Margaret Tudor
In 1503, James IV of Scotland married Margaret Tudor, the
daughter of King Henry VII of England, in an attempt to form an
alliance with Scotland's old enemy. Although this attempt was a
total failure and hostilities continued, it led to the Union of the
Crowns 100 years later, as it gave the Stewarts their claim to the
English throne. As part of her dowry, James gave his new wife the
lands of Kilmarnock in Ayrshire, including Dean Castle, which
his father, James III, had confiscated from the Boyd
family in 1469 for treason. The Queen owned them until she
died but allowed the Boyds to rent their former family seat from
her, for 600 Marks (400 Pounds) a year. After her death the Boyd
family continued to rent them until the lands were restored to the
forth Lord Boyd (Robert Boyd: d.1557), from whom the Earls of
Kilmarnock were descended, by Mary Queen of Scots.
James IV was killed in battle at Flodden in 1513 and it fell to
Margaret to serve as Regent in place of her young son, James
V. She was forced to give this up the following year as a
result of her marriage to Archibald Douglas, the 6th Earl of Angus.
The couple, who still held enormous influence in Scotland, were
able to gain English support in their squabbles with the new
regent, John Stuart, 4th Duke of Albany, . The Douglases fell from
power and Margaret obtained a divorce and married for the third
time. This time she completely changed her allegiance and married
Henry Stuart, Lord Methven. She tried to build bridges between her
father Henry VII and her son, but James now mistrusted his mother
and would not take her counsel.
Margaret died in 1541 at Methven Castle and was buried at the
Carthusian Abbey of St John in Perth .
