Scotland’s King James I, still captive at…

Scotland’s King James I, still captive at the English court, marries Joan Beaufort, a cousin of the late Henry V of England, on February 12, 1424, at St Mary Overie Church in Southwark.

They are feasted at Winchester Palace this year by her uncle Cardinal Henry Beaufort.

James had met Joan, a daughter of John Beaufort, 1st Earl of Somerset, and Margaret Holland, and a half-niece of King Henry IV of England, during his time as a prisoner in England and has known her from at least 1420.

She is said to have been the inspiration for James's famous long poem, The Kingis Quair, written during his captivity after he saw her from his window in the garden.

However, the marriage is at least partially political as their marriage is part of the agreement for his release from captivity, and from an English perspective an alliance with the Beauforts is meant to establish his country's alliance with the English, rather than the French.

Negotiations results in Joan's dowry of ten thousand marks being subtracted from his substantial ransom.