James was keen to avoid the mistakes his father had made. He avoided debasing the coinage and unpopular taxes, both of which had caused his father serious trouble. This left him with the dilemna of how to raise cash without annoying people. Through the new justice system many of those guilty of crimes could escape punishment by paying a large fine, they could also obtain a respite by paying to delay the trial and in those circumstances they often fled abroad. Occasionally James would dispense justice himself; he did not shy away from hanging criminals regardless of their rank. Although he made a lot of money from fines he also punished criminals often enough to keep the public satisfied. The main bulk of James’ money was income from crown lands. Although he raised the income significantly he also spent more bestowing gifts on a range of subjects most noticeably the court familiars, however his liberality was seen as a virtue.
The plans James had for a spectacular crusade, a bustling court and a strong army and navy would require a great deal of money and the methods outlined above did not provide enough. A decline in the prestige of the papacy was quickly exploited by James but he was careful not to offend. He revived the policies of James I and James III reintroducing legislation to safeguard and increase the crowns ecclesiastical patronage and to reduce the flow of money to the church, he thought the crown should enjoy a monopoly of trafficking with the papacy. In 1504 he made his illegitimate eleven-year old son the Archbishop of St Andrews so that it would be administered by the crown. As Nicholson says ‘James used the kirk as an employment bureau for his and other nobles illegitimate sons’. The church had become a department of state and was exploited for funds. The church hierarchy was now closely associated with the crown which made it easier for James to impose increasingly frequent taxation on the clergy. James gave the impression of being religiously conscientious by displaying convential piety and often going on pilgrimages. While displaying this public piety he was able to take advantage of the power and financial resources of the church.
After 1509 James IV held no more parliaments. The privy council was responsible for governing Scotland but James always had the final decision. In this way the power of the nobles was subordinated to the crown. James crept closer to absolutism but managed to remain popular. The king’s patronage of chivalry was extremely popular among the nobles and the wider populace in general. He would hold jousting tournaments in which he would fight, the nobles enjoyed their inclusion and it encouraged loyalty to the king and national pride. The court was a mixture of Scottish and medieval traditions and aspects of different cultures within Europe. James was quick to emulate other rulers in whatever brought prestige and took an interest in the political, cultural and technological advances within Europe. In the royal court many enjoyed royal patronage including artists, poets, architects and some of those involved in law, medicine and technological advance. The renaissance in poetry and arts added further to the cult of kingship and to pride in the Scottish nation.
