Individual Details
James Stewart
(16 Oct 1430 - Aft 3 Aug 1460)
[[Category:Magna Carta Profiles]]
[[Category:Scottish Royalty]]
[[Category:House of Stewart]]
[[Category:Dukes of Rothesay]]
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== Biography ==
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===Family and Early Years===James was born 16 October 1430 at Holyrood, near Edinburgh, the second but oldest surviving son and heir of [[Stewart-419|James I]] of Scotland and [[Beaufort-20|Joan Beaufort]], eldest daughter of [[Beaufort-11|John Beaufort]], 1st earl of Somerset, and [[Holland-30|Margaret de Holand]].Douglas Richardson. ''Royal Ancestry: A Study in Colonial and Medieval Families,'' 5 vols, ed. Kimball G. Everingham (Salt Lake City: the author, 2013), vol. 1, pp. 662-667 BRUS 13. James II of Scotland.Douglas Richardson. ''Magna Carta Ancestry: A Study in Colonial and Medieval Families,'' 4 vols, ed. Kimball G. Everingham, 2nd ed. (Salt Lake City: the author, 2011), vol. 3, pp.582-587 SCOTLAND 10. James II of Scotland.Balfour, Sir James. ''The Annales of Scotland MCVII-MDCIII.'' Edinburgh: W. Aitchison (1824), [https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=hvd.32044094435674&view=1up&seq=204 vol. 1, p. 160 (1430)]. His twin brother, [[Stewart-1613|Alexander]] (the oldest twin), died in infancy.Paul, Sir James Balfour. ''The Scots Peerage.'' Edinburgh: D. Douglas (1904), [https://archive.org/details/scotspeeragefoun01paul/page/19/mode/1up vol. 1, p. 19]. James himself was born with a large red birthmark on his face, which caused him to be later nicknamed '''"James of the Fiery Face."'''Ashley, Mike. ''The Mammoth Book of British Kings & Queens.'' New York: Carroll & Graf (1999), pp. 559-560. He was six years old when his father was murdered, and he ascended to the throne on 25 March 1437.''Acts of Parliament,'' APS ii.31, 1437/3/2 [https://www.rps.ac.uk/trans/1437/3/2 Coronation of James II]. James II was crowned at Holyrood Abbey,Dunbar, Sir Archibald H. ''Scottish Kings: A Revised Chronology of Scottish History 1005-1625.'' Edinburgh: D. Douglas (1899), [https://archive.org/stream/scottishkingsre00dunbuoft#page/195/mode/1up p. 195].Balfour, Sir James. ''The Annales of Scotland MCVII-MDCIII.'' Edinburgh: W. Aitchison (1824), [https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=hvd.32044094435674&view=1up&seq=210 vol. 1, p. 166]. breaking a long tradition of Scottish kings who were crowned at Scone.
The queen initially retained custody of her son, but in 1439 she married (second) [[Stewart-4030|James Stewart]], knight of Lorne,Mackay, Aeneas J.G. ''Dictionary of National Biography Online.'' [https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Dictionary_of_National_Biography,_1885-1900/James_II_of_Scotland James II of Scotland]. and was forbidden by law to continue as James's guardian or have any role in the affairs of the government. This brought to a head a long standing conflict between [[Livingston-156|Alexander Livingston]], governor of Stirling Castle, and William Crichton, governor of Edinburgh Castle, who had each been vying to control the young king. Livingston actually seized the Queen Mother and her new husband and imprisoned them at Stirling Castle for a month, until they signed a formal document giving sole custody of James to himself.Dunbar, Sir Archibald H. ''Scottish Kings: A Revised Chronology of Scottish History 1005-1625.'' Edinburgh: D. Douglas (1899), [https://archive.org/stream/scottishkingsre00dunbuoft#page/196/mode/1up p. 196]. Crichton responded by kidnapping the king from Stirling Park and removing him to Edinburgh Castle. This rivalry for control over the king continued throughout his minority.
James's chief rivals to the throne of Scotland were [[Douglas-3571|William]] and [[Douglas-6608|David Douglas]], the sons of his cousin [[Douglas-1927|Archibal]]d, 5th earl of Douglas, and his wife [[Graham-3907|Euphemia Graham]], a great-granddaughter of Robert II. In November 1440 Crichton, in the king's name, invited the two boys to a feast at Edinburgh Castle where, at the end of the meal, a black bull's head was placed on the table to symbolize death. The brothers were seized, given a mock trial which found them guilty of treason, and immediately executed.Dunbar, Sir Archibald H. ''Scottish Kings: A Revised Chronology of Scottish History 1005-1625.'' Edinburgh: D. Douglas (1899), [https://archive.org/stream/scottishkingsre00dunbuoft#page/196/mode/1up pp. 196-197]. From that moment on, the Douglases were sworn enemies of both James and Crichton (in James's defense, he was only ten at the time and protested when the boys were seized but was completely overruled by Crichton), and allied themselves strongly with Livingston. The Livingstons continued to grow more and more powerful and by 1449 controlled most of the important offices and castles in Scotland. When, that same year, James II assumed his full powers as king, one of his first acts on 23 September was to arrest almost all Livingstons holding an official position, first imprisoning and then executing most of them. William Douglas (the new earl of Douglas), who had assisted the Livingsons, fled to France. Back in Scotland two years later, on 20 February 1452 he was invited to dinner by James who, at the end of a heated argument, stabbed him fatally in the neck.Balfour, Sir James. ''The Annales of Scotland MCVII-MDCIII.'' Edinburgh: W. Aitchison (1824), [https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=hvd.32044094435674&view=1up&seq=225 vol. i, p. 181].Dunbar, Sir Archibald H. ''Scottish Kings: A Revised Chronology of Scottish History 1005-1625.'' Edinburgh: D. Douglas (1899), [https://archive.org/stream/scottishkingsre00dunbuoft#page/198/mode/1up pp. 198-199]. The next earl of Douglas, William's brother James, immediately withdrew his allegiance from James and swore fealty to Henry VI. James retaliated by assembling 30,000 men, marching them south, and wasting many of the Douglas lands.
