| James I | |
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| Reign | 4 April 1406 – 21 February 1437 |
| Coronation | 2/21 May 1424 |
| Predecessor | Robert III |
| Successor | James II |
| Spouse | Joan Beaufort |
| Issue | |
| Margaret, Dauphine of France Isabella, Duchess of Brittany Eleanor, Archduchess of Austria Mary, Countess of Buchan Joan, Countess of Morton Alexander, Duke of Rothesay James II of Scotland Annabella, Countess of Huntly |
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| Father | Robert III of Scotland |
| Mother | Annabella Drummond |
| Born | 10 December 1394 Dunfermline Palace, Fife |
| Died | 21 February 1437 (aged 42) Perth |
| Burial | Perth Charterhouse |
James I (10 December 1394 – 21 February 1437) was nominal King of Scots from 4 April 1406 until his death, although his effective reign only began in May 1424.
He spent the earlier part of his reign as a prisoner in England. On his release he made moves to create a strong centralised monarchy in Scotland, and was assassinated by dissident nobles.
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Early life
Born on 10 December 1394, the son of Robert III and Annabella Drummond, he had an eventful childhood. In 1402 his elder brother, David, starved to death in prison at Falkland in Fife. Probably in an attempt to keep him safe his father sent him to France in about 1404, but he was captured by English sailors. His father died in 1406 when he was a captive in England. He received an education and excelled in sports, poetry and music.
During this time Scotland was ruled by Regents: first by James's uncle, Robert Stewart, Duke of Albany, and then by Robert's son Murdoch.
Return to Scotland
After the death of James's uncle in 1420, the Scots finally paid the ransom of £40,000, and in 1424 James returned to Scotland to a country in chaos. He took his bride with him – he had met and fallen in love with Joan Beaufort, a cousin of King Henry VI of England, while imprisoned. He married her in London in 2 February 1423. They had eight children.
Children with Joan Beaufort
- Margaret Stewart, Princess of Scotland (1424-1445) married Louis XI of France
- Isabella Stewart, Princess of Scotland (1426-1494) married Francis I, Duke of Brittany
- Eleanor Stewart, Princess of Scotland (1433-1484) married Sigismund, Archduke of Austria
- Mary of Scotland, Countess of Buchan died 1465 married Wolfart VI van Borsselen
- Joan of Scotland, Countess of Morton (c. 1428-1486) married James Douglas, 1st Earl of Morton
- Alexander Stewart, Duke of Rothesay (born and died 1430); elder twin of James II
- James II of Scotland (1430-1460)
- Annabella Stewart, Princess of Scotland married and divorced 1. Louis of Savoy, and then married and divorced 2. George Gordon, 2nd Earl of Huntly.
Reign as king
James was formally crowned King of Scotland at Scone Abbey, Perthshire, on 2 or 21 May 1424. He immediately took strong actions to regain authority and control. In one such action he had the Albany family, who had opposed his actions, executed. The execution of Murdoch, Duke of Albany, and two of Murdoch's sons took place on 24 May 1425 at Castle Hill, Stirling.
James ruled Scotland with a firm hand, and achieved numerous financial and legal reforms. For the purpose of trading with other nations, he made Scots coinage exchangeable for foreign currency only within Scottish borders. He also tried to remodel the Parliament of Scotland along English lines. In foreign policy he renewed the Auld Alliance, an alliance with the French, in 1428.
His actions throughout his reign, though effective, upset many people. During the later years of his reign, they helped to lead to his claim to the throne coming under question.
James I's grandfather, Robert II, had married twice and the awkward circumstances of the first marriage (the one with James's grandmother Elizabeth Mure) led some to dispute its validity. Conflict broke out between the descendants of the first marriage and the unquestionably legitimate descendants of the second marriage over who had the better right to the Scottish throne. Matters came to a head on 21 February 1437, when a group of Scots led by Sir Robert Graham assassinated James at the Friars Preachers Monastery in Perth. He attempted to escape his assailants through a sewer after tearing up the floorboards of the room. However, three days previously, he had had the other end of the drain blocked up because of its connection to the tennis court outside, balls habitually got lost in it.[1] (See also: Catherine Douglas.)
A wave of executions followed, of those who had participated in the plot, in March 1437. The authorities executed (among others) James's uncle, Walter Stewart, 1st Earl of Atholl, and Atholl's grandson, Robert Stewart, Master of Atholl — both of them descended from Robert II's second marriage).
Ancestry
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See also
References
- E W M Balfour-Melville, James I King of Scots, London 1936
- ^ Peter Wordie and Lance St John Butler, "Tennis in Scotland" in The Royal Game (Stirling: Falkland Palace Real Tennis Club, 1989) p. 19. ISBN 0-9514622-0-2 or ISBN 0-9514622-1-0.
External links
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James I of Scotland
Born: 10 December 1394 Died: 21 February 1437 |
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| Regnal titles | ||
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| Preceded by Robert III |
King of Scots 4 April 1406–21 February 1437 |
Succeeded by James II |
| Scottish royalty | ||
| Preceded by David Stewart, Duke of Rothesay |
Heir of Scotland as heir apparent 26 March 1402–4 April, 1406 |
Succeeded by Robert Stewart, Duke of Albany |
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