THE THISTLE & THE ROSE

Our historian reflects on a marriage that played a pivotal role in promoting peace between two rival dynasties

KIRSTEN HENTON

From Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn to Edward VIII and Wallace Simpson, royal romances have long shaped British history. But one, albeit without the fiery foundations of others, has arguably had the greatest and most lasting impact: the 1503 marriage of King James IV of Scotland and Princess Margaret Tudor lit a legacy that still beats from the heart of Buckingham Palace today. THE UNMARRIED KING When James IV ascended to Scotland’s throne in 1488 following the death of his somewhat unpopular father James III, he began a reign that would mark him as a hands-on, capable, generally well-liked monarch. Aged just 15, James was affable and shrewd with broad interests in the arts, education, the judiciary and the expansion of Scotland’s navy. He was one of Scotland’s earliest true…

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Scotland (Digital) - 1 Issue, March - April 2025

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