[2][3] He also had two known sisters—Isabel, the second wife of Sir Patrick Home of Fast Castle and an unnamed sister whose son, John Roul, became commendator of May after Forman's death.

[8] Then in 1492, he used his influence at Rome to obtain the guarantee of the provision to the abbacy of Culross but resigned his rights in 1493 in return for a substantial pension from the monastery's income.

[13] Forman and Bishop William Elphinstone of Aberdeen were the principal envoys who brokered a seven-year truce with King Henry VII of England at Aytoun in September 1497.

[11] They were assisted by the Spanish ambassador Pedro de Ayala, who recommended in May 1498 that diplomatic correspondence to Scotland should be copied to Forman, his influential friend.

[14] The search for a queen for James began in 1499 when negotiators were appointed to treat with King Henry for the marriage of his eldest daughter, Princess Margaret.

[16] On 8 October 1501, Forman, now postulate to the see of Moray, was commissioned along with Robert Blackadder, Archbishop of Glasgow and Patrick Hepburn, 1st Earl of Bothwell to conclude the treaty of marriage.

[16] In that same year, King Henry, in gratitude for his services required that Thomas Savage, Archbishop of York institute Forman as Rector of the parish church of Cottingham.

[19] The formal proceedings that finally concluded the marriage terms of King James and Margaret Tudor were conducted in Glasgow Cathedral on 10 December 1502 where Forman was a signatory.

[32] He did not rush to France's side but continued to send Forman on his shuttle diplomacy missions to try to conciliate the opposing demands of Pope Julius II and King Louis XII.

[33] Eventually, after Forman failed to bring the pontiff and the French king together, James after consultation with his General Council renewed the Franco-Scottish alliance in July 1512—only two councillors opposed the decision.

[34][35] On 21 February 1513, Pope Julius, with England now in the league against France, issued a bull which was in effect a suspended sentence of excommunication on James if he broke the treaty with Henry.

[40] Thomas Ruthall, Bishop of Durham, wrote to Cardinal Wolsey on 20 September saying that King James fell near his banner and then lauded the bravery of the Scottish host:[41] ... such large and strong men, they would not fall when four or five bills struck one of them.

[43] When Queen Margaret married the Earl of Angus, the lords of the council decided that she had to give up the regency of her infant son King James V and in September, they invited John Stewart, Duke of Albany to become governor of Scotland.

[42] The arrival of Albany from France, the opposing Douglas and Hamilton factions within the council and the meddling of the pope all impinged on the outcome of the vacant archbishopric of St Andrews.

[46] He instructed his ambassador John Battista to take control of the see of St Andrews on Cibo's behalf[47] but the governing council of Scotland prevented his entry to the country.

[56] Forman's standing with Henry VIII was good in his early reign when the bishop was central in renewing the Treaty of Perpetual Peace and later in his attempts at mediation between the English and French kings.

[57][58] That Andrew Forman was seen as the main instigator of the war was in early circulation in England—a contemporary document reprinted in full in the Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland contains the following excerpt:[59]

[60] The early chroniclers (Buchanan and Pitscottie) did nothing to revive Forman's tarnished reputation yet when King James took the advice of his General Council, only two counsellors opposed the French alliance—Bishop Elphinstone of Aberdeen and Archibald Douglas, the Earl of Angus.