===Significant Events During His Reign===When the English War of the Roses broke out in 1455 its impact was also felt in Scotland, with James supporting the Lancastrians and the Douglases supporting the House of York. James, using cannons (a new form of artillery against which castles had no defense and on which James had a virtual monopoly in Scotland), successfully defeated the Douglases once and for all and they were attainted in June of that year, all of their estates forfeited.Dunbar, Sir Archibald H. ''Scottish Kings: A Revised Chronology of Scottish History 1005-1625.'' Edinburgh: D. Douglas (1899), [https://archive.org/stream/scottishkingsre00dunbuoft#page/199/mode/1up p. 199]. Over the next several years James began revoking many of the acts and settlements agreed upon during his minority. Threatening the use of military force against all who opposed him, James declared the crown to be the rightful owner of the earldoms of Fife and Strathearn; the castles of Edinburgh, Stirling, Dumbarton, Inverness, and Urquhart; the lordship of Brechin; and a number of highland baronies including several in Ross. By 1459 he held most of Scotland in his grip.
Although he did not hesitate to aggressively use force to acquire more land and control the Scottish nobility, James also was something of a reformist. In the 1450s he oversaw the founding of the University of Glasgow by Bishop William Turnbull.Balfour, Sir James. ''The Annales of Scotland MCVII-MDCIII.'' Edinburgh: W. Aitchison (1824), [https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=hvd.32044094435674&view=1up&seq=228 vol. 1, p. 184].Thomson, Thomas (ed.) ''The Auchinleek Chronicle.'' Edinburgh: Library at Auchinleek, Ayrshire (1819), part 2: ''A Short Chronicle of the Reign of James the Second, King of Scots,''[https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=hvd.32044094435674&view=1up&seq=228 p. 184]. On 6 March 1458, he called a parliament in Edinburgh to create a supreme and cental court for civil justice This court, sitting in Edinburgh, Perth, and Aberdeen, was to make annual circuits throughout the kingdom "for the good of the commons" and was an attempt to end abuses previously committed by nobles who had jurisdiction over the common folk and often levied extortionate fines against their own tenants.
===Marriage and Children=== On 3 July1448/9 at Holyrood Abbey, James II, King of Scots, married [[Egmond-Gelre-1|Mary of Guelders]], daughter of [[Egmond-30|Arnold]], Duke of Guelders, and [[Kleve-85|Katherine]], daughter of [[Kleve-68|Adolph I]], Duke of Cleves.Balfour, Sir James. ''The Annales of Scotland MCVII-MDCIII.'' Edinburgh: W. Aitchison (1824), [https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=hvd.32044094435674&view=1up&seq=220 vol. 1, p. 176 (1448)].Thomson, Thomas (ed.) ''The Auchinleek Chronicle.'' Edinburgh: Library at Auchinleek, Ayrshire (1819), part 2: ''A Short Chronicle of the Reign of James the Second, King of Scots,'' [https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=nyp.33433075893572&view=1up&seq=67 p. 41]. On the same day, Mary of Guelders was crowned Queen of Scots.Dunbar, Sir Archibald H. ''Scottish Kings: A Revised Chronology of Scottish History 1005-1625.'' Edinburgh: D. Douglas (1899), [https://archive.org/stream/scottishkingsre00dunbuoft#page/198/mode/1up p. 198].
There were at least seven children from this marriage:*[[Stewart-3915|(Unknown) Child]]; b. 19 May 1449/50 who survived only a few hours''The Asloan Manuscript,'' pp. 26, 43, cited in Burnett, George (ed). ''Rotuli Scaccarii Regum Scotorum'' (Exchequer Rolls of Scotland). Edinburgh: General Register House (1883), vol. 6 (1455-1460), [https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uiuo.ark:/13960/t86h9223m&view=1up&seq=130 preface, pp.cxxvi-cxxvii, footnote 1].Balfour, Sir James. ''The Annales of Scotland MCVII-MDCIII.'' Edinburgh: W. Aitchison (1824), [https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=hvd.32044094435674&view=1up&seq=221 vol 1, p. 177 (1449)].
