir Patrick Gray, who stood by, killed him with his pole-axe. They then
threw the mangled body into the courtyard. This savage deed plunged
the whole country into civil war. _James_, the brother and heir of
the murdered Earl, openly defied the King; that is, he renounced his
allegiance to him as a traitor and a perjured man. His cause was taken
up by the parties to the bond, the _Earls of Ross_ and _Crawford_. The
King, who felt himself too weak to break the confederacy, was forced to
turn to his own advantage the enmity among his nobles, and to pull down
one house by building up another. This policy only changed the name of
the rivals of the Crown, without getting rid of them, and it laid the
foundation of the like troubles in future reigns. In the north James
entrusted the conduct of the war to the head of the house of _Gordon_,
whom he created _Earl of Huntly_, and whose lands lay between those of
the banded Earls. In the south the _Earl of Angus_, the head of the
_Red_ Douglases as they were called, was made use of to overthrow the
_Black_ Douglases, the elder branch of the family. The question whether
James Stewart or James Douglas should wear the crown was settled by
a battle at _Arkinholm_, in _Eskdale_ in 1454. Douglas was forsaken
by many of his followers, and was defeated and fled to England. An
act of forfeiture was passed against him and all his house, and, to
prevent any one family again becoming so formidable, another act was
passed, which made _Galloway_ and certain other lordships and castles
inalienable from the Crown. But, in spite of this, the greater part of
the lands of the fallen Douglas went to his kinsman Angus. Many other
families also, among them the _Hamiltons_, rose from the ruins of the
Black Douglases. Sir James Hamilton, the head of the house, had been
one of the adherents of the Earl, but he deserted to the royal side on
the eve of the battle of Arkinholm.
=9. Siege of Roxburgh.=--As the strife which was at this time going on
between the Yorkists and Lancastrians kept the English busy at home,
there was comparative peace on the Border, broken only by an inroad
from Percy and the banished Douglas. James took the part of Henry VI.,
and raised a large army with the intention of invading England in his
favour. But there was no serious war, and James saw that there was now
a good chance of winning back the towns which the English still held in
Scotland. He therefore laid siege to _Roxburgh_, and was killed there
by the bursting of a large cannon which he was watching with great
interest. After his death the Queen urged on the siege, and Roxburgh
was taken and destroyed. This siege is noteworthy as being among the
first in which we hear of the use of artillery in Scotland. Another
notable feature of it was the presence of the Lord of the Isles with
an auxiliary force, for which service he was made one of the Wardens
of the Border. James had married _Mary_, the daughter of the _Duke of
Gelders_, and left four sons, the eldest only eight years old. The
second university in Scotland was founded in this reign, at _Glasgow_,
by _Bishop Turnbull_.
=10. James III., 1460-1488.=--During the first part of this reign,
_Kennedy, Bishop of St. Andrews_, had the chief part in the government.
He died in 1466, and on his death the _Boyds_ got hold of the King and
of the chief power. These _Boyds_ were originally simple lairds, but
they strengthened themselves by bonds with more powerful families,
won the King's favour and finally got possession of his person, by
making him come with them, partly by persuasion, partly by force, from
_Stirling_ to _Edinburgh_. They then obtained an act of the Estates
declaring that this step had been taken with the full consent and good
pleasure of the King. The _Lord Boyd_ was appointed guardian of his
person and of the royal strongholds, his son _Thomas_ was created _Earl
of Arran_, and with the earldom the King's sister _Mary_ was given him
in marriage.
=11. Annexation of Orkney and Shetland.=--For many years the rent of
the _Western Isles_ had not been paid to the _King of Norway_. There
were heavy arrears due to him which had been demanded in the last
reign. It was now agreed to settle the matter peaceably by the marriage
of _James_ with _Margaret_, daughter of _Christian of Norway_, in 1469.
Her dowry was the claim for the arrears and 60,000 florins, in security
for which the _Orkney and Shetland Isles_ were placed as pledges in the
hands of the King of Scotland. These islands have never been redeemed
by payment of the sum agreed on. _Arran_ had been chiefly concerned
in bringing about this marriage. During his absence at the court of
Christian his enemies were busy in compassing his fall. His wife sent
him timely warning of his danger, and he fled first to _Denmark_
and finally to _England_, whither his father had also escaped. But
_Alexander_, the younger son, was made the scapegoat for the sins of
his kindred. He was seized, tried, and put to death for his share in
kidnapping the King, which was now denounced as treason. The family
estates were forfeited, and most of them were declared inalienable from
the Crown.
