Editing James IV of Scotland (section)

== Early reign ==
[[File:James IV by Jaques le Boucq.jpg|thumb|upright=1.15|Copy of contemporary portrait of James by Jacques Le Boucq]]
[[File:James IV Arms.jpg|thumb|Arms of James IV]]

The victorious rebels moved swiftly to consolidate their power, and on 12 June, only a day after Sauchieburn, the new king issued his first charter. Edinburgh and Stirling castles were secured, as were the late king's money and jewels, and the rebel leaders were rewarded with offices of state and posts in the royal household.<ref>Macdougall, Norman, ''James IV'', p. 49.</ref> James IV's coronation took place on 24 June 1488 at [[Scone Abbey]]. The [[Archbishop of St Andrews]], [[William Scheves]], a favourite of James III, did not officiate during the coronation ceremony, with the new king being instead crowned by [[Robert Blackadder]], [[Bishop of Glasgow]].<ref name=doug52>Macdougall, Norman, ''James IV'', p. 52.</ref> A few days later, James IV attended the burial of his father at [[Cambuskenneth Abbey]], a scene later portrayed in James IV's [[Hours of James IV of Scotland|book of hours]].<ref name=doug52 /> The new king also hosted his maternal great-uncle, [[Gerhard VI, Count of Oldenburg]], who arrived at [[Leith]] with a Danish fleet in August, and remained in Scotland until the following year.<ref name=doug52 />

James IV quickly proved to be a wise and effective ruler, and entrusted the running of his government to [[Patrick Hepburn, 1st Earl of Bothwell]], [[Archibald Douglas, 5th Earl of Angus]], and [[William Elphinstone|William Elphinstone, Bishop of Aberdeen]]. He defeated a major rebellion led by the [[Alexander Gordon, 3rd Earl of Huntly|Master of Huntly]], the [[John Stewart, 1st Earl of Lennox|Earl of Lennox]] and [[Robert Lyle, 2nd Lord Lyle|Lord Lyle]] in 1489, laying siege to [[Crookston Castle|Crookston]], [[Duchal Castle|Duchal]] and [[Dumbarton Castle|Dumbarton]] castles, and defeating a rebel army at Gartloaning in [[Stirlingshire]].<ref>Macdougall, Norman, ''James IV'', pp. 68–74.</ref> James also took a direct interest in the administration of justice, brought the feud between the [[Clan Murray|Murrays]] and the [[Clan Drummond|Drummonds]] in [[Strathearn]] to an end, and went out on [[Justice Ayre|justice ayres]] across the kingdom throughout his reign.<ref>Macdougall, Norman, ''James IV'', p. 84.</ref> A tax of £5,000 was granted by the [[Parliament of Scotland]] to fund an embassy to France and Spain to search for a foreign bride for the king. [[Pope Innocent VIII]] conferred the [[Golden Rose]] on James in 1491, and the alliance with [[Kingdom of France|France]] was renewed in 1492. Treaties were also made with [[Denmark]] and [[Spain]], and truces were negotiated with [[Henry VII of England]] in 1493 and 1494.<ref>Macdougall, Norman, ''James IV'', p. 82.</ref> In 1494 James received the [[Honours of Scotland|Sceptre of Scotland]] as a [[papal]] gift from [[Pope Alexander VI]]. James IV met with [[Hugh Roe O'Donnell (died 1505)|Hugh Roe O'Donnell]], [[Tyrconnell|King of Tyrconnell]] in June 1495 in [[Glasgow]]. O'Donnell was the most powerful northern [[Irish people|Irish]] magnate and a committed enemy of Henry VII's government in [[Ireland]], and the Scottish and Irish kings made a defensive alliance. They also discussed [[Perkin Warbeck]], the [[pretender]] to the [[Kingdom of England|English throne]], who O'Donnell had been a supporter of for years.<ref name=doug117>Macdougall, Norman, ''James IV'', p. 117.</ref>

[[File:Twizel Castle - geograph.org.uk - 139240.jpg|thumb|upright=1.15|[[Twizell Castle]] on the [[River Till, Northumberland|River Till]] in [[Northumberland]] was destroyed by the Scottish army in 1496.]]

James IV received Warbeck in Scotland in November 1495. The attraction of Warbeck to James lay in the recognition of Warbeck's claim to the English throne by [[Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor|Maximilian, King of the Romans]], [[Ferdinand II of Aragon|Ferdinand II]] and [[Isabella I]] of Spain (the [[Catholic monarchs]]), [[Philip I of Castile|Philip, Duke of Burgundy]], and [[Margaret of York]]. Embracing Warbeck's cause would give James IV international leverage to seek European alliances, and threatening Henry VII with Warbeck would surely produce a much more attractive offer of alliance from the English king.<ref name=doug117 /> As Ferdinand and Isabella were negotiating an alliance with Henry VII, James knew that Spain would help him in his struggles with England in order to prevent the situation escalating into war with France. Spanish ambassadors arrived in Edinburgh, and later [[Pedro de Ayala]] was established as a resident ambassador during the crisis.<ref>Macdougall, Norman pp. 123–124, 136, 140–141.</ref>

In September 1496, James IV invaded England alongside Warbeck, destroying Tillmouth, Duddo, Branxton and Howtel towers, and [[Twizell Castle]] and [[Heaton Castle]]. However, the army quickly retreated when resources were expended,<ref>''Accounts of the Lord High Treasurer of Scotland'', vol. 1 (Edinburgh, 1877), pp. 299–300.</ref> and hoped-for support for Perkin Warbeck in [[Northumberland]] failed to materialise. The Scottish army left on 25 September 1496 when an English army commanded by [[Ralph Neville, 3rd Earl of Westmorland|Lord Neville]] approached from Newcastle.<ref>Bain, Joseph, ed., ''Calendar of Documents relating to Scotland'', 1357–1509, vol. 4 (Edinburgh, 1888), pp. 418–419 no. 35 (there dated as if "1497"): David Dunlop (1991), 108–109 and fn., quotes another version, and cites four more, noting mistaken date in Bain (1888).</ref> When news of this invasion reached [[Ludovico Sforza]], [[Duke of Milan]], on 21 October 1496, he wrote to his ambassador in Spain, to request the Spanish monarchs make peace between England and Scotland. The peace mission was entrusted to the Spanish ambassador in Scotland, [[Pedro de Ayala]].<ref>''Calendar State Papers Milan'' (London, 1912), no. 514.</ref> Later, wishing to be rid of Warbeck, James IV provided a ship called the ''Cuckoo'' and a hired crew under a Breton captain, [[Guy Foulcart]].<ref>[[Robert Kerr Hannay]], ''Letters of James IV'' (SHS: Edinburgh, 1953), p. 9.</ref> Horses were hired for 30 of Perkin's companions to ride to the ship at [[Ayr]] on 5 July 1497, where Perkin sailed to Ireland.<ref>Thomas Dickson, ''Accounts of the Treasurer'', vol. 1 (Edinburgh, 1877), pp. 342–345.</ref> In August 1497, James invaded England once more and laid siege to [[Norham Castle]] with a huge artillery train, including [[Mons Meg]], a huge medieval bombard or cannon.<ref>Macdougall, Norman p. 139.</ref>