*[[Stewart-2316|James III]], King of Scots; b. 10 Jul 1451;Burnett, George (ed). '' Rotuli Scaccarii Regum Scotorum'' (Exchequer Rolls of Scotland). Edinburgh: General Register House (1882), vol. 5 (1437-1454), [https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=umn.31951d004665126&view=1up&seq=92 preface, p. lxxxviii]. m. 13 Jul 1469 [[Oldenburg-27|Margaret Oldenburg]];Douglas Richardson. ''Royal Ancestry: A Study in Colonial and Medieval Families,'' 5 vols, ed. Kimball G. Everingham (Salt Lake City: the author, 2013), vol. 1, pp. 667-668 BRUS 14. James III of Scotland. d. 11 Jun 1488
*[[Stewart-1157|Mary Stewart]]; b. bef. May 1452Burnett, George (ed). ''Rotuli Scaccarii Regum Scotorum'' (Exchequer Rolls of Scotland). Edinburgh: General Register House (1883), vol. 6 (1455-1460), [https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uiuo.ark:/13960/t86h9223m&view=1up&seq=130 preface, pp.cxxvi-cxxvii, footnote 3].Burnett, George (ed). ''Rotuli Scaccarii Regum Scotorum'' (Exchequer Rolls of Scotland). Edinburgh: General Register House (1882), vol. 5 (1437-1454), [https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=umn.31951d004665126&view=1up&seq=653 p. 537]. m(1) Apr 1467 [[Boyd-546|Thomas Boyd]], Earl of Arran;Biographia Britannica. ''Boyde.'' London: W. Innys (1748), [https://play.google.com/books/reader?id=dRs2AQAAMAAJ&hl=en&pg=GBS.PA874 vol. 2, p. 875]. m(2) bef. 12 Jul 1474 [[Hamilton-7026|James Hamilton]], Lord Hamilton;Paul, Sir James Balfour. ''The Scots Peerage.'' Edinburgh: D. Douglas (1907), [https://archive.org/details/scotspeeragefoun04paul/page/352/mode/1up vol. 4, pp. 352-353].Dunbar, Sir Archibald H. ''Scottish Kings: A Revised Chronology of Scottish History 1005-1625.'' Edinburgh: D. Douglas (1899), [https://archive.org/stream/scottishkingsre00dunbuoft#page/201/mode/1up p. 201]. d. May 1488Paul, Sir James Balfour. ''The Scots Peerage.'' Edinburgh: D. Douglas (1907), [https://archive.org/details/scotspeeragefoun04paul/page/353/mode/1up vol. 4, p. 353].
*[[Stewart-3916|Alexander Stewart]], Duke of Albany, Earl of March; b. c1454;Burnett, George (ed). ''Rotuli Scaccarii Regum Scotorum'' (Exchecquer Rolls of Scotland). Edinburgh: General Register House (1886), vol. 9, [https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=umn.31951002243700g&view=1up&seq=62 preface pp. lvi-lix]. m(1) c1475 [[Sinclair-152|Katherine Sinclair]]; m(2) 19 Jan 1479 [[De La Tour-22|Anne de la Tour]]; d. c1485 FrancePitcairn, Robert. ''Criminal Trials in Scotland.'' Edinburgh: William Tait (1833), vol. 1, part 1, [https://www.google.com/books/edition/Ancient_Criminal_Trials_in_Scotland/_8kuAAAAIAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1 pp. 16-17, footnote 1].
*David Stewart, Earl of Moray; b. bef. 12 Feb1455;Burnett, George (ed). ''Rotuli Scaccarii Regum Scotorum'' (Exchequer Rolls of Scotland). Edinburgh: General Register House (1883), vol. 6 (1455-1460), [https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uiuo.ark:/13960/t86h9223m&view=1up&seq=130 preface, pp.cxxvi-cxxvii, footnote 5]. d. bef. 18 Jul 1457 (age 3)
*[[Stewart-3203|John Stewart]], Earl of Mar and Garioch; b. aft. Oct 1456;Burnett, George (ed). ''Rotuli Scaccarii Regum Scotorum'' (Exchequer Rolls of Scotland). Edinburgh: General Register House (1883), vol. 6 (1455-1460), [https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uiuo.ark:/13960/t86h9223m&view=1up&seq=130 preface, pp.cxxvi-cxxvii, footnote 6]. d. April 1479
*[[Stewart-1165|Margaret Stewart]]; b. bef. 3 Aug 1460;Burnett, George (ed). ''Rotuli Scaccarii Regum Scotorum'' (Exchequer Rolls of Scotland). Edinburgh: General Register House (1883), vol. 6 (1455-1460), [https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uiuo.ark:/13960/t86h9223m&view=1up&seq=130 preface, pp.cxxvi-cxxvii, footnote 7].Dickson, Thomas. ''Compota Thesaurariorum Regum Scotorum'' (Accounts of the Lord High Treasurer of Scotland). Edinburgh: HM General Register House (1877), vol. 1, appendix no. 1 to preface: The Lady Margaret, [https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=coo.31924091779789&view=1up&seq=291 p. cclxxxvi-ccxcii]. mistress of [[Crichton-182|William]], 3rd Lord Crichton; d. aft. 20 Dec 1503
James II also had a natural son by an unknown mistress:*[[Stewart-19594|John Stewart]] of Sticks and Ballechine; m. bef. 1482 [[Sutherland-3125|Muriel Sutherland]];Acta Dom Conc. 1482, cited in MacGregor, Gordon. ''The Red Book of Scotland.'' Scotland: by the author (2020), vol. 9, p. 47 d. 11 Sep 1523 Chronicle of Fortingal, cited in MacGregor, Gordon. ''The Red Book of Scotland.'' Scotland: by the author (2020), vol. 9, p. 47
===Death===James II was killed during a siege of Roxburgh Castle on 3 August 1459/60, when a cannon accidentally exploded near him.Burnett, George (ed.) ''Rotuli Scaccarii Regum Scotorum'' (Exchequer Rolls of Scotland). Edinburgh: General Register House (1883), vol. 6 (1455-1460), [https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uiuo.ark:/13960/t86h9223m&view=1up&seq=68 preface p. lxiv].Paul, Sir James Balfour. ''The Scots Peerage.'' Edinburgh: D. Douglas (1904), [https://archive.org/details/scotspeeragefoun01paul/page/20/mode/1up vol. 1, p. 20]. His wife had arrived to witness the fall of the castle, and it is said that James was anxious to fire a special salvo in her honor. Unfortunately, ''"....more curious than befitted the majesty of a king, [he] did stand too neire the guners quhill the artilierey wer in discharging ....his theighe bone was broken in tuo with a pice of a gun that burst in pices in discharging, quherwith beinge strukin to the ground, he deyed some few houres thereafter." ''Balfour, Sir James. ''The Annales of Scotland MCVII-MDCIII.'' Edinburgh: W. Aitchison (1824), [https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=hvd.32044094435674&view=1up&seq=232 vol. i, p. 188 (1459)]. On his death, the queen took command and ordered the seige to commence. When the castle was taken, the body of the king'' "was conducted...to the monastarey of the Holycrosse, neir Edinbrughe, quher [they] royally interrid the same, with tearres of his people and haill armey."''Balfour, Sir James. ''The Annales of Scotland MCVII-MDCIII.'' Edinburgh: W. Aitchison (1824), [https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=hvd.32044094435674&view=1up&seq=233 vol. 1, p. 189 (1460)]. The king was buried in the center of the choir of the chapel at Holyrood in Edinburgh.Dunbar, Sir Archibald H. ''Scottish Kings: A Revised Chronology of Scottish History 1005-1625.'' Edinburgh: D. Douglas (1899), [https://archive.org/stream/scottishkingsre00dunbuoft#page/200/mode/1up p. 200]. His queen died three years later, on 1 December 1463, and was buried in the Church of the Holy Trinity.Balfour, Sir James. ''The Annales of Scotland MCVII-MDCIII.'' Edinburgh: W. Aitchison (1824), [https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=hvd.32044094435674&view=1up&seq=236 vol. 1, p. 192 (1463)].
