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Joan BeaufortQueen of Scots, wife of King James I
Country:
 Great Britain |
Content:
- Biography of Joanna Beaufort
- Marriage to King James I
- Influence as Queen
- Assassination of King James I
- Anarchy in Scotland
- Second Marriage and Failed Attempt
- Death and Descendants
Biography of Joanna Beaufort
Joanna Beaufort, also known as Joanna Beaufort Stewart, was the Queen of Scotland and the wife of King James I. She was born as the daughter of John Beaufort, Earl of Somerset, who was the brother of King Henry IV of England.
Marriage to King James I
Joanna Beaufort caught the attention of King James I of Scotland while he was held in English captivity from 1406. King James I dedicated his romantic poem "Kingis Quair" to her. On February 2, 1424, the Scottish King and the English princess got married, and the young couple returned to Scotland.
Influence as Queen
As Queen of Scotland, Joanna Beaufort had a softening influence on King James I's authoritarian policies. She often pleaded with the King to release arrested barons, and he granted her requests. Together, they had six daughters and two twin sons, one of whom died in infancy.
Assassination of King James I
In 1437, King James I was assassinated before Queen Joanna's eyes by conspirators. Their six-year-old son, James II, became the King of Scotland. The Scottish Parliament entrusted the regency of the young king to Queen Joanna, but Archibald, 5th Earl of Douglas, became the country's regent instead.
Anarchy in Scotland
Following King James I's death, Scotland fell into a long period of anarchy. Neither Queen Joanna nor the regent could control the barons, and rival factions, the Livingstons and the Crichtons, repeatedly seized the young king, using him to legitimize their claims to power.
Second Marriage and Failed Attempt
In an attempt to regain control, Queen Joanna remarried in 1439 to James Stewart, a knight also known as the "Black Knight of Lorne." However, their forces were no match for the Livingstons, and both Queen Joanna and her husband were captured once again. By 1443, power in Scotland was concentrated in the hands of the Livingston and Douglas families.
Death and Descendants
Queen Joanna's attempt to overthrow the Livingston-Douglas rule, supported by the Crichtons and Bishop James Kennedy, failed in 1445. Shortly after, on July 15, 1445, Queen Joanna passed away. From her marriage to King James I, she had no surviving sons, but her daughters married into various noble families. From her marriage to James Stewart, she had three sons: John Stewart, 1st Earl of Atholl, James Stewart, 1st Earl of Buchan, and Andrew, Bishop of Moray.
