Born – 10th April 1512
Died – 14th December 1542
Father – King James IV (1473 – 1513)
Mother – Margaret Tudor (1489 – 1541)
Spouses – m. 1537 – Madeleine of France (1520 – 1537), m. 1538 – Mary of Guise (1515 – 1560)
Children – by Mary of Guise – James (1540 – 1541), Robert (1541), Mary Queen of Scots (1542 – 1587)
King of Scotland – 1513 – 1542
Predecessor – James IV of Scotland – 1488 – 1513
Successor – Mary Queen of Scots – 1542 – 1567
1512 (10th April)
King James V of Scotland was born to James IV of Scotland and Margaret Tudor at Linlithgow Palace, Fife. He was styled Duke of Rothesay.
1512 (11th April)
Prince James was baptised.
1513 (28th June)
James’s father was excommunicated by Pope Leo X for breaking the existing peace treaty with England.
1513 (30th June)
King Henry VIII of England, led a force into France. Seeking to take advantage of the absence of the English King, King James IV prepared to invade England.
1513 (24th August)
At the head of a huge army, James’s father crossed the River Tweed.
1513 (9th September)
Battle of Flodden Field
James IV had positioned his army on the ridge of a hill and waited for Thomas Howard, Earl of Surrey to approach. When the English army came in sight James abandoned caution and charged down the hill. The action had disastrous consequences. James IV and much of the nobility of Scotland were killed.
James IV had positioned his army on the ridge of a hill and waited for Thomas Howard, Earl of Surrey to approach. When the English army came in sight James abandoned caution and charged down the hill. The action had disastrous consequences. James IV and much of the nobility of Scotland were killed.
1513 (10th September)
James was proclaimed King James V of Scotland. His mother, Margaret Tudor was named as regent for the infant king. A clause stated that if she were to re-marry she would forfeit the regency.
1513 (21st September)
James, was crowned King James V at the Chapel Royal in Stirling Castle.
1514 (30th April)
James’s brother, Alexander, was born to Margaret Tudor and posthumously to James IV of Scotland at Stirling Castle. He was styled Duke of Ross.
1514 (July)
James’s mother, Margaret had managed to establish peace with England.
1514 (6th August)
Margaret Tudor secretly married Archibald Douglas, Earl of Angus, at Kinnoul Church. The marriage was kept secret because under the terms of James IV’s will, Margaret would lose the regency of James V if she remarried.
1514 (late August)
James’s mother was removed as regent of Scotland. The Duke of Albany stripped of the regency which was given to the Duke of Albany, his father’s cousin and closest living relative. Albany was in France when he learned of the appointment.
1514 (September)
The Scottish Privy Council decided that by marrying a second time, Margaret had forfeited the right to bring up her sons. Margaret refused to hand over her sons and took James and his brother, Alexander, to Stirling Castle.
1515 (May)
John Stewart, Duke of Albany, returned to Scotland from France.
1515 (July)
The Duke of Albany was formally made Regent of Scotland for the young King James V.
1515 (August)
James and his brother, Alexander were forcibly placed into the care of the Duke of Albany. James’s mother, Margaret, and her husband, Archibald Douglas, fled to England.
1515 (8th October)
James’s half-sister, Margaret Douglas, was born to Margaret and Archibald Douglas at Harbottle Castle, Northumberland.
1515 (18th December)
James’s brother, Alexander, died at Stirling Castle.
1515 (late December)
Archibald Douglas, returned to Scotland and made peace with the Duke of Albany.
1516 (during)
James’s mother, Margaret, went to London where she, the Duke of Albany, Cardinal Wolsey and her brother, Henry VIII, negotiated a peace treaty between England and Scotland.
1517 (around)
James began his education. The poet David Lyndsay was one of his tutors.
1517 (June)
With peace between England and Scotland successfully negotiated, Margaret Tudor returned to Scotland. However, she was not fully trusted by the council and was only allowed to visit James under supervision.
1520 (during)
James’s mother, Margaret wanted to divorce her second husband, Archibald Douglas, Earl of Angus, because he was unfaithful. However, she found it difficult to get support for an annulment.
1524 (during)
The Duke of Albany went to France and Margaret took back the Regency and took James V to Edinburgh.
1524 (August)
The Scottish Parliament declared that the Regency was over and that James would rule as King.
1524 (November)
James appointed his mother as chief councillor.
1524 (November)
Margaret’s relationship with her husband, the Earl of Angus, continued to deteriorate and when he turned up in Edinburgh demanding to be allowed to attend Parliament she ordered cannons to be fired on him, forcing him to retreat.
1525 (February)
Under pressure from members of the council, Margaret was forced to allow the Earl of Angus a seat on the Council.
1525 (late February)
James’s stepfather, the Earl of Angus took custody of him and began to rule on his behalf.