== Sources ==
:See Also:*Birch, W. de G. ''Catalogue of Seals in the....British Museum.'' London: the Trustees (1895), vol. 4, pp. 16-17, [https://archive.org/details/catalogueofseals04brit/page/16/mode/1up James II].
*Birch, W. de G. ''Catalogue of Seals in the ....British Museum.'' London: the Trustees (1895), vol. 4, pp. 38-39, [https://archive.org/details/catalogueofseals04brit/page/38/mode/1up Mary of Guelders].
*Cawley, Charles. ''Medieval Lands, Scotland, Kings.'' Foundation for Medieval Genealogy: Medieval Lands database, chapter 6, [http://fmg.ac/Projects/MedLands/SCOTLAND.htm#_Toc253996210 Stewart].
*Johnston, G. Harvey. ''The Heraldry of the Stewarts.'' Edinburgh: W. & A.K. Johnston (1908), p. 10 (ped.); p. 16 (arms), [https://deriv.nls.uk/dcn23/9558/95587188.23.pdf available online].
*Richardson, Douglas. ''Magna Carta Ancestry: A Study in Colonial and Medieval Families'', 4 vols., ed. Kimball G. Everingham. 2nd edition. Salt Lake City, UT: the author, 2011. See also WikiTree's source page for [[Space:Magna_Carta_Ancestry|''Magna Carta Ancestry'']].
*Richardson, Douglas. ''Royal Ancestry: A Study in Colonial and Medieval Families'', 5 vols., ed. Kimball G. Everingham. Salt Lake City, UT: the author, 2013. See also WikiTree's source page for [[Space:Royal_Ancestry|''Royal Ancestry'']]
*Weir, Alison. ''Britain's Royal Families.'' London: The Bodley Head (1989), pp. 233-236.
* Wikipedia: [[Wikipedia:James_II_of_Scotland|James II of Scotland]]
== Acknowledgements ==Click the Changes tab to see edits to this profile. Thank you to everyone who contributed to this profile.
=== Magna Carta Project ===
}:This profile was revised by [[Stevens-17832|Jen Hutton]] in November 2020 and approved for the Magna Carta Project by [[Cayley-55|Michael Cayley]] on 13 November 2020.
:} appears in ''Magna Carta Ancestry'' in a Richardson-documented trail from [[:Category:Gateway Ancestors|Gateway Ancestor]] [[Houston-1467|Patrick Houston]] to [[:Category:Surety Barons|Magna Carta Surety Barons]] [[Clare-673|Gilbert de Clare]] and [[Clare-651|Richard de Clare]] (vol. II, pages 403-407 HOUSTON). The [[Project:Magna Carta|Magna Carta Project]] also identified this profile in trails between Patrick Houston and surety barons [[Bigod-1|Hugh le Bigod]], [[Bigod-2|Roger le Bigod]], [[De Vere-309|Robert de Vere]], and [[Quincy-226|Saher de Quincy]]. These trails have not yet been developed by the Project and are set out in the [[Houston-1467#Magna Carta Trails|Magna Carta Trails]] section of the Gateway's profile.
: See [[Space:Magna_Carta_Team_Base_Camp|Base Camp]] for more information about identified Magna Carta trails and their status. See the project's [[Space:Magna Carta Project Glossary|glossary]] for project-specific terms, such as a "badged trail".
