James II 1430-60
King of Scotland

The son of James I and known as James of the fiery face because of a birth mark, he was born at Roxburgh Castle, and was six years old at his father's murder (1437). He took shelter in Edinburgh Castle with his mother, and was put under her charge and that of Sir Alexander Livingston. The liaison with Livingston lasted until 1444 when the Livingstons began to monopolize offices, power and access to the king. In 1449, shortly after his marriage to Mary, daughter of the Duke of Gueldres, James took control of the government and the Livingstons were dismissed from office. He had also to curb the rising power of the Douglas family. Opinions vary as to who was aggressor and victim in the sharp tussle between them, which came to a climax (1452) when James stabbed to death William, the 8th Earl of Douglas, at Stirling Castle. The king was allowed to get away with murder and he eventually completely defeated the Douglases of Arkinholm, Dumfriesshire (1455). This smoothed the way for a series of grants of earldoms and lands to families such as the Campbells, Gordons and Hamiltons. A growing stability in domestic politics, helped by the king's proclaimed concern for justice and a settled economy, was vitiated by his reckless involvement in the English struggles between the houses of York and Lancaster. In 1460 he marched for England with a powerful army and laid siege to Roxburgh Castle, which had been held by the English for over a hundred years, but was killed by the bursting of a cannon.

Bibliography: F C Turner, James II (1948)