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Though much of the Scottish nobility, especially in the Lowlands, was switching to English, James learned to speak Gaelic, a language described by the Ambassador of the Court of Spain as "the
language of the savages who live in some parts of Scotland and the islands." (It was still widely spoken by most of the Highlanders and Islanders). In Wales, at the same time, almost one hundred percent of the
population used the old Celtic language. What was left of the nobility was rapidly turning to English and the reigning monarch of the Welsh house of Tudor, unlike the more enlightened Scots King, would have no part of
the language. Their Welsh background simply allowed the Tudor dynasty to claim legitimacy as rulers of Britain as heirs to the old prophecies. In most of Wales, of course, the old ways continued and life went on
unchanged regardless of what was taking place in London. And so it remained in the Gaelic Highlands of Scotland. King James IV had grand ambitions. His country enjoyed enormous prestige as holding the balance of power
between constantly warring England and France. James believed that Scotland could lead the way in the glorious cause of freeing Constantinople from the Turks. As a start, he had a large fleet built, including the mighty
warship the Great Michael, thus beginning a Scottish shipbuilding industry that would become the envy of the world in a later era. In order to carry out his grandiose schemes in Eastern Europe, James had to
establish peaceable relations with England, his powerful neighbor to the south. In 1501, James was 28 years old. It was time to marry. He chose Margaret Tudor, the 14 year-old daughter of Henry VII, after signing an
agreement, which promised to be a treaty of perpetual peace. The Pope excommunicated whoever broke his pledged word. The ceremony took place at Holyrood Palace, Edinburgh and was attended by many dignitaries from
England. All seemed well. James continued to use his kingdom as peacemaker between England and France. His efforts gave him the title Rex Pacificator. When the Pope, the King of Spain and the Doge of Venice
formed a Holy League against France, they were joined by Henry VIII of England, the father-in-law of the King of Scotland. However, James did not join the league because he was convinced that the survival of France was
essential to the stability of Europe. Thus, he renewed the Auld Alliance that had begun in 1422 under the Regency of Albany. When France appealed to Scotland for help, as it had done when Buchan responded so
magnificently before, James unwisely sent an ultimatum to the English king. Henry's response must have startled James and the whole of the Scots people: He declared himself "the very owner of Scotland" a kingdom
held by the Scottish king only "by homage." This was too much for a proud Scot to bear, and James answered it by marching on England at the head of a large army. So much for the peace treaty that was "to
endure forever." The result was one of the most disastrous battles in Scottish history. Flodden On 9 September 1513, Good King James IV who had been so instrumental in
bringing Scotland into the councils of Europe and whose ambitions for Scotland seemed close to fulfillment was slain at Flodden Edge, southeast of Braxton Hill. In the battle, (that seemed in so many ways to presage
that of Culloden, over two hundred years later) Scottish bravery proved no match for superior English generalship who used artillery and the new long English bills to great advantage against the shorter Scottish spears
and swords. James's own natural son, Alexander and thousands of the best and brightest young men, many of its bravest and strongest Highland chiefs, great Church leaders and many Earls and Lords lost their lives in
the calamitous battle at Flodden. Though no one knows what happened to James's body, a legend quickly developed to match those in Wales concerning Arthur and Glyndwr. The legend goes that he was not dead at all, and
that one day James would return to lead his country again. Thus, a typical Celtic myth grew out of what people saw as the refusal of a Welsh king (Henry VIII) to bury the body of a Scottish king (James IV). Scotland
now had no king and no army. As James V was still a baby, Queen Margaret assumed the Regency. In 1514, in a move that brought a surprising change of fortune for the country for which she showed little affection, she
married the Earl of Angus and was succeeded as Regent by the French-educated Duke of Albany, nephew of James III. Albany continued the alliance with France, a country that had somehow extricated itself from its previous
grave danger by the failure of its enemies to formulate a united front. After a series of plots against Albany (who headed the National or French Party) by Margaret and her husband were foiled, the miserable Queen was
forced to flee to England (the couple had planned to kidnap young James V). This gave Margaret's brother Henry one more excuse to continue his policies of interfering in Scottish affairs. In 1524, Albany returned to
France. Chaos returned to Scotland. A series of battles between the Douglas's and the Hamilton's, including one fought in the streets of Edinburgh, had left the mighty Douglas clan in control of the young king and
thus of Scotland. James, however, who had declared himself ready to rule at the age of fourteen, escaped his captors and arrived at Stirling. He vowed vengeance against Angus Douglas whom he drove out of Scotland to
seek refuge with the English king. James could now begin to restore order to his suffering nation. He started by agreeing to a truce with England. In the meantime, a seemingly simple act that took place in a small town