[[Category:Scottish Royalty]]
[[Category:House of Stewart]]
[[Category:Dukes of Rothesay]]
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== Biography ==
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===Family and Early Years===James was born 16 October 1430 at Holyrood, near Edinburgh, the second but oldest surviving son and heir of [[Stewart-419|James I]] of Scotland and [[Beaufort-20|Joan Beaufort]], eldest daughter of [[Beaufort-11|John Beaufort]], 1st earl of Somerset, and [[Holland-30|Margaret de Holand]].Douglas Richardson. ''Royal Ancestry: A Study in Colonial and Medieval Families,'' 5 vols, ed. Kimball G. Everingham (Salt Lake City: the author, 2013), vol. 1, pp. 662-667 BRUS 13. James II of Scotland.Douglas Richardson. ''Magna Carta Ancestry: A Study in Colonial and Medieval Families,'' 4 vols, ed. Kimball G. Everingham, 2nd ed. (Salt Lake City: the author, 2011), vol. 3, pp.582-587 SCOTLAND 10. James II of Scotland.Balfour, Sir James. ''The Annales of Scotland MCVII-MDCIII.'' Edinburgh: W. Aitchison (1824), [https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=hvd.32044094435674&view=1up&seq=204 vol. 1, p. 160 (1430)]. His twin brother, [[Stewart-1613|Alexander]] (the oldest twin), died in infancy.Paul, Sir James Balfour. ''The Scots Peerage.'' Edinburgh: D. Douglas (1904), [https://archive.org/details/scotspeeragefoun01paul/page/19/mode/1up vol. 1, p. 19]. James himself was born with a large red birthmark on his face, which caused him to be later nicknamed '''"James of the Fiery Face."'''Ashley, Mike. ''The Mammoth Book of British Kings & Queens.'' New York: Carroll & Graf (1999), pp. 559-560. He was six years old when his father was murdered, and he ascended to the throne on 25 March 1437.''Acts of Parliament,'' APS ii.31, 1437/3/2 [https://www.rps.ac.uk/trans/1437/3/2 Coronation of James II]. James II was crowned at Holyrood Abbey,Dunbar, Sir Archibald H. ''Scottish Kings: A Revised Chronology of Scottish History 1005-1625.'' Edinburgh: D. Douglas (1899), [https://archive.org/stream/scottishkingsre00dunbuoft#page/195/mode/1up p. 195].Balfour, Sir James. ''The Annales of Scotland MCVII-MDCIII.'' Edinburgh: W. Aitchison (1824), [https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=hvd.32044094435674&view=1up&seq=210 vol. 1, p. 166]. breaking a long tradition of Scottish kings who were crowned at Scone.
The queen initially retained custody of her son, but in 1439 she married (second) [[Stewart-4030|James Stewart]], knight of Lorne,Mackay, Aeneas J.G. ''Dictionary of National Biography Online.'' [https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Dictionary_of_National_Biography,_1885-1900/James_II_of_Scotland James II of Scotland]. and was forbidden by law to continue as James's guardian or have any role in the affairs of the government. This brought to a head a long standing conflict between [[Livingston-156|Alexander Livingston]], governor of Stirling Castle, and William Crichton, governor of Edinburgh Castle, who had each been vying to control the young king. Livingston actually seized the Queen Mother and her new husband and imprisoned them at Stirling Castle for a month, until they signed a formal document giving sole custody of James to himself.Dunbar, Sir Archibald H. ''Scottish Kings: A Revised Chronology of Scottish History 1005-1625.'' Edinburgh: D. Douglas (1899), [https://archive.org/stream/scottishkingsre00dunbuoft#page/196/mode/1up p. 196]. Crichton responded by kidnapping the king from Stirling Park and removing him to Edinburgh Castle. This rivalry for control over the king continued throughout his minority.
James's chief rivals to the throne of Scotland were [[Douglas-3571|William]] and [[Douglas-6608|David Douglas]], the sons of his cousin [[Douglas-1927|Archibal]]d, 5th earl of Douglas, and his wife [[Graham-3907|Euphemia Graham]], a great-granddaughter of Robert II. In November 1440 Crichton, in the king's name, invited the two boys to a feast at Edinburgh Castle where, at the end of the meal, a black bull's head was placed on the table to symbolize death. The brothers were seized, given a mock trial which found them guilty of treason, and immediately executed.Dunbar, Sir Archibald H. ''Scottish Kings: A Revised Chronology of Scottish History 1005-1625.'' Edinburgh: D. Douglas (1899), [https://archive.org/stream/scottishkingsre00dunbuoft#page/196/mode/1up pp. 196-197]. From that moment on, the Douglases were sworn enemies of both James and Crichton (in James's defense, he was only ten at the time and protested when the boys were seized but was completely overruled by Crichton), and allied themselves strongly with Livingston. The Livingstons continued to grow more and more powerful and by 1449 controlled most of the important offices and castles in Scotland. When, that same year, James II assumed his full powers as king, one of his first acts on 23 September was to arrest almost all Livingstons holding an official position, first imprisoning and then executing most of them. William Douglas (the new earl of Douglas), who had assisted the Livingsons, fled to France. Back in Scotland two years later, on 20 February 1452 he was invited to dinner by James who, at the end of a heated argument, stabbed him fatally in the neck.Balfour, Sir James. ''The Annales of Scotland MCVII-MDCIII.'' Edinburgh: W. Aitchison (1824), [https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=hvd.32044094435674&view=1up&seq=225 vol. i, p. 181].Dunbar, Sir Archibald H. ''Scottish Kings: A Revised Chronology of Scottish History 1005-1625.'' Edinburgh: D. Douglas (1899), [https://archive.org/stream/scottishkingsre00dunbuoft#page/198/mode/1up pp. 198-199]. The next earl of Douglas, William's brother James, immediately withdrew his allegiance from James and swore fealty to Henry VI. James retaliated by assembling 30,000 men, marching them south, and wasting many of the Douglas lands.
===Significant Events During His Reign===When the English War of the Roses broke out in 1455 its impact was also felt in Scotland, with James supporting the Lancastrians and the Douglases supporting the House of York. James, using cannons (a new form of artillery against which castles had no defense and on which James had a virtual monopoly in Scotland), successfully defeated the Douglases once and for all and they were attainted in June of that year, all of their estates forfeited.Dunbar, Sir Archibald H. ''Scottish Kings: A Revised Chronology of Scottish History 1005-1625.'' Edinburgh: D. Douglas (1899), [https://archive.org/stream/scottishkingsre00dunbuoft#page/199/mode/1up p. 199]. Over the next several years James began revoking many of the acts and settlements agreed upon during his minority. Threatening the use of military force against all who opposed him, James declared the crown to be the rightful owner of the earldoms of Fife and Strathearn; the castles of Edinburgh, Stirling, Dumbarton, Inverness, and Urquhart; the lordship of Brechin; and a number of highland baronies including several in Ross. By 1459 he held most of Scotland in his grip.
