Jamie Cameron gives the reader great insight into the character of this last Stewart King of Scots. He never did anything without reason and was a calculating and patient individual. If you were a magnate that failed him when he was trying to establish his personal rule after escaping the custody of Archibald Douglas, Earl of Angus and his kin sooner or later you'd have to answer for that. During the minority Angus controlled the king's person and therefore the government. James V 1st wife, Madeline of France died almost as soon as she arrived in Scotland, his two sons by Mary of Guise died very young leaving only Princess Mary as his successor and his mother, Margaret Tudor, with her antics caused him problems with Henry VIII who was supporting a return to Scotland and it's government of the Earl of Angus. James offered to ship down some of his prouder Catholic archbishops. ( )

This books is a very dense, academic look at James V of Scotland's personal rule. Filled with details about the inner workings of the politics of James's reign, Cameron makes a convincing case for a reassessment of the tradition interpretation of James V. Moreover, this work reveals the general lack of scholarship of this period and leaves many avenues open for further research. ( )