Coordinates	23°33′″N46°38′″N
Name	Field MarshalIdi Amin
Nationality	Ugandan
Order	3rd President of Uganda
Term start	25 January 1971
Term end	11 April 1979
Vicepresident	Mustafa Adrisi
Predecessor	Milton Obote
Successor	Yusufu Lule
Birth date	1 January 1923
Birth place	Koboko or Kampala, Uganda
Death date	16 August 2003 (aged 80)
Death place	Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
Religion	Islam
Spouse	Malyamu Amin (divorced)Kay Amin (divorced)Nora Amin (divorced)Madina Amin (widow)Sarah Amin (widow)
Profession	Soldier
Allegiance	United Kingdom Uganda
Branch	British ArmyUgandan Army
Serviceyears	1946–79
Rank	Field Marshal (self-styled)
Unit	King's African Rifles
Commands	Commander-in-Chief of the Forces
Battles	Mau Mau Uprising1971 Ugandan coup d'état }}

Idi Amin Dada (c. 1925 – 16 August 2003) was a military leader and President of Uganda from 1971 to 1979. Amin joined the British colonial regiment, the King's African Rifles in 1946. Eventually he held the rank of Major General in the post-colonial Ugandan Army and became its Commander before seizing power in the military coup of January 1971, deposing Milton Obote. He later promoted himself to Field Marshal while he was the head of state.

Amin's rule was characterized by gross human rights abuse, political repression, ethnic persecution, extrajudicial killings, nepotism, corruption, and gross economic mismanagement. The number of people killed as a result of his regime is estimated by international observers and human rights groups to range from 100,000 to 500,000. During his years in power, Amin was backed by Libya's Muammar al-Gaddafi as well as the Soviet Union and East Germany.

In 1975–1976, Amin became the Chairman of the Organisation of African Unity, a pan-Africanist group designed to promote solidarity of the African states. During the 1977–1979 period, Uganda was appointed to the United Nations Commission on Human Rights. In 1977, after the last two British diplomats withdrew from Uganda, Amin declared he had beaten the British and added "CBE", for "Conqueror of the British Empire", to his title. Radio Uganda then announced his entire title: "His Excellency President for Life, Field Marshal Alhaji Dr. Idi Amin Dada, VC, DSO, MC, CBE".

Dissent within Uganda and Amin's attempt to annex the Kagera province of Tanzania in 1978 led to the Uganda–Tanzania War and the demise of his regime. Amin later fled to exile in Libya and Saudi Arabia until his death on 16 August 2003.

Early life and military career

Amin never wrote an autobiography nor did he authorise any official written account of his life, so there are discrepancies regarding when and where he was born. Most biographical sources hold that he was born in either Koboko or Kampala in around 1925. Other unconfirmed sources state Amin's year of birth from as early at 1923 to as late as 1928. According to Fred Guweddeko, a researcher at Makerere University, Idi Amin was the son of Andreas Nyabire (1889–1976). Nyabire, a member of the Kakwa ethnic group, converted from Roman Catholicism to Islam in 1910 and changed his name to Amin Dada in which he named his first-born son after himself. Abandoned by his father at a young age, Idi Amin grew up with his mother's family in a rural farming town in northwestern Uganda. Guweddeko states that Amin's mother was called Assa Aatte (1904–1970), an ethnic Lugbara and a traditional herbalist who treated members of Buganda royalty, among others. Amin joined an Islamic school in Bombo in 1941. After a few years, he left school with nothing more than a fourth grade English-language education and did odd jobs before being recruited to the army by a British colonial army officer.

1946	Joins King's African Rifles
1947
1952	Corporal
1953	Sergeant
1958	Sergeant Major (acting as Platoon Commander)
1959	Effendi (Warrant Officer)
1961
1962
1963	Major
1964
1965	Colonel, Commander of the Army
1968	Major General
1971
1975

Colonial British Army

Amin joined the King's African Rifles (KAR) of the British Colonial Army in 1946 as an assistant cook. He claimed he was forced to join the Army during World War II and that he served in the Burma Campaign, but records indicate he was first enlisted after the war was concluded. He was transferred to Kenya for infantry service as a private in 1947 and served in the 21st KAR infantry battalion in Gilgil, Kenya until 1949. That year, his unit was deployed to Somalia to fight the Somali Shifta rebels. In 1952 his brigade was deployed against the Mau Mau rebels in Kenya. He was promoted to corporal the same year, then to sergeant in 1953.

In 1959 Amin was made ''Afande'' (warrant officer), the highest rank possible for a Black African in the colonial British Army of that time. Amin returned to Uganda the same year and in 1961 he was promoted to lieutenant, becoming one of the first two Ugandans to become commissioned officers. He was then assigned to quell the cattle rustling between Uganda's Karamojong and Kenya's Turkana nomads. In 1962, following Uganda's independence from Great Britain, Amin was promoted to captain and then, in 1963, to major. The following year, he was appointed Deputy Commander of the Army.

Amin was an active athlete during his time in both the British and Ugandan army. At 193 cm (6 ft 4 in) tall and powerfully built, he was the Ugandan light heavyweight boxing champion from 1951 to 1960, as well as a swimmer. Idi Amin was also a formidable rugby forward, although one officer said of him: "Idi Amin is a splendid type and a good (rugby) player, but virtually bone from the neck up, and needs things explained in words of one letter". In the 1950s, he played for Nile RFC. There is a frequently repeated urban legend that he was selected as a replacement by East Africa for their match against the 1955 British Lions.

However, the story is entirely unfounded. Amin doesn't appear on the team photograph or on the official team list and replacements were not allowed in international rugby until 13 years after this event is supposed to have taken place.

Army commander

In 1965, Prime Minister Milton Obote and Amin were implicated in a deal to smuggle ivory and gold into Uganda from Zaire. The deal, as later alleged by General Nicholas Olenga, an associate of the former Congolese leader Patrice Lumumba, was part of an arrangement to help troops opposed to the Congolese government trade ivory and gold for arms supplies secretly smuggled to them by Amin. In 1966, the Ugandan Parliament demanded an investigation. Obote imposed a new constitution abolishing the ceremonial presidency held by Kabaka (King) Edward Mutesa II of Buganda, and declared himself executive president. He promoted Amin to colonel and army commander. Amin led an attack on the Kabaka's palace and forced Mutesa into exile to the United Kingdom, where he remained until his death in 1969.

Amin began recruiting members of Kakwa, Lugbara, Nubian, and other ethnic groups from the West Nile area bordering Sudan. The Nubians had been residents in Uganda since the early 20th century, having come from Sudan to serve the colonial army. Many African ethnic groups in northern Uganda inhabit both Uganda and Sudan; allegations persist that Amin's army consisted mainly of Sudanese soldiers.

Seizure of power

Eventually, a rift developed between Amin and Obote, worsened by the support Amin had built within the army by recruiting from the West Nile region, his involvement in operations to support the rebellion in southern Sudan, and an attempt on Obote's life in 1969. In October 1970, Obote himself took control of the armed forces, reducing Amin from his months-old post of commander of all the armed forces to that of commander of the army.

Having learned that Obote was planning to arrest him for misappropriating army funds, Amin seized power in a military coup on 25 January 1971, while Obote was attending a Commonwealth summit meeting in Singapore. Troops loyal to Amin sealed off Entebbe International Airport, the main artery into Uganda, and took Kampala. Soldiers surrounded Obote's residence and blocked major roads. A broadcast on Radio Uganda accused Obote's government of corruption and preferential treatment of the Lango region. Cheering crowds were reported in the streets of Kampala after the radio broadcast. Amin announced that he was a soldier, not a politician, and that the military government would remain only as a caretaker regime until new elections, which would be announced when the situation was normalised. He promised to release all political prisoners.

Amin gave former king and president Mutesa (who had died in exile) a state burial in April 1971, freed many political prisoners, and reiterated his promise to hold free and fair elections to return the country to democratic rule in the shortest period possible.

