Editing Monarchy of the United Kingdom (section)

===Scottish monarchy===
{{Redirect2|Queen of Scots|Queen of Scotland||Scottish queen (disambiguation)}}
{{See also|Kingdom of Scotland|List of Scottish monarchs|Government in medieval Scotland|}}
In Scotland, as in England, monarchies emerged after the withdrawal of the Roman Empire from Great Britain in the early fifth century. The three groups that lived in Scotland at this time were the [[Picts]] north of the Forth and Clyde, the [[Celtic Britons|Britons]] in the south, including the [[Kingdom of Strathclyde]], and the [[Gaels]] or [[Scoti|Scotti]] (who would later give their name to Scotland), of the Irish petty kingdom of [[Dál Riata]] in Argyll and the southern Hebrides. [[Kenneth MacAlpin]] is traditionally viewed as the first king of a united Scotland (known as Scotia to writers in Latin, or [[kingdom of Alba|Alba]] to the Scots).{{Sfnp|Cannon|Griffiths|1988|pp=1–12, 35}} The expansion of Scottish dominions continued over the next two centuries, as other territories such as Strathclyde were absorbed.

Early Scottish monarchs did not inherit the Crown directly; instead, the custom of [[tanistry]] was followed, where the monarchy alternated between different branches of the [[House of Alpin]]. There was an elective element to early Scottish kings and this practice lingered for much longer in Scotland. For example, the first Stewart monarch, Robert II, was selected from among eligible royal males at Linlithgow in 1370 by the [[Three Estates]] of the Scottish Parliament.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/CBP-9412/CBP-9412.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221011214946/https://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/CBP-9412/CBP-9412.pdf |archive-date=11 October 2022 |url-status=live |title=The coronation: history and ceremonial |series=Research Briefing |publisher=House of Commons Library |last=Tarrance |first=David |date=18 October 2022 |page=8}}</ref> However, as a result of this elective element, the rival dynastic lines clashed, often violently. From 942 to 1005, seven consecutive monarchs were either murdered or killed in battle.{{Sfnp|Weir|1996|pp=164–177}} In 1005, [[Malcolm II]] ascended the throne having killed many rivals. He continued to ruthlessly eliminate opposition, and when he died in 1034 he was succeeded by his grandson, [[Duncan I]], instead of a cousin, as had been usual. In 1040, Duncan suffered defeat in battle at the hands of [[Macbeth, King of Scotland|Macbeth]], who was killed himself in 1057 by Duncan's son [[Malcolm III of Scotland|Malcolm]]. The following year, after killing Macbeth's stepson [[Lulach]], Malcolm ascended the throne as Malcolm III.{{Sfnp|Ashley|1998|pp=390–395}}

With a further series of battles and deposings, five of Malcolm's sons as well as one of his brothers successively became king. Eventually, the Crown came to his youngest son, [[David I of Scotland|David I]]. David was succeeded by his grandsons [[Malcolm IV]], and then by [[William the Lion]], the longest-reigning King of Scots before the [[Union of the Crowns]].<ref>{{Harvp|Ashley|1998|pp=400–407}}; {{Harvp|Weir|1996|pp=185–198}}</ref> William participated in a rebellion against King Henry II of England but when the rebellion failed, William was captured by the English. In exchange for his release, William was forced to acknowledge Henry as his feudal overlord. The English King Richard I agreed to terminate the arrangement in 1189, in return for a large sum of money needed for the Crusades.{{Sfnp|Cannon|Griffiths|1988|p=170}} William died in 1214 and was succeeded by his son [[Alexander II of Scotland|Alexander II]]. Alexander II, as well as his successor [[Alexander III of Scotland|Alexander III]], attempted to take over the [[Western Isles]], which were still under the overlordship of Norway. During the reign of Alexander III, Norway launched an unsuccessful invasion of Scotland; the ensuing [[Treaty of Perth]] recognised Scottish control of the Western Isles and other disputed areas.<ref>{{Harvp|Ashley|1998|pp=407–409}}; {{Harvp|Cannon|Griffiths|1988|pp=187, 196}}</ref>

