Archibald Douglas, 6th Earl of Angus

Somebody had brought enough gunpowder to level a building, and somehow, that isn't what ended Henry Stewart, Lord Darnley.

Darnley was born at Temple Newsome in Yorkshire, most likely in 1546, to Matthew Stuart, 4th Earl of Lennox, and Lady Margaret Douglas.

That parentage made him dangerous from the cradle, and through his grandmother Margaret Tudor, he carried a legitimate claim to the English throne, and through his father he held a claim to the Scottish one.

In an age when royal blood was the most valuable and hazardous substance a person could possess, Darnley had it from both sides and he grew up polished for royal greatness.

Darnley heard something in the night, understood what it meant, and went out a window or gallery using the chair and rope, fleeing in his nightshirt with Taylor behind him.

In the orchard, in the dark, someone was waiting, and the plea overheard by the neighbors, if it happened, suggests he recognized the men who took hold of him.

The word kinsman has always pointed suspicion at the Douglases, his own relatives, and years later testimony implicated Archibald Douglas directly.

The explosion on this analysis went off on schedule to destroy the body of a victim who was no longer inside, but Darnley had already escaped.

So she was Henry VIII's niece.

She was the daughter of his sister, Margaret Tudor, and Archibald Douglas, Earl of Angus.

She had a secret relationship with Lord Thomas Howard, which alarmed Henry because she should have, as his niece, got permission, plus she was marrying, um, one of the Howards.

Margaret was obviously, um, a potential heir to the throne, so she shouldn't have been dallying with anyone and getting secretly betrothed.

And in 1528, the castle became a refuge for a man whose struggle with the King would reshape the political landscape of Scotland.

To understand Billy Castle's most dramatic early modern episode, we need to turn to Archibald Douglas, the sixth Earl of Angus.

During the minority of James V, Angus and his family had acquired enormous influence over the Government of Scotland.

Angus effectively dominated the Young King for several years, and the relationship between the Crown and the Douglas faction became a major source of political tension.

For James V, reducing their influence was an essential part of establishing royal authority.

One target was Tantalum Castle, the great Douglas stronghold on the East Lothian coast.

James attempted to bring it under control although the siege proved unsuccessful, but Archibald Douglas meanwhile sought refuge at Billy Castle.

We should not imagine that the castle was necessarily the scene of a dramatic siege or a major battle on this occasion.

Enter Archie.

One member of Margaret's regency council was Archibald Douglas, Sixth Duke of Angus.

Archibald had no experience in politics until the severe casualties at Flodden thrust him into the halls of power.

He belonged to one of the most powerful families in Scotland, the Douglases, an infamous and brutal clan with enormous wealth, but few friends.

He was exactly who the Douglases needed to take advantage of in the sudden power vacuum, and their sights were set on the newly widowed queen.

Spurred on by his grandfather, Archibald walked away from his current wife and decided to pursue Margaret.

After a brief courtship and less than one year after King James' death, Margaret Tudor and Archibald Douglas were wed.

But there was one problem.