Earl or Mormaer of Strathearn is a title of Scottish nobility, referring to the region of

Strathearn Strathearn or Strath Earn (, from gd, Srath Èireann) is the strath of the River Earn, in Scotland, extending from Loch Earn in the West to the River Tay in the east.http://www.strathearn.com/st_where.htm Derivation of name Strathearn was o ...

in southern

Perthshire Perthshire (locally: ; gd, Siorrachd Pheairt), officially the County of Perth, is a historic county and registration county in central Scotland. Geographically it extends from Strathmore in the east, to the Pass of Drumochter in the north, ...

. Of unknown origin, the mormaers are attested for the first time in a document perhaps dating to 1115. The first known

mormaer In early medieval Scotland, a mormaer was the Gaelic name for a regional or provincial ruler, theoretically second only to the King of Scots, and the senior of a ''Toísech'' (chieftain). Mormaers were equivalent to English earls or Continental ...

, Malise I, is mentioned by

Ailred of Rievaulx Aelred of Rievaulx ( la, Aelredus Riaevallensis); also Ailred, Ælred, and Æthelred; (1110 – 12 January 1167) was an English Cistercian monk, abbot of Rievaulx from 1147 until his death, and known as a writer. He is regarded by Anglicans an ...

as leading native Scots in the company of

King David David (; , "beloved one") (traditional spelling), , ''Dāwūd''; grc-koi, Δαυΐδ, Dauíd; la, Davidus, David; gez , ዳዊት, ''Dawit''; xcl, Դաւիթ, ''Dawitʿ''; cu, Давíдъ, ''Davidŭ''; possibly meaning "beloved one". w ...

at the

Battle of the Standard The Battle of the Standard, sometimes called the Battle of Northallerton, took place on 22 August 1138 on Cowton Moor near Northallerton in Yorkshire, England. English forces under William of Aumale repelled a Scottish army led by King Dav ...

, 1138. The last ruler of the Strathearn line was Malise, also

Earl of Caithness Earl of Caithness is a title that has been created several times in the Peerage of Scotland, and it has a very complex history. Its first grant, in the modern sense as to have been counted in strict lists of peerages, is now generally held to have ...

and

Orkney Orkney (; sco, Orkney; on, Orkneyjar; nrn, Orknøjar), also known as the Orkney Islands, is an archipelago in the Northern Isles of Scotland, situated off the north coast of the island of Great Britain. Orkney is 10 miles (16 km) nort ...

, who had his earldom forfeited by King Edward Balliol. In 1344 it was regranted by

Maurice de Moravia Maurice may refer to: People *Saint Maurice (died 287), Roman legionary and Christian martyr *Maurice (emperor) or Flavius Mauricius Tiberius Augustus (539–602), Byzantine emperor *Maurice (bishop of London) (died 1107), Lord Chancellor and Lo ...

, a royal favourite who had a vague claim to the earldom as Malise's nephew and also stepfather. Strathearn has since been used as a peerage title for

James Stewart James Maitland Stewart (May 20, 1908 – July 2, 1997) was an American actor and military pilot. Known for his distinctive drawl and everyman screen persona, Stewart's film career spanned 80 films from 1935 to 1991. With the strong morality h ...

, an illegitimate son of King

James V of Scotland James V (10 April 1512 – 14 December 1542) was King of Scotland from 9 September 1513 until his death in 1542. He was crowned on 21 September 1513 at the age of seventeen months. James was the son of King James IV and Margaret Tudor, and dur ...

, who was created Lord Abernethy and Strathearn and

Earl of Moray The title Earl of Moray, Mormaer of Moray or King of Moray was originally held by the rulers of the Province of Moray, which existed from the 10th century with varying degrees of independence from the Kingdom of Alba to the south. Until 1130 th ...

in 1562. In 1631,

William Graham, 7th Earl of Menteith William Graham, 7th Earl of Menteith, 1st Earl of Airth (–1661), was a 17th-century Scottish nobleman. A supporter of King Charles I, he held offices including Lord President of the Court of Session and was a Privy Counsellor. Although he ...

was confirmed in this dignity as heir of line of Euphemia Stewart, Countess of Strathearn (d. 1415), but was forced to settle for the less prestigious title of the Earl of Airth in 1633. It has also been granted to members of the royal family in the titles of

Duke of Cumberland and Strathearn Duke of Cumberland and Strathearn was a title in the Peerage of Great Britain that was conferred upon a member of the British royal family. It was named after the county of Cumberland in England, and after Strathearn in Scotland. History The ...

(created 1766, extinct 1790),

Duke of Kent and Strathearn Duke of Kent and Strathearn is a title that was created once in the Peerage of Great Britain. History Several Earls of Kent had previously been created in the Peerage of England. Henry Grey, 12th Earl of Kent was created Duke of Kent in 1710, ...

