Cardinal David Beaton

Archbishop David Cardinal Beaton (c. 1494 - May 29, 1546) was a Scottish cardinal and Archbishop of St Andrews. Download high resolution version (571x611, 318 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Download high resolution version (571x611, 318 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... In Christianity, an archbishop is an elevated bishop heading a diocese of particular importance due to either its size, history, or both, called an archdiocese. ... The word cardinal comes from the Latin cardo for hinge and usually refers to things of fundamental importance, as in cardinal rule or cardinal sins. ... Events January 25 - Alfonso II becomes King of Naples. ... May 29 is the 149th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (150th in leap years). ... Events Spanish conquest of Yucatan Peace between England and France Foundation of Trinity College, Cambridge by Henry VIII of England Katharina von Bora flees to Magdeburg Science Architecture Michelangelo Buonarroti is made chief architect of St. ... Scotland (Alba in Scottish Gaelic) is a country in northwest Europe, occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain. ... A cardinal is a senior ecclesiastical official in the Roman Catholic Church, ranking just below the Pope and appointed by him as a member of the College of Cardinals, during a consistory. ... In Christianity, an archbishop is an elevated bishop heading a diocese of particular importance due to either its size, history, or both, called an archdiocese. ... Location within the British Isles. ...

He was a younger son of John Beaton of Balfour in the county of Fife, and is said to have been born in 1494. He was educated at the universities of St Andrews and Glasgow, and in his sixteenth year was sent to Paris, where he studied civil and canon law. He began his political career at the French court. He became Commendator of Abroath in 1524, bishop of Mirepoix in Languedoc in December 1537 on the recommendation of King Francis I, and a in 1538 he was appointed a cardinal by Pope Paul III, under the title of St Stephen in the Caelian Hill. He was the only Scotsman named to that office by an undisputed right, Cardinal Wardlaw, Bishop of Glasgow, having received his appointment from the anti-pope Clement VII. On the death of Archbishop James Beaton, his uncle and patron, in 1539, the cardinal became Archbishop of St. Andrews. In 1544, he was made Papal legate in Scotland. Fife (Fìobh in Gaelic) is a unitary council region of Scotland situated between the Firth of Tay and the Firth of Forth. ... The University of St Andrews was founded between 1410-1413 and is the oldest university in Scotland and the third oldest in the anglophone world. ... The University of Glasgow is the largest of the three universities in Glasgow, Scotland. ... In Western culture, canon law is the law of the Roman Catholic and Anglican churches. ... Coat of arms of the province of Languedoc, now being used as an official flag by the Midi-Pyrénees region as well as by the city of Toulouse Languedoc (Lengadòc in Occitan) is a former province of France, now continued in the modern-day régions of Languedoc... Francis I (French: François Ier) (September 12, 1494 – July 31, 1547), called the Father and Restorer of Letters (French: le Père et Restaurateur des Lettres), was crowned King of France in 1515 in the cathedral at Reims and reigned until 1547. ... Events Treaty of Nagyvarad. ... Pope Paul III, (1543) portrait by Titian (Tiziano Vecelli), Museo Nazionale di Capodimonte, Naples Paul III, né Alessandro Farnese (February 29, 1468 - November 10, 1549) was pope from 1534 to 1549. ... The Caelian Hill (Latin Collis Caelius, Italian Celio) is one of the famous seven hills of Rome External link Samuel Ball Platner, A Topographical Dictionary of Ancient Rome: Caelian Hill Categories: Italy geography stubs | Ancient Rome ... Henry Wardlaw (d. ... For the other Clement VII who was Pope from 1523 to 1534, see Pope Clement VII. Robert of Geneva (1342-16 September 1394) was elected to the papacy by the French cardinals who opposed Urban VI, thereby becoming the first antipope of the Western Schism, as Pope Clement VII. He... Events May 30 - In Florida, Hernando de Soto lands at Tampa Bay with 600 soldiers with the goal to find gold. ...

Between 1533 and 1542 he acted several times as King James V of Scotland'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. He was made a French citizen. Events January 25 - King Henry VIII of England marries Anne Boleyn, his second Queen consort. ... Events War resumes between Francis I of France and Emperor Charles V. This time Henry VIII of England is allied to the Emperor, while James V of Scotland and Sultan Suleiman I are allied to the French. ... James V (April 10, 1512 - December 14, 1542) was king of Scotland (September 9, 1513 - December 14, 1542). ... Marie de Guise (in English, Mary of Guise) (November 22, 1515 – June,1560) was the Queen Consort of James V of Scotland and the mother of Mary, Queen of Scots. ...

