On This Day In History: King James I Of Scotland Was Assassinated – On Feb 21, 1437

AncientPages.com - On February 21, 1437 James I of Scotland was killed in Perth on February 21, 1437, but the exact site of his grave has been forgotten over time.

James I was murdered at a monastery in Perth in 1437. Image credit: Unidentified painter - NationalGalleries.org - Public Domain

James I of Scotland (10 December 1394-20 February 1437) was king of Scotland from 1406 to 1437. He was the son of Robert III of Scotland and Annabella Drummond of Stobhall.

In 1406, James was captured by the English during a trip to France. Until 1424 he was then imprisoned in various castles before, after lengthy negotiations, he was finally released for a ransom of 40,000 pounds.

In February 1424 he married Johanna Beaufort, daughter of John Beaufort, 1st earl of Somerset. He returned to Scotland, where he was crowned on May 21 of the same year.

He was an educated and strong regent, whose improvements in administration and the introduction of a variety of new, useful laws, made him very popular with the Scottish people. However, he was not popular with the nobility, as he tried to put an end to their self-will.

James I was murdered in a Dominican monastery in Perth by a group of conspirators, led by the Earl of Atholl and Sir Robert Graham. The latter had earlier in the evening tinkered with the lock flask for the King's bedroom in the monastery. The killers were then tortured to death.

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