Scottish Monarchs

English Monarchs

House of Appin

Kenneth III

997 – 25^th Mar 1005

8yrs

Malcolm II

1005 – 1034

29yrs

House of Dunkeld

Duncan I

1034 – 1040

6yrs

In 1039 Duncan led a foray into England laying siege to Durham but it ended in disaster and he had to retreat. The following year he led a punitive expedition into Moray and was killed. This was Macbeths fiefdom. Macbeth was “dux” to Duncan and at this time “dux” or “Duke” may have had the meaning war leader. It may be Duncan blamed Macbeth for the failure of the siege of Durham.

Macbeth

1040 – 1057

17yrs

Lulach

1057 – 1058

1yr

Malcolm III – nickname Canmore (in Garlic literally means big head, understood to mean great chief)

1058 – 1093

35yrs

Malcolm III was the son of Duncan I. He killed Macbeth on 15^th August 1057. He subsequently killed Lulach, Macbeths son who had been crowned King. At this time Scotland did not extend over the full territory of modern Scotland. The islands were mainly Scandinavian and south of the Firth of Forth were many semi or independent realms such as the Kingdom of Strathclyde.

Malcolm’s wife was Margaret of Wessex mother to 3 subsequent Kings of Scotland and mother to the wife of King Henry I of England, Matilda of Scotland. This led to Malcolm III being the great grandfather of King Henry II of England.

Donald III

1094

1yr

Donald was the second son of Duncan I and seized the crown when his elder brother Malcolm III died. This by passed Malcolms two sons. One of the sons, Duncan managed to briefly overthrow Donald III. Duncan was killed at the battle of Monthechin and Donald III re-took the throne to rule jointly with Edmund, Duncan’s brother. In 1097 Edmunds brother, Malcolm III 4^th son overthrew Donald and Edmund. Donald’s only child was a daughter who in turn had a daughter who married Richard Comyn which gave rise to Comyn’s claim to the throne during the “Great Cause”. 

Edgar

1097 – 1107

10yrs

Edgar was the 4^th son of Malcolm III.

Alexander I

1107 – 1124

17yrs

He was the brother of King Edgar and 5^th son of Malcolm III. Prior to the death of Edgar the brothers (Edgar, Alexander and David and their brother in law Henry I of England) agreed that David would be granted appanage in southern Scotland bringing the lands of the former Kingdom of Strathclyde into Scotland. Alexander was married to the illegitimate daughter of Henry I of England.

David I

1124 – 1153

29yrs

David’s sister Matilda was the wife of Henry I. Although Alexander had a son the Scots had never adopted the rules of primogeniture and as none of the other claimants had the backing of Henry I of England it was either accept David or have a war with David and Henry I. David was Henry’s protégé who had a significant influence on David’s early career. Alexanders son did choose war but years of conflict got him nowhere and he faded from history.

It was around this time that David granted Walter Fitzalan Strathgryfe and northern Kyle and the area around Renfrew.

By the end of his reign more of Scotland was under David’s rule than ever before.

David married Matilda of Huntingdon the heiress to the Earl of Northumberland. This was a defunct lordship that had covered Cumberland, Westmoorland and Northumberland.

David invaded northern England many times for his own purposes and in support of Empress Matilda (Maude) against King Stephen who had seized the English throne. In the end he had control over much of northern England. David’s son Henry was made Earl of Northumberland and he was restored to the Earldom of Huntingdon and lordship of Doncaster.

David’s only son Henry pre deceased him and he himself died a year later. In the interim he ensured his eldest grandson Malcolm would become King and for his younger grandson William to become Earl of Northumberland. His youngest grandson, David inherited the Earldom of Huntingdon. These lands remained a fief of the English crown.

The youngest grandson, David, died in 1219. He had two daughters Isobel (the younger of the two) who married Robert Bruce 4^th Lord of Annadale which led to the Bruces claim to the Scottish throne and Margaret (the eldest) who married Alan Lord of Galloway whose daughter, Dervorguilla,  married John Balliol leading to their claim to the Scottish throne.

House of Denmark

Sweyn Forkbeard

25^th Dec 1013 – 3^rd Feb 1014

41 Days

House of Wessex

Aethelred the Unready

3^rd Feb 1014 – 23^rd Apr 1016

2yrs 81days

Edmund Ironside

23^rd Apr 1016- 30^th Nov 1016

222days

House of Denmark

Cnut the Great

18^th Oct 1016 – 12 Nov 1035

19yrs 26days

Harold Harefoot

12^th Nov 1035 – 17^th Mar 1040

4yrs 127days

Harthacnut

17^th Mar 1040-8^th June 1042

2yrs 84days

House of Wessex

Edward the Confessor

8^th June 1042 – 5^th Jan 1066

23yrs 212days

House of Godwinson

Harold II

6^th Jan 1066 – 14^th Oct 1066

282days

House of Wessex

Edgar Aetheling

15^th Oct 1066 – 17^th Dec 1066

64 days – the Witan voted Edgar King after Harold killed at Battle of Hastings but by then Normans controlled country so never really ruled. His daughter was Margaret of Wessex who married Malcolm III of Scotland. She was the mother of Matilda of Scotland who married King Henry I of England.

