In 1578 a coalition of Scottish lords led by the Earls of Atholl and Argyll challenged Morton's regency and briefly seized control of Stirling Castle and the person of the young James VI. Morton was temporarily ousted from power. He rallied support, and after a tense standoff the challenge collapsed without pitched battle. Morton was restored and the conspirators were conciliated. The episode showed that even a dominant regent could be toppled by aristocratic combination and that control of the king's person remained the key to Scottish political power.
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