Presidency

Establishment of military rule

On 2 February 1971, one week after the coup, Amin declared himself President of Uganda, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Army Chief of Staff, and Chief of Air Staff. He announced that he was suspending certain provisions of the Ugandan constitution and soon instituted an Advisory Defence Council composed of military officers with himself as the chairman. Amin placed military tribunals above the system of civil law, appointed soldiers to top government posts and parastatal agencies, and informed the newly inducted civilian cabinet ministers that they would be subject to military discipline. Amin renamed the presidential lodge in Kampala from Government House to "The Command Post". He disbanded the General Service Unit (GSU), an intelligence agency created by the previous government, and replaced it with the State Research Bureau (SRB). SRB headquarters at the Kampala suburb of Nakasero became the scene of torture and executions over the next few years. Other agencies used to root out political dissent included the military police and the Public Safety Unit (PSU).

Obote took refuge in Tanzania, having been offered sanctuary there by Tanzanian President Julius Nyerere. He was soon joined by 20,000 Ugandan refugees fleeing Amin. The exiles attempted to regain the country in 1972 through a poorly organised coup attempt.

Persecution of ethnic and other groups

Amin retaliated against the attempted invasion by Ugandan exiles in 1972 by purging the army of Obote supporters, predominantly those from the Acholi and Lango ethnic groups. In July 1971, Lango and Acholi soldiers were massacred in the Jinja and Mbarara Barracks, and by early 1972, some 5,000 Acholi and Lango soldiers, and at least twice as many civilians, had disappeared. The victims soon came to include members of other ethnic groups, religious leaders, journalists, artists, senior bureaucrats, judges, lawyers, homosexuals, students and intellectuals, criminal suspects, and foreign nationals. In this atmosphere of violence, many other people were killed for criminal motives or simply at will.

The killings, motivated by ethnic, political, and financial factors, continued throughout Amin's eight-year reign. The exact number of people killed is unknown. The International Commission of Jurists estimated the death toll at no fewer than 80,000 and more likely around 300,000. An estimate compiled by exile organizations with the help of Amnesty International puts the number killed at 500,000. Among the most prominent people killed were Benedicto Kiwanuka, the former prime minister and later chief justice; Janani Luwum, the Anglican archbishop; Joseph Mubiru, the former governor of the Central Bank; Frank Kalimuzo, the vice chancellor of Makerere University; Byron Kawadwa, a prominent playwright; and two of Amin's own cabinet ministers, Erinayo Wilson Oryema and Charles Oboth Ofumbi.

Amin's ally Muammar Gaddafi told Amin to expel Asians from Uganda. In August 1972, Amin declared what he called an "economic war", a set of policies that included the expropriation of properties owned by Asians and Europeans. Uganda's 80,000 Asians were mostly from the Indian subcontinent and born in the country, their ancestors having come to Uganda when the country was still a British colony. Many owned businesses, including large-scale enterprises, that formed the backbone of the Ugandan economy. On 4 August 1972, Amin issued a decree ordering the expulsion of the 60,000 Asians who were not Ugandan citizens (most of them held British passports). This was later amended to include all 80,000 Asians, except for professionals, such as doctors, lawyers, and teachers. A plurality of the Asians with British passports, around 30,000, emigrated to Britain. Others went to Australia, Canada, India, Kenya, Pakistan, Sweden, Tanzania, and the U.S. Amin expropriated businesses and properties belonging to the Asians and handed them over to his supporters. The businesses were mismanaged, and industries collapsed from lack of maintenance. This proved disastrous for the already declining economy.

In 1977, Henry Kyemba, Amin's health minister and a former official of the first Obote regime, defected and resettled in Britain. Kyemba wrote and published ''A State of Blood'', the first insider exposé of Amin's rule.

International relations

Following the expulsion of Ugandan Asians in 1972, most of whom were of Indian descent, India severed diplomatic relations with Uganda. The same year, as part of his "economic war", Amin broke diplomatic ties with Britain and nationalised 85 British-owned businesses.

That year, relations with Israel soured. Although Israel had previously supplied Uganda with arms, in 1972 Amin expelled Israeli military advisers and turned to Muammar al-Gaddafi of Libya and the Soviet Union for support. Amin became an outspoken critic of Israel. In return, Gaddafi gave financial aid to Amin. In the 1974 French-produced documentary film ''General Idi Amin Dada: A Self Portrait'', Amin discussed his plans for war against Israel, using paratroops, bombers and suicide squadrons. Amin later stated that Hitler "was right to burn six million Jews".

The Soviet Union became Amin's largest arms supplier. East Germany was involved in the General Service Unit and the State Research Bureau, the two agencies which were most notorious for terror. Later during the Ugandan invasion of Tanzania in 1979, East Germany attempted to remove evidence of its involvement with these agencies.

In 1973, U.S. Ambassador Thomas Patrick Melady recommended that the United States reduce its presence in Uganda. Melady described Amin's regime as "racist, erratic and unpredictable, brutal, inept, bellicose, irrational, ridiculous, and militaristic". Accordingly, the United States closed its embassy in Kampala.

In June 1976, Amin allowed an Air France airliner hijacked by two members of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine - External Operations (PFLP-EO) and two members of the German Revolutionäre Zellen to land at Entebbe Airport. There the hijackers were joined by three more. Soon after, 156 non-Jewish hostages who did not hold Israeli passports were released and flown to safety, while 83 Jews and Israeli citizens, as well as 20 others who refused to abandon them (among whom were the captain and crew of the hijacked Air France jet), continued to be held hostage. In the subsequent Israeli rescue operation, codenamed Operation Thunderbolt (popularly known as Operation Entebbe), on the night of July 3–4, 1976, a group of Israeli commandos were flown in all the way from Israel and seized control of Entebbe Airport, freeing nearly all the hostages. Three hostages died during the operation and 10 were wounded; seven hijackers, about 45 Ugandan soldiers, and one Israeli soldier, Yoni Netanyahu, were killed. A fourth hostage, 75-year-old Dora Bloch, an elderly Jewish Englishwoman who had been taken to Mulago Hospital in Kampala before the rescue operation, was subsequently murdered in reprisal. The incident further soured Uganda's international relations, leading Britain to close its High Commission in Uganda.

Uganda under Amin embarked on a large military build-up, which raised concerns in Kenya. Early in June 1975, Kenyan officials impounded a large convoy of Soviet-made arms ''en route'' to Uganda at the port of Mombasa. Tension between Uganda and Kenya reached its climax in February 1976 when Amin announced that he would investigate the possibility that parts of southern Sudan and western and central Kenya, up to within of Nairobi, were historically a part of colonial Uganda. The Kenyan Government responded with a stern statement that Kenya would not part with "a single inch of territory". Amin backed down after the Kenyan army deployed troops and armored personnel carriers along the Kenya–Uganda border.

King of Scotland

Near the end of 1976, Amin officially declared himself "the uncrowned King of Scotland". Amin lavished his guests and dignitaries with Scottish accordion music, while dressed in Scottish kilts. He wrote to Queen Elizabeth II, "I would like you to arrange for me to visit Scotland, Ireland and Wales to meet the heads of revolutionary movements fighting against your imperialist oppression", and allegedly sent the Queen a telex that stated: "Dear Liz, if you want to know a real man, come to Kampala." Amin sometimes argued that he was "the last King of Scotland".

Erratic behaviour, self-bestowed titles, and media portrayal

As the years progressed, Amin's behaviour became more erratic, unpredictable, and outspoken. After Great Britain broke off all diplomatic relations with his regime in 1977, Amin declared he had defeated the British and conferred on himself the decoration of CBE (Conqueror of the British Empire). His full self-bestowed title ultimately became "His Excellency, President for Life, Field Marshal Al Hadji Doctor Idi Amin Dada, VC, DSO, MC, Lord of All the Beasts of the Earth and Fishes of the Seas and Conqueror of the British Empire in Africa in General and Uganda in Particular", in addition to his officially stated claim of being the uncrowned King of Scotland. He was not a recipient of a Victoria Cross, nor did he acquire a Distinguished Service Order or a Military Cross.

Amin became the subject of rumours and myths, including a widespread belief that he was a cannibal. Some of the unsubstantiated rumours, such as the mutilation of one of his wives, were spread and popularised by the 1980 film ''Rise and Fall of Idi Amin'' and alluded to in the film ''The Last King of Scotland'' in 2006.