House of Normandy

William I – William the Conqueror

25^th Dec 1066 – 9^th Sept 1087

20yrs 259days

On his death England went to his second son William Rufus and his Normandy possessions went to his first son Robert.

William II – William Rufus

25^th Sept 1087- 2^nd Aug 1100

12yrs 311days

Henry I – Henry Beauclerc

5^th Aug 1100 – 1^st Dec 1135

35yrs 119days

Henry married Matilda of Scotland daughter of Malcolm III. She died in 1118. Henry left no male heir as his son drowned in the White Ship disaster in 1120. His daughter Matilda’s first marriage was to Henry V, the Holy Roman Emperor and she was known as Empress Maude. When her husband died in 1125 Henry named his daughter heir presumptive. During the period 1120 – 1125 Henry had been considering various possible successors, his nephew Stephen being one of them. Matilda subsequently married Geoffrey Plantagenet, Count of Anjou to whom she was married when her father, Henry I, died.

House of Blois

Stephen – Stephen of Blois

22^nd Dec 1135 – 25^th Oct 1154

18yrs 308days

Stephen was Matilda’s cousin and on his uncle’s death he seized the throne. This led to the Anarchy, almost 20yrs of civil war. Agreement was reached in 1153 that Matilda’s son Henry would become King on Stephen’s death.

House of Plantagenet – also known as the Angevin Empire, during the 12^th & 13^th centuries ruled over an area covering half of present day France, all of England and parts of Wales and Ireland with influence over Scotland. See map below.

Scottish Monarchs

English Monarchs

Malcolm IV

1153 – 1165

12yrs

He had poor health and died unmarried aged 24. He had threats to his rule from Somerled, King of the Isles and Argyll; Fergus, Lord of Galloway; Henry II, King of England. Henry II refused to allow Malcolm to keep Cumbria or Northumberland. By 1160 only Somerled remained a threat. In 1160 Somerled attacked Glasgow and Renfrew where Walter Fitzalan had newly completed a castle. Somerled and his son were killed in the ensuing battle.

William I

1165 – 1214

49yrs

He was the brother of Malcolm IV and had the longest reign for a Scottish monarch before the Union of the Crowns in 1603. His reign was marred by ill fated attempts to regain Northumbria when Henry II of England took the Earldom back. Sons of Henry attempted a revolt which William supported. He was captured at the Battle of Alnwick in 1174 and his release was secured by swearing fealty to Henry and paying a ransom of 26,000 marks. This arrangement – the Treaty of Falaise - remained in force until 1189 when Richard the Lionheart needed funds for a third crusade. William paid 10000 silver marks in 1189 to be released from the treaty and regain Scottish independence via the Quitclaim of Canterbury in 1189.

Henry II – Henry Curtmantle

19^th Dec 1154 – 6^th Jul 1189

34yrs 200days

He was born on 5^th March 1133 in Le Mans, France, to Geoffrey Plantagenet Count of Anjou and Empress Matilda daughter of Henry I of England. His great grandfather was Malcolm III of Scotland. Henry II, Malcolm IV and William I were second cousins. His 2^nd wife was Eleanor, Duchess of Acquitaine

Henry’s son’s (Henry, Richard and Geoffrey) revolted against him (his youngest son John did not rebel). Eventually Henry was reconciled with his sons apart from Richard. The combined forces of Richard and Phillip of France defeated Henry at the battle of Hattin in 1189. Two days later Henry died after agreeing to name Richard his heir apparent. His eldest son Henry had pre-deceased him in 1183.

William I of Scotland attempted to take advantage of this turmoil to regain Northumbria. William invaded Northumbria but was captured by Henry at the Battle of Alnwick in 1174. He was taken to Falaise in Normandy and was forced to enter into a treaty which effectively gave England dominion over Scotland. For the first time the relationship between the King of Scots and the King of England was set down in writing. The treaty affected the king, nobles, clergy, their heirs, judicial proceedings and transferred the castles of Roxburgh, Berwick, Jedburgh, Edinburgh and Stirling over to English soldiers.

Scottish Monarchs

English Monarchs

David I, William I and Henry II set the foundations for Edward I claim to be Scottish overlord and the wars of independence fought by Wallance and Bruce. This was compounded by the arrangement of Edward I son to marry the Maid of Norway Alexander III heir presumptive. This would have led to Edward of Caernarfon becoming King of Scotland and eventually King of England on Edward I death. Margaret died in 1290 aged 7 in Orkney enroute to Scotland. Edward was 6 years old in 1290.

 Alexander II

1214 – 1249

35yrs

In 1221 Alexander married the eldest daughter (Joan) of King John of England brother of Richard the Lionheart. He concluded the Treaty of York in 1237 with Henry III, his brother-in-law, which defined the Scottish English border and is virtually unchanged today.

Alexander III

1249 – 1286

37yrs

Alexander is the son of his father’s 2^nd wife, Maria de Coucy.  He married Henry III daughter Margaret in 1251 when he was 10 and she 11 years old. This also made Alexander III brother-in-law to Edward I known both as Edward Longshanks and Hammer of the Scots.

