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JAMES H

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Originally appearing in Volume V15, Page 140 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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JAMES H  . (143o-146o), See also:king of See also:Scotland, the only surviving son of See also:James I. and his wife, Jane, daughter of See also:John See also:Beaufort, See also:earl of See also:Somerset, was See also:born on the 16th of See also:October 143o . Crowned king at Holyrood in See also:March 1437, shortly after the See also:murder of his See also:father, he was at first under the guardianship of his See also:mother, while See also:Archibald, 5th earl of See also:Douglas, was See also:regent of the See also:kingdom, and considerable See also:power was possessed by See also:Sir See also:Alexander Living-See also:stone and Sir See also:William See also:Crichton (d . 1454) . When about 1439 See also:Queen Jane was married to Sir James See also:Stewart, the See also:knight of Lorne, See also:Livingstone obtained the custody of the See also:young king, whose minority was marked by fierce hostility between the bouglases and the Crichtons, with Livingstone first on one See also:side and then on the other . About 1443 the royal cause was espoused by William, 8th earl of Douglas, who attacked Crichton in the king's name, and See also:civil See also:war lasted until about 1446 . In See also:July 1449 James was married to See also:Mary (d . 1463), daughter of See also:ArnoldSee also:duke of See also:Gelderland, and undertook the See also:government himself; and almost immediately Livingstone was arrested, but Douglas retained the royal favour for a few months more . In 1452, how-ever, this powerful earl was invited to See also:Stirling by the king, and, charged with treachery, was stabbed by James and then killed by the attendants . Civil war See also:broke out at once between James and the Douglases, who .e lands were ravaged; but after the Scots See also:parliament had exonerated the king, James, the new earl of Douglas, made his submission . See also:Early in 1455 this struggle was renewed . Marching against the rebels James gained several victories, after which Douglas was attainted and his lands forfeited .

Fortified by this success and assured of the support of the parliament and of the See also:

great nobles, James, acting as an See also:absolute king, could view without alarm the war which had broken out with See also:England . After two expeditions across the See also:borders, a truce was made in July 1457, and the king employed the See also:period of See also:peace in strengthening his authority in the High-lands . During the See also:Wars of the See also:Roses he showed his sympathy with the Lancastrian party after the defeat of See also:Henry VI. at See also:Northampton by attacking the See also:English possessions to the See also:south of Scotland . It was while conducting the See also:siege of Roxburgh See also:Castle that James was killed, through the bursting of a See also:cannon, on the 3rd of See also:August 1460 . He See also:left three sons, his successor, James III., Alexander Stewart, duke of 'See also:Albany, and John Stewart, earl of See also:Mar (d . 1479); and two daughters . James, who is sometimes called " Fiery See also:Face," was a vigorous and popular See also:prince, and, although not a See also:scholar like his father, showed See also:interest in See also:education . His reign is a period of some importance in the legislative See also:history of Scotland, as See also:measures were passed with regard to the See also:tenure of See also:land, the See also:reformation of the coinage, and the See also:protection of the poor, while the organization for the See also:administration of See also:justice was greatly improved .

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