1581 james douglas 4th earl of morton scottish soldier and poli 06 02
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1581 445 years ago Notable Deaths June 2 2 sources

James Douglas, 4th Earl of Morton, Scottish soldier and politician, Lord Chancellor of Scotland (born 1525)

On June 2, in the year 1581, James Douglas, 4th Earl of Morton, Scottish soldier and politician, Lord Chancellor of Scotland (born 1525). This event is recorded as a Notable Deaths event in the history of June 2, one of 396 recorded events on this date across all of history.

1 notable person is associated with this event, including James Douglas, 4th Earl of Morton. Learn more below.

James Douglas, 4th Earl of Morton was a Scottish nobleman. He played a leading role in the murders of Queen Mary's confidant, David Rizzio, and king consort Henry Darnley. He was the last of the four regents of Scotland during the minority of James VI. He was in some ways the most successful of the four since he won the civil war that had been dragging on with the supporters of the exiled Mary, Queen of Scots. However, he came to an unfortunate end, executed by means of the Maiden, a predecessor of the guillotine.

Key Facts

  • This event took place on June 2, 1581 (AD era).
  • It is categorised as a Notable Deaths event in recorded history.
  • Referenced in 2 Wikipedia articles.
  • 1 notable person is recorded as involved in or associated with this event.
  • Wikipedia source last updated on 5 May 2026.

On This Date in History 396

Type Year Date Event
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Notable Deaths 2024 Jun 2 David Levy, Israeli politician (born 1937)
Notable Deaths 2024 Jun 2 Janis Paige, American actress and singer (born 1922)
Historical Events 2023 Jun 2 A collision between two passenger trains and a parked freight train near the city of Balasor, Odisha in eastern India, r
Historical Events 2022 Jun 2 Following a request from Ankara, the United Nations officially changed the name of the Republic of Turkey in the organiz
Notable Deaths 2017 Jun 2 Peter Sallis, English actor (born 1921)
Notable Deaths 2015 Jun 2 Fernando de Araújo, East Timorese politician, President of East Timor (born 1963)
Notable Deaths 2015 Jun 2 Irwin Rose, American biologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1926)
Historical Events 2014 Jun 2 Telangana officially becomes the 29th state of India, formed from ten districts of northwestern Andhra Pradesh
Notable Deaths 2014 Jun 2 Ivica Brzić, Serbian footballer and manager (born 1941)
Notable Deaths 2014 Jun 2 Nikolay Khrenkov, Russian bobsledder (born 1984)
Notable Deaths 2014 Jun 2 Alexander Shulgin, American pharmacologist and chemist (born 1925)
Selected Events 2014 Jun 2 The Indian state of Telangana was officially formed, with K
Notable Deaths 2013 Jun 2 Mario Bernardi, Canadian pianist and conductor (born 1930)
Notable Deaths 2013 Jun 2 Chen Xitong, Chinese politician, 8th Mayor of Beijing (born 1930)
Notable Deaths 2013 Jun 2 Mandawuy Yunupingu, Australian singer-songwriter and guitarist (born 1956)
Historical Events 2012 Jun 2 Former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak is sentenced to life imprisonment for his role in the killing of demonstrators d
Notable Deaths 2012 Jun 2 Adolfo Calero, Nicaraguan businessman and political activist (born 1931)
Notable Deaths 2012 Jun 2 Richard Dawson, English-American soldier, actor, television personality, and game show host (born 1932)
Notable Deaths 2012 Jun 2 LeRoy Ellis, American basketball player (born 1940)
Notable Deaths 2012 Jun 2 Kathryn Joosten, American actress (born 1939)
Selected Events 2010 Jun 2 A gunman carried out a shooting spree in Cumbria, England, killing 12 people and injuring 11 others before committing su
Notable Deaths 2009 Jun 2 David Eddings, American author (born 1931)
Notable Deaths 2008 Jun 2 Bo Diddley, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (born 1928)
Notable Deaths 2008 Jun 2 Mel Ferrer, American actor (born 1917)
Selected Events 2008 Jun 2 Artist Tim Buckley published "Loss" as part of his webcomic Ctrl+Alt+Del
Notable Deaths 2007 Jun 2 Kentarō Haneda, Japanese pianist and composer (born 1949)
Notable Deaths 2007 Jun 2 Huang Ju, Chinese engineer and politician, 1st Vice Premier of the People's Republic of China (born 1938)
Notable Deaths 2006 Jun 2 Keith Smith, English rugby player and coach (born 1952)
Notable Deaths 2005 Jun 2 Lucien Cliche, Canadian lawyer and politician (born 1916)
Notable Deaths 2005 Jun 2 Gunder Gundersen, Norwegian skier (born 1930)
Notable Deaths 2005 Jun 2 Samir Kassir, Lebanese journalist and educator (born 1950)
Notable Deaths 2005 Jun 2 Melita Norwood, English civil servant and spy (born 1912)
Historical Events 2003 Jun 2 Europe launches its first voyage to another planet, Mars
Notable Deaths 2003 Jun 2 Freddie Blassie, American wrestler and manager (born 1918)
Notable Deaths 2003 Jun 2 Alma Ricard, Canadian broadcaster and philanthropist (born 1906)
Notable Births 2002 Jun 2 Madison Hu, American actress
Notable Births 2002 Jun 2 Fonua Pole, New Zealand rugby league player
Notable Deaths 2002 Jun 2 Hugo van Lawick, Dutch director and photographer (born 1937)
Notable Births 2001 Jun 2 Kysaiah Pickett, Australian rules footballer
Notable Deaths 2001 Jun 2 Imogene Coca, American actress and comedian (born 1908)
Notable Deaths 2001 Jun 2 Joey Maxim, American boxer (born 1922)
Notable Births 2000 Jun 2 Jay Idzes, Indonesian footballer
Notable Deaths 2000 Jun 2 Svyatoslav Fyodorov, Russian ophthalmologist, academic, and politician (born 1927)
Notable Deaths 2000 Jun 2 John Schlee, American golfer (born 1939)
Notable Deaths 2000 Jun 2 Gerald James Whitrow, English mathematician, cosmologist, and historian (born 1912)
Notable Births 1999 Jun 2 Campbell Graham, Australian rugby league player
Notable Deaths 1999 Jun 2 Junior Braithwaite, Jamaican singer (born 1949)
Historical Events 1998 Jun 2 Space Shuttle Discovery is launched on STS-91, the final mission of the Shuttle-Mir program

This article draws on content from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

People Involved

James Douglas, 4th Earl of Morton

Regent of Scotland during the minority of King James VI

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