James Stewart, the Black Knight of Lorne ( 1399 – c. 1451) was a

Scottish Scottish usually refers to something of, from, or related to Scotland, including: *Scottish Gaelic, a Celtic Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family native to Scotland *Scottish English *Scottish national identity, the Scottish ide ...

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. He was a direct male-line descendant of

Alexander Stewart, 4th High Steward of Scotland Alexander Stewart (about 1220-1282), known as Alexander of Dundonald, was a Scottish magnate who in 1241 succeeded his father as hereditary High Steward of Scotland. Origins He was the son of Walter Stewart, 3rd High Steward of Scotland. Caree ...

, through his second son Sir John Stewart of Bonkill, who was killed at the

Battle of Falkirk The Battle of Falkirk (''Blàr na h-Eaglaise Brice'' in Gaelic), on 22 July 1298, was one of the major battles in the First War of Scottish Independence. Led by King Edward I of England, the English army defeated the Scots, led by William Wal ...

. His mother was also a descendant of

Elizabeth de Burgh Lady Elizabeth de Burgh (; ; c. 1289 – 27 October 1327) was the second wife and the only queen consort of King Robert the Bruce. Elizabeth was born sometime around 1289, probably in what is now County Down or County Antrim in Ulster, the ...

, second wife/queen consort of King

Robert I Robert I may refer to: *Robert I, Duke of Neustria (697–748) *Robert I of France (866–923), King of France, 922–923, rebelled against Charles the Simple *Rollo, Duke of Normandy (c. 846 – c. 930; reigned 911–927) * Robert I Archbishop of ...

("The Bruce").

Political career

James was a younger brother of

Robert Stewart, 1st Lord Lorne ''For the Child ballad, see The Lord of Lorn and the False Steward.'' Lord of Lorne is a title in the Peerage of Scotland that has been created twice. ;First Creation The title was first created for Robert Stewart of Durisdeer (died 1403), son o ...

(1382–1449), whose descendants bore this title. He was an ally of the Black Douglases,

Earls of Douglas This page is concerned with the holders of the forfeit title Earl of Douglas and the preceding feudal barons of Douglas, South Lanarkshire. The title was created in the Peerage of Scotland in 1358 for William Douglas, 1st Earl of Douglas, son ...

. After the murder 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 ...

in 1437, power was held by

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 ...

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 ...

for the underage

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. ...

. The Stewarts of Lorne were amongst his most trusted supporters, and their power greatly increased while the

Douglas family Douglas may refer to: People * Douglas (given name) * Douglas (surname) Animals *Douglas (parrot), macaw that starred as the parrot ''Rosalinda'' in Pippi Longstocking *Douglas the camel, a camel in the Confederate Army in the American Civil W ...

controlled Scotland and the king was a mere 7 years of age. However, the unexpected death of the 5th Earl of Douglas from a fever in 1439 saw power now being uneasily shared between William, 1st Lord Crichton,

Chancellor of Scotland The Lord Chancellor of Scotland, formally the Lord High Chancellor, was a Great Officer of State in the Kingdom of Scotland. Holders of the office are known from 1123 onwards, but its duties were occasionally performed by an official of lower st ...

and Sir Alexander Livingston, Governor of

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 ...

. Stewart married Joan Beaufort, the queen consort, and became stepfather to James II. Stewart and his Douglas allies planned to remove the young James II, who was being held by Livingston in his stronghold of Stirling Castle. However, Livingston arrested Lady Joan on 3 Aug 1439, imprisoning her in Stirling Castle, while throwing Sir James and his brother Sir William into its dungeon. They were later released on good behaviour. Stewart was given safe conduct to England in 1445, 1447 and 1451. He was supposedly captured at sea by

Flemish Flemish (''Vlaams'') is a Low Franconian dialect cluster of the Dutch language. It is sometimes referred to as Flemish Dutch (), Belgian Dutch ( ), or Southern Dutch (). Flemish is native to Flanders, a historical region in northern Belgium; ...

pirates and put to death after 1451. But he was still alive in 1453–54 when he carried King James II's offer to Edmund Beaufort, Duke of Somerset to rescue him. Somerset was then a prisoner in the Tower of London while Richard Duke of York was in charge of the government.The Politics of Fifteenth Century England,M.L. Kekewich et al. (1995) pp. 183–85

Family

He married, before 21 September 1439,

Joan Beaufort, Queen of Scots Joan Beaufort ( 1404 – 15 July 1445) was Queen of Scotland from 1424 to 1437 as the spouse of King James I of Scotland. During part of the minority of her son James II (from 1437 to 1439), she served as the regent of Scotland. Background a ...