1526 (25th July)
Battle of Melrose
This battle was fought between the forces of Walter Scott of Branxholme and the royalist forces. Scott had ambushed the King’s forces in an attempt to remove the King from the custody of the Earl of Angus.
This battle was fought between the forces of Walter Scott of Branxholme and the royalist forces. Scott had ambushed the King’s forces in an attempt to remove the King from the custody of the Earl of Angus.
1526 (4th September)
Battle of Linlithgow Bridge
This battle was fought as a second attempt to remove King James V from the custody of the Earl of Angus.
This battle was fought as a second attempt to remove King James V from the custody of the Earl of Angus.
1527 (February)
Henry Fitzroy, Duke of Richmond, illegitimate son of King Henry VIII of England, gave James a present of 20 hunting dogs and a huntsman.
1527 (11th March)
James’s mother finally divorced Archibald Douglas, Earl of Angus, after gaining the approval of the Pope.
1528 (3rd March)
James’s mother, Margaret, married her treasurer, Henry Stewart.
1528 (June)
James was finally able to escape from the Earl of Angus’s custody and take control of the throne of Scotland. He raised an army and exiled the Douglas family. He then appointed his mother, Margaret, one of his senior advisers.
1528 (June)
James V created his mother’s new husband, Henry Stewart, Lord Methven.
1534 (May)
A new peace was agreed between England and Scotland. James’s mother had been instrumental in the bringing about of this treaty.
1536 (early)
Margaret Tudor had arranged a meeting between her son, James V of Scotland, and her brother, Henry VIII of England. Henry travelled to York for the meeting but James, mistrustful of the English, refused to attend the meeting.
1536 (during)
James V refused to sanction his mother divorcing Henry Stewart.
1537 (1st January)
King James V of Scotland, married Madeleine of Valois, daughter of King Francis I of France at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. She was not in the best of health and is thought to have been suffering with tuberculosis. But she brought a large dowry which was much needed as Scotland was facing bankruptcy. The marriage also strengthened the Auld Alliance with France.
1537 (January)
A number of feasts and jousts were held to celebrate the marriage of James V and Madeleine of Valois.
1537 (19th May)
James and Madeleine travelled to Scotland.
1537 (2nd July)
James’s wife, Madeleine of France, died at Holyrood Palace, Edinburgh.
1537 (17th July)
Janet, Countess of Glamis, sister-in-law of the Earl of Angus, was found guilty of trying to poison King James. She was burned at the stake.
1538 (12th June)
King James V of Scotland, married Mary of Guise, daughter of Claude I, Duke of Guise at St Andrew’s Cathedral, Fife.
1540 (during)
James made a visit to the Orkney Islands.
1540 (22nd February)
Mary of Guise was crowned Queen Consort of Scotland at Holyrood Abbey, Edinburgh.
1540 (22nd May)
A son, James was born to James V and Mary of Guise at St Andrews, Fife.
1541 (12th April)
A son, Robert was born to James V and Mary of Guise at St Andrews, Fife.
1541 (20th April)
James’s son, Robert, died at Falkland Palace.
1541 (21st April)
James’s son, James, died at Falkland Palace.
1541 (18th October)
James’s mother, Margaret, died of a stroke at Methven Castle. She was buried in the Cathusian Abbey at Perth.
1542 (during)
Following the death of his mother, James had no reason to maintain peace with England and war broke out. Henry VIII of England had broken with Rome and wanted Scotland to follow suit but James, who was a Catholic, refused.
1542 (August)
Battle of Haddon Rig
The English made a substantial border raid but the Scots were able to resist and defeated the English.
The English made a substantial border raid but the Scots were able to resist and defeated the English.
1542 (31st October)
James V wanted to launch a full attack on England but his nobles were reluctant to invade. James, who was feeling unwell, left the army and returned to Edinburgh.
1542 (24th November)
Battle of Solway Moss
The Scots, led by Oliver Sinclair, were heavily defeated at this battle with the English. More than a thousand Scots were taken prisoner.
The Scots, led by Oliver Sinclair, were heavily defeated at this battle with the English. More than a thousand Scots were taken prisoner.
1542 (late November)
When James V was informed of the defeat at the Battle of Solway Moss his condition worsened.
1542 (8th December)
James’s wife, Mary of Guise, was delivered of a daughter. She was named Mary.
1542 (14th December)
King James V of Scotland died at Falkland Palace. It is thought that he may have died from cholera. He was succeeded by his baby daughter who became known as Mary Queen of Scots.
Published Jul 08, 2019 @ 10:05 pm – Updated – [last-modified]
Harvard Reference for this page:
Heather Y Wheeler. (2019 – 2020). King James V of Scotland 1512 – 1542. https://www.thetimelinegeek.com/king-james-v-of-scotland-1512-1542 Last accessed [date]