During Amin's time in power, popular media outside of Uganda often portrayed him as an essentially comic and eccentric figure. In a 1977 assessment typical of the time, a ''Time'' magazine article described him as a "killer and clown, big-hearted buffoon and strutting martinet". The foreign media was often criticised by Ugandan exiles and defectors for focusing on Amin's excessive tastes and self-aggrandizing eccentricities, and downplaying or excusing his murderous behavior. Other commentators even suggested that Amin had deliberately cultivated his eccentric reputation in the foreign media as an easily parodied buffoon in order to defuse international concern over his administration of Uganda.

Deposition and exile

By 1978, the number of Amin's supporters and close associates had shrunk significantly, and he faced increasing dissent from the populace within Uganda as the economy and infrastructure collapsed from years of neglect and abuse. After the killings of Bishop Luwum and ministers Oryema and Oboth Ofumbi in 1977, several of Amin's ministers defected or fled into exile. In November 1978, after Amin's vice president, General Mustafa Adrisi, was injured in a car accident, troops loyal to him mutinied. Amin sent troops against the mutineers, some of whom had fled across the Tanzanian border. Amin accused Tanzanian President Julius Nyerere of waging war against Uganda, ordered the invasion of Tanzanian territory, and formally annexed a section of the Kagera Region across the boundary.

In January 1979, Nyerere mobilised the Tanzania People's Defence Force and counterattacked, joined by several groups of Ugandan exiles who had united as the Uganda National Liberation Army (UNLA). Amin's army retreated steadily, and, despite military help from Libya's Muammar al-Gaddafi, he was forced to flee into exile by helicopter on 11 April 1979, when Kampala was captured. He escaped first to Libya, where he stayed until 1980, and ultimately settled in Saudi Arabia, where the Saudi royal family allowed him sanctuary and paid him a generous subsidy in return for his staying out of politics. Amin lived for a number of years on the top two floors of the Novotel Hotel on Palestine Road in Jeddah. Brian Barron, who covered the Uganda–Tanzania war for the BBC as chief Africa correspondent, together with cameraman Mohammed Amin of Visnews in Nairobi, located Amin in 1980 and secured the first interview with him since his deposition.

During interviews he gave during his exile in Saudi Arabia, Amin held that Uganda needed him and never expressed remorse for the nature of his regime. In 1989, he attempted to return to Uganda, apparently to lead an armed group organised by Colonel Juma Oris. He reached Kinshasa, Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo), before Zairian President Mobutu forced him to return to Saudi Arabia.

Amin's death

On 20 July 2003, one of Amin's wives, Madina, reported that he was in a coma and near death at King Faisal Specialist Hospital in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, from kidney failure. She pleaded with the Ugandan President, Yoweri Museveni, to allow him to return to Uganda for the remainder of his life. Museveni replied that Amin would have to "answer for his sins the moment he was brought back". Amin died at the hospital in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on 16 August 2003 and was buried in Ruwais Cemetery in Jeddah.

Family and associates

A polygamist, Idi Amin married at least six women, three of whom he divorced. He married his first and second wives, Malyamu and Kay, in 1966. The next year, he married Nora and then Nalongo Madina in 1972. On 26 March 1974, he announced on Radio Uganda that he had divorced Malyamu, Nora and Kay. Malyamu was arrested in Tororo on the Kenyan border in April 1974 and accused of attempting to smuggle a bolt of fabric into Kenya. She later moved to London. Kay died on 13 August 1974, reportedly from an attempted surgical abortion performed by her lover Dr. Mbalu Mukasa (who himself committed suicide).. Her body was found dismembered. In August 1975, during the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) summit meeting in Kampala, Amin married Sarah Kyolaba. Sarah's boyfriend, whom she had been living with before she met Amin, vanished and was never heard from again. By 1993, Amin was living with the last nine of his children and a single wife, Mama a Chumaru, the mother of the youngest four of his children. His last known child was a daughter called Iman, born in 1992. According to ''The Monitor'', Amin married again a few months before his death in 2003.

Sources differ widely on the number of children Amin fathered; most say that he had 30 to 45. Until 2003, Taban Amin (born 1955), Idi Amin's eldest son, was the leader of West Nile Bank Front (WNBF), a rebel group opposed to the government of Yoweri Museveni. In 2005, he was offered amnesty by Museveni, and in 2006, he was appointed Deputy Director General of the Internal Security Organisation. Another of Amin's sons, Haji Ali Amin, ran for election as Chairman (i.e. mayor) of Njeru Town Council in 2002 but was not elected. In early 2007, the award-winning film ''The Last King of Scotland'' prompted one of his sons, Jaffar Amin (born in 1967), to speak out in his father's defense. Jaffar Amin said he was writing a book to rehabilitate his father's reputation. Jaffar is the tenth of Amin's 40 official children by seven official wives.

On 3 August 2007, Faisal Wangita (born in 1983), one of Amin's sons, was convicted for playing a role in a murder in London. Wangita's mother is Amin's fifth wife, Sarah Kyolaba (born 1955) a former go-go dancer, but known as 'Suicide Sarah', because she was a go-go dancer for the Ugandan Army's Revolutionary Suicide Mechanised Regiment Band. Isaac Malyamungu was an instrumental affiliate and one of the more feared officers in Amin's army.

Portrayal in media and literature

Film dramatizations

''Victory at Entebbe '' (1976), a TV film about Operation Entebbe. Julius Harris plays Amin. Godfrey Cambridge was originally cast as Amin, but died of a heart attack on the set.

''Raid on Entebbe'' (1977), a film depicting the events of Operation Entebbe. Yaphet Kotto plays Amin as a charismatic but short-tempered political and military leader.

In ''Mivtsa Yonatan'' (1977; also known as ''Operation Thunderbolt''), an Israeli film about Operation Entebbe, Jamaican-born British actor Mark Heath played Amin, who in this film is first angered by the Palestinian terrorists whom he later comes to support.

''Rise and Fall of Idi Amin'' (1981), a film recreating Idi Amin's atrocities. Amin is played by Kenyan actor Joseph Olita.

''Mississippi Masala'' (1991), a film depicting the resettlement of an Indian family after the expulsion of Asians from Uganda by Idi Amin. Joseph Olita again plays Amin in a cameo.

''The Last King of Scotland'' (2006), a film adaptation of Giles Foden's 1998 fictional novel of the same name. For his portrayal of Idi Amin in this film, Forest Whitaker won the Academy Award for Best Actor, a BAFTA, the Screen Actors' Guild Award for Best Actor (Drama), and a Golden Globe.

Documentaries

''General Idi Amin Dada: A Self Portrait'' (1974), directed by French filmmaker Barbet Schroeder.

''Idi Amin: Monster in Disguise'' (1997), a television documentary directed by Greg Baker.

''The Man Who Ate His Archbishop's Liver?'' (2004), a television documentary written, produced and directed by Elizabeth C. Jones for Associated-Rediffusion and Channel 4.

''The Man Who Stole Uganda'' (1971), World In Action first broadcast 5 April 1971.

''Inside Idi Amin's Terror Machine'' (1979), World In Action first broadcast 13 June 1979.

Books

''State of Blood: The Inside Story of Idi Amin'' (1977) by Henry Kyemba

''The General Is Up by Peter Nazareth

''Ghosts of Kampala: The Rise and Fall of Idi Amin'' (1980) by George Ivan Smith

''The Last King of Scotland'' (1998) by Giles Foden (fictional)

''Idi Amin Dada: Hitler in Africa'' (1977) by Thomas Patrick Melady

''General Amin'' (1975) by David Martin

''The Collected Bulletins of Idi Amin'' (1974) and ''Further Bulletins of President Idi Amin'' (1975) by Alan Coren, portraying Amin as an amiable, if murderous, buffoon in charge of a tin-pot dictatorship. Alan was also responsible in part for a music release – "The Collected Broadcasts of Idi Amin". It was a British comedy album parodying Ugandan dictator Idi Amin, released in 1975 on Transatlantic Records. It was performed by John Bird and written by Alan Coren, based on columns he wrote for Punch magazine.

