An Accidental Tragedy by Roderick Graham Read Free Book Online

January, Marie wrote to Rome again, asking that Arran’s half-brother, John Hamilton, be given the bishopric of Dunkeld, with its income. ‘In this age religion is to be supported not only with dignity but with substance in riches.’ On 1 February, Henry wrote to Charles V assuring him that his realms would not be troubled; in other words, he was asking for a guarantee of nonintervention. It was granted, provided the emperor could rely on equal support for a local problem of his own in Austria. Henry agreed.
    At the end of April, Hertford was so well advanced in putting his forces together that he held a procession through the streets of Newcastle with ‘3,000 northern horsemen, in jacks [leatherjerkins] with spears, 28 nobles and gentlemen in black velvet with gold chains, 3 trumpets and 3 clarions, 3 officers of arms in tabards, a gentleman bearing a naked sword, the Earl in rich apparel, 4 pages richly clothed, 28 servants in livery and, finally, 5,000 foot soldiers’. No one could be in any doubt that a full-scale invasion was now under way, and, on 1 May, Sadler was instructed to offer final terms. Henry wanted the marriage and delivery of Queen Mary before her tenth birthday, an agreement of perpetual peace, renunciation of all amity with France, no foreign agreements without Henry’s agreement, an unconditional promise that Scotland would be England’s active ally in war, and an assurance that Arran might continue as governor, provided he continued to be well disposed towards Henry.
    When there was no response to this offer, Hertford set sail with precise instructions from the Privy Council. He had received them a month previously, and despite him pointing out some practical difficulties they were, in the main, unchanged. As an example of state-authorised savagery they remain unequalled, even by Hitler’s SS or the depredations visited on Croatia by the Serbians during the 1990s.
    ‘Put all to fire and sword; burn Edinburgh town, so razed and defaced when you have sacked and gotten what you can of it, as there may remain forever a perpetual memory of the vengeance God lightened on them for their falsehood and disloyalty. Do not tarry at the castle; sack Holyrood House and as many towns and villages about Edinburgh as you may conveniently. Sack Leith and burn and subvert it and all the rest, putting man, woman and child to fire and sword without exception where any resistance may be made against you, and this done, pass over to Fifeland and extend like extremities and destructions in all towns and villages whereunto ye may reach conveniently, not forgetting among the rest to spoil and turn upside down the cardinal’s town of St Andrews, as the upper stone may be nether, and not one stick standing by another sparing no creature alive. Spend one month there spoiling and burning.’
    It was an over-ambitious task but Hertford set about carrying it out with grim efficiency. He landed in Fife on 3 May, burned St Monans and seized the shipping lying in the harbour before resting overnight on the island of Inchkeith. He landed unopposed at Granton on the next day and unshipped his artillery in four hours, seizing more boats, including a galley, the Salamander , François I’s personal gift to Marie. He was able to disembark his entire force and camp overnight before advancing on Edinburgh the next day, where he met the Scottish army of 6,000. He put Henry’s terms to Adam Otterburn, Provost of Edinburgh, and had them rejected. According to the Diurnal of Occurrents the Provost ‘ordered the Edinburgh men home. They [the English] besieged the castle, but they were little or nothing better, for the castle slew many of their men, and thereafter, on the next day, they burnt Edinburgh and despoiled the same, then passed to Leith again without any impediment.’ In fact, Hertford spent three days burning and pillaging in Edinburgh. He then burned the castle of Craigmillar and ravaged the countryside surrounding Edinburgh