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James IIIKing of scotland
Country:
 Great Britain |
Content:
Biography of James III
James III was the King of Scotland from 1460 to 1488. He was born in 1451 as the son of James II of Scotland and Mary of Guelders. After the unexpected death of his father on August 3, 1460, a regency council was appointed to govern during James III's minority, headed by Bishop James Kennedy. However, his mother, Queen Mary, also sought a dominant role in politics due to her extensive land holdings. This created two centers of power in the country – the "old lords" of the regency council and the "young lords" loyal to the queen. The conflict between Bishop Kennedy and Mary of Guelders was particularly evident in their policies regarding the events in England during the Wars of the Roses.
In 1461, leaders of the House of Lancaster sought refuge in Scotland, including Margaret of Anjou, King Henry VI, and the Duke of Somerset. In return for the support provided by the Scots, they handed over Berwick – the last fortress held by the English since the Wars of Independence. However, the joint actions of Scottish and Lancastrian forces did not yield the desired results, and by the end of 1463, the Lancastrians left Scotland.
After the death of Queen Mary, all power in the country was concentrated in the hands of Bishop Kennedy. As a far-sighted and efficient politician, he managed to secure a 15-year truce with England in 1464 and brought the Lord of the Isles, the leader of Gaelic separatists in the western part of the country, under royal authority. The Lord of the Isles had previously formed an alliance with England to divide Scotland. However, Kennedy's death on May 25, 1465, left the country without an authoritative leader. Robert Boyd took advantage of this opportunity and seized power, keeping the young king under his control. Boyd's son, Thomas, married James III's sister, Mary, and became the 1st Earl of Arran.
Economic and Administrative Measures
During James III's reign, the financial state of the country was relatively stable. Although there was a decline in customs revenues, it was offset by an increase in income from royal domains, which accounted for more than two-thirds of the budget. However, this growth was not due to improved land exploitation but rather the annexation of new territories by the king (Orkney and Shetland Islands in 1472, the Earldom of Ross in 1476, March and Mar in 1487). One characteristic of James III's rule was the frequent confiscation of lands by the king and their redistribution among his favorites. Scotland also faced a severe shortage of cash during this period, which forced the king to introduce copper coins – a highly unpopular measure. Under James III, the Parliament became effectively annual. It took on the responsibility of maintaining order in the country, organizing the judicial system, normalizing currency, and promoting trade. However, the king's inconsistency in implementing reforms significantly affected the efficiency of governance and caused dissatisfaction among Scottish barons. Following the example of James I, James III continued the policy of limiting the influence of the papacy in the appointment of positions within the Scottish Church. In response, on August 13, 1472, Pope Sixtus IV reorganized the church administration in Scotland, elevating the Bishopric of St Andrews to the status of an archbishopric with authority over all Scottish church institutions. This reorganization, without considering the opinion of the king, angered James III. The first Scottish Archbishop was not recognized by the king or the bishops of the country and soon fell into isolation and madness. Only after the pope granted James III's request to appoint one of his close allies as the Archbishop of St Andrews did peace return to the Scottish Church. The struggle between James III and the papacy resulted in a significant increase in the king's power over ecclesiastical appointments.
Foreign Policy
The overall external political situation during James III's reign was favorable. With the acquisition of Berwick, Scotland had no territorial claims on England, and the consequences of the Wars of the Roses prevented English kings from pursuing an aggressive policy towards Scotland. This facilitated closer relations between the two British nations. On October 26, 1474, a marriage agreement was concluded between the two-year-old Prince James of Scotland and five-year-old Cecily, the daughter of Edward IV of England.
The alliance with France continued, although relations remained cool during the reign of Louis XI. It was only after the accession of Charles VIII to the French throne in 1484 that the Franco-Scottish alliance was renewed.
James III, prone to political adventurism, attempted military expeditions to regions where he had distant dynastic claims, such as Brittany, Guelders, and Saintonge. Only through the determined resistance of Parliament were these projects not realized.
Despite the dissatisfaction of warlike Scottish barons, the king continued his policy of closer ties with England. In 1479, another Anglo-Scottish marriage agreement was signed, with James III's sister Margaret set to marry Anthony Woodville, Earl Rivers, a relative of the King of England. However, it was soon discovered that Margaret was pregnant. Taking advantage of this scandal, Edward IV broke off negotiations with Scotland and launched military actions in 1480, sending English fleets to raid Scottish ports. James III's countermeasures proved ineffective, and in 1481, an English army led by the Duke of Gloucester besieged Berwick. James III was forced to declare the mobilization of the gentry. The gathering of the gentry in 1482 was exploited by Scottish magnates dissatisfied with the king's ineffective internal policies, the exclusion of barons from governance, the dominance of favorites in high positions of power, and, most importantly, the lack of guarantees for land ownership. Led by the Earl of Angus, the Scottish barons who gathered in Loder seized and lynched the king's favorites. James III was taken to Edinburgh Castle under the supervision of one of the participants of the rebellion, his brother, the Earl of Atholl. The rebellion was quickly suppressed.
The Loder rebellion was immediately exploited by the English, and their army approached Edinburgh. Duke Albany, who had plans to overthrow the king, returned to Scotland with the English forces. He effectively seized power in the country, as the leaders of the Loder rebellion could not offer a constructive program and were soon marginalized. The Earl of Atholl handed the king over to Duke Albany. However, on March 1483, James III managed to remove Albany from power, accusing him of negotiations with the English king. Albany was once again forced to flee the country. The Loder rebellion and the claims to the throne by Duke Albany did not lead James III to make substantial changes to his policies after suppressing the rebellion. Only a portion of moderate royalists, led by the Earl of Argyll, were allowed to participate in the country's governance. The alliance with England was renewed once again, and Scottish troops provided support to Henry Tudor in capturing the English throne in 1485. Despite the ceasefire, border barons continued their raids into English territory. James III violently suppressed the disobedient barons but only intensified opposition to his regime.
This time, the discontented were led by James, the eldest son of the king, the Duke of Rothesay. In the conflict between the king and the prince, the majority of magnates from northern Scotland and the Highlands sided with James III, while the barons of the south supported the prince. On July 11, 1488, the royal army was defeated by the prince's forces in the Battle of Sauchieburn. James III, who fled from the battlefield at the beginning of the battle, fell off his horse, was captured by an unknown knight, and was killed by a sword blow.