=12. Relations with England.=--In the beginning of the reign, _Edward
the Fourth_ kept up a seeming show of friendliness, but he was secretly
treating with _Douglas_ and the _Lord of the Isles_ to the effect that
they should hold the two parts of Scotland as principalities dependent
on England. The end of this underhand dealing was that _John_, son of
the Lord of the Isles, invaded and wasted the district that was to
be his principality, all the country north of the Scots Water. This
led to the final breaking up of the lordship of the Isles, for he was
called to account for his rebellion, and was required to resign the
districts of _Knapdale_ and _Kintyre_, the original Scottish kingdom;
the sheriffdoms of _Inverness_ and _Nairn_, and the earldom of _Ross_,
which was vested in the Crown. In exchange for his proud but doubtful
title of Lord of the Isles, he was made a peer of parliament. In 1474
a marriage was arranged between Edward's daughter _Cecily_ and _James_
the Prince of Scotland. It was broken off owing to a quarrel between
the King and his brothers, _Alexander Duke of Albany_, and _John
Earl of Mar_. They were much more popular than James, and, when Mar
died suddenly in _Craigmillar Castle_, James was suspected of having
poisoned him. Albany was arrested and confined in Edinburgh Castle on
a charge of treasonable dealings with Edward. He escaped to _France_
in hopes of getting _Louis the Eleventh_ to take his part, but he
found a more willing helper in Edward. An agreement was made that
Edward should place Albany on the throne of Scotland, that he should
hold it, and that he should marry the _Lady Cecily_. After divers
threatening messages had been exchanged between the two governments,
and many threatenings of attack had been made, a great Scottish army
was mustered to invade England in good earnest.
=13. Revolt of the Nobles.=--The King had always been unpopular with
his nobles. His love of money and of peaceable pursuits found little
sympathy with them, and they could neither understand nor tolerate his
fancy for making favourites of men whom they despised. The time had now
come when they could take the law into their own hands. The army raised
for the invasion of England was led by the King in person, and advanced
as far as _Lauder_ in Berwickshire. There the nobles met together, with
old _Angus_ at their head, to devise some way of getting rid of the
most hated of these favourites. This was _Robert Cochrane_, a mason
or architect, to whom the King had given the control of the artillery
in this expedition. He had also conferred on him the revenues of the
earldom of _Mar_, and _Cochrane_, going a step further, had assumed
the title. While they were deliberating, the _Lord Gray_, so the story
goes, quoted the old fable of the mice and the cat, meaning thereby
that all their talk would come to nothing unless one of their number
was bold enough to attack their enemy. On this _Archibald Earl of
Angus_ cried out, "Heed not, I'll bell the cat." This saying won him
the nickname of "Bell the Cat." While they thus sat in council in the
church, Cochrane himself knocked at the door and demanded admittance in
the name of the King. The finery which he wore, the chain of massive
gold thrown round his neck, the jewelled horn that dangled from it, the
gilt helmet borne before him, still further heated the wrath of the
lords. They seized him, and with many insults accused him of misguiding
the King and the government. Meanwhile they had sent a band of armed
men to the King's tent to secure _Rogers_, a musician, and the other
favourites. They then hanged them all over _Lauder Bridge_. _John
Ramsay of Balmain_ was the only one of the favourites who was spared to
the entreaties of the King. The triumphant barons then brought the King
back to Edinburgh, 1482. Soon after this Albany came back, and demanded
the release of his brother, and for a short time they lived together
seemingly on good terms, while Albany really ruled. But before long
he found it most prudent to return to England, and he showed his real
designs by putting _Dunbar Castle_ into the hands of the English.
=14. Battle of Sauchieburn.=--The King, who had not learned wisdom
by the lesson of Lauder Bridge, grew more and more unpopular. A
confederacy was formed, and a large army was raised by the lords south
of the Forth. To give a show of justice to their doings, they placed
_James_ the _Prince of Scotland_ at their head, professing to have
deposed his father, and to have accepted him as their lawful king.
North of the Scots Water the country was true to James, and there he
collected a considerable force. The two armies met at _Sauchieburn_.
The King, who was not brave, turned and fled at the first sign that
the day was going against him. In his flight he was thrown from his
horse and carried to a mill built on the _Bannock Burn_, where he was
murdered by an unknown hand, 1488.
=15. Church Matters.=--In 1471 _St. Andrews_ was raised to an
_Archbishopric_. Pope Sextus the Fourth sent the pallium to _Robert
Graham_ the bishop, but this increase of dignity only proved a source
of torment to him, for his suffragans, out of jealousy, accused him of
all manner of heresies and crimes. He was deposed and degraded, and
ended his days in confinement.
