History likes a hero. It also loves a villain. But James Stewart, 1st Earl of Moray, doesn't really fit into either of those clean little boxes, does he? He was the illegitimate son of King James V and Lady Margaret Erskine. That one biological fact—his illegitimacy—changed the entire course of 16th-century Scotland. If he’d been born on the "right" side of the marriage bed, he would have been King James VI of Scotland from the jump. Instead, he spent his life being the smartest guy in the room, standing just two steps behind the throne, pulling the strings while his half-sister, Mary, Queen of Scots, took all the heat.
People usually focus on Mary's drama. Her husbands, her execution, her "Tragic Queen" vibe. But honestly? James Stewart was the one actually running the show. He was the architect of the Scottish Reformation. He was the guy who had to figure out how to make a broke, divided country actually function while everyone else was busy plotting murders.
The Protestant Shift and the Power of the Pulpit
By the 1550s, Scotland was a mess. You had the "Auld Alliance" with France keeping the country Catholic, but there was this massive, grassroots swell of Protestantism led by firebrands like John Knox. James Stewart saw which way the wind was blowing. Some say he was a true believer; others think he was just a pragmatist who realized that an alliance with Protestant England made way more sense than staying tethered to France.
He wasn't just some noble sitting in a castle. He was on the ground. When the Lords of the Congregation rose up against the Regency of Mary of Guise, James was there. He risked everything. If the rebellion had failed, his head would’ve been on a pike.
But it didn't fail.
By 1560, the Treaty of Edinburgh basically kicked the French out. The Scottish Parliament then did something wild: they abolished the authority of the Pope. James Stewart was the middleman in all of this. He had this weirdly calm, "The Good Regent" persona, but don't let that fool you. He was cold. He knew exactly how to balance the fanaticism of John Knox with the political needs of the nobility.
Why the 1st Earl of Moray matters more than you think
It’s easy to look at this as just old religious squabbles. It wasn't. It was about national identity. Moray was trying to pull Scotland out of the Middle Ages and into a new era where they weren't just a satellite state for France.
💡 You might also like: Robert Hanssen: What Most People Get Wrong About the FBI's Most Damaging Spy
- He stabilized the economy when the coinage was basically worthless.
- He managed to keep the peace between the fiercely Protestant Kirk and the remaining Catholic lords for years.
- He created the blueprint for the eventual union of the crowns of Scotland and England.
The Mary Problem: Brother vs. Sister
When Mary, Queen of Scots, finally came back from France in 1561, she was an outsider. She was Catholic, French-educated, and, frankly, a bit out of her depth in the brutal world of Scottish politics. James Stewart was her chief advisor. For a few years, they actually worked pretty well together. He was the "power behind the throne."
But then Mary married Lord Darnley.
That was the breaking point. James knew Darnley was a disaster. He was a weak, vain, and power-hungry guy who would eventually be murdered in a massive explosion at Kirk o' Field (one of history's greatest unsolved mysteries, though many point fingers at Moray for knowing it was coming and just... leaving town).
The Chaseabout Raid in 1565 was Moray's failed attempt to stop the marriage. He had to flee to England, tail between his legs. Queen Elizabeth I publicly scolded him to save face, but privately? She knew he was her best bet for a stable, Protestant Scotland.
The Battle of Langside and the Fall of a Queen
Mary’s reign eventually imploded. After the murder of Darnley and her disastrous marriage to the Earl of Bothwell, the Scottish lords had enough. They forced her to abdicate in favor of her infant son, James VI.
James Stewart became the Regent.
📖 Related: Why the Recent Snowfall Western New York State Emergency Was Different
This is where things get really intense. Mary escaped from Loch Leven Castle in 1568 and raised an army. Moray didn't hesitate. Even though it was his sister, he met her forces at the Battle of Langside. He crushed her. He didn't just win a battle; he ended her reign for good. Mary fled to England, thinking Elizabeth would help her. She never saw Scotland again.
