John Stewart, 1st Earl of Atholl (15 September 1512), also known as Sir John Stewart of Balveny, was a Scottish nobleman and ambassador.

Life

He was the oldest child of Joan Beaufort, widow of

James I of Scotland James I (late July 139421 February 1437) was King of Scots from 1406 until his assassination in 1437. The youngest of three sons, he was born in Dunfermline Abbey to King Robert III and Annabella Drummond. His older brother David, Duke of Ro ...

, and her second husband,

Sir James Stewart, the Black Knight of Lorn James Stewart, the Black Knight of Lorne ( 1399 – c. 1451) was a Scottish nobleman. Early life The Black Knight of Lorne was born at Innermeath, Scotland. His father was Sir John Stewart (died 26 April 1421), Scotland's Ambassador to England. H ...

. He was created

Earl of Atholl The Mormaer or Earl of Atholl was the title of the holder of a medieval comital lordship straddling the highland province of Atholl (''Ath Fodhla''), now in northern Perthshire. Atholl is a special Mormaerdom, because a King of Atholl is repor ...

in around 1457, the first earl of the eighth creation of the title. He is believed to have had a hand in suppressing the rebellion of

John Macdonald, 11th Earl of Ross :''This article refers to John II, Lord of the Isles; for John I, see John of Islay, Lord of the Isles'' John of Islay (or John MacDonald) (1434–1503), Earl of Ross, fourth (and last) Lord of the Isles, and ''Mac Domhnaill'' (chief of Clan D ...

, the last of the

Lords 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 w ...

. John Stewart became ambassador to England in 1484. Stewart was buried in

Dunkeld Cathedral Dunkeld Cathedral is a Church of Scotland place of worship which stands on the north bank of the River Tay in Dunkeld, Perth and Kinross, Scotland. Built in square-stone style of predominantly grey sandstone, the cathedral proper was begun in 12 ...

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, ...

Marriage and issue

John Stewart married twice and had several children. However, the exact number, names, and the attribution of his children to their mothers is unclear. His first wife was Lady

Margaret Douglas, Fair Maid of Galloway Margaret Douglas, Countess of Douglas (died c. 1474), known as the Fair Maid of Galloway, was a Scottish noblewoman, and a member of the Black Douglas family towards the end of the family's position as a major power in Scotland. She was the daught ...

, daughter of

Archibald Douglas, 5th Earl of Douglas Archibald Douglas, 5th Earl of Douglas (c. 1391 – 26 June 1439) was a Scottish nobleman and general during the Hundred Years' War. Life Douglas was the son of Archibald Douglas, 4th Earl of Douglas and Margaret Stewart, eldest daughter o ...

and Lady Eupheme Graham. Margaret had been married already to

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 kil ...

, and to

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 ...

which marriage was annulled by the Pope. She married John Stewart about 1459 or 1460. She died between 1473 and 1475. and they had three daughters: *Lady Elizabeth Stewart, married

Andrew Gray, 2nd Lord Gray Andrew is the English form of a given name common in many countries. In the 1990s, it was among the top ten most popular names given to boys in English-speaking countries. "Andrew" is frequently shortened to "Andy" or "Drew". The word is derived ...

. *Lady Christian Stewart, married Neil Stewart of Garth. Sometime before April 1475, he married as his second wife, Lady Eleanor Sinclair (died 21 March 1518), daughter of

William Sinclair, 3rd Earl of Orkney William Sinclair (1410–1480), 1st Earl of Caithness (1455–1476), last Earl (Jarl) of Orkney (1434–1470 de facto, –1472 de jure), 2nd Lord Sinclair and 11th Baron of Roslin was a Norwegian and Scottish nobleman and the buil ...

and Marjory Sutherland. They had two sons and nine daughters: *

John Stewart, 2nd Earl of Atholl John Stewart, 2nd Earl of Atholl was the second Earl of Atholl. He fought in the Battle of Flodden on 9 September 1513. Biography He was born after 1475 to John Stewart, 1st Earl of Atholl and Eleanor Sinclair. He married Lady Janet Campbell, daug ...

