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The Life Of King James IV (Part One)

© Simon Hill

In the next series of articles I am going slightly outwith the usual time frame of my topic in order to tell you about King James IV, possibly the greatest of Scottish kings.

In June 1488 at the Battle of Sauchieburn King James III was defeated and killed. The opposing army was led by the then fifteen year old son of James, soon to be King James IV. While James III had been a deeply unpopular king his son proved to have the common touch and was also a skilled politician, making him deeply popular throughout Scotland. He travelled relentlessly during his reign in order to maintain good relations with his subjects and he created a flamboyant, creative and cosmopolitan court full of poets, writers and artists. He had a wide range of interests including law, medicine, the arts, weaponry and the military. James was also a skilled diplomat on the European stage, brokering peace negotiations which helped to put Scotland on the map internationally.

Unfortunately for Scotland and himself, James harboured a deep desire to lead a crusade against the infidels (something which the other Kings of Europe had lost interest in). This proved to never become more than a dream and merely allowed the other players on the European stage to exploit him. The most convincing indication of his popularity was the huge army he was able to raise and lead into England. It was possibly the only time in the history of the nation that Scotland had possessed a superior force to that of her 'auld enemy'. In the great Scottish tradition James succeeded in snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.

James IV was symbolically crowned at the traditional seat of Scottish kings, Scone. However, the opening of parliament was delayed a few months to allow him to consolidate his power. At this young age James relied on families like the Homes and Hepburns who were well rewarded for their loyalty. There was some concern about the threat of the English king Henry VII but this was relieved by the three year truce drawn up at Coldstream in October 1488. The first parliament of James' reign was held the following day. The attendance indicated a general acceptance of the new king with associates of his father such as Bishop Elphinstone and Archbishop Scheves in attendance. Although it was decided that James was innocent of his father's death, he still wore an iron belt his whole life to which he added weight each year as penance.

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