Moray was now the undisputed ruler of Scotland. He was "The Good Regent." He spent the next few years trying to bring order to a country that was essentially in a state of civil war. He was efficient. He was strict. He was also making a lot of enemies.
The First Modern Assassination
You’ve probably heard of "sniper" assassinations. Most people think that started much later. Nope. James Stewart, 1st Earl of Moray, was the victim of what many historians consider the first recorded assassination of a head of state with a firearm.
It happened in Linlithgow in January 1570.
A guy named James Hamilton of Bothwellhaugh—a Mary loyalist—was waiting in a house owned by his uncle. He’d stuffed the floor with mattresses to muffle his footsteps and hung a black cloth behind him so his shadow wouldn't give him away. As Moray rode through the narrow street, Hamilton shot him from a window with a carbine.
The bullet went right through him and even killed a horse behind him.
👉 See also: Nate Silver Trump Approval Rating: Why the 2026 Numbers Look So Different
Moray didn't die instantly. He actually walked back to his lodgings, settled his affairs, and died later that night. The country went into shock. Without his steady hand, Scotland spiraled back into years of chaotic infighting. His funeral at St Giles' Cathedral in Edinburgh was a massive affair, with John Knox himself weeping during the sermon.
Why we still talk about him (and why you should care)
History often ignores the administrators. We like the romantic losers and the flashy villains. Moray was a bureaucrat with a sword. He was a man of "if" and "maybe."
- The Elizabeth Connection: Without Moray, Queen Elizabeth I would have had a much harder time securing her northern border. He made the "Protestant Wind" possible.
- The Union of Crowns: He basically raised the future James I of England. The version of the UK we have today started with the political foundations Moray laid down during his regency.
- The Reformation: Whether you're religious or not, the Scottish Reformation changed the Western world's approach to education and democracy. Moray was the political muscle that made it stick.
Facts that get buried in the textbooks
It’s easy to think of these people as cardboard cutouts. But Moray was a guy who loved his books and his estates. He was a patron of the University of St Andrews. He wasn't just a soldier; he was an intellectual.
There's also the darker side. He definitely benefited from Mary's fall. He sold her jewelry—including the famous "Great Harry" diamond—to Queen Elizabeth to fund his government. Some call it theft; he called it statecraft. He was also incredibly effective at "pacifying" the Borders, which is a polite way of saying he hanged a lot of reivers and burned a lot of houses to bring law and order.
How to explore the Moray legacy today
If you're actually interested in seeing where this history went down, you don't just have to read books. Scotland is full of his fingerprints.
- Visit St Giles' Cathedral: You can see the brass plaque marking his grave. It was actually saved and restored after being lost for years.
- Linlithgow High Street: You can stand almost exactly where Hamilton took the shot. The house is gone, but the street layout is still there.
- Loch Leven Castle: Take the boat out to the island. Imagine the tension when Moray visited his imprisoned sister there and told her, basically, that she was never getting her crown back.
Actionable insights for history buffs
To truly understand the 1st Earl of Moray, you have to look at the primary sources. Don't just take a historian's word for it.
- Read the "Casket Letters": These are the controversial documents that supposedly proved Mary's guilt in the murder of Darnley. Moray was the one who presented them to the English. Whether they were forged or not is the 500-year-old debate that defines his reputation.
- Check out the portraits: Look at the portrait of him in the Scottish National Portrait Gallery. He looks tired. He looks like a man who spent his life trying to hold a crumbling building together with his bare hands.
- Study the Regency Period: Most people skip from Mary to James VI. Don't. The period from 1567 to 1570 is where the modern Scottish state was actually forged.
James Stewart wasn't a saint. He was a politician in an era where politics usually ended in a beheading. He chose the Protestant side, he chose the English alliance, and he chose his country over his family. Whether that makes him a hero or a traitor depends entirely on whose side of the border you're standing on. But you can't deny one thing: he was the most effective ruler Scotland had in a century.