She died in 1275 and they had 3 children, Margaret who married King Eric II of Norway, Alexander who died aged 20 and David who died aged 9. With no male heirs he recognised his granddaughter  Margaret, the Maid of Norway as his heir. He married again in Nov. 1285 but died falling from his horse in March 1286. Margaret died in 1290 on her way to Scotland.

The Battle of Largs in 1263 was indecisive in securing the Western Isles from Viking rule. However in 1266 the Treaty of Perth secured the Isle of Man and the Western Isles but Orkney and Shetland remained Viking till 1469 when they became a dowry for James III bride, Margaret of Denmark.

House of Sverre

Margaret – Maid of Norway

1286 – 1290

4yrs

She was only 3 or 4 when she ascended the throne but remained in Norway with her father due to her young age. Between 1286 and 1292 Scotland was governed by regents called the Guardians of Scotland. And again between 1296 and 1306.

Upon the death of Margaret in 1990 aged 7 William I’s line became extinct and there was no obvious heir. Her father and the Scottish nobles had negotiated her marriage to Edward of Caernarfon the son of Edward I of England. Over a period of two years thirteen candidates vied for the job in what became known as The Great Cause. The two most prominent were John Balliol, great grandson of William I younger brother David of Huntington and Robert de Brus, 5^th Lord of Annadale, David of Huntington’s grandson and grandfather to King Robert the Bruce.

Robert Bruce pleaded tanistry and proximity of blood in the succession dispute. He descended from the second daughter of David of Huntingdon, whereas John Balliol descended from the eldest, and thus had the lineal right. However, Robert was a second cousin of kings of Scotland and descended in fourth generation from King David I of Scotland, whereas John Balliol was a third cousin of kings and descended in fifth generation from King David I, the most recent common ancestor who had been Scottish king. 

The Scots invited Edward 1 of England to administer the process of selection. 104 auditors would make the decision, 40 appointed by Balliol, 40 by Bruce and 24 selected by Edward from senior Scottish families. He did so but forced the Scots to swear Allegiance to him as overlord. John Balliol was selected but was weak and incapable and in 1296 forced to abdicate and placed in the Tower of London after the Scots formed an alliance with the French. Edward had demanded that Scottish nobles provide military service in his war against France. Instead, they formed an alliance with France and attacked Carlisle. Edward invaded Scotland, crushed the Scots at Dunbar in 1296 and took the Stone of Destiny to Westminster and placed it under King Edwards Chair. Edward believed he had completed the conquest of Scotland.

John Balliol

1292 – 1296

4yrs

House of Bruce

Robert I – the Bruce

1306 – 1329

Robert the Bruce had sided with the English in the winter of 1301/02 against King John and his Comyn allies whom the Bruces considered usurpers. By 1304 most other nobles had pledged allegiance to Edward I of England. Wallace was betrayed by Sir John de Menteith and captured in 1305.

The situation changed when Bruce murdered his rival to the Scottish Crown, John Comyn. A few weeks later he was crowned King and embarked on a campaign to restore Scottish independence. Bruce was routed at the Battle of Methven and forced into hiding. Edward acted with brutality against Bruce’s family, allies and supporters. Edward regarded the struggle not as a war but a rebellion by disloyal subjects. The brutality rallied growing support for Bruce. In 1314 the Battle of Bannockburn re-established an independent Scottish Kingdom. Edward II refused to renounce his claim to the overlordship of Scotland.

In 1320 the Scottish nobility submitted the Declaration of Arbroath to Pope John XXII declaring Robert as their rightful monarch and asserting Scotland’s status as an independent kingdom. In 1324 the Pope recognised Robert as King of an independent Scotland. In 1327 the English deposed Edward II in favour of his son Edward III. Peace was concluded in 1328 with the Treaty of Edinburgh-Northampton by which Edward III renounced all claims to sovereignty over Scotland. Robert died in June 1329.

David II

1329 – 1371

42yrs

David was Robert’s son to his second wife.

Edward Balliol, the son of John tried several times to assert his claim to the throne in 1332, 1333, 1335 and for the last time in 1336. He was helped in these endeavours by Edward III. He renounced all claims to the throne in 1356.

David was only 4yrs old when he became King and 8 when Edward made his first challenge for the throne. David returned from exile in 1341 to rule in his own right. He was captured at the Battle of Neville’s Cross by the English in 1346 when he invaded England in support of the French. He was held for 11yrs and released on payment (by instalment) of 100,000 merks. He used the money for his own purposes and by 1363 it was found impossible to raise the instalment due that year. He tried to have the debt cancelled by offering the succession to one of Edward III sons. The Scottish Parliament rejected this idea. David died childless, the last male heir of the House of Bruce in 1371. He was succeeded by his nephew Robert II, the son of Marjorie Bruce his half-sister and Walter 6^th High Steward of Scotland.

