James, Duke of Rothesay (born 1540)

James Stewart
Duke of Rothesay
Born	22 May 1540 St Andrews, Fife
Died	21 April 1541 (aged 334 days) St Andrews, Fife
House	House of Stuart
Father	James V
Mother	Mary of Guise

James Stewart, Duke of Rothesay (22 May 1540 – 21 April 1541) was a short-lived heir to the throne of the Kingdom of Scotland. He was the eldest son of James V and Mary of Guise, and nephew of his namesake James, Duke of Rothesay.

At the time of his birth in St Andrews, James V had survived his own brothers. The newborn Duke of Rothesay and his father were the only living legitimate descendants of his paternal grandfather James IV of Scotland. The heir presumptive since 1536 was his second cousin James Hamilton, 2nd Earl of Arran.

The young Duke died only a year after his birth, at St Andrews. His younger brother, Arthur Stewart, Duke of Albany, was born in April 1541 but neither sibling survived that month. Their deaths left James V with no legitimate child and the Earl of Arran again heir to the throne. Their younger sister Mary was born the following year and, only a few days later, succeeded their father as Queen regnant with the Earl of Arran as regent.

Sources

• Alison Weir, Britain's Royal Family: A Complete Genealogy