Although he did not hesitate to aggressively use force to acquire more land and control the Scottish nobility, James also was something of a reformist. In the 1450s he oversaw the founding of the University of Glasgow by Bishop William Turnbull.Balfour, Sir James. ''The Annales of Scotland MCVII-MDCIII.'' Edinburgh: W. Aitchison (1824), [https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=hvd.32044094435674&view=1up&seq=228 vol. 1, p. 184].Thomson, Thomas (ed.) ''The Auchinleek Chronicle.'' Edinburgh: Library at Auchinleek, Ayrshire (1819), part 2: ''A Short Chronicle of the Reign of James the Second, King of Scots,''[https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=hvd.32044094435674&view=1up&seq=228 p. 184]. On 6 March 1458, he called a parliament in Edinburgh to create a supreme and cental court for civil justice This court, sitting in Edinburgh, Perth, and Aberdeen, was to make annual circuits throughout the kingdom "for the good of the commons" and was an attempt to end abuses previously committed by nobles who had jurisdiction over the common folk and often levied extortionate fines against their own tenants.
===Marriage and Children=== On 3 July1448/9 at Holyrood Abbey, James II, King of Scots, married [[Egmond-Gelre-1|Mary of Guelders]], daughter of [[Egmond-30|Arnold]], Duke of Guelders, and [[Kleve-85|Katherine]], daughter of [[Kleve-68|Adolph I]], Duke of Cleves.Balfour, Sir James. ''The Annales of Scotland MCVII-MDCIII.'' Edinburgh: W. Aitchison (1824), [https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=hvd.32044094435674&view=1up&seq=220 vol. 1, p. 176 (1448)].Thomson, Thomas (ed.) ''The Auchinleek Chronicle.'' Edinburgh: Library at Auchinleek, Ayrshire (1819), part 2: ''A Short Chronicle of the Reign of James the Second, King of Scots,'' [https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=nyp.33433075893572&view=1up&seq=67 p. 41]. On the same day, Mary of Guelders was crowned Queen of Scots.Dunbar, Sir Archibald H. ''Scottish Kings: A Revised Chronology of Scottish History 1005-1625.'' Edinburgh: D. Douglas (1899), [https://archive.org/stream/scottishkingsre00dunbuoft#page/198/mode/1up p. 198].
There were at least seven children from this marriage:*[[Stewart-3915|(Unknown) Child]]; b. 19 May 1449/50 who survived only a few hours''The Asloan Manuscript,'' pp. 26, 43, cited in Burnett, George (ed). ''Rotuli Scaccarii Regum Scotorum'' (Exchequer Rolls of Scotland). Edinburgh: General Register House (1883), vol. 6 (1455-1460), [https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uiuo.ark:/13960/t86h9223m&view=1up&seq=130 preface, pp.cxxvi-cxxvii, footnote 1].Balfour, Sir James. ''The Annales of Scotland MCVII-MDCIII.'' Edinburgh: W. Aitchison (1824), [https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=hvd.32044094435674&view=1up&seq=221 vol 1, p. 177 (1449)].
*[[Stewart-2316|James III]], King of Scots; b. 10 Jul 1451;Burnett, George (ed). '' Rotuli Scaccarii Regum Scotorum'' (Exchequer Rolls of Scotland). Edinburgh: General Register House (1882), vol. 5 (1437-1454), [https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=umn.31951d004665126&view=1up&seq=92 preface, p. lxxxviii]. m. 13 Jul 1469 [[Oldenburg-27|Margaret Oldenburg]];Douglas Richardson. ''Royal Ancestry: A Study in Colonial and Medieval Families,'' 5 vols, ed. Kimball G. Everingham (Salt Lake City: the author, 2013), vol. 1, pp. 667-668 BRUS 14. James III of Scotland. d. 11 Jun 1488
*[[Stewart-1157|Mary Stewart]]; b. bef. May 1452Burnett, George (ed). ''Rotuli Scaccarii Regum Scotorum'' (Exchequer Rolls of Scotland). Edinburgh: General Register House (1883), vol. 6 (1455-1460), [https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uiuo.ark:/13960/t86h9223m&view=1up&seq=130 preface, pp.cxxvi-cxxvii, footnote 3].Burnett, George (ed). ''Rotuli Scaccarii Regum Scotorum'' (Exchequer Rolls of Scotland). Edinburgh: General Register House (1882), vol. 5 (1437-1454), [https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=umn.31951d004665126&view=1up&seq=653 p. 537]. m(1) Apr 1467 [[Boyd-546|Thomas Boyd]], Earl of Arran;Biographia Britannica. ''Boyde.'' London: W. Innys (1748), [https://play.google.com/books/reader?id=dRs2AQAAMAAJ&hl=en&pg=GBS.PA874 vol. 2, p. 875]. m(2) bef. 12 Jul 1474 [[Hamilton-7026|James Hamilton]], Lord Hamilton;Paul, Sir James Balfour. ''The Scots Peerage.'' Edinburgh: D. Douglas (1907), [https://archive.org/details/scotspeeragefoun04paul/page/352/mode/1up vol. 4, pp. 352-353].Dunbar, Sir Archibald H. ''Scottish Kings: A Revised Chronology of Scottish History 1005-1625.'' Edinburgh: D. Douglas (1899), [https://archive.org/stream/scottishkingsre00dunbuoft#page/201/mode/1up p. 201]. d. May 1488Paul, Sir James Balfour. ''The Scots Peerage.'' Edinburgh: D. Douglas (1907), [https://archive.org/details/scotspeeragefoun04paul/page/353/mode/1up vol. 4, p. 353].