House of Stuart

Robert II

1371 – 1390

19yrs

He succeeded to the throne aged 55. The country had English enclaves where Scots gave their allegiance to the King of England and important castles such as Berwick, Jedburgh, Lochmaben and Roxburgh had English garrisons. Area such as southern Berwickshire, Teviotdale, Annandale and Tweeddale were under English control. In 1371 Robert agreed a defensive treaty with the French and attacks on the English zones began in 1773 and increased during 1375-77. In 1776 the Earl of March recovered Annandale for Robert.

Robert ensured the Stuart dynasty by providing significant land holding to each of his sons.

Robert III

1390 – 1406

16yrs

He was christened John Stewart and was High Steward of Scotland from 1371 to 1390 and held the titles Earl of Atholl and Earl of Carrick. By influencing the Scottish Council he sidelined his father to become the King’s lieutenant removing Robert II from direct rule in 1384. One of the reasons Robert III sidelined his father when he was Earl of Carrick was to control his younger brother Alexander the Earl of Buchan who ruled the North in a ruthless, lawless manner and was bringing Royal authority into disrepute.

Carrick also re-instigated hostilities with the English and in 1388 defeated them at the Battle of Otterburn. However one of his key allies was killed in the battle and the Scottish Council transferred the lieutenancy from him (the Earl of Carrick) to his younger brother, the Earl of Fife (who would also become Duke of Albany) and not back to King Robert II. When Robert II died Fife retained the position of King’s lieutenant until 1393. 

Robert III’s son David became Earl of Carrick and Duke of Rothsay. David was imprisoned by his uncle the Duke of Albany in Falkland Castle where he died in 1402.

Robert managed to re-assert himself and in 1404 granted a regality to his remaining son James. See photograph below.

In 1406 it was decided James was to be sent to France out of the reach of the Duke of Albany. Unfortunately James was captured en-route on 22^nd March 1406 and taken to Henry IV of England. After hearing of his son’s capture Robert III died 4^th April 1406 and was buried in Paisley Abbey which was founded by the Stewarts.

 Richard I – Richard the Lionheart

3^rd Sept 1189 – 6^th Apr 1199

9yrs 216days

He was the 3^rd son of Henry II. Richard was also Duke of Normandy, Acquitaine and Gascony, Lord of Cyprus, Count of Poitiers, Anjou, Maine and Nantes and was overlord of Brittany at various times. He spent most of his adult life in the Duchy of Acuitaine in southwest France. As King of England he perhaps spent as little as 6 months in the country being either on Crusade, in captivity or defending his lands in France.

Richard entered into The Quitclaim of Canterbury in 1189 which restored Scottish sovereignty. This new agreement reverted to the previously vague and ill-defined traditions of fealty and homage between Scottish and English Kings, rather than the direct subjugation that Henry demanded.

Richard had no legitimate heirs so his younger brother John ascended the throne.

John – John Lackland

27^th May 1199 – 19^th Oct 1216

17yrs 146days

These 3 monarchs had more possessions in France than in England and so spent more time on the Continent. By the end of John’s rule he had lost most of the continental lands and the Plantagenet Kings became more English. The map above shows how extensive their continental lands were.

John was facing increasing hostility from northern barons because of the cost of trying to hold onto the continental lands. The rebels captured London, Lincoln and Exeter. John met the rebel at Runnymede near Windsor Castle on 15^th June 1215. Out of this meeting came the Magna Carta. It addressed baronial complaints, political reform, protection of church rights, protection from illegal imprisonment, access to swift justice, new taxation only with baronial consent and limitations on feudal payments. A council of 25 barons was created to monitor and ensure John’s compliance. Neither side honoured their obligations, the Pope declared it illegal and unjust, excommunicated the rebel barons and the charters failure led to the first baron’s war. It was reissued in 1216, 2017, 1225 and finally in 1297 it was incorporated into statute law by Edward I. None of the original Magna Carta is in force. Four clauses from the original are enshrined in the 1297 version and are still in force. The Magna Carta was also influential in shaping the American Constitution.

King John’s eldest daughter (Joan) married the only surviving son of William I to become queen of Scotland when Alexander II ascended the throne.

Henry III – Henry of Winchester

28^th Oct 1216 – 16^th Nov 1272

56yrs 20days

Eldest son of King John. Henry became King at 9 yrs old in the middle of the 1^st Barons War which started during the reign of his father.

Henry tried unsuccessfully to regain some of the lands his father had lost. In 1259 a peace treaty with France was signed whereby he gave up his rights to the majority of these lands in exchange for being recognised as the rightful ruler of Gascony.

His military campaigns required large sums of money to be raised via taxes and this led to on-going rebellion by some of his barons. Peace was achieved via a revised version of the Magna Carta in 1225. His rule became ever more unpopular and in 1263 Simon de Montfort seized power resulting in the 2^nd Barons war. His son, Edward, defeated de Montford the following year and Henry regained the throne but had to acquiesce to several measures to maintain baronial and popular support.

He had a good relationship with his Scottish counterpart. His sister married Alexander II and his daughter married Alexander III. His was the longest reign of a medieval English monarch and was not surpassed until George III. On his death his son Edward became King.

Edward I – Edward Longshanks also known as the Hammer of the Scots

20^th Nov 1272 – 7^th Jul 1307

34yrs 230days

Edward also ruled Gascony as Duke of Aquitaine in his capacity as a vassal of the French King and Lord of Ireland from 1254 to 1306.