, who married Lady Janet Campbell (died about Candlemas 1545/6), daughter of Archibald Campbell, 2nd Earl of Arygll. Their daughter was Lady Janet Stewart, who married

Alexander Gordon, 3rd Earl of Huntly Alexander Gordon, 3rd Earl of Huntly (died 1524) was a Scottish nobleman. He was a member of Parliament, a member of the Privy Council, a regent and Lieutenant of the kingdom. Biography He was the son of George Gordon, 2nd Earl of Huntly and hi ...

. *

Andrew Stewart, Bishop of Caithness Andrew Stewart (died 1541) was a 16th-century Scottish noble and cleric. He was a legitimate son of John Stewart, 1st Earl of Atholl and Eleanor Sinclair, daughter of William Sinclair, Earl of Orkney. His paternal grandmother was Joan Beaufort ...

. *Lady Jean (or Janet) Stewart, married by contract dated 31 August 1507, James Arbuthnott of Arbuthnott. He had a crown charter of the feudal Barony of Arbuthnott, 29 January 1507. He left a testament dated 7 March 1521, and died before 13 March 1521. *Lady Catherine Stewart, married

John Forbes, 6th Lord Forbes John Forbes, 6th Lord Forbes (died 1547) was a Scottish landowner. He was the son of William Forbes, 3rd Lord Forbes and Christian Gordon, daughter of Alexander Gordon, 1st Earl of Huntly. He became Lord Forbes after the death of his brother Arth ...

. *Lady Elizabeth (Elspeth) Stewart, married Sir Robert Innes, 2nd of Innermarky. *Lady Marjory Stewart, married

Sir Colin Campbell of Glenorchy ''Sir'' is a formal honorific address in English for men, derived from Sire in the High Middle Ages. Both are derived from the old French "Sieur" (Lord), brought to England by the French-speaking Normans, and which now exist in French only as ...

. *Lady Margaret Stewart, married William Murray of Castleton, who was killed at the

Battle of Flodden The Battle of Flodden, Flodden Field, or occasionally Branxton, (Brainston Moor) was a battle fought on 9 September 1513 during the War of the League of Cambrai between the Kingdom of England and the Kingdom of Scotland, resulting in an English ...

, and is the ancestor of the

Dukes of Atholl Duke of Atholl, named for Atholl in Scotland, is a title in the Peerage of Scotland held by the head of Clan Murray. It was created by Queen Anne in 1703 for John Murray, 2nd Marquess of Atholl, with a special remainder to the heir male of h ...

. *Lady Elizabeth Stewart I, married

Alexander Robertson of Strowan Alexander is a male given name. The most prominent bearer of the name is Alexander the Great, the king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia who created one of the largest empires in ancient history. Variants listed here are Aleksandar, Al ...

. *Lady Elizabeth (or Isabel) Stewart II, married

John Stewart, 3rd Earl of Lennox John Stewart, 3rd Earl of Lennox (4 September 1526, Linlithgow, West Lothian) was a prominent Scottish magnate. He was the son of Matthew Stewart, 2nd Earl of Lennox and Lady Elizabeth Hamilton, daughter of James Hamilton, 1st Lord Hamilton and ...

. *Lady Jean Stewart, married Robert Gordon, Knt., of Pitlurg. *Lady Margaret Stewart, married Robert Robertson, the Younger, of Strowan.

Ancestry

Other

According to legend, the Earl of Atholl had whisky, honey and oats added to Macdonald's

water well A well is an excavation or structure created in the ground by digging, driving, or drilling to access liquid resources, usually water. The oldest and most common kind of well is a water well, to access groundwater in underground aquifers. Th ...

, which so entranced or intoxicated him that Macdonald was easily captured. The mixture became a drink named Atholl Brose.

References

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External links

Vlog from Therese Vaux de la Fontaine: about... John Stewart 1rst Earl of Atholl & Lady Eleanor Sinclair (Sutherland) Countess
{{DEFAULTSORT:Atholl, John Stewart, 1st Earl Of 1440s births 1512 deaths

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Secon ...

Earls of Atholl Ambassadors of Scotland to England Peers created by James II of Scotland