The Raid of Ruthven, 1582

The Raid of Ruthven was a political conspiracy that took place in Scotland in 1582. It was led by William Ruthven, 1st Earl of Gowrie, and a group of Presbyterian nobles who sought to reform the government of Scotland and limit the influence of French and pro-Catholic policies. The goal of the conspiracy was also to prevent or manage the return of Mary, Queen of Scots from England.

The conspiracy began in July 1582, when a group of discontented lords made a bond to support each other in their enterprise to displace Catholic influences around the young king, James VI. This group became known as the “Lords Enterprisers” and they were opposed by the King’s favorite, the French Esmé Stewart, 1st Duke of Lennox, and James Stewart, Earl of Arran, who shared control of the government.

On August 22, 1582, James VI was seized while hunting near the castle of Ruthven in Perthshire. The Earl of Mar stationed an armed force at Kinross to prevent a rescue attempt by the Duke of Lennox’s soldiers. The Earl of Arran, who had arrived to rescue the king, was captured along with his brother William Stewart. The Ruthven lords presented the King with a lengthy “supplication” explaining the motives of their surprise action, dated August 23.

The King was held and controlled by the Ruthven Lords for almost a year, and was moved around a number of houses. He was taken to Perth the next day, where the Earl of Gowrie had a large townhouse, as Provost of the town. He was then taken to Stirling Castle at the end of August. At Stirling, the Ruthven party was joined by Francis Stewart, Earl of Bothwell, the Earl of Glencairn, and Laurence, Master of Oliphant, and their retainers, which brought their numbers to 400.

The main figures targeted by the coup, the Duke of Lennox and the Earl of Arran, were sent into exile and imprisonment respectively. The Ruthven regime was opposed by several prominent nobles, including the Earls of Huntly, Crawford, Morton, and Sutherland, and the Lords Livingston, Seton, Ogilvy, Ochiltree, and Doune.

The Ruthven regime was short-lived and failed to achieve its goals. James VI was able to escape in July 1583, dismissing the Lords Enterprisers from court. The Scottish Parliament passed an act condemning the conspirators, and Gowrie was later captured, tried for treason, and beheaded.

In terms of the clans involved, the Ruthven clan was the main clan behind the conspiracy, led by William Ruthven, 1st Earl of Gowrie, who was the head of the government during the short-lived regime. The other prominent clans that supported the conspiracy were the Forbes and Oliphant clans, with John, Master of Forbes and Laurence, Master of Oliphant, joining the Lords Enterprisers. On the other hand, the Lennox, Arran, Huntly, Crawford, Morton, and Sutherland clans were opposed to the conspiracy and supported the King.