James Stewart, 1st Earl of Moray (1501 creation)
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James Stewart, Earl of Moray (c. 1500–1544) was a Scottish nobleman and diplomat. He was the illegitimate son of
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 Sauchi ...
and his mistress
Janet Kennedy Janet Kennedy (c. 1480 – c. 1545), was a Scottish noble and the mistress of King James IV of Scotland. Life She was the eldest daughter of John Kennedy, 2nd Lord Kennedy and Lady Elizabeth Gordon. Through her father, she was a great-great-gran ...
. He was created
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 ...
in 1501. His upbringing included a period at
Stirling Castle Stirling Castle, located in Stirling, is one of the largest and most important castles in Scotland, both historically and architecturally. The castle sits atop Castle Hill, an intrusive crag, which forms part of the Stirling Sill geological ...
, in the care of
Andrew Aytoun Andrew Aytoun (died 1547), was a Scottish soldier and engineer, and captain of Stirling Castle. Aytoun worked for James IV of Scotland, whose reign lasted from 1488 until his death at the battle of Flodden in 1513. He was regarded as a member of t ...
, and then he and his mother were moved to
Darnaway Castle Darnaway Castle, also known as Tarnaway Castle, is located in Darnaway Forest, southwest of Forres in Moray, Scotland. This was Comyn land, given to Thomas Randolph along with the Earldom of Moray by King Robert I. The castle has remained th ...
. He was young enough to avoid fighting at the disastrous
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 ...
in 1513. He should not be confused with the two later and better-known 16th-century Earls of Moray who were also called James Stewart: his nephew
James Stewart, 1st Earl of Moray James Stewart, 1st Earl of Moray (c. 1531 – 23 January 1570) was a member of the House of Stewart as the illegitimate son of King James V of Scotland, James V of Scotland. A supporter of his half-sister Mary, Queen of Scots, he was the regent ...
, who was
Regent A regent (from Latin : ruling, governing) is a person appointed to govern a state '' pro tempore'' (Latin: 'for the time being') because the monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge the powers and duties of the monarchy ...
during the minority of
James VI 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 ...
, and this nephew's son-in-law
James Stewart, 2nd Earl of Moray James Stewart (later Stuart), 2nd Lord Doune, 2nd Earl of Moray (c. 1565 – 7 February 1592) was a Scotland, Scottish nobleman, the son of James Stewart, 1st Lord Doune and Margaret Campbell. He was murdered by George Gordon, 1st Marquess o ...
, who was '' The Bonny Earl of Murray'' of the famous
ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French ''chanson balladée'' or ''ballade'', which were originally "dance songs". Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and ...
. Moray had a varied relationship with his half-brother
James V James V (10 April 1512 – 14 December 1542) was King of Scotland from 9 September 1513 until his death in 1542. He was crowned on 21 September 1513 at the age of seventeen months. James was the son of King James IV and Margaret Tudor, and duri ...
, and was imprisoned for a time. In February 1531, James V gave him a commission to negotiate with rebels in the Scottish Isles and offer them pardons for future obedience. Moray went to France and was invested in the
Order of Saint Michael , status = Abolished by decree of Louis XVI on 20 June 1790Reestablished by Louis XVIII on 16 November 1816Abolished in 1830 after the July RevolutionRecognised as a dynastic order of chivalry by the ICOC , founder = Louis XI of France , hig ...
by the
Duke of Vendôme Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are ranke ...
. In April 1536
Francis I of France Francis I (french: François Ier; frm, Francoys; 12 September 1494 – 31 March 1547) was King of France from 1515 until his death in 1547. He was the son of Charles, Count of Angoulême, and Louise of Savoy. He succeeded his first cousin once ...
arranged that James V would marry the Duke of Vendôme's daughter,
Mary of Bourbon Mary of Bourbon or Marie de Bourbon (29 October 1515 – 28 September 1538) was a daughter of Charles, Duke of Vendôme, and Françoise d'Alençon, daughter of René, Duke of Alençon. Mary was the subject of marriage negotiations of James V of ...
. Francis sent a courtier, Guillaume d' Yzernay, to the Earl of Moray with the collar and insignia of the
Order of Saint Michael , status = Abolished by decree of Louis XVI on 20 June 1790Reestablished by Louis XVIII on 16 November 1816Abolished in 1830 after the July RevolutionRecognised as a dynastic order of chivalry by the ICOC , founder = Louis XI of France , hig ...
to give to James V as a token of his affection and their family union. Moray was instructed to present the collar with the same ceremonies that the Duke had observed at his investiture into the order. The 16th-century historian
John Lesley John Lesley (or Leslie) (29 September 1527 – 31 May 1596) was a Scottish Roman Catholic bishop and historian. His father was Gavin Lesley, rector of Kingussie, Badenoch. Early career He was educated at the University of Aberdeen, where he ...
, Bishop of Ross praised Moray for his diplomatic skills, in 1543 the Earl arranged the accidental destruction of valuable Venetian glass at a banquet in 1543 to impress Peter Francisco Contarini, Patriarch of Venice, producing another set of glasses after the first was cleared away. According to Lesley, in 1526 Moray protected the young heir of Lachlan Mackintosh of Dunnachtan or
Dunachton Dunachton ( gd, Dùn Neachdain) is an estate on the north-west shore of Loch Insh in Badenoch and Strathspey, in the Highlands of Scotland. It occupies land immediately to the north of the A9 road and General Wade's Military Road. Recent resear ...
, his nephew, from his half-brothers Hector and William, who came to Dyke by Darnaway and burnt the countryside and killed several people, and captured Petty Castle belonging to Ogilvy of Durne or Durness. Moray got a commission from James V to raise an army and attack the Mackintosh brothers. Hector Mackintosh was brought back to
Forres Forres (; gd, Farrais) is a town and former royal burgh in the north of Scotland on the Moray coast, approximately northeast of Inverness and west of Elgin. Forres has been a winner of the Scotland in Bloom award on several occasions. There ...
and beheaded, William Mackintosh was pardoned but murdered soon after in St Andrews. The young Mackintosh heir was brought up by Moray and the Laird of Findlater. He had homes in Edinburgh, Balnageith near
Forres Forres (; gd, Farrais) is a town and former royal burgh in the north of Scotland on the Moray coast, approximately northeast of Inverness and west of Elgin. Forres has been a winner of the Scotland in Bloom award on several occasions. There ...
, Elgin and Darnaway Castle. He wrote a will in June 1540, when he was planning to travel to France for the sake of his health.


