Chain of Destiny

After the defeat and death of James III following the Battle of Sauchieburn in 1488, his fifteen-year-old son is crowned James IV of Scotland. The new king begins his reign burdened by the rebellion that placed him on the throne and by the powerful lords who expect to control an inexperienced monarch. Yet the vigorous, intelligent and headstrong James quickly proves unwilling to remain anyone’s instrument, setting out to restore royal authority and reconcile a kingdom divided by his father’s fall.

As he matures, James becomes an energetic Renaissance ruler: a patron of learning and shipbuilding, an active administrator, a romantic and an accomplished man of war. His charm inspires loyalty in his subjects and passionate devotion in the women around him, but his chivalric ideals and political ambitions carry their own dangers. The same chain of choices that raises Scotland’s prestige eventually draws king and nation towards England and the catastrophe of Flodden, where many of the country’s bravest men will die beside him.