James II Of Scotland, Who Died From A Backfiring Cannon
Public DomainJames II, King of Scots, had a fatal fascination with cannons.
As the King of Scotland, James II was known for his fiery temper, equally fiery facial birthmark, and his interest in weapons of war. But as he prepared to besiege the English-held Roxburgh Castle in 1460, the 29-year-old king’s passion for weaponry proved fatal when a cannon exploded and killed him.
Called “James of the fiery face” because of a birthmark, James II led a short and violent life. According to Undiscovered Scotland, he assumed the throne at the age of six following the murder of his father, James I, and allegedly stabbed a defiant noble to death in his early 20s.
He deeply desired to expand Scotland’s power and, in 1460, decided to lay siege to the English-held Roxburgh Castle, just as his father had done more than 20 years earlier. To ensure his success, James II ordered some special new cannons from Flanders.
Print Collector/Getty ImagesA depiction of the royal death of James II.
As the king stood with his troops on Aug. 3, 1460, he ordered one of the cannons, called the “the Lion,” to be fired. According to the Medievalists, James II may have simply wanted to show off his new weapon, or he may have wanted to salute the arrival of his wife, Queen Mary. In any case, the cannon went off — and then exploded.
As the Medievalists reports, the firing of the cannon loosened one of the wedges that held its iron rings in place. As a result, the cannon’s barrel broke loose, sailed through the air, and smashed into the king’s leg, effectively snapping his thigh in two. James II collapsed, bled out, and died quickly.
His royal death remains one of the most explosive in human history.
