2. James II, King of the Scots, fought for years to gain control over his country before being killed by a misfiring cannon at the age of 29
James II, the second son of James I, reigned as King of the Scots after the assassination of his father in 1437 and until his own death in 1460. Becoming heir apparent after the death of his elder twin, Alexander, James succeeded his father aged just six. As a result, much of his early reign was beyond his control, including the events of the “Black Dinner” where, allegedly, the young king pleaded ineffectually for the lives of his guests before their executions. After reaching adulthood, James struggled persistently to gain practical control over his kingdom and culminated in the murder of the Earl of Douglas in 1452.
Beginning a sporadic civil war, after the Battle of Brechin in May 1455 James finally emerged dominant. Exiling the Douglases and seizing their property, James continued this militaristic streak, intervening consistently and designed, fruitless, plans to capture Orkney and Shetland. Actively promoting artillery, which had proven successful in his fight against the “Black Douglases”, James besieged the English-held Roxburgh Castle in 1460. On August 3, whilst standing near a cannon known as “the Lion”, the artillery piece suddenly exploded. Struck with shrapnel in the thigh, the king was killed almost immediately.
