On 5 August 1600 James VI rode to Gowrie House in Perth, reportedly lured there by Alexander Ruthven — younger brother of the Earl of Gowrie — with a story of a mysterious stranger holding a pot of foreign gold. On arrival Ruthven led the king to a small turret room above the gallery, locked the door, and produced not gold but armed men. Whether this was an assassination attempt, a kidnap, or — as some historians have argued — a fabrication by James VI to destroy a family he owed money to remains debated. What is certain is that James VI escaped and Ruthven was killed in the subsequent struggle.
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