Archibald Douglas, Earl of Moray (1426 – 1 May 1455) was a Scottish nobleman during the reign of King

James II of Scotland James II (16 October 1430 – 3 August 1460) was King of Scots from 1437 until his death in 1460. The eldest surviving son of James I of Scotland, he succeeded to the Scottish throne at the age of six, following the assassination of his father. ...

. He was one of the five brothers from the Black Douglas family who clashed with the king.

Life

Arms of Archibald Douglas, Earl of Moray

Douglas was the son of James Douglas of Balveny (later 7th Earl of Douglas) and Lady 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 ...

He was a

twin Twins are two offspring produced by the same pregnancy.MedicineNet > Definition of TwinLast Editorial Review: 19 June 2000 Twins can be either ''monozygotic'' ('identical'), meaning that they develop from one zygote, which splits and forms two em ...

brother of

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 ...

. In later years, James was believed to be the older by only a few minutes, as he inherited the earldom of Douglas, when their older brother was killed by the king, but it has been suggested that in earlier years Archibald was believed to be the older. He became

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 ...

jure uxoris ''Jure uxoris'' (a Latin phrase meaning "by right of (his) wife"), citing . describes a title of nobility used by a man because his wife holds the office or title ''suo jure'' ("in her own right"). Similarly, the husband of an heiress could becom ...

'', by marrying Elizabeth Dunbar, 8th Countess of Moray, and appears as such at the

Parliament of Scotland The Parliament of Scotland ( sco, Pairlament o Scotland; gd, Pàrlamaid na h-Alba) was the legislature of the Kingdom of Scotland from the 13th century until 1707. The parliament evolved during the early 13th century from the king's council o ...

of 1445, as a witness on the letters patent creating

James Hamilton, 1st Lord Hamilton James Hamilton, 1st Lord Hamilton, 6th Laird of Cadzow (c. 1415 – 6 November 1479) was a Scottish nobleman, scholar and politician. Early life James Hamilton was the son of James Hamilton of Cadzow, 5th Laird of Cadzow. He was born at Cadz ...

, a

Lord of Parliament A Lord of Parliament ( sco, Laird o Pairlament) was the holder of the lowest form of peerage, entitled as of right to take part in sessions of the pre-Union Parliament of Scotland. Since that Union in 1707, it has been the lowest rank of the P ...

The Records of the Parliaments of Scotland to 1707, K.M. Brown et al eds (St Andrews, 2007–2013), A1445/10. Retrieved 7 August 2013. He was killed fighting the king's supporters 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 bet ...

, and his head taken to the King at

Abercorn Castle Abercorn Castle was a 12th-century castle near Abercorn in West Lothian, Scotland. History The castle was in the possession of William de Avenel in the mid-12th century, before passing to the Clan Graham by marriage and was then passed to the ...

References

Notes

Sources

* Fraser, Sir William, ''The Douglas Book'' IV vols. Edinburgh 188

1426 births 1455 deaths Earls of Moray Archibald Douglas, Earl of Moray Scottish pre-union military personnel killed in action Scottish twins 15th-century Scottish peers Younger sons of earls {{Scotland-earl-stub