James VI's departure from Edinburgh for London in April 1603 following the death of Elizabeth I was accompanied by significant military and security preparations. He took with him a large retinue of Scottish noblemen, household troops, and Border riders. The political-military implications of the departure were enormous: Scotland was left without a resident king for the first time, governed by a Privy Council. James promised to return every three years — he returned once, in 1617. The military question of how to govern the newly pacified Borders and the still-rebellious Hebrides without a royal presence became immediately pressing.
Aubrey generates in-depth historical research for any location in Britain — drawing on Domesday records, scheduled monuments, Victorian OS maps, geological data and archaeological archives to tell the full story of a place.
Research a location near this battlefield