=16. James IV., 1488-1513.=--The first thing to be done after the
affair of Sauchieburn was to find out what had become of the King,
and, when his death was made sure of, an inquiry was set on foot as to
the cause of it. The offices of state were transferred to the party in
power, and an act of amnesty was passed, to take in all persons who had
taken part with the late King in the struggle which the nobles pleased
to call the late rebellion. Two ineffectual risings to avenge the
murder of the King were made by the Lords _Lennox_ and _Forbes_, and
three years later, to pacify the clamours of the people, a reward of
one hundred marks was offered for the discovery of the actual murderers.
=17. English Intrigues.=--Just at this time Henry the Seventh of
England had his hands too busy at home to allow of his making open
war upon Scotland, but he carried on secret schemes with _Angus_,
_Ramsay_, and others for the capture of the King. James, on the other
hand, upheld that _Perkin Warbeck_ was really _Richard, Duke of York_,
received him at his court as the son of King Edward, and gave him in
marriage his kinswoman _Lady Katharine Gordon_. A force of _French_ and
_Burgundians_ came to aid him, and an army crossed the Border, but it
did nothing, as the rising which had been planned, and was to have been
made at the same time in the north of England, did not take place. At
last James got tired of Perkin, sent him off to Ireland, though with
a princely escort, and renewed a truce with Henry, in 1497. The two
kings were drawn still closer by the marriage of _James_ with _Margaret
Tudor_, eldest daughter of Henry, in 1502.
=18. State of the Highlands.=--James paid frequent visits to _Kintyre_,
the _Isles_, and _Inverness_, and took measures for the building
of more castles and the maintenance of garrisons in those already
built. This plan might have been successful in keeping the country
quiet, if the Crown had been strong enough to carry it out. As it
was not, James was forced to fall back on the old policy of turning
the feuds of the chiefs to their own destruction, by empowering one
to act against another. Again the _Gordons_ got a great increase of
power, for their head, the _Earl of Huntly_, was appointed sheriff of
_Inverness_, _Ross_, and _Caithness_, with the condition that he should
finish and maintain a fortress at _Inverness_. In the west the charge
of keeping order was put into the hands of the Earl of Argyle, the
chief of the Campbells. An attempt was also made to break up the Isles
into sheriffdoms, and to impose upon the Highlanders the laws of the
Lowlands. A commission was issued for the banishment of broken men, as
those clansmen were called who had no representative chiefs, and an
Act was passed which made the chiefs responsible for the execution of
legal writs upon their clansmen. But the disaffected chiefs rallied
round _Donald Dhu_, an illegitimate descendant of the last _Lord of
the Isles_, and it took three years' fighting on the part of the King
and of Huntly to reduce them. _Donald_ was at last brought captive to
_Edinburgh_, and the lordship of the Isles was finally broken up in
1504.
=19. Differences with England.=--In this reign Scotland first appears
as a naval power, and this proved a new source of strife with England.
One of the King of Scots' captains, _Andrew Barton_, bore letters
of marque against the _Portuguese_, but the English accused him of
taking _English_ vessels also. He was attacked in time of truce by
the _Howards_. He himself was killed in the action, and his ship, the
_Lion_, was taken, and became the second ship in the English navy.
James had also another cause of complaint against _Henry the Eighth_,
for Henry refused to give up to his sister _Margaret_ a legacy of
jewels left to her by her father. When therefore _England_ and _France_
declared war, _Scotland_ stood by her old ally, the bond between them
was drawn closer, the right of citizenship in France was extended to
the Scots, and _Queen Anne of France_ made an appeal to the chivalrous
feeling of James by choosing him as her knight, and calling on him for
assistance. James therefore fitted out a fleet of twenty-three vessels.
Among them was a very large ship called the _Great Michael_, which was
looked on as a masterpiece of shipbuilding. This fleet was put under
the command of _James Hamilton, Earl of Arran_, with orders to sail for
France. Instead of doing this, he stormed _Carrickfergus_, and what
became of the ships was never clearly made out.
=20. Battle of Flodden.=--James also determined to invade England.
Though the cause was not popular, the King was, and a large army was
soon mustered. The King himself led the host across the Border, and
encamped on the _Till_, but, as he would not take the advice of _Angus_
and others who knew more of border fighting than he did, he mismanaged
the whole affair. He idled away the time till his own army began to
disperse and the English had time to gather; then he let them cross the
river unopposed, and finally left his strong position on the hill to
meet them hand to hand in the plain. The result was an utter defeat,
and the King, who was more eager to display his own valour than to act
the part of the general in command, was slain in the thickest of the
fight. Twelve earls and thirteen barons fell round him, and every noble
house in Scotland left some of its name on the fatal field of _Flodden_
Sept. 9, 1513. The death of _James the Fourth_ was deeply mourned, for
his reign had been peaceable and prosperous. He was popular with the
nobles, because he kept them round him, and freely spent his father's
savings; and with the commons, because of his rigorous maintenance of
justice, his encouragement of commerce and agriculture, and his easy,
kindly manners. James is described as middle-sized, handsome, and
well-made. Besides Latin and several other foreign languages, he could
speak the Irish or Gaelic, which was the native tongue of his western
subjects. During his reign Scotland was more prosperous than it had
been since the days of the last Alexander. Trade was flourishing and
on the increase, and large quantities of wool, hides, and fish were
exported to other countries.
