Isabel Douglas, Countess of Mar ( 13601408) was Countess of

Mar Mar, mar or MAR may refer to: Culture * Mar or Mor, an honorific in Syriac * Earl of Mar, an earldom in Scotland * MAA (singer) (born 1986), Japanese * Marathi language, by ISO 639-2 language code * March, as an abbreviation for the third mon ...

. Isabel was the sister of the famous James 2nd Earl of Douglas and

Earl of Mar There are currently two earldoms of Mar in the Peerage of Scotland, and the title has been created seven times. The first creation of the earldom is currently held by Margaret of Mar, 31st Countess of Mar, who is also clan chief of Clan Mar. The ...

, who died leading the Scots to victory at the

Battle of Otterburn The Battle of Otterburn took place according to Scottish sources on 5 August 1388, or 19 August according to English sources, as part of the continuing border skirmishes between the Scots and English. The best remaining record of the bat ...

. He died without any legitimate children and his sister Isabel inherited most of his property, excluding only the Douglas lands which could only pass through the male line. After being confirmed as countess she then became the most sought after bride in the realm and soon was married to Sir Malcolm Drummond, brother-in-law of

King Robert III Robert III (c. 13374 April 1406), born John Stewart, was King of Scots from 1390 to his death in 1406. He was also High Steward of Scotland from 1371 to 1390 and held the titles of Earl of Atholl (1367–1390) and Earl of Carrick (1368– ...

. This marriage however failed to produce any children and the Countess soon became the focus of several plots to usurp her lands by scheming noblemen. While the couple resided at the chief seat to the Earldom of Mar,

Kildrummy Castle Kildrummy Castle is a ruined castle near Kildrummy, in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. Though ruined, it is one of the most extensive castles dating from the 13th century to survive in eastern Scotland, and was the seat of the Earls of Mar. It is own ...

, Sir Malcolm was frequently away on royal business, being one of King Robert's close advisors. In 1402, while Sir Malcolm was away at one of his other castles, he was suddenly attacked by a large group of highlanders led by the infamous Alexander Stewart, illegitimate son of the Wolf of Badenoch. Alexander then proceeded to capture the castle and put Sir Malcolm into one of his dungeons where he soon died at the hands of his captor. Because the king was by this time sick and infirm and real power was in the hands of his younger brother the

Duke of Albany Duke of Albany is a peerage title that has occasionally been bestowed on the younger sons in the Scottish and later the British royal family, particularly in the Houses of Stuart and Hanover. History The Dukedom of Albany was first granted ...

, Isabel was now completely isolated and was now easy prey for her husband's murderer. In the summer of 1404, Alexander and his gang of highlanders descended on her castle of Kildrummy and captured it along with the Countess and was soon able to extort from her a signed document promising to marry Alexander and give over to him all of her lands, including the earldom of Mar and lordship of the

Garioch Garioch ( sco, The Geerie, , gd, Gairbheach) is one of six committee areas in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It has a population of 46,254 (2006 estimate), which gives it the largest population of Aberdeenshire's six committee areas. The Garioch con ...

. Under normal circumstances this incident possibly would not have been allowed to stand, but Isabel had the misfortune that these events took place during the regency of the Duke of Albany, who was in fact the uncle of this Alexander Stewart. Because his relation to the Royal Family and friendship with his uncle saved him from any actual punishment, Isabel was forced to marry the man who murdered her husband and live the last four years of her life as a captive. She died in the year 1408 without children. The earldom of Mar then reverted to the crown and was later given to

John Erskine, 6th Lord Erskine John Erskine, 6th Earl of Mar (died 28 October 1572) was a Scottish aristocrat and politician. He was the custodian of the infant James VI of Scotland and Regent of Scotland. Erskine was a son of John Erskine, 5th Lord Erskine and Lady Margaret ...

, whose descendants hold it to this day.

References

* Nigel Tranter, '' The Stewart Trilogy'', Dunton Green, Sevenoaks, Kent : Coronet Books, 1986. . ''Lords of Misrule, 1388–1396. A Folly of Princes, 1396–1402. The Captive Crown, 1402–1411''.

External links

Women in power

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mar, Isabel Douglas, Countess of 1360s births 1408 deaths Year of birth uncertain People from Aberdeenshire Earls or mormaers of Mar Scottish countesses 14th-century Scottish earls 15th-century Scottish peers

Isabel Isabel is a female name of Spanish origin. Isabelle is a name that is similar, but it is of French origin. It originates as the medieval Spanish form of '' Elisabeth'' (ultimately Hebrew ''Elisheva''), Arising in the 12th century, it became popul ...

14th-century Scottish women 15th-century Scottish women

See also

References

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