James III of Scotland

{{Infobox royalty | name = James III | succession = King of Scots | more = sc | image = Hugo van der Goes - The Trinity Altarpiece - James III of Scotland accompanied by his son James, presented by St Andrew (cropped).jpg | caption = James III depicted in the Trinity Altarpiece by Hugo van der Goes, 1480 | reign = 3 August 1460 – | coronation = 10 August 1460 | predecessor = James II | successor = James IV | reg-type = Regents | regent = {{List collapsed|title=See list| Mary of Guelders (1460–1463) James Kennedy,Bishop of St Andrews(1463–1465) Gilbert Kennedy, 1st Lord Kennedy (1465–1466) Robert Boyd, 1st Lord Boyd (1466–1469)}} | spouse = | issue = James IV of ScotlandJames, Duke of RossJohn, Earl of Mar | house = Stewart | father = James II of Scotland | mother = Mary of Guelders | birth_date = 10 July 1451 or May 1452 | birth_place = Stirling Castle or St Andrews Castle | death_date = (aged 36) | death_place = Sauchieburn, Stirlingshire, Scotland | burial_place = Cambuskenneth Abbey | religion = Roman Catholic }} James III (10 July 1451/May 1452 – 11 June 1488) was King of Scots from 1460 until his death at the Battle of Sauchieburn in 1488. He inherited the throne as a child following the death of his father, King James II, at the siege of Roxburgh Castle. James III's reign began with a minority that lasted almost a decade, during which Scotland was governed by a series of regents and factions who struggled for possession of the young king, before his personal rule began in 1469. James III was an unpopular and ineffective king, and was confronted with two major rebellions during his reign. He was much criticised by contemporaries and later chroniclers for his promotion of unrealistic schemes to invade or take possession of Brittany, Guelders and Saintonge at the expense of his regular duties as king. While his reign saw Scotland reach its greatest territorial extent with the acquisition of Orkney and Shetland through his marriage to Margaret of Denmark, James was accused of debasing the coinage, hoarding money, failing to resolve feuds and enforce criminal justice, and pursuing an unpopular policy of alliance with England. His preference for his own "low-born" favourites at court and in government alienated many of his bishops and nobles, as well as members of his own family, leading to tense relationships with his brothers, his wife, and his heir.