John Douglas, Lord of Balvenie (or Balveny, Balvany) (c. 1433–1463) was the youngest of the five
Black Douglas brothers, who rebelled against King
James II of Scotland.
Biography
Early life
![Balvenie Castle - geograph](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/72/Balvenie_Castle_-_geograph.org.uk_-_1063533.jpg)
Balvenie was the son of
James Douglas, 7th Earl of Douglas
James Douglas, 7th Earl of Douglas, 1st Earl of Avondale (1371 – 24 March 1443), latterly known as James the Gross, and prior to his ennoblement as James of Balvenie, was a late mediaeval Scottish magnate. He was the second son of Archibald Do ...
and his wife, Beatrice Sinclair, daughter to
Henry II Sinclair, Earl of Orkney
Henry II Sinclair, Earl of Orkney (c. 1375 – 1420) was the Jarl (Earl) of Orkney, Baron of Roslin and Pantler of Scotland. According to Roland Saint-Clair writing in the late 19th century, Henry Sinclair was also the first of his family t ...
. Of him there is not much on record prior to 1445 when his father resigned the lands of
Balvenie, Boharm, and
Botriphnie to him.
He is also mentioned as an heir of entail to his brother
William Douglas, 8th Earl of Douglas
William Douglas, 8th Earl of Douglas, 2nd Earl of Avondale (1425 – 22 February 1452) was a late Medieval Scottish nobleman, Lord of Galloway, and Lord of the Regality of Lauderdale, and the most powerful magnate in Southern Scotland. He was ki ...
in 1451
In 1448, in retaliation for English raids upon the towns of
Dumfries, by
Richard Neville, 5th Earl of Salisbury, and
Dunbar
Dunbar () is a town on the North Sea coast in East Lothian in the south-east of Scotland, approximately east of Edinburgh and from the English border north of Berwick-upon-Tweed.
Dunbar is a former royal burgh, and gave its name to an ecc ...
by
Henry Percy, 2nd Earl of Northumberland
Henry Percy, 2nd Earl of Northumberland (3 February 139322 May 1455) was an English nobleman and military commander in the lead up to the Wars of the Roses. He was the son of Henry "Hotspur" Percy, and the grandson of Henry Percy, 1st Earl of N ...
, Balvenie is said to have "ravaged
Cumberland and laid the town of
Alnwick in ashes."
Northumberland, having had his lands plundered gave chase to Balvenie. Balvenie meanwhile had regrouped with his brother,
Hugh Douglas, Earl of Ormonde, and on 23 October, met Northumberland at
Gretna, the following engagement was a decisive victory for the Douglas brothers known as the
Battle of Sark. Northumberland managed to escape, but his son
Lord Poynings was captured.
Douglas rebellion
In 1452 Balvenie's eldest brother, the Earl of Douglas was murdered by King James II with his own hands. Douglas had arrived at
Stirling Castle with a
Safe conduct issued by the King. According to
Boece
Hector Boece (; also spelled Boyce or Boise; 1465–1536), known in Latin as Hector Boecius or Boethius, was a Scottish philosopher and historian, and the first Principal of King's College in Aberdeen, a predecessor of the University of Abe ...
, Balvenie, along with his brothers, attacked the town of
Stirling
Stirling (; sco, Stirlin; gd, Sruighlea ) is a city in central Scotland, northeast of Glasgow and north-west of Edinburgh. The market town, surrounded by rich farmland, grew up connecting the royal citadel, the medieval old town with its me ...
and paraded the supposed letter of safe conduct tied to the tail of a horse.
In the years between the murder of the eighth earl, and 1455, there followed an intermittent war between the Crown and the Douglases, with King James attempting to dislodge the brothers from their position of power. Balvenie and his brothers were given safe conducts to travel in 1453 which lasted for four years.
On 1 May 1455, at the
Battle of Arkinholm
The Battle of Arkinholm was fought on 1 May 1455, at Arkinholm near Langholm in Scotland, during the reign of King James II of Scotland. Although a small action, involving only a few hundred troops, it was the decisive battle in a civil war be ...
, near
Langholm
Langholm , also known colloquially as the "Muckle Toon", is a burgh in Dumfries and Galloway, southern Scotland. Langholm lies between four hills in the valley of the River Esk in the Southern Uplands.
Location and geography
Langholm sits nort ...
, Balvenie and his elder brothers,
Archibald Douglas, Earl of Moray, and Ormond were trapped by forces loyal to the crown and were defeated. Moray was killed during the battle, Ormond was captured and executed soon after, but Balvenie escaped to
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
. For a time he took refuge there, along with the other surviving brother,
James Douglas, 9th Earl of Douglas
James Douglas, 9th Earl of Douglas, 3rd Earl of Avondale KG (1426–1491) was a Scottish nobleman, last of the 'Black' earls of Douglas.
Early life
The son of James the Gross, 7th Earl of Douglas, by his wife Lady Beatrice Sinclair, daug ...
. Following the defeat at Arkinholm, in the summer of 1455, all Douglas titles were declared forfeit, and their land reverted to the crown, Balvenie was specifically cited as having helped his mother fortify the Douglas castle of
Abercorn
Abercorn (Gaelic: ''Obar Chùirnidh'', Old English: ''Æbbercurnig'') is a village and civil parish in West Lothian, Scotland. Close to the south coast of the Firth of Forth, the village is around west of South Queensferry. The parish had a pop ...
against the King. Balvenie, Douglas and their mother were outcast from Scottish society for their treasonable dealings with the English.
Return to Scotland and death
Following the death of King James at
Roxburgh Castle in 1460, Balvenie returned to Scotland with his brother after being granted an annuity by the
English King
The monarchy of the United Kingdom, commonly referred to as the British monarchy, is the constitutional form of government by which a hereditary sovereign reigns as the head of state of the United Kingdom, the Crown Dependencies (the Bailiw ...
of £100 from the revenues of the customs of
Southampton
Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...
and other places. In an attempt to foment further rebellion by
John of Islay
:''This article refers to John I, Lord of the Isles; for John II, see John of Islay, Earl of Ross''
John of Islay (or John MacDonald) ( gd, Eòin Mac Dòmhnuill or gd, Iain mac Aonghais Mac Dhòmhnuill) (died 1386) was the Lord of the Isles ( ...
against the Scottish crown, the brothers ratified the
Treaty of Ardtornish-Westminster, on behalf of the English with the Lord of the Isles.
For his part in these negotiations, the Scottish council of regency, put a price upon Balvenie's head of 1,200
Merks (the equivalent of £45,000 pounds sterling in the present day). In 1463 Balvenie was again in Scotland trying to raise men to the Douglas standard, but was captured by members of the
Scotts
Scotts or Scott's may refer to:
Businesses and brands
*Scott's (restaurant), in London
*Scott's Food & Pharmacy, an American supermarket chain
*Scotts Miracle-Gro Company, an American multinational corporation
*Scott's Porage Oats, a Scottish bre ...
of
Liddesdale
Liddesdale, the valley of the Liddel Water, in the County of Roxburgh, southern Scotland, extends in a south-westerly direction from the vicinity of Peel Fell to the River Esk, a distance of . The Waverley route of the North British Railway runs ...
. He was taken to
Edinburgh
Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian on the southern shore of t ...
, where he was incarcerated for twelve days before being beheaded.
References
Sources
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Balvenie, John Douglas, Lord of
1433 births
1463 deaths
Executed Scottish people
People executed by the Kingdom of Scotland by decapitation
John Douglas, Lord of Balvenie
People executed by Stuart Scotland
Lords of Parliament (pre-1707)
Peers created by James II of Scotland
Younger sons of earls