350 - King James I Document Signed as King of Scotland, Granting Leave From the Army at Stirling (1584)

King James I Document Signed as King of Scotland, Granting Leave From the Army at Stirling (1584) Manuscript DS in Scots, signed “James R,” one page, 9.5 x 7, May 2, 1584. Document issued by the 17-year-old King James VI of Scotland, granting permission for John Haldon of Glennagers and his companions to take leave of the army at Stirling. Signed neatly at the conclusion by King James. In fine condition, with reinforced edges. In April 1584, the Earl of Mar, joined by the Earl of Angus and the Hamiltons, seized Stirling Castle in a bid to unseat James Stewart, Earl of Arran, the king's favorite. King James responded by mustering a force at Edinburgh and marching on Stirling to retake it; one contemporary account puts his army at over 10,000 men. Mar's position collapsed when his ally the Earl of Gowrie, who had gone to Dundee to raise troops of his own, was instead seized by Arran's men. Mar abandoned Stirling Castle and fled to England, leaving the king's forces in control of the town, the same army at Stirling from which this document grants leave. Gowrie was brought to Stirling, tried at Mar's Wark, and executed there within days of this document's May 2, 1584, date. His fall marked the defeat of the nobles who had attempted to remove Arran from power and restore their influence over the young James VI.