medieval-atlas/events-from-about-850-to-1460/111

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james II (1437-60) In the space of a few years, James 11 removed from the political scene many men who had been responsible for the government of the realm during hi~ minority. First 10 go were the Livingstons. in 1449-50: James himself struck the first blow in the murder of the eighth earl of Douglas in 1452 and in 1455 after Arkinholm the Black Douglases effecti ..ely disappeared. although the ninth earl lived mainly in England until 1491. One of the most significant fealUres of this period is that an army lacking the king's presence won the final conflic!. Three years before. the earl of Huotly, claiming 10 bear the king's banner and be hi!. lieutenant. had seen off the earl of Crawford at Brechin. It is probable the king feared a repeti tion of the events of 1437; his people were anxious 10 pre\'cOl any lasting threat to the stability of the realm. The maps (based on those provided for the first atlas) show the tcrritorial possessions of the Black Douglascs and their allie~: Douglas Lands ~) Hugh Dougla." I_V I -Earldom of OmlOnd c:J)"'V (lands of Ardmcanach) An:hibald Douglas 2 Earldom of Moray John Douglas 3 Lordship of Bahenie Ea.... or Douglas 4 Aberdour 5 Abcrcom and Earldom of Avondale 6 Bolton 7 Bothwell 8 Glenholm 9 Lauderdale 10 Stewarton and Dunlop I I Earldom of Douglas J2 Culler and Crawfordjohn 13 Trabboch 14 Forests of Ettrid.: and Selkirk 15 Sprouston and Browndean [6 E!.kdaJe J7 Ea.\( Galloway 18 Wcst Galloway and Earldom of Wigtown 19 ShcrifTship of Lanark 20 Custody of West and Middle Marches Lumls ur Douglas Allies MacDonald A Earldom of Ross MacDona ld B Lordship of the Isles Lindsay C Earldom of Crawford Hamilton D Lordship of Hamilton o Lands of the Black Douglases and indicate the areas where the king found support in the 1450s. The reign of James I had seen great changes in the higher nobility which meant the earls of Douglas had no peers in tenns of possession of property. This allowed previous historians to see the earls as archetypal over-mighty magnates. yet the earls held public offices. and no-one is known to have petitioned for their removal. Certainly. there was tension between the Crown and the Douglases. e.g. over the right the eighth earl had to the lands of his mother; and his bond wi th the earl of Crawford and the Lord of the Isles was also comcnliou ... : hho refusal to break il seems 10 have precipitated his murder. bUl none of this was likely to produce a Scouish War of the Roses. Indeed. although it cannot be quantified. more people 'Were probably killed in the variou)' outbreaks of plague during the reign than in any of the armed encounters. D Lands of allies of the Black Douglases km, Since the exact boundaries of the tiets are uncertain, they are o 25 50 75 100 represented by symbols whose size is relative to the conjecI tural Importance of the lands. o 10 20 30 40 50 60 miles The lands of the Black Douglas .. and lheir allies aboul 1452 AB III

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