Edward is credited with many accomplishments, including restoring royal authority after the reign of Henry III and establishing Parliament as a permanent institution, which allowed for a functional system for raising taxes and reforming the law through statutes. At the same time, he is also often condemned for his wars against Scotland and for expelling the Jews from England in 1290. At 6 ft 2 in (188 cm) he towered over most of his contemporaries.

Between 1274 and 1296 Edward fully integrated Wales into England. Several castles were built such as Beaumaris, Caernarfon, Conwy and Harlech. New towns were built such as Flint, Aberystwyth and Rhuddlan populated with English migrants and Welsh locals barred from living in them.

The relationship between England and Scotland by the 1280s was one of relatively harmonious coexistence. Problems arose only with the Scottish succession crisis of the early 1290s. When Alexander died in 1286, he left as heir to the Scottish throne Margaret, his three-year-old granddaughter and sole surviving descendant. Margaret was to marry Edward’s son but she died in transit from Norway. This left the country without an obvious heir, and led to the succession dispute known to history as the Great Cause.

Despite being crushed in 1296 resistance continued by Andrew de Moray in the north and William Wallace in the south. On 11^th September 1297 a large English force was routed by William Wallace and Andrew de Moray at the Battle of Stirling Bridge. On 22^nd July 1298 Edward defeated Wallace at the Battle of Falkirk. The Scots regained Stirling Castle the following year. After that the Scots engaged in guerilla tactics rather than open battle. Wallace was betrayed by Sir John de Menteith and captured in 1305 in Robroyston near Glasgow.

He was tried for treason and for atrocities against civilians in war, "sparing neither age nor sex, monk nor nun." He responded to the treason charge, "I could not be a traitor to Edward, for I was never his subject." Following the trial, on 23 August 1305, Wallace was taken to the Tower of London, stripped naked and dragged through the city at the heels of a horse.

He was hanged, drawn and quartered. Strangled by hanging, but released while he was still alive, emasculated, eviscerated (with his bowels burned before him), beheaded, then cut into four parts. Wallace's head was dipped in tar and placed on a spike atop London Bridge. His preserved head was later joined by the heads of his brother John and his compatriots Simon Fraser and John of Strathbogie. Wallace's limbs were displayed, separately, in Newcastle, Berwick, Stirling and Perth.

Edward II – Edward of Caernarfon

8^th Jul 1307 – 20^th Jan 1327 (Abdicated)

19yrs 197days

Edward II was disliked as a King. His wife, Isabella of France, and Richard Mortimer conspired to have him removed. An invasion from France was launched, Edwards forces deserted him and Parliament forced him to relinquish the crown to his 14yr old son. By 1330 it was obvious to the young King that both his mother and Mortimer had to be removed from their positions of power. Mortimer was executed 19^th Oct 1330.

Edward III – Edward of Windsor

25^th Jan 1327 – 21^st Jun 1377

50yrs 148days

3^rd son John of Gaunt was Duke of Lancaster

4^th son was Edmund of Langley Duke of York

Edward was not happy with the peace accord signed in his name. However a group of English Lords who lost land through this agreement staged an invasion and won a great battle at Dupplin Moor in 1332. They attempted to re-install Edward Balliol who requested help from Edward. He laid siege to Berwick and defeated a large relieving force at the Battle of Haddon Hill. Forces loyal to David II gradually regained control of the country.

Richard II – Richard of Bordeaux

22^nd Jun 1377 – 29^th Sept 1399

22yrs 100days

He was the grandson of Edward III being the son of Edwards first born – Edward the Black Prince who died 1376.

Scottish Monarchs

English Monarchs

James I

1406 – 1437

31yrs

James was 11 years old when he was captured and would remain in captivity for 18 years.

He was well educated during this time, gained respect for English methods of governance and even fought in France for the English. His cousin, the Duke of Albany’s son, Murdoch, was also a prisoner and was traded for an English noble held by the Scots in 1416. Albany, who died in 1420, refused to negotiate for James, his nephew. Just before his release he married Joan Beaufort daughter of the Earl of Somerset in February 1424.

On his return to Scotland to secure his position he had Murdoch and his sons executed. In 1427 he carried out further purges of Highland clansmen.

James was assassinated at Perth 20/21^st Feb 1437 during a failed coup by his uncle Walter Stewart, Earl of Atholl. He was a son of the second wife of Robert II. Queen Joan managed to evade the attackers and reached her son, now King James II, in Edinburgh Castle. Walter had been very active in securing James’s release from English captivity. Some believe it was so James’s branch and Albany’s branch of the Stewart dynasty would destroy each other clearing a path for him to take the throne. Others believe he turned against the King due to the imprisonment and subsequent death of his son. His execution was particularly barbaric even for those times.

James II

1437 – 1460

23yrs

James rule was bedevilled by powerful lords who sought to control him and fought for dominance between themselves. This culminated in the murder of William Douglas the 8^th Earl of Douglas in 1452. It took till 1455 before James was his own man and Royal power was greatly restored.