Family

James Stewart married Lady Elizabeth Campbell, daughter of
Colin Campbell, 3rd Earl of Argyll Colin Campbell, 3rd Earl of Argyll (c. 1486 – 9 October 1529) was a Scottish nobleman and soldier. He was also known as "Cailen Malloch". Life Colin Campbell was the son of Archibald Campbell, 2nd Earl of Argyll and Lady Elizabeth Stuart ...
and Lady Jean Gordon, in August 1529. They had one daughter, Lady Mary Stewart, who married John Stewart, Master of Buchan. She obtained a divorce on 12 September 1560 and died childless. His widow, Elizabeth Campbell, Countess of Moray, later married
John Gordon, 11th Earl of Sutherland John Gordon, 11th Earl of Sutherland (1525–1567) was a Scottish magnate. John Gordon supported the chief of his family, his cousin the Earl of Huntly against the Earl of Moray. After Huntly's defeat at Corrichie, he went into exile, and short ...
, and died around 1548. James had an illegitimate son, also called James Stewart, with Marion Stewart, as well as a daughter, Elizabeth Stewart.''HMC 6th Report & Appendix'' (London, 1877), pp. 670-1.


References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Moray, James Stewart, 1st Earl of 1544 deaths
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 ...
Illegitimate children of James IV of Scotland Peers created by James IV Earls of Moray Scottish people of Danish descent Court of James V of Scotland 16th-century Scottish peers Year of birth uncertain Sons of kings