in Germany began a movement that was to turn practically all of Europe into two armed camps. Scotland was once again able to act as peacemaker. The pious and schizophrenic monk Martin Luther did not know what he was
about to unleash upon the world when he nailed his Thesis to the church door at quiet, peaceful Wittenberg that momentous day in 1517. But it was not long before Europe became enmeshed in a religious struggle that, in
some areas, has not yet ended as each sovereign subsequently sought to impose his own religion on his kingdom (and often on that of his neighbor as well.) The Reformation had a serious and long-lasting effect upon
Scotland. In the struggle of Protestantism versus Catholicism, there was a mad scramble for a marriage alliance with James V. Keeping the idea of the Auld Alliance in mind, he chose Madeleine, the daughter of French
king Francois I to be his bride. When she died six months later, he married another French princess, Marie de Guise-Lorraine. Sadly, for future Scottish history, she bore him no sons. England's Henry VIII had the same
seeming misfortune. He too lacked a male heir. He became more and more aggressive in his policies toward Scotland. By 1534 he had broken with Rome, was getting ready to totally absorb Wales into the English realm and
had plans to turn Scotland against France by making it into a Protestant nation. When James was offered the crown of Ireland in 1542, Henry took an army north and proclaimed himself Lord Superior of Scotland. He met
with and defeated the small, dispirited army of James at Solway Moss. From his retreat at Falkland, the sad King James heard the news that his longed for heir was not to be; his wife had given him a daughter. Upon his
consequent death, lamenting his fate, the young girl was proclaimed Queen of Scotland. Therefore, in 1542, Mary, Queen of Scots entered the world in much the same sad circumstances, as she was to leave it 45 years
later. The ruthless, avaricious Henry VIII was not satisfied with adding Wales to his kingdom he wanted Scotland, too. Henry planned to marry the young, sickly Prince Edward (who died in 1553) to the infant Queen of
Scotland. However, there was an obstacle in his way. Marie de Guise had the girl spirited away to Scone, had her crowned Queen and repudiated the marriage treaty. Again, the typical English response was an invasion of
Scotland that was ordered "to put all to fire and sword." This command was eagerly carried out by the pillaging English soldiers and engendered a Scottish hatred of its southern neighbor that lasted for
centuries. The situation worsened when Black Donald of the Isles escaped in 1545, after 40 years of captivity and formed an alliance with the English king. The islanders' love of independence manifested itself in
their proud boast that they were "Auld enemies to the realm of Scotland." Inter-clan rivalry, however, after the death of Donald later in the year, brought the Western isles more in line with the rest of the
Scottish kingdom. To face the aggressive policies and forces of Henry, the Scots had turned to France for help. They would rather have Catholic France as a friend than Protestant England. Yet, in the climate of the
times, with the Reformation in full swing in Northern Europe, the auld alliance could not help being fraught with difficulties and ripe with implications. The Reformation in Scotland
It is not too much of a surprise to find that the Reformation took hold of Scotland so readily while it failed to influence Ireland. The Scottish Lowlands was fertile ground for the spread of Protestantism. It was
here where most of the wealth and power of Scotland was concentrated, where commerce thrived and where English influence was most felt. Much has been written about the corruption of the Scottish Church, the wealth
amassed by a few leading Bishops and the ignorance of most of the clergy. Suffice to say, that when the newly translated Scriptures were appearing in England, they were eagerly welcomed over the northern border. English
influence and settlement had been so pervasive in the Lowlands that, unlike the situation in Wales, an English language Bible had an immediate impact in Scotland, fostering a spontaneous movement of popular dissent that
can be called revolutionary. As in many parts of Europe, the established Church answered the spread of new ideas by executing those who brought them. Patrick Hamilton thus became an early Scottish martyr when he was
slowly roasted to death on the orders of the Bishop of St. Andrews in 1528. The fires that burned under Hamilton, however, spread throughout much of the country. It was up to Cardinal Bishop David Beaton, who had
ordered them, to try to extinguish them. This proved to be a futile attempt in the face of a whirlwind: Father John Knox had arrived on the scene. The young priest Knox came to Scotland in 1544 with Protestant leader
George Wishart, who had sought refuge on the continent to escape the eager clutches of Bishop Beaton. In addition to his Bible, Knox managed to carry a huge, two-handed sword. He came to conquer with the Word, however,
not the sword. His zeal in winning converts gave rise to a period known as The Rough Wooing. Henry VIII (still "the defender of the faith" despite the many reforms being carried out by his lieutenant
Thomas Cromwell) had offered a large reward for the murder of Cardinal Beaton. On a charge of participation in Henry's plot, and for collaboration with the English, he had Wishart burned at the stake in 1546. Two months
later came revenge; the last words spoken by the Cardinal were "Fie, Fie, All is gone" as he was stabbed to death and his body thrown from a window of his castle at St. Andrews by a group of Protestant leaders.