Alexander III's death in a riding accident in 1286 precipitated a major succession crisis. Scottish leaders appealed to King Edward I of England for help in determining who was the rightful heir. Edward chose Alexander's three-year-old Norwegian granddaughter, [[Margaret, Maid of Norway|Margaret]]. On her way to Scotland in 1290, however, Margaret died at sea, and Edward was again asked to adjudicate between [[Competitors for the Crown of Scotland|13 rival claimants to the throne]]. A court was set up and after two years of deliberation, it pronounced [[John Balliol]] to be king. Edward proceeded to treat Balliol as a vassal and tried to exert influence over Scotland. In 1295, when Balliol renounced his allegiance to England, Edward I invaded. During the first ten years of the ensuing [[Wars of Scottish Independence]], Scotland had no monarch, until [[Robert the Bruce]] declared himself king in 1306.{{Sfnp|Ashley|1998|pp=409–412}}

Robert's efforts to control Scotland culminated in success and Scottish independence was acknowledged in 1328. However, only one year later, Robert died and was succeeded by his five-year-old son, [[David II of Scotland|David II]]. On the pretext of restoring John Balliol's rightful heir, [[Edward Balliol]], the English again invaded in 1332. During the next four years, Balliol was crowned, deposed, restored, deposed, restored, and deposed until he eventually settled in England, and David remained king for the next 35 years.{{Sfnp|Ashley|1998|pp=549–552}}

[[File:James-IV-Miniature-Book-Of-Hours.png|thumb|left|[[James IV]], King of Scotland from 1488–1513, with the [[Crown of Scotland]]]]

David II died childless in 1371 and was succeeded by his nephew [[Robert II of Scotland|Robert II]] of the [[House of Stuart]]. The reigns of both Robert II and his successor, [[Robert III of Scotland|Robert III]], were marked by a general decline in royal power. When Robert III died in 1406, [[regent]]s had to rule the country; the monarch, Robert III's son [[James I of Scotland|James I]], had been taken captive by the English. Having paid a large ransom, James returned to Scotland in 1424; to restore his authority, he used ruthless measures, including the execution of several of his enemies. He was assassinated by a group of nobles. [[James II of Scotland|James II]] continued his father's policies by subduing influential noblemen but he was killed in an accident at the age of thirty, and a council of regents again assumed power. [[James III of Scotland|James III]] was defeated in a battle against rebellious Scottish earls in 1488, leading to another boy-king: [[James IV]].{{Sfnp|Ashley|1998|pp=552–565}}

In 1513 James IV launched an invasion of England, attempting to take advantage of the absence of the English King Henry VIII. His forces met with disaster at [[Flodden Field]]; the king, many senior noblemen, and hundreds of soldiers were killed. As his son and successor, [[James V]], was an infant, the government was again taken over by regents. James V led another disastrous war with the English in 1542, and his death in the same year left the Crown in the hands of his six-day-old daughter, [[Mary, Queen of Scots|Mary]]. Once again, a regency was established.

Mary, a Roman Catholic, reigned during a period of great religious upheaval in Scotland. As a result of the efforts of reformers such as [[John Knox]], a Protestant ascendancy was established. Mary caused alarm by marrying her Catholic cousin, [[Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley]], in 1565. After Lord Darnley's assassination in 1567, Mary contracted an even more unpopular marriage with the [[James Hepburn, 4th Earl of Bothwell|Earl of Bothwell]], who was widely suspected of Darnley's murder. The nobility rebelled against the queen, forcing her to abdicate. She fled to England, and the Crown went to her infant son [[James VI]], who was brought up as a Protestant. Mary was imprisoned and later executed by the English queen Elizabeth I.{{Sfnp|Ashley|1998|pp=567–575}}