The defeat of the Scots in the Battle of Flodden in 1513 left many of
the leaders of Scottish society, including King James IV, lying dead on
the battlefield. The long and complex minority of King James V which
followed is explored in detail in this book, bringing understanding to
the evolving relationships among the Scots, English and French against
the background of the wider European context of the early sixteenth
century.
The competing interests of England and France were personified in two of
the Scottish Regents: Queen Margaret Tudor, the sister of Henry VIII,
and John, Duke of Albany, James V's nearest male heir, who had been
brought up in France and represented the French connection as much as
the Scots. The interests of leading Scots' families, the Hamiltons and
the Douglases, were also at the heart of the power struggle. The book
offers a rare insight into a turbulent period of Scottish politics.