Isabella, Countess of Menteith (1217 – 1272) was the eldest daughter of Muireadhach II, Mormaer of Menteith. When the old

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 c ...

died without legitimate male heir in 1233, the province passed to Isabella. Isabella married

Walter Comyn Walter Comyn, Lord of Badenoch (died 1258) was the son of William Comyn, Justiciar of Scotia and Mormaer or Earl of Buchan by right of his second wife. Life Walter makes his first appearance in royal charters as early as 1211–1214. In 122 ...

Lord of Badenoch Lord is an appellation for a person or deity who has authority, control, or power over others, acting as a master, chief, or ruler. The appellation can also denote certain persons who hold a title of the peerage in the United Kingdom, or are ...

, bringing the mormaerdom temporarily into the hands of the Comyn family. When her husband died in 1258, Isabella married again, this time to an English knight named John Russell. This mediocre marriage left her too weak to protect her status. Already by 1259, Walter Stewart (nicknamed "Ballaich") was claiming the province for his wife, Isabella's sister

Mary Mary may refer to: People * Mary (name), a feminine given name (includes a list of people with the name) Religious contexts * New Testament people named Mary, overview article linking to many of those below * Mary, mother of Jesus, also calle ...

. By 1261, Isabella was arrested and deposed from rulership of the province on charges of poisoning her late husband. Isabella may have had one son by Walter Comyn, a man named Henry who witnesses a charter of Maol Domhnaich,

Mormaer of Lennox The Earl or Mormaer of Lennox was the ruler of the region of the Lennox in western Scotland. It was first created in the 12th century for David of Scotland, Earl of Huntingdon and later held by the Stewart dynasty. Ancient earls The first earl ...

. However, if this Henry was their son, he did not live long enough to inherit from his parents.

Bibliography

* Brown, Michael, ''The Wars of Scotland, 1214-1371'', (Edinburgh, 2004) * Paul, James Balfour, ''

The Scots Peerage ''The Scots Peerage'' is a nine-volume book series of the Scottish nobility compiled and edited by Sir James Balfour Paul, published in Edinburgh from 1904 to 1914. The full title is ''The Scots Peerage: Founded on Wood's Edition of Sir Rober ...

'', Vol. VI, (Edinburgh, 1909) {{DEFAULTSORT:Menteith, Isabella, Countess Of 1217 births 1272 deaths People from Stirling Mormaers of Menteith 13th-century mormaers