Politically, Beaton was preoccupied with the maintenance of the Franco-Scottish allience, and opposing Anglophile political attitudes, which were associated with the clamour for Protestant reform in Scotland ('the whole polution and plague of Anglican impiety' as he called it). He was afraid that James V might follow Henry VIII's policy of appropriating monastic revenues. On the death of James in December 1542 at the battle of Solway Moss, Beaton attempted to assume office as one of the regents for the infant sovereign Mary, founding his claim on an alleged will of the late king; but the will was generally regarded as forged, and the Earl of Arran, heir to the throne, was declared regent. The cardinal, blamed by many for the war policy that led to the defeat at Solway Moss, was, by order of the regent, committed to the custody of Lord Seaton. With Beaton out of power, the Anglophile party persuaded Arran to make a marriage treaty with England on behalf of the infant queen, and to appoint a numner of Protestant preachers. In 1543 Beaton regained power, cancelled the treaty and proceeded to prosecute a number of those whom he saw as heretics. Two English invasions, and a failed Scottish invasion of England in 1545 followed - and for these many blamed Beaton. Henry VIII (28 June 1491 – 28 January 1547) was King of England and Lord of Ireland (later King of Ireland) from 22 April 1509 until his death. ... Mary I of Scotland (Mary Stuart or Stewart) (December 8, 1542 – February 8, 1587), better known as Mary, Queen of Scots, was the ruler of Scotland from December 14, 1542 – July 24, 1567. ... Events February 21 - Battle of Wayna Daga - A combined army of Ethiopian and Portuguese troops defeat the armies of Adal led by Ahmed Gragn. ...

In March 1546, perhaps to divert attention from these criticisms, Beaton arranged for the arrest trial and execution by burning of George Wishart. Wishart, though, had many sympathisers, and this led to the assassianation of the Cardinal soon afterwards. The conspirators, led by Norman Leslie, master of Rothes, and William Kirkaldy of Grange, managed to obtain admission at daybreak of 29 May 1546, and murdered the cardinal in his own castle. At the time it was widely believed that his death was in the interests of Henry VII of England, who regared Beaton as the chief obstacle to his policy in Scotland. Burning of two sodomites at the stake (Zürich, 1482) Execution by burning is capital punishment by fire. ... George Wishart George Wishart (c. ... May 29 is the 149th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (150th in leap years). ... Events Spanish conquest of Yucatan Peace between England and France Foundation of Trinity College, Cambridge by Henry VIII of England Katharina von Bora flees to Magdeburg Science Architecture Michelangelo Buonarroti is made chief architect of St. ...

The murder of Beaton was certainly a significant point in the eventual triumph of Prostestantism in Scotland, and yet even at the time it was not neccessarily condoned even among his opponents. His contemporary Sir David Lyndsay, statesman, poet and strong critic of Beaton's, wrote soon after The Tragedie of the Cardinal (sic), which concluded: Sir David Lyndsay (c. ...

 "As for the Cardinal-I grant He was the man we weel could want, And we’ll forget him soon! And yet I think, the sooth to say, Although the loon is well away, The deed was foully done." 

Beaton was little interested in Church reform, living, like many pre-Reformation prelates, in open concubinage, providing lavishly for his children from eccessiastical property. Certainly, he was an able statesman, and some saw his stance against Henry VIII as patriotic, but others, recalling his assets and interests in France called him 'the best Frenchman' in Scotland.

Reference

• John Knox, Hist. of the Reformation in Scotland, ed. David Laing (1846-1864)
• John Spottiswoode, archbishop of St Andrews, Hist. of the Church of Scotland (Spottiswoode Soc., 1847-1851)
• Art. in Dict. of Nat. Biog. and works there quoted;
• Andrew Lang Hist. of Scotland, vols. i. and ii. (1900-1902)
• Cameron M et al (eds) Dictionary of Scottish Church History and Theology T&T Clark, Edinburgh 1993.
• This article incorporates text from the public domain 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica.