James II

James II, the oldest surviving son of James I of Scotland succeeded the throne at the age of six following the assassination of his father and was the first Scottish monarch not to be crowned at Scone. James II’s coronation instead took place at Holyrood Abbey in March 1437.

Quick Facts:
Born:  16^th October 1430
Died:  3^rd August 1460
Reign:  1437-1460
Parents: James I of Scotland and Joan Beaufort
Predecessor:  James I
Successor: James III
Spouse: Mary of Guelders
Children: James III of Scotland; Alexander Stewart, 1^st Duke of Albany; David Stewart, Earl of Moray; John Stewart, Earl of Mar and Garioch; Margaret Stewart; Mary Stewart, Countess of Arran
Royal House:  House of Stewart

Known as Fiery Face because of the birthmark that covered the left side of his face, James’ twin brother died before their first birthday, leaving James as heir apparent and the title of Duke of Rothesay. When he was six years old, his father was assassinated and the six year old James immediately succeeded him as James II. He was crowned in Holyrood Abbey on 23^rd March 1437.

On 3^rd July 1449, at the age of 18, James married the fifteen-year-old Mary of Guelders. She bore him seven children, six of whom survived into adulthood. As a Flemish princess, their marriage meant an improvement in relations between Flanders and Scotland.

James was known to be a successful king, he was popular with the commoners, with whom he socialised often. He does not appear to have inherited his father’s taste for literature but did found the University of Glasgow and encouraged learning. He was generally said to be a popular character but the murder of the Earl of Douglas left a stain on his character.

Early reign

James’ father was assassinated at Blackfriars Monastery in Perth and his mother, Queen Joan, though injured, was able to escape with her six year old son. The young James was then crowned a month later. 

Due to his age, much of the country's governance was done by the Parliament of Scotland. Until the age of 18,  James spent most of his time living in Dunbar Castle with his mother and five of his sisters. From 1437-1439, his  cousin, the Earl of Douglas headed the government as a general to the realm. After the Earl's death, the power was shared among a number of nobles, one of which, Sir Alexander Livingston, who had possession of the young king at Stirling Castle, placed Queen Joan and her new husband under house arrest. They were only released after agreeing to put James in his custody.

In 1440, an invitation seemingly from the king was sent to William Douglas, the 6^th Earl of Douglas, who was 16 ,and his 12 year old brother, to visit with James at Edinburgh Castle. By all accounts, the three boys (the king was just 10 at the time) seemed to have a jolly time before the guests were beheaded in the castle yard of Edinburgh. Reports say that the king begged for their lives. Three days later, Malcom Fleming shared the same fate. The king, still being a child, had nothing to do with this, but the incident still went against its name. The event became known as the Black Dinner.

When James reached adulthood he struggled to gain control of the kingdom. Initially, he leaned on the Douglases, who assisted him in the removal of the Livingstons, who appeared to be the driving force behind the Black Dinner. Douglas and others would dominate Scottish politics and the king would struggle to free himself from them. This resulted in the murder of William Douglas, the Earl of Douglas at Stirling Castle in 1452. According to records, the king accused the Earl of forging links with the Earl of Ross and the Earl of Crawford. When Douglas refused to break this bond, James is said to have stabbed him 26 times and threw him out of the window. His men then joined in, brutalising the earl’s body. This sparked a state of civil war over the next three years where James attempted to seize control of Douglas lands. He eventually returned them to the 9^th Earl of Douglas. The Douglas family was defeated finally at the Battle of Arkinholm and their lands were annexed, the new earl fled to England and James was given the freedom to govern as he wished.

Negotiations for a marriage between James and Mary of Guelders began in 1447 and concluded the year later. The marriage was celebrated at Holyrood in 1449. Many Flemish dignitaries remained as part of the new queen’s retinue and relations between Scotland and Flanders increased in friendliness. The King’s marriage led to his emancipation from the Livingstons and contributed to their downfall. At a parliament in 1450, Alexander and Robert Livingston were tried and executed on Castle Hill.

Later reign

James II proved to be active in all manners of governance. He travelled the country and is said to have originated the practice of raising money.

James was a supporter of modern artillery and he amassed quite the collection which he used at various points in battles against the Douglases. His ambitions to increase Scotland’s standing in the world saw him besiege Roxburgh Castle in 1460, the last Scottish castle to still be held by the English. He took a large number of canons imported from Flanders and on 3^rd August was standing near one when it exploded and killed him. The Scots carried on with the siege without him and the castle was recaptured, once victorious, Mary of Guelders ordered its destruction. Mary acted as regent for their oldest son James III until her own death three years later.

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