John Dunbar, Earl of Moray (died 1390) was a Scottish nobleman.

Life

John Dunbar was the son of Sir Patrick Dunbar and Lady Isabella Randolph, a daughter of

Thomas Randolph, 1st Earl of Moray Thomas may refer to: People * List of people with given name Thomas * Thomas (name) * Thomas (surname) * Saint Thomas (disambiguation) * Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, and Doctor of the Church * Thomas the Ap ...

, and a younger brother to

George I, Earl of March George de Dunbar, 10th Earl of Dunbar and March (1338–1422), 12th Lord of Annandale and King of Mann, Lord of the Isle of Man, was "one of the most powerful nobles in Scotland of his time, and the rival of the Douglases."Anderson (1867), vol.i ...

. Therefore, he was nephew of the previous

Earl of Moray The title Earl of Moray, Mormaer of Moray or King of Moray was originally held by the rulers of the Province of Moray, which existed from the 10th century with varying degrees of independence from the Kingdom of Alba to the south. Until 1130 th ...

, John Randolph, 3rd Earl of Moray. However he did not inherit the earldom automatically. On his uncle's death it reverted to the crown, and was only awarded to him a few years later around 1374. The Earl of Moray was one of the senior commanders under James Douglas, 2nd Earl of Douglas, who led the raid into England in July–August 1388 that culminated at the Battle of Otterburn, where he was in control of the right flank of the Scottish army. Some sources state that he spent the larger part of the fight without his helmet, because of the speed with which the English attacked.Scots Peerage, vol vi, p 299
/ref> John Dunbar died at

York York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...

from wounds received from the Earl of Nottingham during a tournament. He married Marjorie Stewart, a daughter of

Robert II of Scotland Robert II (2 March 1316 – 19 April 1390) was King of Scots from 1371 to his death in 1390. The son of Walter Stewart, 6th High Steward of Scotland, and Marjorie, daughter of King Robert the Bruce, he was the first monarch of the House of Stewa ...

. They had three sons (Thomas, 5th Earl of Moray, Alexander and James) and one daughter (Euphemia).

Depictions in fiction

He is an important character in ''Courting Favour'', a historical novel by Nigel Tranter.

References

Notes

Sources

* Balfour Paul, Sir James. ''Scots Peerage'', IX vols. Edinburgh 1907. Sport deaths in Scotland Earls of Moray 1390 deaths Year of birth unknown 14th-century Scottish earls {{Scotland-earl-stub