Alexander Stewart, Duke of Albany (7 August 1485), was a Scottish prince and the second surviving son of
King James II of Scotland
James II (16 October 1430 – 3 August 1460) was List of Scottish monarchs, 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 ...
. He fell out with his older brother,
King James III, and fled to France, where he unsuccessfully sought help. In 1482 he invaded Scotland with the army of
King Edward IV of England and assumed control of the country. Scottish lords turned against him in 1483 and he fled after King Edward died. The second invasion, in 1484, was not supported by the new English king,
King Richard III
Richard III (2 October 1452 – 22 August 1485) was King of England from 26 June 1483 until his death in 1485. He was the last king of the Plantagenet dynasty and its cadet branch the House of York. His defeat and death at the Battle of Boswor ...
, and failed. He died in a duel with
Louis XII of France, Duke of Orléans, by a splinter from Louis's lance.
Rise
Alexander was the second surviving son 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 fathe ...
and his wife,
Mary of Gueldres. Created
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 ...
before 1458, Alexander also received the
earldom of March, and lordships of
Annandale and the
Isle of Man
The Isle of Man ( , also ), or Mann ( ), is a self-governing British Crown Dependency in the Irish Sea, between Great Britain and Ireland. As head of state, Charles III holds the title Lord of Mann and is represented by a Lieutenant Govern ...
. In 1460 he travelled to the continent, and to
Guelders
The Duchy of Guelders (; ; ) is a historical duchy, previously county, of the Holy Roman Empire, located in the Low Countries.
Geography
The duchy was named after the town of Geldern (''Gelder'') in present-day Germany. Though the present pr ...
, the land of his maternal family. On his return in 1464 he was captured by the
English. He was soon released, and as he matured began to take part in the government and defence of
Scotland
Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...
, being appointed in quick succession
Lord High Admiral of Scotland and
Warden of the Marches. Some of his actions on the
marches
In medieval Europe, a march or mark was, in broad terms, any kind of borderland, as opposed to a state's "heartland". More specifically, a march was a border between realms or a neutral buffer zone under joint control of two states in which diffe ...
aroused suspicion, suggesting sharp practice and a policy of border violence and truce breaking against England that contravened the 1474 marriage alliance of his brother
King James III.
[''ODNB'' loc. cit]
Struggle with his brother
In 1479, the seat of Albany's earldom of March was seized, although accounts of his imprisonment in
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 ...
at this time appear to be misdated.
Albany fled by sea to
Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
where in September 1479 he was welcomed by
King Louis XI, and received royal favour by his marriage to Anne de la Tour. Louis, however, would not assist him to attack his brother the king, and crossing to England he made a treaty with
King Edward IV at
Fotheringhay in June 1482.
By the
Treaty of Fotheringhay, Albany promised to hold Scotland under English
suzerainty
A suzerain (, from Old French "above" + "supreme, chief") is a person, state (polity)">state or polity who has supremacy and dominant influence over the foreign policy">polity.html" ;"title="state (polity)">state or polity">state (polity)">st ...
in return for Edward's assistance
and to deliver the southern shires into English possession. With the Duke of Gloucester, afterwards
King Richard III
Richard III (2 October 1452 – 22 August 1485) was King of England from 26 June 1483 until his death in 1485. He was the last king of the Plantagenet dynasty and its cadet branch the House of York. His defeat and death at the Battle of Boswor ...
, he marched at the head of one of the largest English armies to be assembled after the Wars of Independence – 20,000 men – to
Berwick, which was seized (the last time it would change hands between England and Scotland) and then, with a smaller force, to
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...
.
Meanwhile James III was seized at
Lauder
The former Royal Burgh of Lauder (, ) is a town in the Scottish Borders in the historic county of Berwickshire. On the Southern Upland Way, the burgh lies southeast of Edinburgh, on the western edge of the Lammermuir Hills.
Etymology
Alt ...
Bridge as he marched to face the invasion, and was imprisoned in Edinburgh Castle. It has been suggested that there was a conspiracy between Albany and a group of
magnate
The term magnate, from the late Latin ''magnas'', a great man, itself from Latin ''magnus'', "great", means a man from the higher nobility, a man who belongs to the high office-holders or a man in a high social position, by birth, wealth or ot ...
s who had been excluded from power in the 1470s, including the king's Stewart half-uncles, the earls of
Atholl,
Buchan
Buchan is a coastal district in the north-east of Scotland, bounded by the Ythan and Deveron rivers. It was one of the original provinces of the Kingdom of Alba. It is now one of the six committee areas of Aberdeenshire.
Etymology
The ge ...
and the bishop-elect of
Moray
Moray ( ; or ) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland. It lies in the north-east of the country, with a coastline on the Moray Firth, and borders the council areas of Aberdeenshire and Highland. Its council is based in Elgin, the area' ...
