James, by the Grace of God

 This is the second in Nigel Tranter's trilogy covering the reign of James V of Scotland. James is coming out of his infancy and preparing to rule Scotland if any of the warring factions will let him.

Our hero remains David Lindsay of the Mount, the King's Usher—a sort of guardian and tutor. He is close friends with David Beaton, nephew and secretary to the Primate, who effectively runs the church. The young monarch has escaped the clutches of his mother, the sister of Henry VIII of England, only to be held by Archibald, Earl of Angus, chief of the mighty Red Douglases. 

Several attempts were made to free the king, aided by Beaton's plotting. Walter Scott of Branxholme ambushed Angus' forces on 25 July 1526 at the Battle of Melrose but was routed. Another attempt later that year, on 4 September at the Battle of Linlithgow Bridge, also failed. However, in May 1528, James finally escaped from Angus's captivity when he fled from Edinburgh to Stirling in disguise with Lindsay.

James attacked Angus, although they failed to capture Tantallon Castle, which was almost impregnable even with the great cannon, Mons Meg. Angus still fled to England.

James' personal rule has to be set in the context of the period. The Papacy was struggling with the disruption caused by the Reformation, and Henry was busy breaking away from Rome when he couldn't get a divorce. He was still trying to get James to marry his daughter, Mary, backed up with many punitive raids. However, the French alliance was Scotland's best defence against Henry, and the book ends with James looking for a French bride.

Tranter is generally not a big fan of the Stewarts, and he paints James as weak and dissolute, which is a bit unfair given his childhood. He managed to subdue the border lords, if only temporarily, and institute reforms, including establishing Scotland's top law court, the Court of Session, which remains in place today. Angus introduced the adolescent king to the pleasures of the flesh, an aspect of his personal life that Tranter emphasises. 

It is not a bad story, but the battlefield action is limited to small-scale internal feuding and border raids. The Border Wars game and figure range cover this period well, which is an excellent way to cover it on the tabletop.