=21. Church Matters.=--In 1492, at the petition of the _Estates_,
the _pallium_ was sent from _Rome_ to _Robert Blackadder_, Bishop of
_Glasgow_, with licence to bear the cross and all other archiepiscopal
insignia. This led to bitter strife between the two Archbishops,
who referred their disputes to the Pope, to the great wrath of the
Estates, who denounced and forbade all such appeals to Rome. The
burning of Reseby had not put a stop to the spreading of Wickliffe's
doctrines, for we find thirty persons accused of the Lollard heresy by
Blackadder. Two great steps towards the advancement of learning were
made in this reign: the one was the foundation of a third University at
Aberdeen, on the model of the University of Paris, by _Elphinstone_,
the good Bishop of _Aberdeen_; the other was the introduction of the
art of printing, by means of which knowledge could be extended to the
people. The first press was set up by _Walter Chapman_, under the
patronage of the King.
=22. James V., 1513-1542.=--The news of the defeat at _Flodden_ spread
grief and terror through the country. The citizens of Edinburgh built a
wall round their city, but its strength was not tried, for the English
army dispersed instead of advancing. The Estates met at _Perth_, and
the Queen-mother was appointed Regent, for the King was an infant only
two years old. But within a year the Queen married _Archibald_, the
young _Earl of Angus_, and the Estates then transferred the regency to
_John, Duke of Albany_, High Admiral of France, son of the brother of
James the Third. Peace was made with England, Scotland being taken in
as the ally of France in a treaty between that country and England.
=23. Albany's Regency.=--Albany's government was at first very
unpopular, for the national jealousy was roused by the number of his
_French_ followers. The Queen at first refused to give up the King,
but she was besieged in _Stirling Castle_ and obliged to yield. The
country was distracted by the brawls of the two great factions, the
_Hamiltons_ and the _Douglases_. The _Earl of Arran_ was the head of
the former, _Angus_ of the latter. The Governor put them down with the
help of the French: _Angus_ was seized and transported to _France_; his
wife fled to _England_, where he contrived to join her before long. The
_Lord Home_ and his brother, two of the few survivors of _Flodden_,
and the most powerful of the Angus faction, were seized at Edinburgh
and beheaded, after the mere form of a trial. But Albany went back
to France after he had been about a year in Scotland; and as he left
a Frenchman, _Anthony de la Bastie_, Warden of the Border, and placed
the strongholds in the hands of the French also, the Scots grew more
jealous and turbulent than before. De la Bastie fell a victim to the
national hatred of foreigners. He was killed in a border raid by one
of the _Homes_, in revenge for the death of his kinsman, the Lord
Home. The Celts in the west re-asserted their independence, and the
feud between the _Hamiltons_ and the _Douglases_ broke out worse than
ever. They brought their brawls into the very streets of the capital.
The Hamiltons laid a plan for attacking the Douglases, and making
Angus prisoner. _Gavin Douglas_, Bishop of _Dunkeld_, fearing that his
kinsmen might get the worst of it, appealed to _James Beaton_, the
primate, to stop it. Beaton solemnly declared on his conscience that
he knew nothing of the matter; and to give weight to his words, laid
his hand on his heart, and in so doing struck the breastplate which
he always wore. On this, Douglas, who heard the ring of the armour,
told him that he heard his conscience "clattering," that is, telling
tales. In the fight that followed, Angus so thoroughly routed his foes
that the fray was called "_Clear the Causeway_," and after it he held
the city with an armed force. Thus five years passed, and the Regent,
who had nominally gone back to France for a few months only, was still
absent, and it took a great deal of urging and threatening from the
Estates to bring him back to his trust.
=24. English Interference.=--It was now nine years since Flodden, and,
as there had been peace with England during that time, the country had
somewhat recovered her strength. When therefore Henry began to meddle
in the affairs of Scotland, to require that Albany should be dismissed,
and that the French connexion should be broken off, the Estates
refused and prepared for war. As the greater part of the English force
was in France, the northern counties of England were comparatively
unprotected, and it was just the time for striking an effective blow
there. Instead of doing this, Albany came to terms with _Lord Dacre_,
the _English Warden_, and the large army that had gathered round him
melted away without doing anything. But the truce was not renewed.
