Editing James III of Scotland (section)

=== Lord of the Isles ===
James III turned to unfinished business from his father's reign in 1475: the destruction of [[John of Islay, Earl of Ross|John MacDonald]], [[Lord of the Isles]] and [[Earl of Ross]].<ref name="auto6"/> The greatest lord in [[Gaelic Scotland]], John ruled over sprawling territories in the [[Hebrides]], the [[Scottish Highlands|western Highlands]] and the north-east. In 1462 John had agreed to the [[Treaty of Westminster (1462)|Treaty of Westminster]] with Edward IV of England, a treaty which proposed that if Scotland was conquered by Edward, the kingdom would be partitioned, with the lands north of the [[Firth of Forth]] to be divided between the Lord of the Isles and the [[James Douglas, 9th Earl of Douglas|Earl of Douglas]], and held from the English crown.<ref name="auto12">Macdougall, Norman, ''James III'' (John Donald, 2009), p. 136.</ref> The confrontation began in September 1475, when John was accused of a number of offences against the Crown, including treasonable dealings with England and the Earl of Douglas, and besieging [[Rothesay Castle]]. When John did not appear for trial before Parliament in December, he was declared forfeit.<ref name="auto12"/> The earls of [[John Stewart, 1st Earl of Lennox|Lennox]], [[Colin Campbell, 1st Earl of Argyll|Argyll]], [[John Stewart, 1st Earl of Atholl|Atholl]] and [[Alexander Gordon, 1st Earl of Huntly|Huntly]] were ordered to pursue John MacDonald and invade his territories.<ref>Macdougall, Norman, ''James III'' (John Donald, 2009), p. 137.</ref> The Lord of the Isles appeared before the king in Edinburgh in July 1476 and the forfeiture was rescinded. The earldom of Ross was annexed to the Crown, [[Kintyre]], [[Knapdale]], and the offices of [[sheriff]] of [[Inverness]] and [[Nairn]] were lost, and the Lord of the Isles was reduced to a mere [[Lord of Parliament]].<ref name="auto">Macdougall, Norman, ''James III'' (John Donald, 2009), p. 138.</ref> On the day of the forfeiture of the Lord of the Isles, James III had Parliament approve his [[revocation|act of revocation]]. The king stood at the height of his power, having removed the Boyds, annexed Orkney and Shetland, humbled the Archbishop of St Andrews, agreed to peace and an alliance with England, and forfeited the Lord of the Isles.<ref name="auto"/> His authority now extended from the Northern Isles to Berwick-upon-Tweed, and across the Lordship of the Isles.