Stirling burgh action — Douglas vs Crichton 1444

History & Significance

James II (16 October 1430 – 3 August 1460) was King of Scots from 1437 until his death in 1460. The eldest surviving son of James I of Scotland, he succeeded to the Scottish throne at the age of six. James began his personal rule in 1449 after a turbulent minority dominated by the ambitions of successive Earls of Douglas. Tensions between James and William, 8th Earl of Douglas, led to Douglas's murder in 1452 and an ensuing civil war. James defeated the Douglas family in 1455, seizing its lands and forcing its surviving members into exile. James pursued an aggressive foreign policy in the remaining years of his reign; he exploited the Wars of the Roses to launch repeated attacks against England, and sought territorial concessions from France and the Kalmar Union. James summoned frequent parliaments to pass legislation, but faced criticism from these bodies over his judicial policies. He was killed by an exploding bombard at Roxburgh Castle in 1460. James has been described as a largely successful king who strengthened the Scottish monarchy. He was succeeded by his son, James III.

James was born at Holyrood Palace on 16 October 1430, the younger of the twin sons of James I and Joan Beaufort. The twins' birth was greeted with public celebrations in Edinburgh. James I knighted his newborn sons, together with the heirs of various noblemen. The elder of the twins, Alexander, died before 22 April 1431, leaving James as the king's only surviving son and heir to the Scottish throne. James was born with a large red birthmark that covered one side of his face, a characteristic described by the contemporary Auchinleck chronicle as "the fyre mark in his face".

Little is known about James's early childhood. He was resident at Doune Castle in 1431, while in 1434 the king ordered Edinburgh Castle to be repaired to accommodate him. Michael Ramsay, the keeper of Lochmaben Castle, served as James's guardian during his infancy. Ramsay was removed from this position in 1431, after which John Spens of Glendouglas, an adherent of Walter, Earl of Atholl, became James's guardian. The king trusted Spens, who had previously served as comptroller, probably because of his connections with the Earl of Atholl.

James became King of Scots on 21 February 1437, after his father's assassination at the Blackfriars monastery in Perth. The king's death was orchestrated by his uncle, the Earl of Atholl. The earl's plans against James I were the culmination of longstanding disputes between the two men. Atholl, an elderly man, was anxious over the king's interference in his estates, which threatened the effective disinheritance of Robert Stewart, his grandson and heir. Atholl may have sought to secure his own position by becoming regent on behalf of the young James II, which necessitated the removal of both the king and queen. Atholl's contemporary, Walter Bower, accused the earl of attempting to seize the throne for himself in fulfillment of an alleged prophecy.

The ground they fought on

The site of Stirling burgh action — Douglas vs Crichton 1444 lies on Unnamed Igneous Intrusion, Carboniferous To Permian, bedrock that formed in the Permian. The rock here is dolerite and tholeiitic basalt.

Frequently Asked Questions

Scheduled Monuments near Stirling burgh action — Douglas vs Crichton 1444

Stirling, town wall & bastion & Port Street Bastion at 44 Bastion Wynd

Scheduled monument · ~0.3 mi

Stirling town wall and bastion is a defensive structure built to protect the royal burgh of Stirling on its elevated site above the River Forth. The fortification occupies the rising ground at 44 Bastion Wynd, where the bedrock of Permian dolerite and tholeiitic basalt provides a naturally strong…

Stirling, remains of former bridge to N of Stirling Old Bridge

Scheduled monument · ~0.6 mi

Stirling, remains of former bridge to N of Stirling Old Bridge is a masonry bridge structure of unknown date situated on the River Forth immediately north of the medieval Stirling Old Bridge. The monument consists of fragmentary stonework visible in the riverbed and banks, testimony to an earlier…

King's Park,cup & ring mark

Scheduled monument · ~0.8 mi

King's Park cup and ring mark is a prehistoric rock carving located in Stirlingshire, Scotland. The motif consists of a cup—a small circular depression—surrounded by concentric rings pecked into the living rock surface. Such carvings are characteristic of later Neolithic and Bronze Age societies…

Abbey Craig,fort

Scheduled monument · Iron Age · ~1.6 mi

Abbey Craig fort is an Iron Age hillfort situated on a prominent rocky outcrop near Stirling in Perthshire, Scotland. The fort exploits the natural defensive qualities of its location, built upon bedrock composed of Permian-age igneous intrusion dominated by dolerite and tholeiitic basalt, which…

Gillies Hill,fort

Scheduled monument · Iron Age · ~2 mi

Gillies Hill is an Iron Age fort situated in Stirlingshire, Scotland. The fortification commands views across the surrounding landscape from its position on bedrock formed by Permian-age igneous intrusion, comprising dolerite and tholeiitic basalt. This volcanic geology provides the natural found…

Wallstale,dun

Scheduled monument · Iron Age · ~2.1 mi

Wallstale Dun is an Iron Age dun situated in Stirlingshire, Scotland, and is protected as a scheduled monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM2110. The monument represents a form of defensible settlement characteristic of the Iron Age in Scotland, typically comprising a small…

Other Medieval Battles

Battles near Stirling burgh action — Douglas vs Crichton 1444

Explore the landscape around this battlefield

Aubrey generates in-depth historical research for any location in the UK — drawing on Domesday records, scheduled monuments, Victorian OS maps, geological data and archaeological archives to tell the full story of a place.

• James II of Scotland · Wikipedia
• Sieges of Stirling Castle · Wikipedia
• Crichton Castle · Wikipedia
• Blackness Castle · Wikipedia