Due to his prominent birthmark, he was known as "of the fiery face". As a child he had been spared when his father was murdered. His minority was exploited by the self-interest of the nobles, all trying
to control the king and the kingdom.
He was able to free himself of these restricting controls by marrying Marie of Egmond, daughter of the Duke of Gelre and niece of the Duke of Burgundy. He tried to control the nobles but the Douglas clan remained difficult until, in 1452, James II summoned the Earl of Douglas to have supper with him at Stirling Castle. He asked the Earl to break off his alliance with the Earl of Crawford; but when this was
refused, the King stabbed him with a dagger and the king's aides completed the killing. The Earl of Douglas's brother, together with 600 clansmen, rode to Stirling Castle to avenge the murder, only to
find that the King had fled. In 1455, in a battle at Arkinholm, the whole Black Douglas Clan was defeated by the King's army under command of the Earl of Angus, chief of the Red Douglas Clan.

About 1457 James II tried to outlaw the game of golf, as too many clansmen were missing archery practice. Aggressively he pursued his nobles as well as the King of Norway and tried to pillage an England already divided by the War of the Roses. He obtained cannons to strengthen his army but was killed at Roxburgh when too near an exploding cannon.

Source: Leo van de Pas