''I Love Idi Amin: The Story of Triumph under Fire in the Midst of Suffering and Persecution in Uganda'' (1977) by Festo Kivengere

''Impassioned for Freedom: Uganda, Struggle Against Idi Amin'' (2006) by Eriya Kategaya

''Confessions of Idi Amin: The chilling, explosive expose of Africa's most evil man – in his own words'' (1977) compiled by Trevor Donald

Notes

A Many sources, like Encyclopædia Britannica, Encarta and the Columbia Encyclopedia, hold that Amin was born in Koboko or Kampala c. 1925, and that the exact date of his birth is unknown. Researcher Fred Guweddeko claimed that Amin was born on 17 May 1928, but that is disputed. The only certainty is that Amin was born some time during the mid-1920s. B He conferred a doctorate of law on himself from Makerere University. C The Victorious Cross (VC) was a medal made to emulate the British Victoria Cross. D According to Henry Kyema and the African Studies Review, Idi Amin had 34 children. Some sources say Amin claimed to have fathered 32 children. A report in ''The Monitor'' says he was survived by 45 children, while another in the BBC gives the figure of 54.

Footnotes

References

Cotton, Fran (Ed., 1984) ''The Book of Rugby Disasters & Bizarre Records''. Compiled by Chris Rhys. London. Century Publishing. ISBN 0-7126-0911-3

External links

The Idi Amin I knew, Brian Barron, BBC, 16 August 2003. Includes a video of Brian Barron interviewing Idi Amin in exile in 1980. The Atlantic – April 1 01 2001 Memo and Quincy LS the series

General Idi Amin Dada: A Self Portrait on Google Video (Flash Video)

idiamindada.com, a website devoted to Idi Amin's legacy created by his son Jaffar Amin

* Category:1920s births Category:2003 deaths Category:Anti-Zionism Category:British colonial army soldiers Category:Cold War leaders Category:Date of birth unknown Category:Deaths from renal failure Category:Field Marshals Category:King's African Rifles officers Category:Leaders who took power by coup Category:People from Kampala Category:Presidents for life Category:Presidents of Uganda Category:Ugandan boxers Category:Ugandan expatriates in Saudi Arabia Category:Ugandan military personnel Category:Ugandan Muslims Category:Ugandan rugby union players

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The monarch of Scotland was the head of state of the Kingdom of Scotland. According to tradition, the first King of Scots was Kenneth MacAlpin (Cináed mac Ailpín), who founded the state in 843. The distinction between the Kingdom of Alba/Scotland and the Kingdom of the Picts is rather the product of later medieval myth and confusion from a change in nomenclature, i.e. ''Rex Pictorum'' (King of the Picts) becomes ''ri Alban'' (King of Alba) under Donald II when annals switched from Latin to vernacular around the end of the 9th century, by which time the word Alba in Gaelic had come to refer to the Kingdom of the Picts rather than Britain (its older meaning).

The Kingdom of the Picts just became known as Kingdom of Alba in Gaelic, which later became known in English as ''Scotland''; the terms are retained in both languages to this day. By the late 11th century at the very latest, Scottish kings were using the term ''rex Scottorum'', or King of Scots, to refer to themselves in Latin. The title of ''King of Scots'' fell out of use in 1707 when the Kingdom of Scotland merged with the Kingdom of England to form the Kingdom of Great Britain. Thus Queen Anne became the last monarch of Scotland (and concurrently, the last monarch of England) and the first monarch of Great Britain. The two kingdoms had shared a monarch since 1603 (see Union of the Crowns), and Charles II was the last Scottish monarch to actually be crowned in Scotland, at Scone in 1651.

Coronation Oath

The Coronation Oath sworn by every King of Scots from James VI to Charles II was approved by the Parliament of Scotland in 1567:

I, N.N., promise faithfully, in the presence of the eternal, my God, that I, enduring the whole Course of my Life, shall serve the same Eternal, my God, to the utmost of my Power, accordingly as he required in his most Holy Word, revealed and contained in the New and Old Testament; and according to the same Word shall maintain the true Religion of Jesus Christ, the preaching of his Holy Word, and due and right administration of his Sacraments, now received and practised within this Realm; and shall abolish and oppose all false Religion contrary to the same; and shall rule the People committed to my Charge, according to the Will and Command of God, revealed in his foresaid Word, and according to the lovable Laws and Constitutions received in this Realm, in no way repugnant to the said Word of the Eternal, my God; and shall procure to my utmost to the Kirk of God and whole Christian people true and perfect Peace in all times coming; the Rights and Rents, with all just privileges of the Crown of Scotland, I shall preserve and keep inviolate, neither shall I transfer nor alienate the same; I shall forbid and repress in all Estates and all Degrees theft, Oppression and all kind of Wrong; in all Judgements, I shall command and procure that Justice and Equity be kept to all creatures without exception, as he be merciful to me and you that is the Lord and Father of all Mercies; and out of all my lands and empire I shall be careful to root out all Heresy and Enemies to the true Worship of God, that shall be convicted by the true Kirk of God of the foresaid Crimes; and these Things above-written I faithfully affirm by my solemn Oath.

The Coronation Oath sworn by Mary II, William II and Anne was approved by the Parliament of Scotland on 18 April 1689. The oath was as follows:

WE William and Mary, King and Queen of Scotland, faithfully promise and swear, by this our solemn Oath, in presence of the Eternal God, that during the whole Course of our Life we will serve the same Eternal God, to the uttermost of our Power, according as he has required in his most Holy Word, revealed and contained in the New and Old Testament; and according to the same Word shall maintain the true Religion of Christ Jesus, the preaching of his Holy Word, and the due and right Ministration of the Sacraments, now received and preached within the Realm of Scotland; and shall abolish and gainstand all false Religion contrary to the same, and shall rule the People committed to our Charge, according to the Will and Command of God, revealed in his aforesaid Word, and according to the laudable Laws and Constitutions received in this Realm, no ways repugnant to the said Word of the Eternal God; and shall procure, to the utmost of our power, to the Kirk of God, and whole Christian People, true and perfect Peace in all time coming. That we shall preserve and keep inviolated the Rights and Rents, with all just Privileges of the Crown of Scotland, neither shall we transfer nor alienate the same; that we shall forbid and repress in all Estates and Degrees, Reif, Oppression and all kind of Wrong. And we shall command and procure, that Justice and Equity in all Judgments be kept to all Persons without exception, us the Lord and Father of all Mercies shall be merciful to us. And we shall be careful to root out all Heretics and Enemies to the true Worship of God, that shall be convicted by the true Kirk of God, of the aforesaid Crimes, out of our Lands and Empire of Scotland. And we faithfully affirm the Things above-written by our solemn Oath.

List of monarchs of Scotland

House of Alpin (848–1034)

The reign of Kenneth MacAlpin begins what is often called the House of Alpin, an entirely modern concept. The descendants of Kenneth MacAlpin were divided into two branches; the crown would alternate between the two, the death of a king from one branch often hastened by war or assassination by a pretender from the other. Malcolm II was the last king of the House of Alpin; in his reign, he successfully crushed all opposition to him and, having no sons, was able to pass the crown to his daughter's son, Duncan I, who inaugurated the House of Dunkeld.