*[[Stewart-3916|Alexander Stewart]], Duke of Albany, Earl of March; b. c1454;Burnett, George (ed). ''Rotuli Scaccarii Regum Scotorum'' (Exchecquer Rolls of Scotland). Edinburgh: General Register House (1886), vol. 9, [https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=umn.31951002243700g&view=1up&seq=62 preface pp. lvi-lix]. m(1) c1475 [[Sinclair-152|Katherine Sinclair]]; m(2) 19 Jan 1479 [[De La Tour-22|Anne de la Tour]]; d. c1485 FrancePitcairn, Robert. ''Criminal Trials in Scotland.'' Edinburgh: William Tait (1833), vol. 1, part 1, [https://www.google.com/books/edition/Ancient_Criminal_Trials_in_Scotland/_8kuAAAAIAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1 pp. 16-17, footnote 1].
*David Stewart, Earl of Moray; b. bef. 12 Feb1455;Burnett, George (ed). ''Rotuli Scaccarii Regum Scotorum'' (Exchequer Rolls of Scotland). Edinburgh: General Register House (1883), vol. 6 (1455-1460), [https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uiuo.ark:/13960/t86h9223m&view=1up&seq=130 preface, pp.cxxvi-cxxvii, footnote 5]. d. bef. 18 Jul 1457 (age 3)
*[[Stewart-3203|John Stewart]], Earl of Mar and Garioch; b. aft. Oct 1456;Burnett, George (ed). ''Rotuli Scaccarii Regum Scotorum'' (Exchequer Rolls of Scotland). Edinburgh: General Register House (1883), vol. 6 (1455-1460), [https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uiuo.ark:/13960/t86h9223m&view=1up&seq=130 preface, pp.cxxvi-cxxvii, footnote 6]. d. April 1479
*[[Stewart-1165|Margaret Stewart]]; b. bef. 3 Aug 1460;Burnett, George (ed). ''Rotuli Scaccarii Regum Scotorum'' (Exchequer Rolls of Scotland). Edinburgh: General Register House (1883), vol. 6 (1455-1460), [https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uiuo.ark:/13960/t86h9223m&view=1up&seq=130 preface, pp.cxxvi-cxxvii, footnote 7].Dickson, Thomas. ''Compota Thesaurariorum Regum Scotorum'' (Accounts of the Lord High Treasurer of Scotland). Edinburgh: HM General Register House (1877), vol. 1, appendix no. 1 to preface: The Lady Margaret, [https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=coo.31924091779789&view=1up&seq=291 p. cclxxxvi-ccxcii]. mistress of [[Crichton-182|William]], 3rd Lord Crichton; d. aft. 20 Dec 1503
James II also had a natural son by an unknown mistress:*[[Stewart-19594|John Stewart]] of Sticks and Ballechine; m. bef. 1482 [[Sutherland-3125|Muriel Sutherland]];Acta Dom Conc. 1482, cited in MacGregor, Gordon. ''The Red Book of Scotland.'' Scotland: by the author (2020), vol. 9, p. 47 d. 11 Sep 1523 Chronicle of Fortingal, cited in MacGregor, Gordon. ''The Red Book of Scotland.'' Scotland: by the author (2020), vol. 9, p. 47
===Death===James II was killed during a siege of Roxburgh Castle on 3 August 1459/60, when a cannon accidentally exploded near him.Burnett, George (ed.) ''Rotuli Scaccarii Regum Scotorum'' (Exchequer Rolls of Scotland). Edinburgh: General Register House (1883), vol. 6 (1455-1460), [https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uiuo.ark:/13960/t86h9223m&view=1up&seq=68 preface p. lxiv].Paul, Sir James Balfour. ''The Scots Peerage.'' Edinburgh: D. Douglas (1904), [https://archive.org/details/scotspeeragefoun01paul/page/20/mode/1up vol. 1, p. 20]. His wife had arrived to witness the fall of the castle, and it is said that James was anxious to fire a special salvo in her honor. Unfortunately, ''"....more curious than befitted the majesty of a king, [he] did stand too neire the guners quhill the artilierey wer in discharging ....his theighe bone was broken in tuo with a pice of a gun that burst in pices in discharging, quherwith beinge strukin to the ground, he deyed some few houres thereafter." ''Balfour, Sir James. ''The Annales of Scotland MCVII-MDCIII.'' Edinburgh: W. Aitchison (1824), [https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=hvd.32044094435674&view=1up&seq=232 vol. i, p. 188 (1459)]. On his death, the queen took command and ordered the seige to commence. When the castle was taken, the body of the king'' "was conducted...to the monastarey of the Holycrosse, neir Edinbrughe, quher [they] royally interrid the same, with tearres of his people and haill armey."''Balfour, Sir James. ''The Annales of Scotland MCVII-MDCIII.'' Edinburgh: W. Aitchison (1824), [https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=hvd.32044094435674&view=1up&seq=233 vol. 1, p. 189 (1460)]. The king was buried in the center of the choir of the chapel at Holyrood in Edinburgh.Dunbar, Sir Archibald H. ''Scottish Kings: A Revised Chronology of Scottish History 1005-1625.'' Edinburgh: D. Douglas (1899), [https://archive.org/stream/scottishkingsre00dunbuoft#page/200/mode/1up p. 200]. His queen died three years later, on 1 December 1463, and was buried in the Church of the Holy Trinity.Balfour, Sir James. ''The Annales of Scotland MCVII-MDCIII.'' Edinburgh: W. Aitchison (1824), [https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=hvd.32044094435674&view=1up&seq=236 vol. 1, p. 192 (1463)].
