James I of Scotland

Killed on 21 February 1437 at the Dominican friary in Perth by conspirators led by Sir Robert Graham, acting for the interests of the Earl of Atholl.

Overview

James I spent eighteen years as a captive in England before returning to Scotland in 1424, determined to impose royal authority over a powerful nobility. He executed members of the Albany Stewart family and confiscated estates, which made him many enemies. A group of conspirators led by Sir Robert Graham broke into his lodgings at the Blackfriars in Perth and killed him. His uncle Walter Stewart, Earl of Atholl, who hoped to gain the throne, was among those executed for the crime within weeks. The six-year-old James II succeeded, and the killing opened a long period of minority rule and noble feuding in Scotland.