(created 1799, extinct 1820) and

Duke of Connaught and Strathearn Duke of Connaught and Strathearn was a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom that was granted on 24 May 1874 by Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland to her third son, Prince Arthur. At the same time, he was also ...

(created 1874, extinct 1943). On 29 April 2011, the title was recreated when Queen

Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during ...

conferred the title on

Prince William of Wales William, Prince of Wales, (William Arthur Philip Louis; born 21 June 1982) is the heir apparent to the British throne. He is the elder son of King Charles III and his first wife Diana, Princess of Wales. Born in London, William was educat ...

in the peerage of the United Kingdom. As a result, on marriage his wife

Catherine Katherine, also spelled Catherine, and other variations are feminine names. They are popular in Christian countries because of their derivation from the name of one of the first Christian saints, Catherine of Alexandria. In the early Chris ...

became Countess of Strathearn. This was the title which William used when in Scotland until receiving the title of

Duke of Rothesay Duke of Rothesay ( ; gd, Diùc Baile Bhòid; sco, Duik o Rothesay) is a dynastic title of the heir apparent to the British throne, currently William, Prince of Wales. William's wife Catherine, Princess of Wales, is the current Duchess of Ro ...

in September 2022.

Ancient Earls of Strathearn

* Malise I (

fl. ''Floruit'' (; abbreviated fl. or occasionally flor.; from Latin for "they flourished") denotes a date or period during which a person was known to have been alive or active. In English, the unabbreviated word may also be used as a noun indicatin ...

1138) * Ferteth (fl. 1160) * Gille-Brigte or Gilbert (1171–1223) *

Robert The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory, honou ...

(1223–1245) * Malise II (1245–1271) * Malise III (1271–1317), buried beside the high altar of Inchaffray Abbey * Malise IV (1317–1329), captured his father * Malise V (1330–1334) (d. 1350 as

)

Earls of Strathearn, Moray line beginning 1344

Maurice de Moravia, Earl of Strathearn Maurice de Moravia, Earl of Strathearn (1276–1346), also known as Maurice Moray or Murray, was a Scottish nobleman. Moray was the eldest son of Sir John de Moray of Drumsargard and his wife Mary, daughter to Malise, 7th Earl of Strathearn. ...

(d.1346)

Earls of Strathearn, Stewart/Graham line beginning 1357

* Robert Stewart, Earl of Strathearn (1316–1390) (passed to son after becoming King Robert II in 1371) *

David Stewart, Earl of Strathearn David (; , "beloved one") (traditional spelling), , ''Dāwūd''; grc-koi, Δαυΐδ, Dauíd; la, Davidus, David; gez , ዳዊት, ''Dawit''; xcl, Դաւիթ, ''Dawitʿ''; cu, Давíдъ, ''Davidŭ''; possibly meaning "beloved one". w ...

(1355–1390) * Euphemia Stewart, Countess of Strathearn (d.1415) **m. Patrick Graham * Malise Graham, Earl of Strathearn (1410–after 1427), deprived of the peerage before 1427 * Walter Stewart, Earl of Strathearn (d. 1437)

Earls of Strathearn, Mountbatten-Windsor line beginning 2011

* Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, Earl of Strathearn, Baron Carrickfergus (b. 1982) The

heir apparent An heir apparent, often shortened to heir, is a person who is first in an order of succession and cannot be displaced from inheriting by the birth of another person; a person who is first in the order of succession but can be displaced by the b ...

is the present holder's son, Prince George of Rothesay (born 2013). Line of succession * Coronet of a Grandchild of the Sovereign

Prince William, Duke of Rothesay (born 1982) ** (1) Prince George of Rothesay (b. 2013) ** (2) Prince Louis of Rothesay (b. 2018)

References

Bibliography

* Neville, Cynthia J., ''Native Lordship in Medieval Scotland: the Earldoms of Strathearn and Lennox, c. 1140–1365'', Dublin: Four Courts Press, 2005 **--do.--''The Earls of Strathearn from the twelfth to the mid fourteenth century, with an edition of their written acts''. 2 vols. 1983. PhD thesis, University of Aberdeen. (http://digitool.abdn.ac.uk:80/webclient/Deliv...&pid=130786) {{DEFAULTSORT:Strathearn Extinct earldoms in the Peerage of Scotland Perth and Kinross Forfeited earldoms in the Peerage of Scotland Earldoms in the Peerage of the United Kingdom Noble titles created in 1344 Noble titles created in 1357 Noble titles created in 2011 William, Prince of Wales

Ancient Earls of Strathearn

Earls of Strathearn, Moray line beginning 1344

Earls of Strathearn, Stewart/Graham line beginning 1357

Earls of Strathearn, Mountbatten-Windsor line beginning 2011

See also

References

Bibliography