His family were part of Clan Bethune, the Scottish branch of the noble French House of Bethune.2 David Beaton is said to have been born in 1494,34 the fifth son of fourteen children born to John Beaton of Balfour (d. 1514) in the county of Fife, and his wife Christian Rosyth.5
His older brother John Beaton was heir to the barony of Balfour, and Balfour Castle lies south of Markinch.6 David Beaton ordered an engraved plate for his parents' monument at Markinch in 1541.7
He was educated at the universities of St Andrews and Glasgow, and in his sixteenth year was sent to Paris and in 1519 to the university of Orléans, where he studied civil and canon law.8
Career
In 1520, his uncle, James Beaton, , named David Beaton and at . After his uncle became in 1522, he resigned the position of Commendator of in favour of his nephew. David Beaton returned to Scotland with in 1521, and was sent to England as a diplomat in 1522. He was with Albany in 1524. In 1525, Beaton returned from France and took a seat as Lord Abbot or Commendator of in the . In 1528 the King named him .
This page is based on “David Beaton” from English Wikipedia, (r1377090370) CC BY-SA 4.0 used under the license. The original authors are listed in its page history.
Between 1533 and 1542 he acted several times as King James V's ambassador to France. He took a leading part in the negotiations connected with the King's marriages, first with Madeleine of France, and afterwards with Mary of Guise.12 While in France, Beaton obtained hawks and wild boar for James V.13 In 1537 he was made coadjutor to his uncle at St. Andrews, with right of succession.4
In December 1537 Beaton was made Bishop of Mirepoix in Languedoc on the recommendation of King Francis I, and consecrated the following summer. Presumably he was ordained around that time. Francis gave him silver gilt plate made by the Parisian goldsmith Jean Hotman.14 Also in 1538 he was appointed a Cardinal by Pope Paul III, under the title of St Stephen in the Caelian Hill. In February 1539 Cardinal Beaton succeeded his uncle as Archbishop of St. Andrews. In 1544, he was made Papal legate in Scotland.9
Relations became strained between James V and his uncle, Henry VIII of England, who sought to detach the Catholic Church in Scotland from its allegiance to the Holy See and bring it into subjection to himself. Henry sent two successive embassies to Scotland to urge James to follow his example in renouncing the authority of the Pope in his dominions. King James declined to be drawn into Henry's plans and refused to leave his kingdom for a meeting with Henry. Hostilities broke out between the two kingdoms in 1542. The Cardinal was blamed by many for the war with England that led to the defeat at Solway Moss in November 1542.4
During Mary's reign
James V died at Falkland Palace on 14 December 1542. Beaton tried to become one of the regents for the infant sovereign Mary, Queen of Scots. He based his claim on an alleged will of the late King; but the will was generally regarded as forged, and The 2nd Earl of Arran, heir presumptive to the throne, was declared regent. A copy of the alleged will was preserved by Regent Arran. Dated 14 December 1542 in the King's bedchamber at Falkland Palace, it was witnessed by James Learmonth of Dairsie, Master Household; Henry Kemp of Thomastoun, Gentleman of the Chamber; Michael Durham, the King's doctor; John Tennent, William Kirkcaldy of Grange, Master Michael Dysart, Preceptor of St Anthony's at Leith; John Jordan, Rector of Yetham; Francis Aikman, perfumerer, and others at the bedside. However, the clerk who wrote the instrument, Henry Balfour, a canon of Dunkeld, was not a recognised notary.15
A papal interdict followed the arrest of David Beaton, according to which all churches of the country should be closed and administering the sacraments should be suspended.18
With Beaton out of power, the Anglophile party persuaded Regent Arran to make a marriage treaty with England on behalf of the infant Queen, and to appoint a number of Protestant preachers. The treaties signed at Greenwich in July 1543 stipulated that Mary would marry the English Prince Edward. The union of the thrones of England and Scotland which the treaty envisaged was controversial from the start. Its Anglo-centric policy was resisted by many who preferred to continue the Auld Alliance with France. Resistance to the treaty resulted in a surge in the popularity of the French faction.19
In July 1543, Beaton's supporters made a "Secret Bond" against the marriage. Mary, Queen of Scots, and her mother moved from Linlithgow Palace to Stirling Castle. The French party in Scotland and Beaton gained significant power. In December 1543, Arran annulled the Treaty of Greenwich. Henry VIII began the war now known as the Rough Wooing.2021
Beaton was in Edinburgh on 3 May 1544 when an English fleet arrived to burn and loot in the city. John Knox wrote that Beaton dismissed the threat at first. The English troops marched from their landing point near Granton towards Leith. Arran and Beaton made a brief stand against them before leaving. Beaton made his way to Stirling.22