Dacre stormed _Jedburgh_, and the Scots mustered again. This time their
numbers were increased by the presence of some French auxiliaries whom
Albany had brought back from France, to which he had paid a second
visit. Again the army was brought to the Border without being led any
further. By this time the Scots were thoroughly disgusted with Albany,
and he with them; and shortly after this second fruitless expedition,
he sailed for France and took the Frenchmen with him, 1524.
=25. "Erection" of the King.=--No sooner was Albany gone than Henry,
through his subtle chancellor _Wolsey_, tried to make the Scots break
with France. _Margaret_, the Queen-mother, was the great upholder of
the English interest; _James Beaton_, Archbishop of St. Andrews and
Chancellor, was the leader of the French party. Wolsey tried hard to
get hold of Beaton on various pretexts, but Beaton was too cunning for
him, and held himself apart in his own strong castle of _St. Andrews_,
where he kept up dealings with France. But the English party were for
a time the stronger, and, by the advice of Henry, James, who was now
twelve years old, was set up to rule in his own name, and took his
place at the head of the parliament, August 1524. The only change
made by this step, called the _erection_, was that Albany's nominal
government was done away with, and the French influence much weakened.
Still Henry's interference was not liked, and the capture of _Francis
the First_ at _Pavia_ turned the tide of popular feeling back to the
old allies of France. Since the _erection_, Arran had been the nominal
head of the government, but in 1526 the King, who was now fourteen,
was considered old enough to choose his own guardians. He chose the
Earls of _Errol_, _Argyle_, and _Angus_, and an agreement was made that
each in succession was to have the care of the King for three months.
Angus's turn came first, but at the end of it he refused to give up
his charge, and for two years he tyrannized over both the King and his
subjects, and successfully resisted all attempts at a rescue.
=26. Fall of Angus.=--James at last contrived to make his escape by
riding in the night, disguised as a groom, from _Falkland_ to _Stirling
Castle_, 1528. Now that he was at last safely out of the hands of the
Douglases, he set to work to crush them utterly. It was made treason
for any who bore that name to come within six miles of the King,
and an act of forfeiture was passed against them. Angus had many
adherents; but as all those nobles who hoped for a share of his lands
took part with the King, they proved too strong for him, and he was at
last obliged to give in, and to flee for refuge to England. Thus the
overthrow of the _Red Douglases_ was as thorough as had been that of
the elder branch, on whose ruin they had risen.
=27. Internal Affairs.=--James began his reign by executing summary
justice on the lawless and turbulent part of his subjects. The
Borderers were now nearly as troublesome as the Highlanders. They dwelt
in the debateable ground between England and Scotland, and preyed on
either country with the greatest impartiality. Certain families, as the
_Kerrs_, _Armstrongs_, and _Scotts_, had a sort of monopoly of this
wholesale thieving; and as they had taken to the clan system of the
Celts, each robber chief in his peel tower could count, not only on
the unquestioning service, but also on the personal devotion of every
man in his following. _John Armstrong_ had made himself famous among
them by his daring deeds. For this renown James made him pay dear;
for judging that he, the most notorious offender, would make the most
telling example of the force of justice, he had him seized and hanged
like a common thief. New means were tried for quieting the disturbances
in the _Western Highlands_ and _Isles_. _Argyle_ was deprived of his
lieutenancy, and the government was in future to deal directly with
the chiefs for the collection of taxes and of the feudal dues. Three
persons were put to death in this reign for conspiracy and treason,
all of whom were more or less connected with the banished Angus.
These were the _Lady Glammis_, his sister; the _Master of Forbes_,
his brother-in-law; and _James Hamilton_, the illegitimate brother of
Arran, who was accused of being in league with him.
=28. English War.=--Though the need of a reform in the Church was
felt and openly discussed in parliament, and the shortcomings of the
clergy were unsparingly ridiculed by the popular poets, still neither
the King nor the people were inclined to break off from Rome, as Henry
the Eighth had done. But Henry was most anxious that his nephew should
follow his example, and a meeting between them at York was agreed on.
But James, doubtful of Henry's good faith, did not keep tryst. Henry
was furious; he brought up again the old claim of supremacy over
Scotland, and to enforce the claim he sent an army to invade Scotland.
James prepared to avenge this attack; but when his army got as far
as the Border, the nobles refused to go further, and a body of ten
thousand men who had passed the Esk were surprised and scattered by
_Dacre_, while they were contending about the chief command.
