To a man who had such an eventful life... and who is 613 years old today.
James' life was in danger at a very young age, so his father sent him from Scotland to France for safety, but during this escape, he was seized by the English and was held as a prisoner by them for 18 years. When his father heard of his sons capture, he died of a broken heart.
After his long imprisonment in England, James' countrymen finally paid a kings ransom for his release and he was able to return to his home country. He brought with him his wife, Joan Beaufort, a cousin of King Henry VI.
At long last, he was crowned King of Scotland and thus began one of the most significant reigns of royalty that Scotland had seen since his great-grandfather, Robert the Bruce, had ruled. James and Joan had eight children together, but sadly only seven survived.
Once he'd reclaimed the throne, he found that his work was cut out for him; Scotland had fallen apart during his absence. This king had to fight to unite his kingdom, and once that was done, he was determined to make his country one of the most powerful in Europe. James made many changes to the Scottish economic system and to their government. In many ways, he advanced the nation much further than it had ever grown in such a short time, and while this was good for the country, it was not appreciated by all.
King James was killed by his own relatives in a power move that ended their lives as well as his; rumor has it that he was stabbed 28 times. His children and grandchildren kept the throne of Scotland, but I don't believe that another Scottish King did as much for his country until the reign of King James the VI of Scotland who was also King James the I of England (son of Mary, Queen of Scots).
And so it is to the memory of this great man, in honor of his strength, courage, endurance, determination, and his devout loyalty to his people and his country that I bow in respect and celebrate the day that he was brought into this world. King James I of Scotland, your life made a great difference in your time and it's ripple effects are still moving today.
To my 15th great-grandfather, Happy Birthday, the strength of your legacy lives on.
King James I of Scotland
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16 comments:
Aha! So you're royalty then? That explains everything! :-)
I'm of Scottish descent but not of royalty. Therefore, I'm honored to know you, my liege [liegetta?] and humbly ask for your queenly blessings.
Does that mean you are also related to Mary, Queen of Scots? Because if you believe some people in our family geneology circle, so am I! We could be (really really distant) cousins! :)
Very nice post for your uncle.
That's VERY cool, Absolute! I loved Scotland when I was there many years ago. It wasn't until I returned that I found some of my distant ancestors probably came from there on my Mom's side (those naughty Danish Vikings who conquered the British Isles at one time). I'd love to know more about my family tree. My photos and information currently only go back about 5-6 generations, if that.
This post is a great example of keeping the memory of someone alive, regardless of how long they've been gone. Well done!
Christina
Okay, I just caught my "lack-of-morning-coffee-as-of-yet" typo. Ugh. I meant to say, Scarlett (obviously), not Absolute. Sheesh! I should not be allowed to type anything until I've had at least one shot of caffeine. Sorry about that!
Christina
Buon giorno Principessa!!!!!!!!!
(Remember "La Vita รจ Bella" with Roberto Benigni?)
Lovely post me lass ;)
Vanilla,
Not full blown royalty, but I do try to get my own way as often as possible.
What does it explain?
Ally!
Blessings! YAY! Yes, lots to you, to all of us.
...queenly? That's stretching it a bit transparent...
;o)
Jules!
Hey cuz!
Mary Queen of Scots is a distant cousin, as she is also descended from King James I, in fact, our tree goes separate ways from him, but of course is bound together through his fathers.
Small world huh?
Christina,
Naughty vikings!! I choked on my coffee I was laughing so much... I'd love to read a post about your trip to Scotland; I haven't been yet!
It's on the top of the list...
Geneology can be pretty cool, it's interesting to see what we came from, as we are all jigsaw puzzles of the people who came before us.
Ciao Bella Sognatrice!
No principessa... thank heaven, just a regular lass with an interesting family!
Scarlett & Viaggiatore
Scotland is my favourite country - have you been? Addy
Addy!
I haven't!
But I will be on my way soon.
Why do you like it so well?
Scarlett & Viaggiatore
Scarlett,
Aye, so it's a bonnie royal lass ye are is it? Well it's sure I'm not surprised!
And when is it that ye'll be a traveling to the lovely isles?
And a very Marry Christmas to You my dear girl!
rel
Wow, Scarlett! Impressive! Very nice tribute.
How cool is that?
(And how interesting!!)
wow! he's related? I trampled some of his ground while I was there...and I saw his official portrait.
Wayfarer,
Yes, Great-Grandfather way back. I would not be typing this if he hadn't had one of his daughters with his queen.
I haven't trampled any Scottish ground yet, but I am excited to.
You saw his official portrait... wow! This one that I've posted kind of seems strange to me, because he looks a LOT like my mother - or rather, she looks a LOT like him... they could almost be twins. I don't look like either of them, and I'm ok with that!
I hope you post about your time there, I'd love to read it!
Scarlett & Viaggiatore
This is fascinating! Not the least of which is that you can trace your family that far back.
Where do you stand in line for the throne, Milady?
Hearts,
Actually, I have the Worlds Best Uncle, who devotes all of his time to being completely in love with my Amazing Aunt (45 years now), and tracing geneology in our family... he has a whole office dedicated to it.
He's still going backward from there.
I asked him to send me the lineage chart so I could see it... it's pretty cool. Very interesting.
And... I'd only be in line for the throne if I were a MALE... (very grumbly about the whole 'men are so much more significant than women' ideology that has ruled the world since time started...) so no crowns unless they are money, no robes and thrones unless they're in the powder room... um... where did that whole connection come from?
Best I'll get is cloth in our Royal tartan and my own Coat of Arms, IF I petition the Lord Lyon court for it. And pay a hefty sum. And get approved. In a year.
Scarlett & Viaggiatore
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