James IV of Scotland: Crusader?

Dr Alastair J. Macdonald

Dr Aly Macdonald reassesses the crusading aspirations of James IV of Scotland (r. 1488-1513). The established historiography is highly polarised. On the one hand, James IV has been seen as a misguided crusading idealist, out of his depth in the cynical world of sixteenth-century diplomacy. A more recent, contrasting, view (now widely accepted) is that James IV was every bit as cynical as his contemporary European rulers, merely professing crusade enthusiasm as a cover for other political goals. Dr Macdonald argues that neither of these images is satisfactory.

To arrive at an alternative analysis, this talk explores James IV as a would-be crusader in hitherto neglected contexts, taking new approaches to the dynamics of international diplomacy, the cultural world of the royal court, and the personal piety of the Scottish king. Above all, James IV’s crusading aspirations are considered in the light of wider crusade studies, a surprisingly neglected angle. Dr Macdonald argues that James IV was neither a ‘moonstruck romantic’, nor a hard-headed ‘realist’. He was a committed and determined crusader, who put that aspiration at the heart of his policy decisions in the later years of his reign. It is entirely understandable that he did so, for reasons of personality, policy and piety.

This talk took place online on Thursday 4 March, 2021. You can view a recording of the talk below.