In December 1545 Beaton arranged for the arrest, trial and execution of Protestant preacher George Wishart, who on 1 March 1546 was strangled and afterwards burned.18 Wishart had many sympathisers, and this led to the assassination of the Cardinal soon afterwards.9
Death
Plots against Cardinal Beaton had begun circulating as early as 1544. The conspirators were led by Norman Leslie, master of Rothes, and William Kirkcaldy of Grange. The Leslies had suffered from the expansion of Beaton's interest in Fife; while Kirkcaldy's uncle, James Kirkcaldy of Grange, held Protestant sympathies and had been removed in 1543 as treasurer of the realm, through Beaton's influence. They were joined by John Leslie of Parkhill, one of the Fife lairds angered at the execution of Wishart.23 Leslie and Kirkcaldy managed to obtain admission to St Andrews Castle at daybreak of 29 May 1546, killing the porter in the process. Leslie, Kirkcaldy, and Peter Carmichael of Balmadie used their daggers to stab the cardinal to death, mutilated the corpse, and hung it from a castle window.24
At the time of his death, Beaton was Lord Chancellor of Scotland, Archbishop of St Andrews, and Cardinal Legate in Scotland.25
Marion Ogilvy
Cardinal Beaton's mistress, Marion Ogilvy, was born in 1500, the youngest daughter of James Ogilvy, 1st Lord Ogilvy of Airlie. After the deaths of her parents, she managed the family estates in Angus. Around 1520 she met and fell in love with David Beaton. They lived together in Ethie Castle and produced eight children. According to Margaret H.B. Sanderson, their relationship, which appeared little different from marriage, deeply offended fellow Catholics who desired the Counter-Reformation. Furthermore, the double standard, under which the Cardinal prosecuted Protestants, who advocated the marriage of the clergy, for heresy, yet lived in blatant violation of his own vow of clerical celibacy, proved highly damaging in the long run to the Catholic Church in Scotland.26
There have been alternate spellings given for the Cardinal and his family, most commonly Bethune, Beton, or Beatoun.1 The cardinal spelt his own name Betovn (Betoun).2↩
Margaret Sanderson, Cardinal of Scotland: David Beaton (Edinburgh: John Donald, 1986), p. 15. ↩
Henry Ellis, Original Letters, Series 1 vol. 1 (London, 1824), p. 243. ↩
Perin Westerhof Nyman, "Mourning Madeleine and Margaret: Dress and Meaning in the Memorials for Two Scottish Queens, 1537 and 1541", Scottish Historical Review, 100:3 (December 2021), p. 369. doi:10.3366/shr.2021.0535↩
Andrew Lang, "Letters of Cardinal Beaton 1537–1541", The Scottish Historical Review, 6:22 (January 1909), p. 157. ↩
Léon, Marquis de Laborde, Les comptes des bâtiments du roi, 2 (Paris, 1877), pp. 246, 387. ↩
HMC 11th Report, part VI, Manuscripts of the Duke of Hamilton (London, 1887), pp. 205, 219–220. ↩
Margaret Sanderson, Cardinal of Scotland: David Beaton (Edinburgh: John Donald, 1986), p. 158. ↩
Margaret Sanderson, Cardinal of Scotland: David Beaton (Edinburgh: John Donald, 1986), pp. 162–163. ↩
His family were part of Clan Bethune, the Scottish branch of the noble French House of Bethune.2 David Beaton is said to have been born in 1494,34 the fifth son of fourteen children born to John Beaton of Balfour (d. 1514) in the county of Fife, and his wife Christian Rosyth.5
His older brother John Beaton was heir to the barony of Balfour, and Balfour Castle lies south of Markinch.6 David Beaton ordered an engraved plate for his parents' monument at Markinch in 1541.7
He was educated at the universities of St Andrews and Glasgow, and in his sixteenth year was sent to Paris and in 1519 to the university of Orléans, where he studied civil and canon law.8
Between 1533 and 1542 he acted several times as King James V's ambassador to France. He took a leading part in the negotiations connected with the King's marriages, first with Madeleine of France, and afterwards with Mary of Guise.12 While in France, Beaton obtained hawks and wild boar for James V.13 In 1537 he was made coadjutor to his uncle at St. Andrews, with right of succession.4
In December 1537 Beaton was made Bishop of Mirepoix in Languedoc on the recommendation of King Francis I, and consecrated the following summer. Presumably he was ordained around that time. Francis gave him silver gilt plate made by the Parisian goldsmith Jean Hotman.14 Also in 1538 he was appointed a Cardinal by Pope Paul III, under the title of St Stephen in the Caelian Hill. In February 1539 Cardinal Beaton succeeded his uncle as Archbishop of St. Andrews. In 1544, he was made Papal legate in Scotland.9
Relations became strained between James V and his uncle, Henry VIII of England, who sought to detach the Catholic Church in Scotland from its allegiance to the Holy See and bring it into subjection to himself. Henry sent two successive embassies to Scotland to urge James to follow his example in renouncing the authority of the Pope in his dominions. King James declined to be drawn into Henry's plans and refused to leave his kingdom for a meeting with Henry. Hostilities broke out between the two kingdoms in 1542. The Cardinal was blamed by many for the war with England that led to the defeat at Solway Moss in November 1542.4
During Mary's reign
