Alexander Lindsay, 1st Earl of Balcarres (6 July 1618 – 30 August 1659) was a Scottish nobleman and courtier.

Biography

Lindsay was the eldest son of

David Lindsay, 1st Lord Balcarres David Lindsay, 1st Lord Lindsay of Balcarres (born 1586 or 1567 – 1641) was a Scottish nobleman. He was born in Edinburgh, Lindsay was the younger son of John Lindsay of Balcarres, Lord Menmuir and Marion Guthrie. His year of birth is given as ...

, and grandson of John Lindsay, Lord Menmuir. In April 1640, he married Lady Anna Mackenzie (b.1621), daughter of

Colin Mackenzie, 1st Earl of Seaforth Colin Mackenzie, 1st Earl of Seaforth (1596/97 – 1633), was a Scottish Highlands, Highland Scottish clan, clan chief and Scotland, Scottish nobleman, possessed of vast estates and wealth. Origins Mackenzie, nicknamed "Ruadh" (i.e. "Red"), ...

.Rosalind K. Marshall, 'Mackenzie, Anna , countess of Balcarres and countess of Argyll (c.1621–1707)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004; online edn, Oct 200
accessed 29 Nov 2014
/ref> Lindsay succeeded his father as Lord Balcarres in 1641. Originally a strong supporter of the

Covenant Covenant may refer to: Religion * Covenant (religion), a formal alliance or agreement made by God with a religious community or with humanity in general ** Covenant (biblical), in the Hebrew Bible ** Covenant in Mormonism, a sacred agreement b ...

, having been tutored at the

University of St. Andrews The University of St Andrews (, ; abbreviated as St And in post-nominals) is a public university in St Andrews, Scotland. It is the oldest of the four ancient universities of Scotland and, following the universities of Oxford and Cambridge, t ...

by David Forret, he was present at the

Battle of Marston Moor The Battle of Marston Moor was fought on 2 July 1644, during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms of 1639–1653. The combined forces of the English Parliamentarians under Lord Fairfax and the Earl of Manchester and the Scottish Covenanters unde ...

in 1644. However, in 1648 he became an

Engager The Engagers were a faction of the Scottish Covenanters, who made "The Engagement" with King Charles I in December 1647 while he was imprisoned in Carisbrooke Castle by the English Parliamentarians after his defeat in the First Civil War. ...

seeking an alliance with

Charles I Charles I may refer to: Kings and emperors * Charlemagne (742–814), numbered Charles I in the lists of Holy Roman Emperors and French kings * Charles I of Anjou (1226–1285), also king of Albania, Jerusalem, Naples and Sicily * Charles I of ...

, leading to a break with the majority of the Covenanters. Admitted to

parliament In modern politics and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...

in 1649 he was appointed a commissioner of the Exchequer in 1650. He was created

Earl of Balcarres Earl of Balcarres is a title in the Peerage of Scotland, created in 1651 for Alexander Lindsay, 2nd Lord Balcarres. Since 1848, the title has been held jointly with the Earldom of Crawford, and the holder is also the hereditary clan chief of Cl ...

on 9 January 1651, with the subsidiary title Lord Lindsay and Balneil, and hereditary governor of

Edinburgh Castle Edinburgh Castle is a historic castle in Edinburgh, Scotland. It stands on Castle Rock (Edinburgh), Castle Rock, which has been occupied by humans since at least the Iron Age. There has been a royal castle on the rock since the reign of Malcol ...

in 1651. He visited France to advise the king in 1653 and 1654 and finally resided at the court in exile of Charles II in the Netherlands. Lady Anna served as a governess to Prince William of Orange. Lord Balcarres died at

Breda Breda ( , , , ) is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the southern part of the Netherlands, located in the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of North Brabant. ...

and was succeeded by his son

Charles Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English language, English and French language, French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic, Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''* ...

References

Notes

, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Balcarres, Alexander Lindsay, 1st Earl Of 1618 births 1659 deaths Nobility from Fife

Alexander Alexander () is a male name of Greek origin. The most prominent bearer of the name is Alexander the Great, the king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia who created one of the largest empires in ancient history. Variants listed here ar ...

Lords High Commissioner to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland Covenanters Members of the pre-1707 Parliament of Scotland Members of the Parliament of Scotland 1648–1651 17th-century Scottish people Scottish diplomats

Burials at the Argyll Mausoleum