== Sources ==
:See Also:*Birch, W. de G. ''Catalogue of Seals in the....British Museum.'' London: the Trustees (1895), vol. 4, pp. 16-17, [https://archive.org/details/catalogueofseals04brit/page/16/mode/1up James II].
*Birch, W. de G. ''Catalogue of Seals in the ....British Museum.'' London: the Trustees (1895), vol. 4, pp. 38-39, [https://archive.org/details/catalogueofseals04brit/page/38/mode/1up Mary of Guelders].
*Cawley, Charles. ''Medieval Lands, Scotland, Kings.'' Foundation for Medieval Genealogy: Medieval Lands database, chapter 6, [http://fmg.ac/Projects/MedLands/SCOTLAND.htm#_Toc253996210 Stewart].
*Johnston, G. Harvey. ''The Heraldry of the Stewarts.'' Edinburgh: W. & A.K. Johnston (1908), p. 10 (ped.); p. 16 (arms), [https://deriv.nls.uk/dcn23/9558/95587188.23.pdf available online].
*Richardson, Douglas. ''Magna Carta Ancestry: A Study in Colonial and Medieval Families'', 4 vols., ed. Kimball G. Everingham. 2nd edition. Salt Lake City, UT: the author, 2011. See also WikiTree's source page for [[Space:Magna_Carta_Ancestry|''Magna Carta Ancestry'']].
*Richardson, Douglas. ''Royal Ancestry: A Study in Colonial and Medieval Families'', 5 vols., ed. Kimball G. Everingham. Salt Lake City, UT: the author, 2013. See also WikiTree's source page for [[Space:Royal_Ancestry|''Royal Ancestry'']]
*Weir, Alison. ''Britain's Royal Families.'' London: The Bodley Head (1989), pp. 233-236.
* Wikipedia: [[Wikipedia:James_II_of_Scotland|James II of Scotland]]
== Acknowledgements ==Click the Changes tab to see edits to this profile. Thank you to everyone who contributed to this profile.
=== Magna Carta Project ===
}:This profile was revised by [[Stevens-17832|Jen Hutton]] in November 2020 and approved for the Magna Carta Project by [[Cayley-55|Michael Cayley]] on 13 November 2020.
:} appears in ''Magna Carta Ancestry'' in a Richardson-documented trail from [[:Category:Gateway Ancestors|Gateway Ancestor]] [[Houston-1467|Patrick Houston]] to [[:Category:Surety Barons|Magna Carta Surety Barons]] [[Clare-673|Gilbert de Clare]] and [[Clare-651|Richard de Clare]] (vol. II, pages 403-407 HOUSTON). The [[Project:Magna Carta|Magna Carta Project]] also identified this profile in trails between Patrick Houston and surety barons [[Bigod-1|Hugh le Bigod]], [[Bigod-2|Roger le Bigod]], [[De Vere-309|Robert de Vere]], and [[Quincy-226|Saher de Quincy]]. These trails have not yet been developed by the Project and are set out in the [[Houston-1467#Magna Carta Trails|Magna Carta Trails]] section of the Gateway's profile.
: See [[Space:Magna_Carta_Team_Base_Camp|Base Camp]] for more information about identified Magna Carta trails and their status. See the project's [[Space:Magna Carta Project Glossary|glossary]] for project-specific terms, such as a "badged trail".
Events
| Birth | 16 Oct 1430 | Holyrood Palace, Edinburgh, Scotland | |||
| Marriage | 3 Jul 1449 | monastery of Holyrood, Edinburgh, Scotland - Maria "Queen Consort of Scotland" Egmond-Gelre | |||
| Death | Aft 3 Aug 1460 | Roxburgh Castle, Kelso, Roxburghshire, Scotland | |||
| Reference No | 990145 | ||||
| Reference No | 1011319 | ||||
| Reference No | 60 |
Families
| Spouse | Maria "Queen Consort of Scotland" Egmond-Gelre (1434 - 1463) |
| Child | James "King of Scotland" Stewart (1451 - 1488) |
| Child | Unnamed Infant Stewart (1450 - 1450) |
| Child | Lady Mary Stewart (1452 - 1488) |
| Child | Alexander "1st Duke of Albany, 2nd Making" Stewart (1454 - 1485) |
| Child | David Stewart (1456 - 1457) |
| Child | John Stewart (1457 - 1479) |
| Child | Princess Margaret Stewart (1460 - 1503) |
| Child | James "1st of Stix, Sticks" Stewart (1450 - 1523) |
| Father | James "King of Scotland, Duke of Rothesay, Earl of Carrick" Stewart (1394 - 1437) |
| Mother | Joan Beaufort (1404 - 1445) |
| Sibling | Annabella "Princess of Scotland" Stewart (1432 - 1509) |
| Sibling | Annabella "Princess of Scotland" Stewart (1435 - 1509) |
| Sibling | Mary Stewart ( - 1465) |
| Sibling | Margaret Stewart (1424 - 1445) |
| Sibling | Isabella "Elizabeth, Isabel" Stewart (1426 - 1498) |
| Sibling | Joan Stewart (1428 - 1493) |
| Sibling | Eleanor Stewart (1429 - 1480) |
| Sibling | Alexander Stewart (1430 - ) |