Alexander Stewart (died 1593) was a Scottish courtier and diplomat. He was a younger son of Alexander Stewart of Scotstounhill, a captain of

Blackness Castle Blackness Castle is a 15th-century fortress, near the village of Blackness, Scotland, on the south shore of the Firth of Forth. It was built, probably on the site of an earlier fort, by Sir George Crichton in the 1440s. At this time, Blacknes ...

, and Elizabeth Hamilton.

Blackness Castle

The older Alexander Stewart's record as captain of Blackness for the Scottish crown was a subject of comment by

Richard Bannatyne Richard Bannatyne (died 1605) was a Scottish clergyman and scribe who served as secretary to John Knox. His place in history is substantiated in his role as the compiler of the historical record, Memorials of Transactions in Scotland from 15 ...

. In March 1572, during the

Marian Civil War The Marian civil war in Scotland (1568–1573) was a period of conflict which followed the abdication of Mary, Queen of Scots, and her escape from Lochleven Castle in May 1568. Those who ruled in the name of her infant son James VI fought against ...

, he surrendered the castle to the supporters of

Mary, Queen of Scots Mary, Queen of Scots (8 December 1542 – 8 February 1587), also known as Mary Stuart or Mary I of Scotland, was Queen of Scotland from 14 December 1542 until her forced abdication in 1567. The only surviving legitimate child of James V of Scot ...

, for 300 crowns, after his expenses had not been met by the King's side. In January 1573, he was made captain again, and pledged his eldest son as hostage for his good service. Unfortunately, while he was making these arrangements in Edinburgh, one of his prisoners, James Kirkcaldy bribed the guards and took Blackness. Kirkcaldy then managed to capture Alexander Stewart and his brother John and locked them up in their own castle. Alexander Stewart set about bribing the same soldiers and

Regent Morton James Douglas, 4th Earl of Morton (c. 1516 – 2 June 1581, aged 65) was the last of the four regents of Scotland during the minority of King James VI. He was in some ways the most successful of the four, since he won the civil war that had b ...

forced James Kirkcaldy's wife Helen Leslie to make him surrender. When Helen Leslie came to Blackness, James Kirkcaldy came to the iron

yett A yett (from the Old English and Scots language word for "gate") is a gate or grille of latticed wrought iron bars used for defensive purposes in castles and tower houses. Unlike a portcullis, which is raised and lowered vertically using mecha ...

to welcome her and his soldiers shut him out and pelted him with stones from the tower. Other sources suggest that James Kirkcaldy, brother of the Marian leader

William Kirkcaldy of Grange Sir William Kirkcaldy of Grange (c. 1520 –3 August 1573) was a Scottish politician and soldier who fought for the Scottish Reformation but ended his career holding Edinburgh castle on behalf of Mary, Queen of Scots and was hanged at the c ...

, surrendered Blackness to Regent Morton after a conventional siege.

Mission to England

Robert Bowes was told in December 1582 that Alexander Stewart, son of the captain of Blackness, knew of plans to destabilize the Ruthven regime, an English-leaning Scottish government. It was said that Alexander Stewart and others including the sons of Lord Seton would surprise the king at

Holyrood Palace The Palace of Holyroodhouse ( or ), commonly referred to as Holyrood Palace or Holyroodhouse, is the official residence of the British monarch in Scotland. Located at the bottom of the Royal Mile in Edinburgh, at the opposite end to Edinbu ...

. In 1586 Alexander Stewart, the son, was involved in negotiations after

, had been sentenced to death in England. James VI sent him with messages to

Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester, (24 June 1532 – 4 September 1588) was an English statesman and the favourite of Elizabeth I from her accession until his death. He was a suitor for the queen's hand for many years. Dudley's youth was ov ...

. In London, Stewart joined other Scottish diplomats including the Master of Gray and Robert Melville. In January 1587, his actions displeased his colleagues, who felt he was undermining their work to save the queen's life. Melville wrote that Stewart had exceeded his credit as a diplomat and was insisting that he alone knew the king's mind. It remains unclear if Stewart was acting with special instructions from

James VI James is a common English language surname and given name: *James (name), the typically masculine first name James * James (surname), various people with the last name James James or James City may also refer to: People * King James (disambiguat ...

. He was sent to Scotland without the consent of the other diplomats and brought letters from the

Earl of Leicester Earl of Leicester is a title that has been created seven times. The first title was granted during the 12th century in the Peerage of England. The current title is in the Peerage of the United Kingdom and was created in 1837. Early creations ...

to James VI which discredited the Master of Gray. George Young, another negotiator in London, was disappointed by Stewart's conduct as a diplomat, and wrote to William Cecil that he was, "sory in gude faith that he or any Scottisman sould overshute himself sa farre in a mater quhilk I doubt not his majestie will let appeare mair clearlie".

Bridge Castle

In March 1587, his parents and older brother James Stewart sold the lands and castle of Little Ogilface in Brighouse near

Torphichen Torphichen ( ) is a historic small village located north of Bathgate in West Lothian, Scotland. The village is approximately 18 miles (20 km) west of Edinburgh, 7 miles (11 km) south-east of Falkirk and 4 miles (6 km) south-west of Linlithgow. T ...

William Livingstone, 6th Lord Livingston William Livingstone, 6th Lord Livingston, (died 1592), was a Scottish lord of Parliament. Early life William Livingstone was the son of Alexander Livingston, 5th Lord Livingston (c. 1500–1553) and his second wife, Lady Agnes Douglas, daughter o ...

. The castle, probably built by James Stewart and his wife Helen Sinclair, is now known as "

Bridge Castle A bridge castle (german: Brückenburg) is a type of castle that was built to provide military observation and security for a river crossing. In the narrower sense it refers to castles that are built directly on or next to a bridge. Sometimes, ...

Feud

Alexander Stewart became involved in a feud between a wealthy lawyer, John Graham of Hallyards, and the Sandilands family which followed a dubious property transaction. On 13 February 1593 James Sandilands of

Slamannan Slamannan ( gd, Sliabh Mhanainn) is a village in the south of the Falkirk council area in Central Scotland. It is south-west of Falkirk, east of Cumbernauld and north-east of Airdrie. Slamannan is located at the cross of the B803 and B8022 ...

, the

Duke of Lennox The title Duke of Lennox has been created several times in the peerage of Scotland, for Clan Stewart of Darnley. The dukedom, named for the district of Lennox in Dumbarton, was first created in 1581, and had formerly been the Earldom of Lenno ...

, and Alexander Stewart were going to play golf. They encountered John Graham and his followers on Leith Wynd. The Grahams opened fire and Stewart and was killed by head wound. John Graham was shot and carried to a nearby house where Stewart's French page stabbed him to death.David Calderwood, ''History of the Kirk of Scotland'', vol. 5 (Edinburgh, 1844), pp. 223-4.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stewart, Alexander 1593 deaths Court of James VI and I