For his part in the assassination, the young John Knox, who was captured with other conspirators with the aid of a French fleet ordered by Marie de Guise, was sentenced to slave in the ships' galleys, no doubt to
await further dispensation. He was released two years later with enthusiasm undimmed. In 1548, the Auld Alliance was immeasurably strengthened when little Mary, Queen of Scots ended her period of moving from place to
place for safety by going to France as future bride of the Dauphin. "France and Scotland," stated the French King, (reportedly leaping 'for blitheness') are now one country." Marie de Guise was
determined to stamp out Protestantism in Scotland. She failed, for though an invading English army arrived too late to rescue the Protestant garrison holed up at St. Andrews, it crushed the Royal Scottish army at
Pinkie, near Edinburgh. Further hostilities, however, were ended in 1549 by the Treaty of Boulogne between England and France that also effected the withdrawal of English troops from Scotland. Henry VIII of England
died in 1547. His son Edward VI was destined to die early. Strange as it seems in retrospect, it seemed as if the Protestant movement in Scotland would not succeed, especially since the Council of Trent had begun the
Church's long-awaited, sorely needed and far-reaching reforms. More important than that, however, was the assumptionof the Regency in Scotland by no other than Marie de Guise and the inauguration of a reform-minded
Bishop to succeed the murdered Beaton. Yet, in Scotland, as in many countries in Northern Europe, efforts to turn back the clock and restore the old religion were all too late. Single-minded, hard-nosed individuals,
determined to end the corruption of the Church, had been inspired by the Word and John Knox was, perhaps, the most inspired of all. The Treaty of Boulogne gave him the opportunity to continue his Holy work in Scotland.
Thousands flocked to his call and eagerly accepted his teachings. It was thus to an austere, Protestant Scotland where, apart from a few exceptions, (even Christmas and Easter were no longer celebrated as being popish
observances) that Catholic Mary returned as Queen in August 1561. Now widowed at age 18, she was no longer Queen of France, but thoroughly French in outlook and education. Her sprightly, impulsive (and apparently
highly-sexed) nature quickly put her at odds with the austere, Puritan divines who wished to keep a tight hold on the hearts and minds of the newly-converted Scottish people. In 1565, Mary's complete lack of foresight
caused her to marry her younger cousin, Henry Stewart, Lord Darnley, who had practically nothing to commend him either as husband or king. Protestants were furious. When Darnley, immature and seemingly completely
lacking in wisdom and intelligence, stabbed to death Mary's Italian secretary Riccio in a fit of teenage jealousy, the fires were lit for a never-ending saga of intrigue and misfortune. In 1567, Darnley's body was found
in the wreckage of his house at Kirk o Field that had been destroyed in a mysterious explosion. He had been strangled to death. Heavily implicated in the murder was a "bold, reckless Protestant of considerable
charm" James Hepburn, fourth Earl of Bothwell, Lord High Admiral of Scotland. Mary then made her second grievous error: she married Bothwell. Now it was Mary's Catholic subjects turn to be furious. The young Queen,
upon whom so many hopes had depended, had managed to alienate everybody. A Protestant army was raised to force Mary to abdicate. And at age24, after being led in humiliation through the streets of Edinburgh, Mary Queen
of Scots gave up her throne in favor of her baby son, who was immediately crowned as James VI. Bothwell's life was saved only by his escape to Norway. The Earl of Moray, James Stewart, Mary's half-brother now became
Regent. Mary, who had been held prisoner by the Scottish lords, made her escape from Lochleven Castle, but the small army she managed to raise was defeated by Moray. She then made another grievous error. She fled to
England seeking refuge with the proud and easily jealous Queen Elizabeth and was promptly imprisoned. Mary should have gone to France, for her own claim to the English throne made her a potentially deadly rival to
Elizabeth I. A succession of Regents was now in charge of Scotland while James VI grew and learned his statecraft. A rebellion led by Mary's supporters, the "Queen's Lords" seized strategic Edinburgh Castle in
the heart of the Scottish capital; the first two Regents were murdered and one died in office. The Castle held out bravely until recaptured by Morton, the Regent and sworn enemy of the Queen before he, too, was
overthrown and executed on the fourteen year-old charge of having murdered Lord Darnley. The turmoil continued. Morton's removal was the work of a cousin of James, Esme Stewart, now appointed by the minor King as Duke
of Lennox and High Chamberlain of Scotland. Despite the overwhelming success of the Protestant Reformation, Lennox was stubbornly and foolishly determined to make a Catholic of the young king and to head a Catholic
rising in Britain with the help of France and Spain. His grandiose dreams were thwarted by a group of Scottish nobles who kidnapped James in the Raid of Ruthven, forcing Lennox to flee to France. The instability in
Scotland continued. James escaped from Ruthven and had himself proclaimed King at Edinburgh. At first, he was completely unable to control the warring factions of Protestants and Catholics or to keep a tight reign on
his nobles. What ultimately saved his reign, however, was a strong character that had, with so painful a result, eluded Mary, Queen of Scots, his unfortunate mother. The young James had received a sound education in
England. With this shrewdness and skill he began to mature as a monarch of Scotland and to assert his right as "Universal King." It seemed that better days were ahead for the Northern Kingdom of the British
Isles. However, religious differences had only just begun to interfere in Scottish affairs. |
