On the 14 December 1542, James V died at the age of 30. The monarch's death left the crown to his six-day-old daughter Mary. After a succession of regents, power passed to James' widow, Mary of Guise, who was to be the champion of the Catholic cause during the Reformation period.

On this day in 1730, James Bruce, the Scottish explorer, was born.

Bruce travelled extensively through north Africa in search of the source of the Nile, even becoming a respected friend of the Abyssinian royal family, and in 1790 he published a lengthy account of his travels. Due to a self-confidence bordering on arrogance he made many enemies, notably Samuel Johnson, who criticised his writings and cast doubt on their veracity. Very little was known about Africa at the time, and this lent credence to the claims that Bruce had embellished his account. Although he turned out to be mistaken about the source of the Nile, the descriptions of Bruce's travels in Africa have since proven largely accurate.

Today's recipe: vegetarians will love this quick and tasty meal of peppers with chickpeas and harissa.