James V

Full Name: James V of Scotland
Profession: King of Scotland

Biography: James V became King of Scotland (1513-1542) at only seventeen months, with the death of his father King James IV at the Battle of Flodden. His mother, Margaret Tudor, would serve as regent for only a year, until she was removed by the Privy Council and replaced by John Stewart, the Duke of Albany.

This was followed by a period in which factions supporting England, led by Archibald Douglas, Earl of Angus, and those supporting France, as the Duke of Albany, kept captive the young king and ruled all the while in his stead.

James V, upon coming to power in his own right, sided with Roman Catholicism and France against the Protestant nobility. He married a French noblewoman, for instance: Mary of Lorraine.

The end of his reign came when the army of Henry VIII, which invaded Scotland in 1542, routed the small army of James V. Subsequently he fell into a state of mentral distress and died within a month of the defeat.

Born: April 10, 1512
Birthplace: Linlithgow Palace, Linlithgow, Scotland
Star Sign: Aries

Died: December 14, 1542 (aged 30)
Cause of Death: Likely cholera or dysentery