Maggie and Enola

Dear Folk,

On this day, August 6th, Margaret -- the widow of a King killed by her brother who was a King, daughter of a King, mother of a King – married an Earl.

Margaret Tudor was the first daughter born to Henry VII and Elizabeth of York on November 29, 1489. Her brother became Henry VIII. When she was almost fourteen she married James IV of Scotland. Henry VII had designs upon the land of the bagpipes and this marriage seemed well suited for both. Okay, nobody asked Margaret. She was miserable up there. She really needed a sunlamp or something.

James IV had defeated his father, James III at Sauchieburn and crowned king at the age of 15. He was the only Stuart King of the 15th century to not need a regent. Kings died of a sudden in the brawny north country. However, James IV later learned he had been tricked into going into battle against his father. In order to repent, young Jimmie wore a large iron belt around his waist.

When his brother-in-law, Henry VIII, came to the throne of England in 1509. James IV tried to be nice. However, Hank VIII decided to war with France in 1513. Just so happened that Scotland had an alliance with France. This put James in an awkward position, whom should he support? He made overtures to Henry but was brusquely told that Henry 'owned' Scotland, Jimmie and his boys decided to cross into England and do some scolding of the English.

King James issued summonses to the feudal force all over the land to gather Edinburgh. It is a stretch to believe that a hundred thousand men in fighting condition assembled there. First of all, we have seen how the Scots rarely rallied behind any king; second, the cause of invading England was no longer a very popular one. The Scots remembered Wallace and what happened to him. All contemporary testimonies do try to show how downright good a public speaker Jimmie was. He was bray and brawny and only in his twenties.

There were stories about figures like Tim the Enchanter from Monty Python appearing to Jimmie when he was in church. That prophet warned Jimmie not to go south. The weird dude then seemed to vanish. A ghostly visitor appeared in Edinburgh which read from a role of names of folks assembled. Every name called was later found to be one of those slain on the battle field.

The army entered England in August 1513, and encamped in the neighborhood of the Till and Tweed rivers. The Castle of Norham was attacked and easily taken, strong as it was, by such a force, plentifully supported with artillery - and the small Castle of Werk followed.

The Earl of Surrey was leading the English army and James arranged to meet him in a set piece battle on September 9, 1513. The Scots took up a good position on Flodden Edge where James refused to move from before the appointed time for battle, even though he could have attacked the English as they moved to cut off his supply line. In terms of numbers both sides were about equal but the English cannon and equipment was better than the Scots equivalent. The English teased James into giving up his position and charging down the hill they occupied into a boggy area. There the Scots army was badly defeated, James and his son Alexander died as well as nine earls and 13 barons, and 10,000 rank-and-file troops.

It was up to Margaret now. When James IV died, Margaret's infant son became James V. It was because of this union that England and Scotland would be united under one crown 100 years later at the death of Elizabeth I in 1603. Great, she was a widow to a great king but also sister to the murdering butcher who killed him. She had to do something to protect herself and her young son, the last of his line. The new King of Scotland, James V, was a seventeen month old baby when his father died.

On August 6, 1514 she married Douglas, Archibald, Earl of Angus VI. James V grew to hate his stepfather, Archy Douglas. Between 1525 and 1528 Douglas practically held James a prisoner. His education was limited to the time that William Dunbar could spend with him but after the age of twelve he received no official education at all. The royal couple were even made to flee to England when the Scots decided that Margaret was not a very good mom.

Douglas eventually died and left James V, now 16, rule by himself. He was well liked by the common folk. He married a French gal named Mary de Guise. Yes, that family. They produced a very important child, Mary Stuart who became Mary Queen of Scots. You might remember her son James VI became James I King of England. James V sickened and died at the age of 30. His mom, Margaret Tudor, passed on a few years earlier on October 18, 1541.

I cannot, in good conscience, let today go by without mentioning that it marks the anniversary of the first bomb dropped in the first atomic war. On this day, August 6, 1945, James Tibbets flying a plane he named after his mother, Enola Gay, dropped a uranium gun-type "devise" nicknamed "Little Boy" on the city of Hiroshima, Japan. The bomb killed about 140,000 people - mostly very old, very young, and women folk. Three days later, the United States dropped a second atomic bomb on Nagasaki, killing 70,000 people. Japan surrendered on Aug. 15, 1945, ending World War II. Although the reasons for both these bomb drops and the ensuing slaughter have been hotly debated, modern evidence points to a desire to impress the Soviets with the US might.

What have we learned from this? Moms sometimes marry so pretty yucky step-fathers for reasons their sons will never understand? Sometimes folks will trick you into fighting folks you should be loving instead? Hold the high ground and ignore the taunts of the enemy? How about the age of mass slaughter did not end in the 1500s?

If ye amind ta send these wee messages to others and yer right leifed to do so, well ye may but leave my name and sig attached.

Praying with all my heart we do learn from these bloody lessons,
Ducking and covering,
J. Ellsworth Weaver

SCA - Sir Balthazar of Endor
AS - Polyphemus Theognis
TRV - Sebastian Yeats

(Health Physicist, Historian, Poet, Astrologer, Fool for many)