James I of Scotland

Born in July 1394, the youngest son of Robert III, James watched his older brother David die under suspicious circumstances in their uncle's custody and saw plans made to spirit him to France for safety. In March 1406, English pirates seized his ship in the Firth of Forth; his father died weeks later, leaving an 11-year-old captive as the uncrowned king. Educated at the English court, he fought for Henry V in France — at times against Scottish forces — before marrying Joan Beaufort in February 1424 and returning home that April. His reign turned ruthless: he executed his cousin Duke Murdoch an…