The Riven Realm

 This is the first of a trilogy by Tranter covering the reign of James V. Yes, the last book was also during this period, but I am reading chronologically. Tranter often returned to a period he was particularly interested in. In this case, some 20 years later. Much as I love his books, I'm not convinced James V deserves a trilogy, as it wasn't a fascinating period. 

This book covers the early years of James' life as seen through the eyes of David Lindsay, the Usher and Procurator of the infant King. His mother, Margaret Tudor, was under the influence of her brother, Henry VIII of England, so the Regency Council appointed David and others to look after him. Henry wanted the young King in England as part of his claim to be Lord Paramount of Scotland. Margaret lost her right to be the infant King's guardian when she remarried Archibald Douglas, who was in the English faction.

Not having a strong King meant the Scots nobles did what they always did best - squabble amongst themselves. The Douglas and Hamilton factions vying for power. The increasingly corrupt Catholic church held the balance, and David's friend David Beaton, the subject of the last book, makes an early appearance. The only serious candidate for sole Regent was John Stewart, Duke of Albany, the King's cousin. He was appointed but never stuck around for long. He was French and didn't even speak English, let alone Scots. The need for the French alliance was also a common theme in the period, an essential counter to Henry, although subject to the vagaries of continental alliances and politics. 

The period in this story didn't cover a great deal of action, but there were all the usual cross-border threats and raiding. This is very much a lowland story, with the Highlands rarely entering the tale. It's not the most gripping story, but there is plenty of plotting and power politics. 

I do have a Tudor English army of this period in 15mm. I do not have a Scots army as such, but a raid through my late medieval armies produced enough figures close enough to the long spear schiltrons the Scots generally fielded. I considered a few different rule sets and even downloaded the ADLG Renaissance set. However, Pike & Shotte has a section on this period so I went for them. They worked very well, and our midweek game was excellent. I have always been a fan of Renaissance wargaming since George Gush enticed me all those years ago.