James enthusiastically promoted modern artillery and was killed during the Siege of Roxburgh Castle. It was one of the last held by an English garrison. A canon exploded which he was standing beside killing him instantly.

His oldest sister married the Dauphin Louis in 1436 (later King Louis XI of France).

Glasgow University was founded during his reign.

James III

1460 – 1488

28yrs

He was 9 when he ascended the throne and his mother, Mary of Guelders, acted as regent. She was astute and capable pursuing a pragmatic foreign policy during the War of the Roses in England. She gave shelter to Henry VI, Margaret of Anjou and Edward Prince of Wales when the Yorkists defeated the Lancastrians at the battle of Towton in 1461. In return the Lancastrians surrendered Berwick to the Scots in 1461.

When Mary died in 1463 James Kennedy, Bishop of St Andrews took control of the government. In 1466 James III was seized by the Boyds and the 14yr old King was forced to declare before parliament that the Boyds would serve as his governor till his 21^st year. In 1469 he managed to rid himself of the Boyds and begin his personal rule.

1469 was also the year the 17yr old King married the 13yr old Margaret of Denmark. As King Christian I of Denmark and Norway could not raise the full amount of Margarets dowry in cash he pledged Orkney and Shetland as security till the outstanding amount was paid. In the end James acquired full sovereignty over the islands.

James was unpopular and ineffective and faced two rebellions during his reign. His focus was on foreign policy initiatives instead of the administration of justice in his Kingdom. He was killed at the Battle of Sauchieburn. His preference for “low born” favourites at Court alienated many bishops and nobles as well as members of his family.

In 1474 he concluded a truce with Edward IV of England which was to last 45 years and included the marriage of James heir, the infant Duke of Rothesay, with Edwards daughter, Cecily of York. His desire for a peaceful relationship with England was also unpopular as it went against the traditional enmity between the two Kingdoms. His brother Alexander, the Duke of Albany, was particularly against it which led to him having to flee to the safety of France in 1479. At the same time James had his other brother John, Earl of Mar, thrown in prison where he died in mysterious circumstances.

From 1478 there was intermittent raids into England by unruly Scottish nobles leading Edward IV to effectively declare war with Scotland. In 1482 a full-scale invasion led by the future Richard III and including the exiled Alexander, Duke of Albany was launched. James was arrested by disaffected nobles. When the English returned home they retained Berwick-upon-Tweed for the last time. James was returned to power in 1483 and his brother again had to flee.

The second rebellion was in 1488. James appeared to favour his second son and a group of nobles together with the heir to the throne collectively fearing for their lives if James continued to rule launched a rebellion. The King was killed at the ensuing Battle of Sauchieburn south of Stirling.

In 1462 when James was only 11 yrs old The Lord of the Isles, John MacDonald, and the Earl of Ross had entered into a Treaty with Edward IV of England agreeing that if England conquered Scotland the Kingdom would be partitioned with the lands north of the Forth of Forth divided between the Lord of the Isles and the Earl of Douglas. In 1475 John was accused of treasonable dealings with England and the Earl of Douglas. By 1476 this matter was dealt with by the Lord of the Isles being reduced to a mere Lord of Parliament by his sheriffdoms of Nairn and Inverness being removed.

James IV

1488 – 1513

25yrs

He was 15yrs old when he ascended the throne. On his birth, as heir apparent, he became Duke of Rothesay.

Regarded as the most successful of the Stewart monarchs. With his patronage the printing press came to Scotland, established the Royal College of Surgeons, University of Aberdeen and in 1496 introduced compulsory schooling.

Relations with England improved with the Treaty of Perpetual Peace in 1502. The first peace treaty between Scotland and England since 1328. The 30yr old James married the 13yr old Margaret Tudor, Henry VII eldest daughter, in 1503 culminating in the Union of the Crown in 1603 when Elizabeth I of England died without issue his great grandson James VI succeeded to the English throne. The marriage was celebrated in William Dunbar’s poem The Thistle and the Rose.

In 1513 Henry VIII invaded France and James chose the Auld Alliance over the Perpetual Peace and led a large army into England. James and many of his nobles were killed at the Battle of Flodden 9^th September 1513 which is near Braxton in Northumberland. He was the last monarch of Great Britain to be killed in battle.

James V

1513 – 1542

29yrs

His uncle was Henry VIII of England. He ascended the throne when he was 17mths old. Scotland was initially ruled by his mother then by his second cousin John Stewart, Duke of Albany. John’s father was Alexander, brother of James III who rebelled against his brother. The title had been forfeit but reinstated for John in 1515. He died in 1536 with no issue.

From 1524 James Hamilton, 1^st Earl of Arran and Archibald Douglas, the 6^th Earl of Angus agreed to take turns of holding the young prince captive and thereby acting in his name. In May 1528 James escaped from the Red Douglas. Douglas holed up in Tantallon Castle until it was agreed he could go into exile in England.

James second marriage was to Mary of Guise. They had two sons however both died in infancy. He had one daughter, Mary who would become Queen of Scots.

