James IV is the best-known of all the late medieval Scottish rulers. Widely praised by his contemporaries, he combined the qualities of successful medieval monarch with a wide interest in the arts and sciences, while remaining acutely conscious of the need to enhance the prestige of his dynasty throughout Europe. This excellent study examines all aspects of James IV's sovereignty, explains his popularity and his highly successful kingship and assesses reasons for the disastrous end to the reign when the king and a large population of the Scottish nobility were eliminated in a single afternoon in 1513 at Flodden. This book represents Scottish historical research at its very best. It is meticulously researched and sensitively written.

• Cover
• Title
• Copyright
• Acknowledgements
• Preface
• Contents
• List of illustrations
• 1. A Family at War, 1473–88
• 2. The Reluctant Regicide
• 3. 1488–90: Rebels Without a Case?
• 4. Unholy Alliance: Bothwell, Angus and Bishop Elphinstone, 1490–95
• 5. 1495–97: The Watershed
• 6. Money and Power
• 7. The Demise of Parliament
• 8. Piety and Politics
• 9. Royal Obsession: The Navy
• 10. The Four Horsemen
• 11. The Legend and the King
• Appendix: The Itinerary of James IV
• Bibliography
• Index