, Queen Consort of Scotland and widow of James I of Scotland. They had a

papal dispensation In the jurisprudence of the canon law of the Catholic Church, a dispensation is the exemption from the immediate obligation of law in certain cases.The Law of Christ Vol. I, pg. 284 Its object is to modify the hardship often arising from the ...

for both

consanguinity Consanguinity ("blood relation", from Latin '' consanguinitas'') is the characteristic of having a kinship with another person (being descended from a common ancestor). Many jurisdictions have laws prohibiting people who are related by blood fr ...

and

affinity Affinity may refer to: Commerce, finance and law * Affinity (law), kinship by marriage * Affinity analysis, a market research and business management technique * Affinity Credit Union, a Saskatchewan-based credit union * Affinity Equity Partn ...

. She was a daughter of

John Beaufort, 1st Earl of Somerset John Beaufort, 1st Marquess of Somerset and 1st Marquess of Dorset, later only 1st Earl of Somerset, (c. 1373 – 16 March 1410) was an English nobleman and politician. He was the first of the four illegitimate children of John of Gaunt ...

(son of

Katherine Swynford Katherine Swynford, Duchess of Lancaster (born Katherine de Roet, – 10 May 1403), also spelled Katharine or Catherine, was the third wife of John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, the fourth (but third surviving) son of King Edward III. Daughter o ...

and

John of Gaunt John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster (6 March 1340 – 3 February 1399) was an English royal prince, military leader, and statesman. He was the fourth son (third to survive infancy as William of Hatfield died shortly after birth) of King Edward ...

, and a grandson of

Edward III of England Edward III (13 November 1312 – 21 June 1377), also known as Edward of Windsor before his accession, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from January 1327 until his death in 1377. He is noted for his military success and for restoring ro ...

) by his wife

Lady Margaret Holland The word ''lady'' is a term for a girl or woman, with various connotations. Once used to describe only women of a high social class or status, the equivalent of lord, now it may refer to any adult woman, as gentleman can be used for men. Inform ...

, daughter of

Thomas Holland, 2nd Earl of Kent Thomas Holland, 2nd Earl of Kent (135025 April 1397) was an English nobleman and a councillor of his half-brother, King Richard II of England. Family and early life Thomas Holland was born in Upholland, Lancashire, in 1350. He was the eldest s ...

and Alice FitzAlan. James Stewart and Joan Beaufort had three children: *

John Stewart, 1st Earl of Atholl 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, and her second husband, Sir ...

* James Stewart, Earl of Buchan, d. 1499. Married 27 March 1459, to Margaret Ogilvy, daughter of Alexander Ogilvy of

Auchterhouse Auchterhouse is a village, community, and civil parish in the Scottish council area of Angus, located north west of Dundee, south east of Alyth and south west of Forfar. It lies on the southern edge of the Sidlaw Hills, below Auchterhouse ...

. * Andrew Stewart, c. 1443 – 1501. The

Bishop of Moray The Bishop of Moray or Bishop of Elgin was the ecclesiastical head of the Diocese of Moray in northern Scotland, one of Scotland's 13 medieval bishoprics. If the foundation charter of the monastery at Scone is reliable, then the Bishopric of Moray ...

from 1483 to 1501.

Sources

Sir James Stewart of Lorn
at the peerage.com # Alison Weir, Britain's Royal Family: A Complete Genealogy (London, UK: The Bodley Head, 1999), page 230. Hereinafter cited as Britain's Royal Family. # Bruce A. McAndrew, Scotland's Historic Heraldry (Woodbridge, Suffolk, UK: Boydell Press, 2006) page 205 #

Edward Kimber Edward Kimber (1719–1769) was an English novelist, journalist and compiler of reference works. Life He was son of Isaac Kimber; and in early life apprentice to a bookseller, John Noon of Cheapside. He made a living by compilation and editorial ...

John Almon John Almon (17 December 1737 – 12 December 1805) was an English journalist and writer on political subjects, notable for his efforts to secure the right to publish reports on the debates in Parliament. He was born in Liverpool and came to Londo ...

, ''The Peerage of Scotland'' (London, UK: Piccadilly, 1767), page 340.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stewart, James, the Black Knight of Lorn 1390s births 1450s deaths Year of birth uncertain Year of death uncertain

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 ...