When his mother (Mary Tudor) died Henry VIII saw no further reason not to invade Scotland. On 24^th November 1542 James suffered a heavy defeat at the Battle of Solway Moss. He had suffered numerous illness throughout his life and took ill again shortly after this battle and died 14^th December 1542.

 His reign saw the rise of Protestantism in Scotland.

Mary I

1542 – 1567

25yrs

First married to Francis II of France, secondly in 1565 to Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley (son became James VI) and third to James Hepburn, 4^th Earl of Bothwell, no issue. Darnley orchestrated the murder of Mary’s Italian secretary, David Rizzio. Darnley’s residence was blown up and he was found dead nearby. Hepburn is widely thought to have been involved but was acquitted and in May 1567 married Mary. This led to an uprising against the couple and Mary was imprisoned in Lochleven Castle and forced to abdicate on 24^th July 1567 in favour of her 1yr old son, James VI. James Stewart, 1^st Earl of Moray was made Regent. He was the illegitimate son of James V and therefore half-brother to Mary. She escaped on 2^nd May 1568 and met Moray’s forces at the Battle of Langside in what is now a suburb of Glasgow on 13^th May 1568 where she was defeated. She fled to England expecting Elizabeth I to help her regain the throne. Instead she was imprisoned and in 1586 was accused of plotting to assassinate Elizabeth. She was executed 8^th February 1587.

Mary was the great granddaughter of Henry VII through her paternal grandmother, Margaret Tudor so had a strong claim to the English throne.

She was only 6 days old when she ascended the throne. Because of this Scotland was ruled by regents. The first was James Hamilton, Earl of Arran who was heir presumptive to the throne should Mary die. He was the great grandson of James II being a descendant of James daughter Mary Stewart. Her second regent from 1554 was her mother Mary of Guise.

In 1548 she was betrothed to Francis, the French Dauphin. She was sent to France to be safe from the Rough Wooing (1543-1551) in which Henry VIII tried to get Mary married to his son Edward VI.

Francis ascended the French throne in 1559 but died in 1560. She returned to Scotland in 1561. The Scottish Reformation had changed much in Scotland. Mary issued a proclamation accepting the religious settlement as she had found it and governed as a Catholic monarch of a Protestant kingdom. Her early rule was marked by pragmatism, tolerance and moderation.

James VI

1567 – 1625

58yrs

House of Lancaster

Henry IV

30^th Sept 1399 – 20^th Mar 1413

13yrs 172days

Henry IV was the son of John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, 3^rd son of Edward III. When John died Richard II disinherited John’s son Henry who was in exile. Henry invaded England, deposed Richard and proclaimed himself King. This created a split in the Plantagenet Line leading to the War of the Roses (1455-1485). As Richard had no issue the crown should have passed to the line of Lionel who was Edward’s 2^nd son. Lionel only had a daughter Philappa. Her daughter Anne Mortimer married Richard 3^rd Earl of Cambridge who was the second son of Edmond, 1^st Duke of York who in turn was the 4^th son of Edward III.

Henry V

21^st Mar 1413 – 31^st Aug 1422

9yrs 164days

Henry IV held James I of Scotland captive but treated him well. Henry V immediately threw James into the Tower of London. By 1420 James’s standing had improved was again seen more as a guest than prisoner.

Henry VI

1^st Sept 1422 – 4^th Mar 1461

38yrs 185days

House of York

Edward IV

4^th Mar 1461 – 3^rd Oct 1470

9yrs 214days

He inherited the claim when his father Richard 3^rd Duke of York died at the Battle of Wakefield, and gained the crown after defeating Lancastrian armies in 1461. Richard was the son of Anne Mortimer and Richard 3^rd Earl of Cambridge

House of Lancaster

Henry VI – 2^nd reign

3^rd Oct 1470 – 11^th Apr 1471

191 days

House of York

Edward IV – 2^nd reign

11^th Apr 1471 - 9^th Apr 1483

11yrs 364days

Edward V

9^th Apr 1483 – 25^th Jun 1483

78 days

He, and his younger brother Richard of Shrewsbury, Duke of York were the “Princes in the Tower” and are thought to have been murdered by their uncle the Duke of Gloucester who became Richard III on their death.

Richard III

26^th June 1483 – 22 Aug 1485

2yrs 58days

House of Tudor

The Tudors are descended from the female line of John Beaufort who was an illegitimate child of John of Gaunt the 3^rd son of Edward III. Beauford’s daughter Margaret married Edmund Tudor. The Lancastrian line “died” when Henry VI son was killed aged 17 at the battle of Tewkesbury. The Tudor link back to Edward III via John of Gaunt was the remaining Lancastrian claim to the throne. Margaret’s son Henry defeated Richard III at the battle of Bosworth Field. This ended the war of the roses. Henry married Elizabeth of York, daughter of Edward V re-uniting the Lancastrian and York lineages.

Henry VII

22^nd Aug 1485 – 21^st Apr 1509

23yrs 243days

Henry VIII

22^nd Apr 1509 – 28^th Jan 1547

37yrs 282days

Best known for his 6 wives and initiating the English Reformation separating the Church of England from papal authority and ushering in the divine right of kings as opposed to papal supremacy by reason of his office as the Vicar of Christ. He was the second son of Henry VII.

