Protestant lords led by the Earl of Gowrie lured the young James VI to Ruthven Castle in August 1582 and held him prisoner for ten months. When the Earl of Mar attempted to raise forces to rescue the king, Gowrie's confederates assembled armed bands across the Highlands and Lowlands to prevent it. The Ruthven Raid paralysed Scottish government and showed how easy it was to hold a Scottish king hostage — a lesson James VI never forgot and which later shaped his obsession with royal authority.
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