James V died at Falkland Palace on 14 December 1542. Beaton tried to become one of the regents for the infant sovereign Mary, Queen of Scots. He based his claim on an alleged will of the late King; but the will was generally regarded as forged, and The 2nd Earl of Arran, heir presumptive to the throne, was declared regent. A copy of the alleged will was preserved by Regent Arran. Dated 14 December 1542 in the King's bedchamber at Falkland Palace, it was witnessed by James Learmonth of Dairsie, Master Household; Henry Kemp of Thomastoun, Gentleman of the Chamber; Michael Durham, the King's doctor; John Tennent, William Kirkcaldy of Grange, Master Michael Dysart, Preceptor of St Anthony's at Leith; John Jordan, Rector of Yetham; Francis Aikman, perfumerer, and others at the bedside. However, the clerk who wrote the instrument, Henry Balfour, a canon of Dunkeld, was not a recognised notary.15
A papal interdict followed the arrest of David Beaton, according to which all churches of the country should be closed and administering the sacraments should be suspended.18
With Beaton out of power, the Anglophile party persuaded Regent Arran to make a marriage treaty with England on behalf of the infant Queen, and to appoint a number of Protestant preachers. The treaties signed at Greenwich in July 1543 stipulated that Mary would marry the English Prince Edward. The union of the thrones of England and Scotland which the treaty envisaged was controversial from the start. Its Anglo-centric policy was resisted by many who preferred to continue the Auld Alliance with France. Resistance to the treaty resulted in a surge in the popularity of the French faction.19
In July 1543, Beaton's supporters made a "Secret Bond" against the marriage. Mary, Queen of Scots, and her mother moved from Linlithgow Palace to Stirling Castle. The French party in Scotland and Beaton gained significant power. In December 1543, Arran annulled the Treaty of Greenwich. Henry VIII began the war now known as the Rough Wooing.2021
Beaton was in Edinburgh on 3 May 1544 when an English fleet arrived to burn and loot in the city. John Knox wrote that Beaton dismissed the threat at first. The English troops marched from their landing point near Granton towards Leith. Arran and Beaton made a brief stand against them before leaving. Beaton made his way to Stirling.22
In December 1545 Beaton arranged for the arrest, trial and execution of Protestant preacher George Wishart, who on 1 March 1546 was strangled and afterwards burned.18 Wishart had many sympathisers, and this led to the assassination of the Cardinal soon afterwards.9
Death
Plots against Cardinal Beaton had begun circulating as early as 1544. The conspirators were led by Norman Leslie, master of Rothes, and William Kirkcaldy of Grange. The Leslies had suffered from the expansion of Beaton's interest in Fife; while Kirkcaldy's uncle, James Kirkcaldy of Grange, held Protestant sympathies and had been removed in 1543 as treasurer of the realm, through Beaton's influence. They were joined by John Leslie of Parkhill, one of the Fife lairds angered at the execution of Wishart.23 Leslie and Kirkcaldy managed to obtain admission to St Andrews Castle at daybreak of 29 May 1546, killing the porter in the process. Leslie, Kirkcaldy, and Peter Carmichael of Balmadie used their daggers to stab the cardinal to death, mutilated the corpse, and hung it from a castle window.24
At the time of his death, Beaton was Lord Chancellor of Scotland, Archbishop of St Andrews, and Cardinal Legate in Scotland.25
Marion Ogilvy
Cardinal Beaton's mistress, Marion Ogilvy, was born in 1500, the youngest daughter of James Ogilvy, 1st Lord Ogilvy of Airlie. After the deaths of her parents, she managed the family estates in Angus. Around 1520 she met and fell in love with David Beaton. They lived together in Ethie Castle and produced eight children. According to Margaret H.B. Sanderson, their relationship, which appeared little different from marriage, deeply offended fellow Catholics who desired the Counter-Reformation. Furthermore, the double standard, under which the Cardinal prosecuted Protestants, who advocated the marriage of the clergy, for heresy, yet lived in blatant violation of his own vow of clerical celibacy, proved highly damaging in the long run to the Catholic Church in Scotland.26
There have been alternate spellings given for the Cardinal and his family, most commonly Bethune, Beton, or Beatoun.1 The cardinal spelt his own name Betovn (Betoun).2↩
Margaret Sanderson, Cardinal of Scotland: David Beaton (Edinburgh: John Donald, 1986), p. 15. ↩
Henry Ellis, Original Letters, Series 1 vol. 1 (London, 1824), p. 243. ↩
Perin Westerhof Nyman, "Mourning Madeleine and Margaret: Dress and Meaning in the Memorials for Two Scottish Queens, 1537 and 1541", Scottish Historical Review, 100:3 (December 2021), p. 369. doi:10.3366/shr.2021.0535↩
Andrew Lang, "Letters of Cardinal Beaton 1537–1541", The Scottish Historical Review, 6:22 (January 1909), p. 157. ↩
Léon, Marquis de Laborde, Les comptes des bâtiments du roi, 2 (Paris, 1877), pp. 246, 387. ↩
HMC 11th Report, part VI, Manuscripts of the Duke of Hamilton (London, 1887), pp. 205, 219–220. ↩
Margaret Sanderson, Cardinal of Scotland: David Beaton (Edinburgh: John Donald, 1986), p. 158. ↩
Margaret Sanderson, Cardinal of Scotland: David Beaton (Edinburgh: John Donald, 1986), pp. 162–163. ↩