{|width=100% class="wikitable" !width=10%|Portrait !width=15%|Traditional modern English regnal name (with modern Gaelic equivalent) !width=15%|Medieval Gaelic name !width=10%|Dynastic Status !width=10%|Reign !width=10%|Title !width=15%|Nickname |- |align="center"| |align="center"|Kenneth I(Coinneach mac Ailpein) |align="center"|Cináed mac AilpínCiniod m. Ailpin |align="center"|son of Alpin king of Dal Riata |align="center"|843/848 - 13 February 858 |align="center"|Rex Pictorum("King of the Picts") |align="center"|An Ferbasach"The Conqueror" |- |align="center"| |align="center"|Donald I(Dòmhnall mac Ailpein) |align="center"|Domnall mac Ailpín |align="center"|son of Alpin king of Dal Riata, and brother of Kenneth I |align="center"|858 – 13 April 862 |align="center"|Rex Pictorum("King of the Picts") |align="center"| |- |align="center"| |align="center"|Constantine I(Còiseam mac Choinnich) |align="center"|Causantín mac Cináeda |align="center"|Son of Kenneth I |align="center"|862–877 |align="center"|Rex Pictorum("King of the Picts") |align="center"|An Finn-Shoichleach, "The Wine-Bountiful" |- |align="center"| |align="center"|Áed(Aodh mac Choinnich) |align="center"|Áed mac Cináeda |align="center"|Son of Kenneth I |align="center"|877–878 |align="center"|Rex Pictorum("King of the Picts") |align="center"| |- |align="center"| |align="center"|Giric(Griogair mac Dhunghail) |align="center"|Giric mac Dúngail |align="center"|Son of Donald I |align="center"|878–889 |align="center"| |align="center"|Mac Rath, "Son of Fortune" |- |align="center"| |align="center"|Eochaid |align="center"|Eochaid mac Run |align="center"|† grandson of Kenneth I |align="center"|*878–889? |align="center"| |align="center"| |- |align="center"| |align="center"|Donald II(Dòmhnall mac Chòiseim) |align="center"|Domnall mac Causantín |align="center"|Son of Constantine I |align="center"|889–900 |align="center"|Rí Alban("King of Scotland")Rì nan Albannaich("King of Scots") |align="center"|Dásachtach, the "Madman" or "Psycho" |- |align="center"| |align="center"|Constantine II(Còiseam mac Aoidh) |align="center"|Causantín mac Áeda |align="center"|Son of Áed |align="center"|900–943 |align="center"|Rí Alban |align="center"|An Midhaise, "the Middle Aged". |- |align="center"| |align="center"|Malcolm I(Maol Chaluim mac Dhòmhnaill) |align="center"|Máel Coluim mac Domnaill |align="center"|Son of Donald II |align="center"|943–954 |align="center"|Rí Alban |align="center"|An Bodhbhdercc, "the Dangerous Red" |- |align="center"| |align="center"|Indulf |align="center"|Ildulb mac Causantín |align="center"|Son of Constantine II |align="center"|954–962 |align="center"|Rí Alban |align="center"|An Ionsaighthigh, "the Aggressor" |- |align="center"|— |align="center"|Dub (Dubh or Duff)(Dubh mac Mhaoil Chaluim) |align="center"|Dub mac Maíl Choluim |align="center"|Son of Malcolm I |align="center"|962–967 |align="center"|Rí Alban |align="center"|Dén, "the Vehement" |- |align="center"|— |align="center"|Cuilén(Cailean) |align="center"|Cuilén mac Ilduilb |align="center"|Son of Indulf |align="center"|967–971 |align="center"|Rí Alban |align="center"|An Fionn, "the White" |- |align="center"|— |align="center"|Amlaíb(Amhlaigh) |align="center"|Amlaíb mac Ilduilb |align="center"|Son of Indulf |align="center"|* 973x–977 |align="center"|Rí Alban |align="center"| |- |align="center"| |align="center"|Kenneth II(Coinneach mac Mhaoil Chaluim) |align="center"|Cináed mac Maíl Choluim |align="center"|Son of Malcolm I |align="center"|971 x 977–995 |align="center"|Rí Alban |align="center"|An Fionnghalach, "The Fratricide" |- |align="center"| |align="center"|Constantine III(Còiseam mac Chailein) |align="center"|Causantín mac Cuiléin |align="center"|Son of Cuilén |align="center"|995–997 |align="center"|Rí Alban |align="center"| |- |align="center"| |align="center"|Kenneth III(Coinneach mac Dhuibh) |align="center"|Cináed mac Duib |align="center"|Son of Dub |align="center"|997 – 25 March 1005 |align="center"|Rí Alban |align="center"|An Donn, "the Chief"/ "the Brown". |- |align="center"| |align="center"|Malcolm II(Maol Chaluim mac Choinnich) |align="center"|Máel Coluim mac Cináeda |align="center"|Son of Kenneth II |align="center"|1005–1034 |align="center"|Rí Alban / Rex Scotiae |align="center"|Forranach, "the Destroyer"; |}

* Evidence for Eochaid's reign is unclear: he may never have actually been King. If he was, he was co-King with Giric. Amlaíb is known only by a reference to his death in 977, which reports him as King of Alba; since Kenneth II is known to have still been King in 972–973, Amlaíb must have taken power between 973 and 977.

† Eochiad was a son of Run, King of Strathclyde, but his mother was a daughter of Kenneth I.

House of Dunkeld, 1034–1286

Duncan succeeded to the throne as the maternal grandson of Malcolm II (he was also the heir-general of Malcolm I, as his paternal grandfather, Duncan of Atholl was the third son of Malcolm I The House of Dunkeld was therefore a continuation of the House of Alpine). After an unsuccessful reign, Duncan was killed in battle by Macbeth, who had a long and relatively successful reign. In a series of battles between 1057 and 1058, Duncan's son Malcolm III defeated and killed Macbeth and Macbeth's stepson and heir Lulach, and claimed the throne. The dynastic feuds did not end there: on Malcolm's death in battle, his brother Donald Ban claimed the throne, expelling Malcolm's sons from Scotland; a civil war in the family ensued, with Donald Ban and Malcolm's son Edmund opposed by Malcolm's English-backed sons, led first by Duncan II and then by Edgar. Edgar triumphed, sending his uncle and brother to monasteries. After the reign of David I, the Scottish throne was passed according to rules of primogeniture, moving from father to son, or where not possible, brother to brother.

{|width=100% class="wikitable" !width=12%|Modern English Regnal NameMedieval Title !width=8%| !width=20%|Modern Gaelic NameMedieval Gaelic NameNickname !width=15%|Dynastic Status(Father's Family) !width=25%|Maternal Status(Mother's Family) !width=8%|Reign(Years) !width=8%| !width=8%| |- |align="center"| |align="center"|Duncan IRí Alban |align="center"|Donnchadh mac CrìonainDonnchad mac CrínáinAn t-Ilgarach"The Diseased" or "The Sick" |align="center"|Grandson of Malcolm II & Great-grandson of Malcolm I (House of Alpin) |align="center"|Son of Bethóc, Eldest Daughter of Malcolm II (House of Alpin) |align="center"|1034–1040(7) |align="center"| |align="center"| |- |align="center"| |align="center"|MacbethRí Alban |align="center"|MacBheatha mac FhionnlaighMac Bethad mac FindláichRí Deircc"The Red King" |align="center"|1)Son of Mormaer Findláech 2)Grandson of Malcolm II3)Husband to Gruoch, granddaughter of Kenneth III |align="center"|?,Unknown Daughter or Granddaughter of Malcolm II (House of Alpin) |align="center"|1040–1057(18) |align="center"| |align="center"| |- |align="center"|— |align="center"|LulachRí Alban |align="center"|Lughlagh mac Gille ChomghainLulach mac Gille ComgaínTairbith"The Unfortunate" |align="center"|1)Son of Gille Coemgáin, Mormaer of Moray 2) Grandson of Kenneth III (House of Alpin) |align="center"|Son of Gruoch, Granddaughter of Kenneth III |align="center"|1057–1058(>1) |align="center"| |align="center"| |- |align="center"| |align="center"|Malcolm IIIRí Alban Scottorum basileus |align="center"|Maol Chaluim mac DhonnchaidhMáel Coluim mac Donnchada? Cenn Mór ("Canmore")"Great Chief" |align="center"|Son of Duncan I |align="center"|Son of Sybil/Suthen, sister of Siward "Earl of Northumbria"(House of Cnut the Great) |align="center"|1058–1093(35) |align="center"| |align="center"| |- |align="center"| |align="center"|Donald III(Dòmhnall mac Dhonnchaidh)(Domnall mac Donnchada) |align="center"| |align="center"|Son of Duncan I |align="center"| |align="center"|1093–1097(4) |align="center"|Rí Alban |align="center"|Bán, "the Fair". |- |align="center"| |align="center"|Duncan II(Donnchadh mac Mhaoil Chaluim)(Donnchad mac Maíl Choluim) |align="center"| |align="center"|Son of Malcolm III |align="center"| |align="center"|1094(1) |align="center"|Rí Alba n/ Rex Scottorum |align="center"| |- |align="center"| |align="center"|Edgar(Eagar mac Mhaoil Chaluim)(Étgar mac Maíl Choluim) |align="center"| |align="center"|Son of Malcolm III |align="center"| |align="center"|1097–1107(10) |align="center"|Rí Alban/ Rex Scottorum |align="center"|Probus, "the Valiant" |- |align="center"| |align="center"|Alexander I(Alasdair mac Mhaoil Chaluim)(Alaxandair mac Maíl Choluim) |align="center"| |align="center"|Son of Malcolm III |align="center"| |align="center"|1107–1124(17) |align="center"|Rí Alban/ Rex Scottorum |align="center"|"The Fierce" |- |align="center"| |align="center"|David I(Dàibhidh mac Mhaoil Chaluim)(Dabíd mac Maíl Choluim) |align="center"| |align="center"|Son of Malcolm III |align="center"| |align="center"|1124–1153(29) |align="center"|Rí Alban/ Rex Scottorum |align="center"|"The Saint" |- |align="center"| |align="center"|Malcolm IV(Maol Chaluim mac Eanraig)(Máel Coluim mac Eanric) |align="center"| |align="center"|Grandson of David I |align="center"| |align="center"|1153–1165(12) |align="center"|Rí Alban/ Rex Scottorum |align="center"|Virgo"The Maiden"-Cenn Mór, "Great Chief" |- |align="center"| |align="center"|William I "The Lion" (Uilleam mac Eanraig)(Uilliam mac Eanric) |align="center"| |align="center"|Grandson of David I |align="center"| |align="center"|1165–1214(49) |align="center"|Rí Alban / Rex Scottorum |align="center"|"The Lion"-Garbh, "the Rough" |- |align="center"| |align="center"|Alexander II(Alasdair mac Uilleim)(Alaxandair mac Uilliam) |align="center"| |align="center"|Son of William I |align="center"| |align="center"|1214–1249(35) |align="center"|Rí Alban / Rex Scottorum |align="center"| |- |align="center"| |align="center"|Alexander III(Alasdair mac Alasdair)(Alaxandair mac Alaxandair) |align="center"| |align="center"|Son of Alexander II |align="center"| |align="center"|1249–1286(37) |align="center"|Rí Alban / Rex Scottorum |align="center"| |}

