James III | |
---|---|
King of Scots | |
Reign | 3 August 1460 – 11 June 1488 |
Coronation | 10 August 1460 |
Predecessor | James II |
Successor | James IV |
Regents |
See
|
Born | 10 July 1451 or May 1452 Stirling or St Andrews Castles |
Died | 11 June 1488 Sauchie Burn, Scotland |
(aged 36)
Burial | Cambuskenneth Abbey, Stirling |
Spouse | Margaret of Denmark |
Issue |
James IV of Scotland James, Duke of Ross John, Earl of Mar |
House | Stewart |
Father | James II of Scotland |
Mother | Mary of Guelders |
Religion | Roman Catholic |
James III (10 July 1451/May 1452 – 11 June 1488) was King of Scots from 1460 to 1488. James was an unpopular and ineffective monarch owing to an unwillingness to administer justice fairly, a policy of pursuing alliance with the Kingdom of England, and a disastrous relationship with nearly all his extended family. However, it was through his marriage to Margaret of Denmark that the Orkney and Shetland islands became Scottish.
His reputation as the first Renaissance monarch in Scotland has sometimes been exaggerated, based on attacks on him in later chronicles for being more interested in such unmanly pursuits as music than hunting, riding and leading his kingdom into war. In fact, the artistic legacy of his reign is slight, especially when compared to that of his successors, James IV and James V. Such evidence as there is consists of portrait coins produced during his reign that display the king in three-quarter profile wearing an imperial crown, the Trinity Altarpiece by Hugo van der Goes, which was probably not commissioned by the king, and an unusual hexagonal chapel at Restalrig near Edinburgh, perhaps inspired by the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem.
James was born to James II of Scotland and Mary of Guelders. His exact date and place of birth have been a matter of debate. Claims were made that he was born in May 1452, or 10 or 20 July 1451. The place of birth was either Stirling Castle or the Castle of St Andrews, depending on the year. His most recent biographer, the historian Norman Macdougall, argued strongly for late May 1452 at St Andrews, Fife. He succeeded his father James II on 3 August 1460 and was crowned at Kelso Abbey, Roxburghshire, a week later.