Alexios III Angelos vs James V of Scotland

Alexios III Angelos overthrew his brother Isaac II in a palace coup, blinding and imprisoning him. Alexios III then ruled as emperor, but his reign was marked by corruption, fiscal mismanagement, and the weakening of Byzantine defenses.

When the Fourth Crusade besieged Constantinople in 1203, Alexios III fled the city with the imperial treasury, abandoning his subjects. His cowardly flight left the capital defenseless and allowed the crusaders to restore Isaac II and Alexios IV, but also set the stage for the eventual sack of Constantinople in 1204.

Alexios III was captured by Theodore I Laskaris, the Nicaean emperor, after attempting to regain power with Seljuk support. He was imprisoned in a monastery in Nicaea, where he died later that year, ending his attempts to reclaim the Byzantine throne.

James V married Mary of Guise, a French noblewoman, as his second wife. The marriage strengthened the Auld Alliance with France and produced a daughter, Mary, who would become Mary Queen of Scots.

James V executed James Hamilton of Finnart, a powerful noble and former regent, for treason. The execution was part of James's policy to curb noble power and centralize royal authority, but it created lasting enmity with the Hamilton family.

James V conducted a campaign to suppress the Lords of the Isles, who had long held semi-independent power in the Highlands and Islands. He executed the last Lord of the Isles, Donald Dubh, and annexed their territories to the crown.

James V's Scottish army was routed by a smaller English force at Solway Moss near the River Esk. The defeat was a humiliating disaster, with many Scottish nobles captured. James V died shortly after, reportedly of despair.