The power of Tudor monarchs was 'whole' and 'entire', ruling, as they claimed, by the grace of God alone. The crown could also rely on the exclusive use of those functions that constituted the royal prerogative. The rise and fall of court nobles could be swift: Henry did undoubtedly execute at will, burning or beheading two of his wives, 20 peers, four leading public servants, six close attendants and friends, one cardinal (John Fisher) and numerous abbots.

It has been written that throughout the centuries, Henry has been praised and reviled, but he has never been ignored.

Henry planned to invaded France in 1543 but first had to eliminate any potential threat from Scotland, France’s allay. The Scots were defeated at the Battel of Solway Moss on 24^th November 1542 and James V of Scotland died shortly thereafter. Henry now hoped he could unite the crowns by his son Edward marrying James’s successor Mary, Queen of Scots. The Scottish Regent Lord Arran agreed to this in the Treaty of Greenwich on 1^st July 1543. The Scots were in a weak bargaining position after the defeat at Solway Moss. Despite this the Scottish Parliament rejected the idea and renewed their treaty with France. This led to eight years of war dubbed the Rough Wooing ending shortly after Henry’s death.

Edward VI

28^th Jan 1547 – 6^th Jul 1553

6yrs 160days

He was the son of Henry VIII third wife, Jane Seymour. The first English monarch raised as a Protestant. He never actually ruled as he never reached maturity. The regency council was first led by Edward Seymour, 1^st Duke of Somerset his uncle. After Henry’s death Somerset continued the Rough Wooing which led to the Battle of Pinkie near Musselburgh on 10^th September 1547 where the Scots suffered a heavy defeat. The Scots still refused to agree to the marriage of Edward and Mary. Somerset set up a network of garrisons as far north as Dundee. The cost of this finally led to the withdrawal of these garrisons around 1549.

Edward died aged 15 and named his first cousin once removed, Lady Jane Grey, his successor by-passing his two half sisters Mary and Elizabeth. This was to maintain the Protestant reforms that had taken place. Although Elizabeth was protestant he was advised he could not exclude just one of his half-sisters – it was both or none.

This was contrary to Henry VIII will which placed Mary and Elizabeth 2^nd and 3^rd in line followed by the descendants of his youngest sister Mary Tudor, the Greys. This specifically excluded the older sister, Margaret Tudor who had married James IV of Scotland, from the line of succession. Thus the Stuarts were excluded from the succession.

Henry’s daughter Mary took the throne and had Lady Jane executed.

Mary I – Bloody Mary

19^th Jul 1553 – 17^th Nov 1558

5yrs 122days

Mary was the only surviving child of Henry VIII first wife, Catherine of Aragon. Mary attempted to re-establish the Catholic Church and had over 280 religious dissenters burned at the stake. During her reign she married Philip II of Spain in January 1556. Under English common law of Jure Uxoris the property and titles of a woman became her husbands upon marriage. To prevent the King of Spain creating a Spanish line of Succession he was to be styled King of England only during Mary’s lifetime. Philip and Mary had a common ancestor in John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster.

Elizabeth I – The Virgin Queen, Good Queen Bess

17^th Nov 1558 – 24^th Mar 1603

44yrs 128days

She was daughter of Henry VIII second wife, Anne Boleyn. Elizabeth re-established the Protestant faith. The Act of Supremacy in 1559 made Elizabeth the Supreme Governor of the Church of England. An Act of Uniformity was passed which made attendance at church and the use of the Book of Common Prayer compulsory.

Elizabeth was concerned about the French presence in Scotland and that it might lead to an invasion of England by France to put the catholic Mary, Queen of Scots, on the English throne. She sent a force to support Protestant rebels in Scotland resulting in the Treaty of Edinburgh in 1560. When Mary returned to Scotland in 1561 there was an established Protestant church run by a council of Protestant nobles supported by Elizabeth. Mary refused to ratify the treaty. She was the focus of a Catholic uprising in the north in 1569. The rebels were defeated and over 750 were executed on Elizabeths orders.

The Elizabethan era produced playwrights such as

William Shakespear and Christopher Marlowe, maritime adventurers such as Francis Drake and Walter Raleigh and the famous defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588. Drake was knighted after his circumnavigation of the globe from 1577 to 1580. It should be noted that in 1589 England launched its own Armada against Spain led by Francis Drake. It suffered a similar crushing defeat that Spain had experienced the previous year.

Although she never married she had very strong feelings towards Robert Dudley, to the extent that when he married Lettice Knollys Elizabeth reacted with repeated scenes of displeasure towards her and lifelong hatred. It became clear she would never marry or name a successor. She knew if she named an heir her throne would be vulnerable to a coup; she remembered the way that “a second person, as I have been” had been used as the focus of plots against her predecessor. Because of this Robert Cecil entered into coded negotiations with James VI of Scotland who had a strong but unrecognised claim to the throne. Elizabeth was the first (and last) Tudor to recognise that a monarch ruled by popular consent. She therefore always worked with parliament and advisers she could trust to tell her the truth—a style of government that her Stuart successors failed to follow.