=29. Death and Character of James.=--The King meanwhile was waiting in
_Caerlaverock Castle_. At the same time that he heard of the shameful
defeat of his army at _Solway_ _Moss_, the news was brought that a
daughter was born to him. This child was heir to the throne, for his
two sons had died in infancy. James thought that the birth of a girl
at this time was an ill omen for Scotland. He murmured, "It came wi' a
lass, and it'll gang wi' a lass." By this he meant that, as it was by
Marjory Bruce that the crown had first passed into the Stewart family,
so with this infant it would pass from it. Eight days later he died
of grief and disappointment, December 14, 1542. James is the first
King of Scots of whom we have a portrait. He was handsome, but had red
hair, which won him the nickname of the "_Red Tod_," or red fox. He
was not liked by the nobles, but the commons loved him well. His habit
of going about in disguise familiarly among the people, endeared him
to them, and led him into many amusing adventures. James was twice
married, first to _Magdalen_, daughter of _Francis the First, King of
France_; secondly, to _Mary_, daughter of the _Duke of Guise_, widow of
the _Duke of Longueville_. In character and policy James was something
like James the First. Like him, he strove to curb the power of the
nobles, and to win for the Crown something more than mere nominal
power, by making reforms which were much needed in the administration
of justice. He worked out his ancestor's idea of a supreme court of
justice by founding the _Court of Session_, or _College of Justice_.
This court consisted first of thirteen, afterwards of fifteen, members,
half of whom were clerks, and who acted both as judge and jury. As
the members of this court were chosen from the parliament, it had the
power of parliament, and was supreme in all civil cases, there being no
appeal beyond it. James was not only a patron of letters, but himself
a poet, one of the few royal poets whose writings will bear comparison
with those of meaner birth. "Christ's Kirk on the Green," and the
"Gaberlunzie Man," are the titles of two poems that are ascribed to
him, but on no very certain proof. They are both descriptions of
scenes from peasant life. If indeed they were written by him, the
choice of the subjects and the way in which they are treated show how
well he knew the condition of his people. They, in loving remembrance
of the favour he had always shown them, gave him the title of "King of
the Commons, and the People's Poet."
=30. Mary, 1542-1554. Arran's Regency.=--_James Hamilton, Earl of
Arran_, next heir to the throne by his descent from James the Second,
was chosen Regent, but, as it was the Scotch custom that the nearest of
kin on the mother's side should have the care of the minor, the infant
Queen was left in charge of her mother, _Mary of Lorraine_. The defeat
at _Solway Moss_, and the death of the King, had left the people nearly
as dispirited and defenceless as they had been after Flodden, and Henry
the Eighth determined to get the kingdom into his power by marrying
_Mary_ to his son _Edward, Prince of Wales_.
=31. Treaties with England.=--To carry out his plans the better, he
sent Angus back to Scotland, and with him the Lords _Cassilis_ and
_Glencairn_, and several other nobles, all pledged to do their best
to place the Queen and the strongholds in the hands of Henry. These
nobles were called by the English the _Assured Scots_, because Henry
thought he could be sure of their help, but they were either unable
or unwilling to give him the aid for which he had hoped. It was not
till July in the next year that two treaties were drawn up at London:
the one for the English alliance; the other agreeing to the English
marriage of the Queen. But there was a strong national party, much
set against any dealings with England; and, though the treaties were
approved at one meeting of the Estates, it was plain that they would be
thrown out at the next. The Regent tried to break them off, and Henry,
greatly enraged, made ready for war, and seized some Scotch ships
which had been driven by stress of weather into English ports. This
was reason enough for the rejection of the treaties by the Estates.
Shortly after, the "Assured Scots" changed sides and made a bond with
the Regent; but Henry got a new supporter in _Matthew Stewart, Earl
of Lennox_, who, as he wished to marry _Margaret Douglas_, daughter
of _Angus_, Henry's niece and ward, was eager to do anything to win
Henry's favour.
=32. First English Invasion.=--War was declared at Edinburgh by an
English herald, May 1, 1544, and an English army under _Edward Seymour,
Earl of Hertford_, was sent by sea and landed at _Granton_. He was
bidden to destroy _Edinburgh_ and as many other towns and villages as
he conveniently could, and he carried out his orders to the letter.
He sacked and burned _Leith_, a wealthy trading town, set fire to
_Edinburgh_, though no resistance had been made to him there, robbed
the burghs on the coast of _Fife_, and then marched south to the
Border, burning, slaying, spoiling, and leaving a wasted land behind
him. The only resistance he met with was near the Border, where a
division of his army which had been sent to _Melrose_ to break open
the tombs of the ancestors of _Angus_ was routed at _Ancrum_ by Angus
himself and some of the Border lords. At the news of this success six
hundred Borderers from the Scottish side, who had been fighting in the
service of the English Wardens, changed sides and attacked their former
brothers in arms. The rest of the nation then took heart, and a large
force was mustered and brought to the Border, but did nothing.
