General Notes

James I (of Scotland) (1394-1437), king of Scotland (1406-1437), only
surviving son of King Robert III, born in Dunfermline. In 1406, shortly before
the death of his father, James was sent to France for safety from rebellious
Scottish nobles. The ship was seized by the English, and James was kept a
prisoner until 1423. Having inherited the Scottish throne in 1406, James was
crowned king when he returned to Scotland in 1424. He married Joan Beaufort,
niece of the English king Richard II, and granddaughter of John of Gaunt. By
1429 James had forced the Scottish nobles to submit to royal authority. He
tried to improve the administration of justice and for the first time
published parliamentary acts in the language of the common people. He angered
the papacy by preventing church revenues from being sent to Rome. He formed a
closer alliance with France and gave his eldest daughter, Margaret, in
marriage to the Dauphin, later King Louis XI. James, however, had antagonized
the Scottish nobles by confiscating their estates, and he was assassinated in
1437 by a group of nobles. He was succeeded by his son James II.