Chapter 21. The precarious end of the Scottish matter
James IV of Scotland
After the defeat at Brainston Moor, in spite of all the time that Richard of Gloucester spent in London taking care of the succession, there was any coherent opposition to face the English. However, Richard was not willing to spent too much time away from the young king.
Anyway, the surviving Scottish Lords gathered again around his king to face Richard. However, just a few days after the English army crosed into Scotland again, Alexander, Richard's Scottish puppet, died in a hunting accident. For his brother James III was a blessing in disguise. For Richard, a disaster, has he had lost his main weapon against James.
Richard, however, reacted as if nothing had happened and kept advancing and destroying everything that had survived the previous invasion. Thus, the surviving Scottish lords, led by Alexander Home, 1st Lord Home, rebelled against James and proclaimed his 15-year-old son, Prince James, Duke of Rothesay, as the rightful king of Scotland.
Caught between the rebels and the English army, James III had no option to fled. With a small retinue, the Scottish king fled the country to France, leaving the empty throne to his son, who ascended to the throne, and reigned as James IV. The new king had then to settle a peace treaty to the almost almighty duke of Gloucester. As someone would say later, it was not a peace treaty, but an armistice, as the peacer that was imposed over the defeated kingdom was hardly bearable, beginning by the forced marriage of James IV with princess Cecily of York, daughter of Edward IV.
Having settled accounts with Scotland, which was thus turn into an de facto English vassal, Richard returned to London.
James IV of Scotland
After the defeat at Brainston Moor, in spite of all the time that Richard of Gloucester spent in London taking care of the succession, there was any coherent opposition to face the English. However, Richard was not willing to spent too much time away from the young king.
Anyway, the surviving Scottish Lords gathered again around his king to face Richard. However, just a few days after the English army crosed into Scotland again, Alexander, Richard's Scottish puppet, died in a hunting accident. For his brother James III was a blessing in disguise. For Richard, a disaster, has he had lost his main weapon against James.
Richard, however, reacted as if nothing had happened and kept advancing and destroying everything that had survived the previous invasion. Thus, the surviving Scottish lords, led by Alexander Home, 1st Lord Home, rebelled against James and proclaimed his 15-year-old son, Prince James, Duke of Rothesay, as the rightful king of Scotland.
Caught between the rebels and the English army, James III had no option to fled. With a small retinue, the Scottish king fled the country to France, leaving the empty throne to his son, who ascended to the throne, and reigned as James IV. The new king had then to settle a peace treaty to the almost almighty duke of Gloucester. As someone would say later, it was not a peace treaty, but an armistice, as the peacer that was imposed over the defeated kingdom was hardly bearable, beginning by the forced marriage of James IV with princess Cecily of York, daughter of Edward IV.
Having settled accounts with Scotland, which was thus turn into an de facto English vassal, Richard returned to London.