=33. Second English Invasion.=--Before the traces of his former ravages
had disappeared, just when the next harvest was ready for the sickle,
Hertford appeared again at the head of a motley host, swelled by
half-savage Irish and by foreign hirelings, and repeated the wild work
of the year before. The invaders attacked and plundered the religious
houses. The ruins of _Kelso_, _Melrose_, _Dryburgh_, _Roxburgh_, and
_Coldingham_ still bear witness to their zeal in carrying out the
orders of their master. Towns, manors, churches, and between two and
three hundred villages were left in ashes behind them. All this misery
was wantonly inflicted without winning for Henry a foot of ground or a
single new subject.
=34. Third English Invasion. Battle of Pinkie.=--Two years passed,
and again the sorely scourged country was visited by its old enemy.
_Hertford_, now _Duke of Somerset_ and _Protector of England_ during
the minority of _Edward the Sixth_, thought by one well-aimed blow to
wrest from the people their proud boast, the national independence.
Two armies, the one led by himself and the other sent by sea, met at
_Musselburgh_ and threatened the capital. The Regent had mustered a
large force to resist them, and the two hosts faced each other on
opposite banks of the _Esk_. But the Scots very foolishly left their
strong position and forced the English to a battle, in which they were
again defeated with great slaughter, at _Pinkie_, September 10, 1547.
After the battle Somerset went back to England, and took the greater
part of his army with him. As most of the strongholds were now in the
hands of the English, it was thought best to send the Queen to France
that she might be out of harm's way. The French sent six thousand men
to help in driving out the English, a work that was not ended till
1550, when a short peace followed the nine years of cruel war. If we
consider the difference of the times and the advance of civilization,
the fiercest raids of _Malcolm_ and of _Wallace_ may be favourably
compared with the misery wrought by _Hertford_ in these three savage
and unprovoked attacks.
=35. Internal Affairs.=--The overthrow of the monasteries, the seizure
of their revenues, and the other changes in religious matters carried
out by _Henry the Eighth_ in England, had been approved by a large
party in _Scotland_. They were eager to begin the same work there,
for the Church, by her abuse of power and by her persecution of all
who differed from her, was fast losing her hold upon the people. The
first outbreak of the popular feeling was the murder of _Cardinal David
Beaton_, the _Primate_, the leader of the French party in the state and
the chief mover of religious persecution. In revenge for the burning
of _George Wishart_ in 1545, for preaching what was called heresy,
sixteen of Wishart's followers murdered _Beaton_ in his own _Castle
of St. Andrews_, which they had entered by a stratagem, and which
they held for fourteen months, setting at defiance all the Regent's
efforts to retake it. It was only with the help of the French that they
were at last obliged to give in, and were sent to the French galleys.
Among them was _John Knox_, who twelve years later became famous as
the apostle of the Reformation among his countrymen. On the death of
_Beaton_, _Arran_ made his own ambitious brother _John_ Archbishop
of St. Andrews, in the room of the murdered Cardinal. The castle was
destroyed.
=36. Regency of Mary of Lorraine. First Marriage of Mary Stewart.=--In
1554, Arran, who had been created _Duke of Chatelherault_ by the French
king, went back to France, and _Mary of Lorraine_ became _Regent_.
The league with France was drawn still closer by the marriage of the
Queen with _Francis the Dauphin_. Francis became _King of France_ in
1559. The crown-matrimonial of Scotland was then granted to him, so
that the two countries were for a short time united under one crown.
On the strength of this the French began to give themselves airs of
superiority which the Scots could ill bear from strangers, and before
long they became well-nigh as unpopular as the English had been. The
Regent was unconsciously doing her best to foster this feeling of
dislike by placing foreigners in offices of trust, above all by making
Frenchmen keepers of the strongholds. But there was another influence
now at work, the desire of religious reform, which wrought a change in
the national life greater than any that had been felt since the time of
the first Robert.
=37. Social Progress.=--The intercourse with the French which arose
from the close alliance of Scotland with France, influenced the social
development of the nation throughout this period more strongly than
during any other time either before or after it. The members of the
National Council when they met in parliament were not, as in England,
divided into lords and commons; the representatives of the three
Estates, the _Barons_, the _Clergy_, and the _Commons_, assembled in
one chamber, as was the French custom. All the tenants holding direct
from the Crown were required to present themselves at these assemblies;
but James the First released the lesser barons from this attendance,
which they felt to be rather an irksome duty than a privilege, by
allowing them to send commissaries in their stead. These commissaries,
with the deputies from the cities and burghs, formed the Third Estate.
