User:Ferrous scandal/sandbox

This is where I draft content first.

2021Jan29 Material added to ‘Culture’ section on ‘James IV’ page:

James IV's court was culturally far-reaching and hosted a number of Africans in temporary and long-term roles. In 1504, two African women, who were later christened as Margaret and Helen or Ellen More, are mentioned in the Accounts of the Lord High Treasurer of Scotland. The women were visible in court life and Helen More became the presumed subject of the poem 'Ane Blak Moir' by William Dunbar due to her being offered as a prize in jousting tournaments. The poem is critical of her appearance and status as a Black woman in a predominantly white court and country. An African drummer referred to as the "More taubronar", who travelled with the court, is also mentioned in the Accounts of the Lord High Treasurer of Scotland.

The status of the Africans in James IV's court is contested, with some historians taking the view that the two women were “enjoying in the royal service a benevolent form of ... black slavery”. However, other historians emphasise that these individuals were treated as "court curiosities" rather than being in control of their own lives, and were most likely enslaved to some extent.