Reign of the House of Stewart

THE STEWART period veers from disaster to glory with almost every king and queen who took the throne. Murders, lost battles and national humiliations litter their reigns, but great advances and successes also came their way. Not least of which is the fact that a Scottish monarch achieved what so many had desired: to rule over both Scotland and England. The United Kingdom was born.

Robert II

(1371-1390)

Robert was grandson to Robert the Bruce and was supposed to become king upon that great monarch's death, but the subsequent birth of David II prevented him taking the throne - for forty-odd years anyway. Instead as a 'high steward' of Scotland (where the name Stewart derives from), he served as regent until David was able to take up his kingship. This did not last long. Following the Battle of Neville's Cross, David was captured and Robert took over as regent once again. It was only in 1371 that Robert was officially crowned king following David's death, but he was an old man by medieval standards and he seems to have been too infirm to engage in kingly activities such as leading his armies into battle. He died in 1390 and was succeeded by his son, Robert III.

Robert III

(1390-1406)

Robert may have inherited The Bruce's name but his birth name was John, a moniker he was said to have relinquished due to the unpopularity of John de Balliol in Scotland. If he was hoping to gain some of his illustrious forebear's strength and resolve along with his name, he appears to have been misguided. Weak physically due to a horseriding accident, he found himself in a position where his brother was the real power behind the throne. Desperate to ensure that his only surviving son, James would inherit the throne, he sent the boy to safety in France. Unfortunately James was kidnapped and imprisoned by the English king Henry IV. When he heard the news, Robert is said to have rapidly lost the will to live and died a few days later.

James I

(1406-1437)

James's early life was spent mostly as a prisoner in the Tower of London, albeit treated as a member of royalty. Only in 1424 did he return to Scotland to be crowned king. He had been well educated during his time in England and he wanted to overhaul much of the country's infrastructure of church and state. Although generally sensible, his reforms his did not go down at all well with the nobles and, inevitably, he was assassinated during a visit to a monastery in Perth.

James II

(1437-1460)

Called 'fiery face' due to a birthmark, James is recorded as a strong-willed and often ruthless ruler. Not averse to a bit of bloodshed, James fought for his right to rule against Scotland's strong aristocracy, particularly the Douglas family, with whom he waged war throughout much of his adult reign. It would be unlikely for a Stewart to die peacefully in his bed, but James's own end was a singularly spectacular one: blown to bits by one of his own artillery pieces during a siege at Roxburgh.

James III

(1460-1488)

A king with a reputation more as an aesthete than a warrior, James III had the unfortunate experience of going to war against a revolt led by his own son. In the event, the prince's forces prevailed and James III was killed near Bannockburn in 1488, allegedly assassinated by an individual disguised as priest.

James IV

(1488-1513)

James is recorded as being a well-educated, intelligent man who spoke many languages and who had interests in matters such as science and medicine. Edinburgh's College of Surgeons received its charter from him in 1505, for instance. Like his father before him, James IV died on the field of battle. In his case, it was one of the most disastrous and well-known battles in the long Scots-English conflict - Flodden. Scotland was left without a mature monarch until James V was old enough to take over the kingdom in 1528.

James V

(1513-1542)

Like many Scots monarchs, James V became king when he was still a child. Until he took over the throne, the country was ruled by a number of regents. When he eventually took over the matter of ruling his country, James proved a tough and capable king, subduing rebels in the Border region and the Western Isles. However, he met disaster at the battle of Solway Moss in 1542, a defeat that was so demoralising that it is said to have led to his death. His famous comment on the birth of his only living heir, Mary was: "It cam wi' a lass and it will gang wi' a lass", although it is somewhat debatable that he spoke with a broad Scots accent.

Mary

(1542-1587)

Mary is probably the best known of Scotland's monarchs due to the dramatic and tragic nature of her reign. After her father's death she was promised in marriage to Henry VIII's son, Edward. This did not go down well with most of Scotland so instead she was sent to live in France and, in 1558 she married the French dauphin, Francois. After her husband's death, she returned to Scotland, but for a Catholic monarch who was also a woman, turbulent, Protestant Scotland was unlikely to be an easy place to rule. After numerous disastrous events (including possibly colluding in the death of her new husband, Lord Darnley) she ended up imprisoned in England at the mercy of her cousin, Elizabeth I. After plans for the assassination of Elizabeth were uncovered, Mary was executed at Fotheringay Castle on 8 February 1587.

James VI

(1567-1625)

The last separate king of Scotland and the first of the United Kingdom, James VI (he is never called James I in Scotland) became Scottish king, in name only, after his mother Mary Queen of Scots was defeated by Protestant rebels. He became monarch of both countries in 1603, after the death of the childless Elizabeth I of England. Regarded as an intellectual and learned ruler, he nevertheless had a difficult time with parliament (although his son would do much worse), which he periodically would dissolve and restore. He also had to achieve a balancing act of satisfying those suspicious of his attempts at allying with the powerful Catholic country of Spain, whilst supporting Protestantism. Overall, James's reign was successful and did much to continue the flourishing arts and sciences that prospered during the Elizabethan period.