The supreme court of justice, the _Court of Session_, established
by James the Fifth, was formed on the model of the _Parliament_ of
_Paris_. The Universities were founded in the fifteenth century, at
_St. Andrews_, at _Glasgow_, and at _Aberdeen_. Of these, Aberdeen was
an exact imitation of the University of Paris. The architecture of this
period, both domestic and ecclesiastical, is in many respects like the
French. Melrose Abbey, and the palaces of _Falkland_ and of _Stirling_,
which were very richly ornamented, were built in the time of the
Jameses. The houses of the nobles were also built in imitation of the
French style. There are no remains of burgh domestic architecture older
than the sixteenth century. Many French words also found their way into
the Lowland Scotch, as the language of the Lothians came to be called.
By this time there was so much difference between this dialect and
that spoken at the English court, that the people who spoke the one
could scarcely understand the other. The foreign trade of Scotland was
most prosperous during the reign of James the Fourth. Fish, wools, and
hides were the principal exports. By this time coal, which is first
mentioned towards the end of the thirteenth century, was in general
use. There were also lead and iron mines; and gold was found, though
not in any large quantities. Of this native gold James the Fourth
struck some beautiful coins, which were called bonnet pieces, because
they bore the image of the King wearing a bonnet. The state of the
people at this time was one of almost serf-like dependence on their
lords. But great as the power of the nobles was, there were no forest
or game laws in Scotland, nor did they enjoy any privilege of peerage.
An offender against the law, if he could be brought to justice, had to
"thole an assize," like any peasant, however high his rank might be.
=38. Education and Literature.=--In early times all the education that
was within the reach of the people had been offered to them by the
Church. Schools were founded and maintained in several towns by the
great monasteries, and there was provision made for the education of
the choristers attached to the several cathedral churches. In later
times there were Grammar Schools founded by the burgh corporations.
In 1496 an Act was passed requiring all "barons and freeholders" to
keep their sons at these schools until they should be "competently
founded," and have "perfect Latin," under pain of a fine of twenty
pounds. A book, purporting to be the _History of Scotland_, was written
in Latin by _Hector Boece_, the first Principal of the University of
Aberdeen. The greater part of this book is purely imaginary. The Latin
"_Scotichronicon_" of _Fordun_, was continued by _Walter Bower, Abbot
of Inchcolm_, down to the middle of the fifteenth century. Besides the
two kings James the First and Fifth, there were other notable poets in
Scotland in the middle of the fifteenth century. _Blind Harry_, the
_Minstrel_, then did for Wallace what about a century before Barbour
had done for Bruce, by putting together all the popular stories of his
deeds in a spirit-stirring poem that bears his hero's name. _William
Dunbar_, a friar of the order of St. Francis, wrote a poem called _The
Thistle and the Rose_, to celebrate the marriage of James the Fourth
with Margaret Tudor. This, and the _Golden Terge_, and the _Dance
of the Seven Deadly Sins_, are the best among his writings. _Gawin
Douglas_, afterwards _Bishop of Dunkeld_, the son of that Earl of
Angus who was nicknamed Bell-the-Cat, also wrote several poems in the
beginning of the sixteenth century. Those best known are _King Hart_,
the _Palace of Honour_, and a translation of Virgil's _Æneid_. Some
years after Douglas wrote, _Sir David Lyndesay_, the companion of James
the Fifth's childhood, and the mourner of his untimely death, directed
many clever satires against the abuses in the Church, the vices of the
clergy, and the follies of the court. The _Dreme_, the _Satire of the
Three Estates_, and the _Monarchy_, are his best poems.
=39. Summary.=--During this period, which extends over more than
a century, the country made little progress either socially or
politically. Of the five kings, all bearing the same name, who in turn
wore the crown, four died violent deaths; and of these four, two were
treacherously murdered by their own subjects. Most of them came to
the throne in childhood; not one attained old age. Their reigns were
chiefly passed in struggles to put down their lawless and turbulent
nobles, who in each succeeding minority waxed more powerful and more
independent. In the reigns of James the Second and of James the Fifth,
this contest between the Crown and the Baronage took the form of a
struggle between the House of Stewart and the House of Douglas. In
both cases the King compassed the fall of his rival only by placing a
dangerous amount of power in the hands of the other nobles. The foreign
policy of Scotland under the Jameses was very simple. It consisted in
maintaining a close alliance with France and a constant quarrel with
England. But the French never gave the Scots any real help, and the
English were so much taken up at home with the Civil Wars of the Roses
that they made no serious attacks on the independence of Scotland.
Though during this period there were four long minorities, there was
no attempt made to break the regular line of succession. This was due
partly to the attachment of the people to the royal line, and partly to
the weakness of the royal authority, for the King had so little real
power that the great nobles did not think the crown worth taking. The
reign of James the Fourth was the most peaceful and prosperous, but
James the First did the most for the welfare of the people.