House of Fairhair (1286–1290), disputed

The last King of the House of Dunkeld was Alexander III. His wife had borne him two sons and a daughter; but by 1286 his sons were dead and his daughter, Margaret, had borne only a single daughter, also named Margaret, to her husband Eric II of Norway before herself dying. Alexander had himself remarried, but in early 1286 he died in an accident while riding home. His wife, Yolande of Dreux, was pregnant; but by November 1286 all hope of her bearing a living child had passed. Accordingly, in the Treaty of Salisbury, the Guardians of Scotland recognised Alexander's granddaughter, Margaret of Norway, as Queen of Scots. Margaret remained in her father's Kingdom of Norway until Autumn 1290, when she was dispatched to Scotland. However, she died on the journey in Orkney, having never set foot on Scottish soil, and without being crowned at Scone. She is thus sometimes not considered Queen.

{|style="text-align:center; width:100%" class="wikitable" ! Name !! Portrait !! Birth !! Marriage(s) !! Death !! Dynastic status |- | Margaret''the Maid of Norway''1286–1290 || 81px || c. April 1283Norwaydaughter of Eric II of Norway and Margaret of Scotland || unmarried || September/October 1290Orkneyaged 7 || granddaughter of Alexander III |}

First Interregnum (1290–1292)

House of Balliol (1292–1296)

The death of Margaret of Norway began a two-year interregnum in Scotland caused by a succession crisis. With her death, the descent of William I went extinct; nor was there an obvious heir by primogeniture. Thirteen candidates presented themselves; the most prominent were John de Balliol, great-grandson of William I's younger brother David of Huntingdon, and Robert de Brus, Lord of Annandale, David of Huntingdon's grandson. The Scottish Magnates invited Edward I of England to arbitrate the claims; he did so, but forced the Scots to swear allegiance to him as overlord. Eventually, it was decided that John de Balliol should become King; he proved weak and incapable, and in 1296 was forced to resign by Edward I, who then attempted to annex Scotland into the Kingdom of England.

{|style="text-align:center; width:100%" class="wikitable" ! Name !! Portrait !! Birth !! Marriage(s) !! Death !! Dynastic status |- | John de Balliol''Toom Tabard'' ("Empty Cloak")(Iain Balliol)1292–1296 || 80px || c. 1249 || Isabella de Warenne9 February 1281at least one child || c. 25 November 1314Picardy, France | great-grandson of David of Huntingdon (brother of William I) |}

Second Interregnum (1296–1306)

House of Bruce (1306–1371)

For ten years, Scotland had no King of its own. The Scots, however, refused to tolerate English rule; first William Wallace and then, after his execution, Robert the Bruce (the grandson of the 1292 competitor) fought against the English. Bruce and his supporters killed a rival for the throne, John III Comyn, Lord of Badenoch on 10 February 1306 at Greyfriars Church in Dumfries. Shortly after in 1306, Robert was crowned King of Scots at Scone. His energy, and the corresponding replacement of the vigorous Edward I with his weaker son Edward II, allowed Scotland to free itself from English rule; at the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314, the Scots routed the English, and by 1329 the English had agreed by treaty to accept Scottish independence. Robert's successor, his son David, was a child at his succession. The English renewed their war with Scotland, and David was forced to flee the Kingdom by Edward Balliol, son of King John, who managed to get himself crowned King of Scots and to give away Scotland's southern counties to England before being driven out again. David spent much of his life in exile, first in freedom with his ally, France, and then in gaol in England; he was only able to return to Scotland in 1357. Upon his death, childless, in 1371, the House of Bruce came to an end.

{|style="text-align:center; width:100%" class="wikitable" ! Name !! Portrait !! Birth !! Marriage(s) !! Death !! Dynastic status |- | Robert I''the Good''(Roibert a Briuis)1306–1329 || 81px || 11 July 1274Turnberry Castle, Ayrshireson of Robert de Brus, 6th Lord of Annandale and Marjorie, Countess of Carrick || Isabella of Mar1295one daughterElizabeth de BurghWrittle, Essex, England1302three children || 7 June 1329Manor of Cardross, Dunbartonshireaged 54 || great-great-grandson of David of Huntingdon (brother of William I)(election) |- | David II(Dàibhidh Bruis)1329–1371 || 80px || 5 March 1324Dunfermline Palace, Fifeson of Robert I and Elizabeth de Burgh || Joan of EnglandBerwick-upon-Tweed17 July 1328no childrenMargaret DrummondInchmurdach, Fife20 February 1364no children || 22 February 1371Edinburgh Castleaged 46 || son of Robert I (primogeniture) |}

House of Stewart/Stuart

Stewart (1371–1567)

Robert the Stewart was a grandson of Robert I by the latter's daughter, Marjorie. Having been born in 1316, he was older than his uncle, David II; consequently, he was at his accession an old man, unable to reign vigorously, a problem also faced by his son Robert III, who had suffered lasting damage in a horse-riding accident. These two were followed by a series of regencies, caused by the youth of the succeeding kings. Consequently, the Stewart era saw periods of royal inertia, during which the nobles usurped power from the crown, followed by periods of personal rule by the monarch, during which he or she would attempt to address the issues created by their own minority and the long-term effects of previous reigns. Governing Scotland became increasingly difficult, as the powerful nobility became increasingly intractable; James I's attempts to curb the disorder of the realm ended in his assassination; James III was killed in a civil war between himself and the nobility, led by his own son; when James IV, who had governed sternly and suppressed the aristocrats, died in the Battle of Flodden, his wife Margaret Tudor, who had been nominated regent for their young son James V, was unseated by noble feuding, and James V's own wife, Marie de Guise, succeeded in ruling Scotland during the regency for her young daughter Mary I only by dividing and conquering the noble factions, and by distributing French bribes with a liberal hand. Finally, Mary I, the daughter of James V, found herself unable to govern Scotland faced with the surliness of the aristocracy and the intransigence of the population, who favoured Calvinism and disapproved of her Catholicism; she was forced to abdicate, and fled to England, where she was executed for treason against the English queen Elizabeth I. Upon her abdication, her son, fathered by a junior member of the Stewart family, became King.

