James Stewart, Duke of Ross (March 1476 – January 1504) was a Scottish prince, and the second son of King

James III of Scotland James III (10 July 1451/May 1452 – 11 June 1488) was King of Scots from 1460 until his death at the Battle of Sauchieburn in 1488. He inherited the throne as a child following the death of his father, King James II, at the siege of Roxburg ...

and his wife, Margaret of Denmark. James was

heir presumptive An heir presumptive is the person entitled to inherit a throne, peerage, or other hereditary honour, but whose position can be displaced by the birth of an heir apparent or a new heir presumptive with a better claim to the position in question. ...

to his brother until his death, and was

Archbishop of St Andrews The Bishop of St. Andrews ( gd, Easbaig Chill Rìmhinn, sco, Beeshop o Saunt Andras) was the ecclesiastical head of the Diocese of St Andrews in the Catholic Church and then, from 14 August 1472, as Archbishop of St Andrews ( gd, Àrd-easbaig ...

and

Lord Chancellor of Scotland The Lord Chancellor of Scotland, formally the Lord High Chancellor, was a Great Officer of State in the Kingdom of Scotland. Holders of the office are known from 1123 onwards, but its duties were occasionally performed by an official of lower st ...

Titles and offices

He was made Marquess of Ormond at his baptism. He was created

Earl of Ross The Earl or Mormaer of Ross was the ruler of the province of Ross in northern Scotland. Origins and transfers In the early Middle Ages, Ross was part of the vast earldom of Moray. It seems to have been made a separate earldom in the mid 12 ...

in 1481 after that title was forfeited to the crown by John,

Lord of the Isles The Lord of the Isles or King of the Isles ( gd, Triath nan Eilean or ) is a title of Scottish nobility with historical roots that go back beyond the Kingdom of Scotland. It began with Somerled in the 12th century and thereafter the title ...

. Of his father's three sons, James of Ross was the favourite. James III even tried to marry him to Edward IV's daughter,

Catherine of York Catherine of York (14 August 1479 – 15 November 1527), was the sixth daughter of King Edward IV of England and his queen consort Elizabeth Woodville. Soon after the death of her father and the usurpation of the throne by Richard III, Catherin ...

. This increasing preference shown to James of Ross was a factor in the rebellion of his elder brother (the future James IV) against their father; and later, as king, James IV was suspicious of his brother's loyalty. Nonetheless, when the elder James succeeded to the crown in 1488, he raised James of Ross's title to Duke of Ross, aged 12. Around May 1497, his brother the King nominated James of Ross (then 21 years old) to be

. King James thought that would keep James of Ross from rebelling against him. Also, James of Ross was a minor, and so the revenues of the archbishopric would be controlled by King James. James of Ross also became

in 1502.

Name

He was one of three brothers, his two brothers being King

James IV of Scotland James IV (17 March 1473 – 9 September 1513) was King of Scotland from 11 June 1488 until his death at the Battle of Flodden in 1513. He inherited the throne at the age of fifteen on the death of his father, James III, at the Battle of Sauc ...

and John Stewart, Earl of Mar. It may seem surprising that there were two brothers both called James, but in late medieval Scotland it was not uncommon to have two brothers, or occasionally even three, with the same

Christian name A Christian name, sometimes referred to as a baptismal name, is a religious personal name given on the occasion of a Christian baptism, though now most often assigned by parents at birth. In English-speaking cultures, a person's Christian nam ...

Arms

The arms of James of Ross were: ''Quarterly 1st and 4th:

Royal Arms of Scotland The royal arms of Scotland is the official coat of arms of the King of Scots first adopted in the 12th century. With the Union of the Crowns in 1603, James VI inherited the thrones of England and Ireland and thus his arms in Scotland were now Qua ...

, 2nd: Gules, three lions rampant argent'' (Ross) ''3rd: Or, three piles gules'' (Brechin)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ross, James Stewart, Duke of

James 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 ...

Lord chancellors of Scotland Court of James IV of Scotland Abbots of Arbroath Abbots of Dunfermline Archbishops of St Andrews

James Stewart Earls of Ross Peers created by James III 15th-century Roman Catholic archbishops in Scotland 16th-century Roman Catholic archbishops in Scotland Chancellors of the University of St Andrews 1476 births 1504 deaths Dukes of Ross Sons of kings