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 his second wife, Princess Annabella of Scotland, the youngest daughter of King

James I of Scotland James I (late July 1394 – 21 February 1437) was List of Scottish monarchs, 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 of Scotland, Robert III and ...

.There has been some uncertainty regarding Alexander's mother, whether she was Annabella Stewart (m. to Geo. Gordon –1471) or Elizabeth Hay (m. 1471–1501). The fact that his father married Elizabeth Hay after 18 Aug 1471 P, vi, 677 & n. b.and that Alexander himself was a member of parliament as well as being one of the

Lords of the Articles Lords may refer to: * The plural of Lord Places *Lords Creek, a stream in New Hanover County, North Carolina *Lord's, English Cricket Ground and home of Marylebone Cricket Club and Middlesex County Cricket Club People *Traci Lords (born 19 ...

in 1485 makes it chronologically implausible he could have been Elizabeth's son. Logic dictates he could not have held these positions of authority at age 13 or less. See: SP, IV, 529, 532; CP, VI, 677 n. f.George Edward Cokayne, ''The Complete Peerage; or, a History of the House of Lords and all its members from the earliest times'', Vol. VI, eds. H. A. Doubleday: Howard de Walden (London: The St. Catherine Press, Ltd., 1926), p. 677 As a favorite of King

James IV of Scotland James IV (17 March 1473 – 9 September 1513) was List of Scottish monarchs, 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 I ...

,'' The Scots Peerage, Founded on Wood's Edition of Sir Robert Douglas's Peerage of Scotland'', ed. James Balfour Paul, Vol. IV (Edinburgh: David Douglas, 1907), p. 532 he acquired considerable grants of land throughout his career. In 1500, he was made hereditary sheriff of Inverness, giving him considerable powers throughout the north of Scotland, and a year later, in June 1501 succeeded his father as the 3rd Earl of Huntly. He witnessed the marriage contract of James IV in 1503 and was engaged in quelling disturbances in the Isles in 1505. In 1509, he was awarded the

comital Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...

''Lordship of

Lochaber Lochaber ( ; ) is a name applied to a part of the Scottish Highlands. Historically, it was a provincial lordship consisting of the parishes of Kilmallie and Kilmonivaig. Lochaber once extended from the Northern shore of Loch Leven, a distric ...

''. Alexander fought in the

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

on 9 September 1513, where he commanded the Scots left wing and was one of the fortunate few Scottish noblemen who escaped with his life. He was a member of the

council of Regency In a monarchy, a regent () is a person appointed to govern a state because the actual monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge their powers and duties, or the Interregnum, throne is vacant and a new monarch has not y ...

in 1517 during the

minor Minor may refer to: Common meanings * Minor (law), a person not under the age of certain legal activities. * Academic minor, a secondary field of study in undergraduate education Mathematics * Minor (graph theory), a relation of one graph to an ...

ity of King

James V of Scotland James V (10 April 1512 – 14 December 1542) was List of Scottish monarchs, 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 a ...

and was appointed King's Lieutenant over all of Scotland excepting Argyle in 1517–18. He was a supporter of the

Duke of Albany Duke of Albany is a peerage title that has occasionally been bestowed on younger sons in the Scotland, Scottish and later the British royal family, particularly in the Houses of House of Stuart, Stuart and House of Hanover, Hanover. History ...

in his dispute with the

Earl of Angus The Mormaer or Earl of Angus was the ruler of the medieval Scottish Provinces of Scotland, province of Angus, Scotland, Angus. The title, in the Peerage of Scotland, is held by the Duke of Hamilton, and is used as a courtesy title for the eldes ...

. Alexander died on 21 January 1524 at

Perth Perth () is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth-most-populous city in Australia, with a population of over 2.3 million within Greater Perth . The ...

, and was buried in the choir of the church of the Blackfriars monastery.''Perth, the Ancient Capital of Scotland: The Story of Perth from the Invasion of Agricola to the Passing of the Reform Bill in 2 volumes''
– Samuel Cowan J.P. (1904), chapter 3 The same year he was succeeded by his grandson,

George Gordon, 4th Earl of Huntly George Gordon, 4th Earl of Huntly (151428 October 1562) was a Scottish nobleman. Life He was the son of John Gordon, Lord Gordon, and Margaret Stewart, daughter of James IV and Margaret Drummond. George Gordon inherited his earldom and esta ...

Family

Alexander Gordon married by contract on 20 October 1474, Lady Jean Stewart, daughter of

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 Scotland, Scottish nobleman and ambassador. Life He was the eldest child of Joan Beaufort, Queen of Scotland, Joan Beaufort, widow of James I ...

and Lady Margaret Douglas, daughter of Archibald Douglas, 5th Earl of Douglas. Alexander and Jean had the following children: * Hon. John Gordon, Lord Gordon (died 1517), was the father of

. * Hon. Alexander Gordon of Strathavon, married Janet Grant and had issue.'' The Scots Peerage, Founded on Wood's Edition of Sir Robert Douglas's Peerage of Scotland'', ed. James Balfour Paul, Vol. IV (Edinburgh: David Douglas, 1907), p. 533 * Hon. William Gordon, Bishop of Aberdeen * Lady Jean (or Janet) Gordon, married Colin Campbell, 3rd Earl of Argyll and Duncan Stewart, heir apparent to Allan Stewart of Appin * Lady Christian Gordon, married Sir Robert de

Menzies Menzies is a Scottish surname, with Gaelic forms being Méinnearach and Méinn, and other variant forms being Menigees, Mennes, Mengzes, Menzeys, Mengies, and Minges. Derivation and history The name and its Gaelic form are probably derived f ...

. * Lady Marjory Gordon, married Thomas Lumsden, the Younger of Cushnie, who was killed at the

. After the death of his first wife, Alexander Gordon married Elizabeth Gray, daughter of Andrew Gray, 2nd Lord Gray and Janet Keith, some time after 27 July 1511. She built a house for herself in Perth, which passed into the ownership of the Ruthven family, and was known as Gowrie House. It was demolished in 1807.James Scott, ''A History of the Life and Death of John, Earl of Gowrie'' (Edinburgh, 1818), pp. 168–172.

Notes

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Huntly, Alexander Gordon, 3rd Earl of Year of birth unknown 1524 deaths Nobility from Aberdeenshire 3 15th-century births 16th-century Scottish peers