{|style="text-align:center; width:100%" class="wikitable" ! Name !! Portrait !! Birth !! Marriage(s) !! Death !! Dynastic status |- | Robert II''the Steward''(Roibert II Stiùbhairt)1371–1390 || 81px || 2 March 1316Paisley, Renfrewshireson of Walter Stewart, 6th High Steward of Scotland and Marjorie Bruce || Elizabeth Mure1336 (''uncertain canonicity'')1349 (''with Papal dispensation'')ten childrenEuphemia de Ross2 May 1355four children ||19 April 1390Dundonald Castle, Ayrshireaged 74 || grandson of Robert I (primogeniture) |- | Robert III (born John Stewart)''the Lame King''(Roibert III Stiùbhairt, ''An Righ Bhacaigh'')1390–1406 || 81px || c.1337son of Robert II and Elizabeth Mure || Anabella Drummond1367seven children ||4 April 1406Rothesay Castleaged about 69 || son of Robert II (primogeniture) |- | James I(Seumas I Stiùbhairt)1406–1437 || 81px || late July 1394Dunfermline Palace, Fifeson of Robert III and Anabella Drummond || Joan BeaufortSouthwark Cathedral2 February 1424eight children || 21 February 1437Blackfriars, Perthaged about 42 || son of Robert III (primogeniture) |- | James II''Fiery Face(Seumas II Stiùbhairt)1437–1460 || 80px || 16 October 1430Holyrood Abbey, Edinburghson of James I and Joan Beaufort || Mary of GueldersHolyrood Abbey3 July 1449seven children || 3 August 1460Roxburgh Castleaged 29 || son of James I (primogeniture) |- | James III(Seumas III Stiùbhairt)1460–1488 || 80px || 10 July 1451Stirling Castle or St Andrews Castleson of James II and Mary of Guelders || Margaret of ScotlandHolyrood Abbey13 July 1469three children || 11 June 1488Sauchie Burnaged 36 || son of James II (primogeniture) |- | James IV(Seumas IV Stiùbhairt)1488–1513 || 80px || 17 March 1473Stirling Castleson of James III and Margaret of Denmark || Margaret TudorHolyrood Abbey8 August 1503six children || 9 September 1513Flodden Field, Northumberland, Englandaged 40 || son of James III (primogeniture) |- | James V(Seumas V Stiùbhairt)1513–1542 || 80px || 15 April 1512Linlithgow Palace, West Lothianson of James IV and Margaret Tudor || Madeleine of ValoisNotre Dame Cathedral, Paris, France1 January 1537no childrenMary of GuiseNotre Dame Cathedral, Paris, France18 Mary 1538three children || 14 December 1542Falkland Palace, Fifeaged 30 || son of James IV (primogeniture) |- | Mary I, Queen consort of France(Mairi Stiùbhairt)1542–1567 || 80px || 8 December 1542Linlithgow Palacedaughter of James V and Mary of Guise || François II, King of France24 April 1558no childrenHenry Stuart, Lord DarnleyHolyrood Palace, Edinburgh9 July 1565one childJames Hepburn, 4th Earl of BothwellHolyrood Palace15 May 1567no children || 8 February 1587Fotheringhay Castle, Northamptonshire, Englandaged 44 (executed) || daughter of James V (cognatic primogeniture) |}

Stuart (1567–1651)

The Stewarts of Lennox were a junior branch of the Stewart family; they were not, however, direct male line descendants of Robert II, the first Stewart who became King of Scots, but rather that of his ancestor Alexander Stewart, 4th High Steward of Scotland. In the past, through the means of the Auld Alliance with France, they had adapted their surname to the French form, ''Stuart''. Consequently, when the son of the Earl of Lennox, Henry, Lord Darnley, married the Queen of Scots, Mary I, their son, as the first King of the Lennox branch of the Stewart family, ruled as a Stuart.

James VI also became King of England and Ireland as James I in 1603, when his cousin Elizabeth I died; thereafter, although the two crowns of England and Scotland remained separate, the monarchy was based chiefly in England.

Charles I, James's son, found himself faced with Civil War; the resultant conflict lasted eight years, and ended in his execution. The English Parliament then decreed their monarchy to be at an end; the Scots Parliament, after some deliberation, broke their links with England, and declared that Charles, son and heir of Charles I, would become King. He ruled until 1651; however, the armies of Oliver Cromwell occupied Scotland and drove him into exile.

{|style="text-align:center; width:100%" class="wikitable" ! Name !! Portrait !! Birth !! Marriage(s) !! Death !! Dynastic status |- | James VI(Seumas VI Stiùbhairt)1567–1625 || 80px || 19 June 1566Edinburgh Castleson of Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley and Mary I || Anne of DenmarkOld Bishop's Palace, Oslo, Norway23 November 1589seven children || 27 March 1625Theobalds House, Hertfordshire, Englandaged 58 || son of Mary I (primogeniture) |- | Charles I(Teàrlach I Stiùbhairt)1625–1649 || 80px || 19 November 1600Dunfermline Palace, Dunfermlineson of James VI and Anne of Denmark || Henrietta Maria of FranceSt Augustine's Church, Canterbury, England13 June 1625nine children || 30 January 1649Palace of Whitehall, London, Englandaged 48 (executed) || son of James VI (primogeniture) |- | Charles II(Teàrlach II Stiùbhairt)1649–1651 || 80px || 29 May 1630St James's Palace, London, Englandson of Charles I and Henrietta Maria of France || Catherine of BraganzaPortsmouth, England14 May 1662no children || 6 February 1685Palace of Whitehall, London, Englandaged 54 || son of Charles I (primogeniture) |}

House of Stuart (restored) (1660–1707)

With the Restoration, the Stuarts became Kings of Scotland once more. But Scotland's rights were not respected: the Scottish Parliament was, during the reign of Charles II, dissolved, and his brother James was appointed Governor of Scotland. James himself became James VII in 1685; his Catholicism was not tolerated, and he was driven out of England after three years. In his place came his daughter Mary and her husband William of Orange, the ruler of the Dutch Republic; they were accepted as monarchs of Scotland after a period of deliberation by the Scottish Parliament, and ruled together as William II and Mary II.

An attempt to establish a Scottish colonial empire through the Darien Scheme, in challenge to that of England, failed, leaving the Scottish state bankrupt. This coincided with the accession of Queen Anne, daughter of James VII. Anne had multiple children but none of these survived her, and on her death her nearest heir was her halfbrother, James, in exile in France. The English favoured the Protestant Sophia of Hanover (a granddaughter of James VI) as heir; the Scots preferred Prince James, who as a Stuart was a Scot by ancestry, and threatened to break the Union of Crowns between England and Scotland by choosing him for themselves. To preserve the union, the English elaborated a plan whereby the two Kingdoms of Scotland and England would merge into a single Kingdom, the Kingdom of Great Britain, ruled by a common monarch, and with a single Parliament. Both national parliaments agreed to this (the Scots albeit reluctantly, motivated primarily by the national finances), and the Kingdom of Scotland was merged with England and came to an end. Thereafter, although monarchs continued to rule over the nation of Scotland, they did so first as monarchs of Great Britain, and then of the United Kingdom.

