James IV is a true Renaissance prince…

James IV is a true Renaissance prince with an interest in practical and scientific matters.

He had granted the Incorporation of Surgeons and Barbers of Edinburgh (later the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh) a royal charter in 1506, turned Edinburgh Castle into one of Scotland's foremost gun foundries, and in 1507 welcomed the establishment of Scotland's first printing press.

He has built a part of Falkland Palace, Great Halls at Stirling and Edinburgh castles, and furnished his palaces with tapestries.

James is a patron of the arts, including many literary figures, most notably the Scots makars whose diverse and socially observant works convey a vibrant and memorable picture of cultural life and intellectual concerns in the period.

Figures associated with his court include William Dunbar, Walter Kennedy and Gavin Douglas, who makes the first complete translation of Virgil's Aeneid in northern Europe.

His reign also sees the passing of the makar Robert Henryson.

James is well educated and a fluent polyglot.

The Spanish envoy Pedro de Ayala in July 1498 reported to Ferdinand and Isabella that;

The King is 25 years and some months old.

He is of noble stature, neither tall nor short, and as handsome in complexion and shape as a man can be.

His address is very agreeable.

He speaks the following foreign languages ; Latin, very well ; French, German, Flemish, Italian, and Spanish ; Spanish as well as the Marquis, but he pronounces it more distinctly.

He likes, very much, to receive Spanish letters.

His own Scots language is as different from English as Aragonese from Castilian.

The King speaks, besides, the language of the savages who live in some parts of Scotland and on the islands.

It is as different from Scots as Biscayan is from Castilian.

His knowledge of languages is wonderful.

He is well read in the Bible and in some other devout books.

He is a good historian.

He has read many Latin and French histories, and profited by them, as he has a very good memory.

He never cuts his hair or his beard.

It becomes him very well.

James IV is the last King of Scots known to have spoken Scottish Gaelic.

James is one of the rulers reported to have conducted a language deprivation experiment, sending two children to be raised by a mute woman alone on the island of Inchkeith, to determine if language was learned or innate.

At Stirling Castle, James maintains an alchemical workshop with a furnace of the quintessence.

The project consumes quantities of quick silver, golden litharge, and tin.

It is said that one of his alchemists Father Damian attempted to fly from Stirling Castle.

James, having in 1502 signed the Treaty of Perpetual Peace with Henry VII, also maintains his relations with France.

With rumors that James will renew the Auld Alliance, Thomas Wolsey is sent in April 1508 to discuss Henry VII's concerns over this.