{|style="text-align:center; width:100%" class="wikitable" ! Name !! Portrait !! Birth !! Marriage(s) !! Death !! Dynastic status |- | Charles II(Teàrlach II Stiùbhairt)1660–1685 || 80px || 29 May 1630St James's Palace, London, Englandson of Charles I and Henrietta Maria of France || Catherine of BraganzaPortsmouth, England14 May 1662no children || 6 February 1685Palace of Whitehall, London, Englandaged 54 || son of Charles I (primogeniture) |- | James VII(Seumas VII Stiùbhairt)1685–1688 || 80px || 14 October 1633St James's Palace, London, Englandson of Charles I and Henrietta Maria of France || Anne HydeThe Strand, London, England3 September 1660eight childrenMary of ModenaDover, England21 November 1673seven children || 16 September 1701Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, Franceaged 67 || son of Charles I (primogeniture) |- | Mary II(Mairi II Stiùbhairt)1689–1694 || 100px || 30 April 1662St James's Palace, Englanddaughter of James VII (II of England) and Anne Hyde || rowspan=2|St James's Palace4 November 1677three children (none survived infancy) || 28 December 1694Kensington Palace, Englandaged 32 ||rowspan=2|grandchildren of Charles I (offered the crown by the Parliament) |- | William II(Uilleam Orains, "William of Orange")1689–1702 || 100px || 4 November 1650The Hague, Dutch Republicson of William II, Prince of Orange and Mary, Princess Royal || 8 March 1702Kensington Palaceaged 51 |- | Anne(Anna Stiùbhairt)1702–1707Queen of Great Britain and Ireland1707–1714 || 100px || 6 February 1665St James's Palacedaughter of James VII and Anne Hyde || George of DenmarkSt James's Palace28 July 168317 children || 1 August 1714Kensington Palaceaged 49 || daughter of James VII (primogeniture; Bill of Rights 1689) |}

For the British monarchs see List of British monarchs.

Jacobite claimants

James VII continued to claim the thrones of England, Scotland, and Ireland. When he died in 1701, his son James inherited his father's claims, and called himself James VIII of Scotland and III of England and Ireland. He would continue to do so all his life, even after the Kingdoms of England and Scotland were ended by their merging as the Kingdom of Great Britain. In 1715, a year after the death of his sister, Queen Anne, and the accession of their cousin George of Hanover, James landed in Scotland and attempted to claim the throne; he failed, and was forced to flee back to the Continent. A second attempt by his son, Charles, in 1745, also failed. Both James's children died without legitimate issue, bringing the Stuart family to an end.

James VIII (Seumas VIII), also known as ''The Old Pretender'', son of James VII, was claimant from 1701 until his death in 1766.

Charles III (Teàrlach III), also known as ''The Young Pretender'' and often called ''Bonnie Prince Charlie'', son of James VIII, was claimant from his father's death until his own death in 1788 without legitimate issue.

Henry I (Eanraig I), brother of Charles III and youngest son of James VIII. Died unmarried in 1807.

After 1807, the Jacobite claims passed first to the House of Savoy (1807–1840), then to the Modenese branch of the House of Habsburg-Lorraine (1840–1919), and finally to the House of Wittelsbach (since 1919). The current heir is Franz, Duke of Bavaria. Neither he nor any of his predecessors since 1807 have pursued their claim.

Other claimants

Idi Amin Dada consistently claimed, starting in 1976, to be the "uncrowned King of Scotland."

Michel Roger Lafosse has since 1979 claimed to be Prince of Albany and heir to the Scottish throne.

Timeline of Scottish Monarchs

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from: 843 till: 1034 color: al text:Alpin from: 1034 till: 1286 color: du text:Dunkeld from: 1286 till: 1290 color: fa text: from: 1292 till: 1296 color: ba text: from: 1306 till: 1371 color: br text:Bruce from: 1371 till: 1567 color: sw text:Stewart from: 1567 till: 1651 color: su text:Stuart from: 1653 till: 1659 color: cw text: from: 1660 till: 1707 color: su text:

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from: 843 till: 858 color:al text:Kenneth I from: 858 till: 862 color:al text:Donald I from: 862 till: 877 color:al text:Constantine I from: 877 till: 878 color:al text:Áed from: 878 till: 889 color:al text:Giric from: 878 till: 889 color:al text:Eochaid from: 889 till: 900 color:al text:Donald II from: 900 till: 943 color:al text:Constantine II from: 943 till: 954 color:al text:Malcolm I from: 954 till: 962 color:al text:Indulf from: 962 till: 967 color:al text:Dub from: 967 till: 971 color:al text:Cuilén from: 973 till: 977 color:al text:Amlaíb from: 977 till: 995 color:al text:Kenneth II from: 995 till: 997 color:al text:Constantine III from: 997 till: 1005 color:al text:Kenneth III from: 1005 till: 1034 color:al text:Malcolm II

from: 1034 till: 1040 color:du text:Duncan I from: 1040 till: 1057 color:du text:Macbeth from: 1057 till: 1058 color:du text:Lulach from: 1058 till: 1093 color:du text:Malcolm III from: 1093 till: 1097 color:du text:Donald III from: 1094 till: 1094 color:du text:Duncan II from: 1097 till: 1107 color:du text:Edgar from: 1107 till: 1124 color:du text:Alexander I from: 1124 till: 1153 color:du text:David I from: 1153 till: 1165 color:du text:Malcolm IV from: 1165 till: 1214 color:du text:William I from: 1214 till: 1249 color:du text:Alexander II from: 1249 till: 1286 color:du text:Alexander III

from: 1286 till: 1290 color:fa text:Margaret, Maid of Norway

from: 1292 till: 1296 color:ba text:John de Balliol

from: 1306 till: 1329 color:br text:Robert I from: 1329 till: 1371 color:br text:David II

from: 1371 till: 1390 color:sw text:Robert II from: 1390 till: 1406 color:sw text:Robert III from: 1406 till: 1437 color:sw text:James I from: 1437 till: 1460 color:sw text:James II from: 1460 till: 1488 color:sw text:James III from: 1488 till: 1513 color:sw text:James IV from: 1513 till: 1542 color:sw text:James V from: 1542 till: 1567 color:sw text:Mary I

from: 1567 till: 1625 color:su text:James VI from: 1625 till: 1649 color:su text:Charles I from: 1649 till: 1651 color:su text:Charles II

from: 1653 till: 1658 color:cw text:Oliver Cromwell from: 1658 till: 1659 color:cw text:Richard Cromwell

from: 1660 till: 1685 color:su text:Charles II from: 1685 till: 1689 color:su text:James VII from: 1689 till: 1702 color:su text:William II from: 1689 till: 1694 color:su text:Mary II from: 1702 till: 1707 color:su text:Anne

barset:skip

Acts of Union

The Acts of Union were twin Parliamentary Acts passed during 1706 and 1707 by the Parliament of England and the Parliament of Scotland, putting into effect the terms of the Treaty of Union, agreed on July 22, 1706, following prolonged negotiation between Queen Anne's Commissioners representing both parliaments. The Acts joined the Kingdom of England and the Kingdom of Scotland to form a united Kingdom of Great Britain.

Scotland and England had shared a common monarch since the Union of the Crowns in 1603, when James VI, King of Scots, inherited the English throne from his first cousin twice removed, Queen Elizabeth I of England. Although described as a Union of Crowns, prior to the Acts of Union of 1707, the crowns of the two separate kingdoms had rested on the same head. Three unsuccessful attempts (in 1606, 1667, and 1689) were made to unite the two kingdoms by Acts of Parliament, but it was not until the early 18th century that the idea had the will of both political establishments (if not of the people) to succeed, thereby bringing the two separate states together under a single parliament as well as a single monarch.

See also

List of Kings of the Picts

Scottish monarchs' family tree

List of Scottish consorts

Monarchy of the United Kingdom

List of British monarchs

Lord High Commissioner to the Parliament of Scotland

Lists of monarchs in the British Isles

List of monarchs of the British Isles by cause of death

List of legendary kings of Scotland

Notes

References

Anderson, Alan Orr, ''Early Sources of Scottish History: AD 500–1286'', 2 Vols, (Edinburgh, 1922)

Hudson, Benjamin T., ''Kings of Celtic Scotland'', (Westport, 1994)

Skene, W. F. (ed.), ''Chronicles of the Picts, Chronicles of the Scots and other Early Memorials of Scottish History'', (Edinburgh, 1867)

Scotland, Monarchs of * Monarchs of Scotland Monarchs of Scotland Monarchs Scotland, Monarchs of Category:Monarchs in the British Isles

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