, although evidence is limited.
Gloucester, meanwhile, seems to have been satisfied with the
seizure of Berwick, and quit Edinburgh on 11 August. At that point the "Lauder Lords" in Edinburgh Castle emerged and began working with Albany to form a new government. By early October Albany was acting lieutenant-general of the realm, had taken the earldom of Mar, and had re-acquired his former lands and offices.
Albany's adoption of the earldom of Mar seems to have angered
George Gordon, 2nd Earl of Huntly, one of the most powerful magnates in the country, who had designs on the earldom himself and came to the parliament of December 1482, at which Albany had hoped to have his lieutenant-generalship confirmed. The king meanwhile managed to persuade a number of the "Lauder Lords" to return to loyalty to him, most notably
John Stewart, Lord Darnley, keeper of Edinburgh Castle, Atholl and the bishop of
Dunkeld
Dunkeld (, , from , "fort of the Caledonians") is a town in Perth and Kinross, Scotland. The location of a historic cathedral, it lies on the north bank of the River Tay, opposite Birnam. Dunkeld lies close to the geological Highland Boundar ...
. Subsequently the parliament passed a number of mutually contradictory acts, and Albany fled to Dunbar between Christmas and the new year. On 2 January 1483 Albany made an abortive second attempt to seize the king. Edward IV promised the duke further aid on 11 February, and on 19 March he managed to force the king into a humiliating
indenture
An indenture is a legal contract that reflects an agreement between two parties. Although the term is most familiarly used to refer to a labor contract between an employer and a laborer with an indentured servant status, historically indentures we ...
.
With the death of Edward IV on 9 April 1483 Albany lost his main source of power and shortly thereafter he fled south, letting an English garrison into
Dunbar Castle
Dunbar Castle was one of the strongest fortresses in Scotland, situated in a prominent position overlooking the Dunbar Harbour, harbour of the town of Dunbar, in East Lothian. Several fortifications were built successively on the site, near th ...
as he went.
Last years and death
In July 1484, Albany once again invaded Scotland, this time with a small force with the long-exiled
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, daugh ...
. The
Battle of Lochmaben ensued, where the invasion was defeated, Douglas was captured, while Albany fled south again. The invasion had no support from Richard III, and failed to find any Scottish support in the former estates of Albany and Douglas.
The author of Albany's most recent biography claims that there may have been a further attempt to return to Scotland in 1485. The persistent story of Albany's escape from Edinburgh castle, usually misdated to 1479 or 1482/3 by chroniclers, instead is claimed to have occurred in 1485. Certainly Albany's closest ally and fellow exile James Liddale of Halkerston is found imprisoned awaiting execution at this time, suggesting he had returned to Scotland with Albany, and a chronicle account that claims Albany killed the "laird of Manerston" (a minor but trusted royal official) may be confirmed by Manerston's death before 14 October 1485. Albany fled for the last time, again to France, where he was killed shortly afterwards in a duel with the
duke of Orléans in Paris, by a splinter from the latter's lance. He was buried near the high altar in the
Couvent des Célestins. The titles of March and Dunbar were forfeited and annexed to the crown of Scotland.
Family and children
Albany's first wife was Lady Katherine, daughter of
William Sinclair, 3rd Earl of Orkney, who bore him three sons and a daughter. This marriage was dissolved in 1478, and its issue was regarded as illegitimate.
Their children included:
*
Alexander Stewart (before 14779 December 1537), who became
bishop of Moray. He left illegitimate issue.
* Andrew Stewart.
In 1480, Albany married
Anne de la Tour d'Auvergne, daughter of
Bertrand VI, Count of Auvergne and
of Boulogne and his wife Louise (daughter of
Georges de la Trémoille). They had a son,
John
John is a common English name and surname:
* John (given name)
* John (surname)
John may also refer to:
New Testament
Works
* Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John
* First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John
* Second E ...
(1482–1536), who succeeded as Duke of Albany, and married Anne's niece, also
Anne de La Tour d'Auvergne.
References
*
Further reading
* Norman Macdougall, ''James III'' (Revised edition, Edinburgh, 2009).
*
* Roland Tanner, T''he Late Medieval Scottish Parliament: Politics and the Three Estates 1424–1488'' (East Linton, 2000).
*Roland Tanner, "Alexander Stewart, 3rd Duke of Albany" (unpublished M.Litt dissertation, University of St Andrews, 1994).
*''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography''
'ODNB'' R. J. Tanner, "Alexander Stewart, Duke of Albany".
, -
{{DEFAULTSORT:Albany, Alexander Stewart, Duke of
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 ...
Scottish princes
Heirs presumptive to the Scottish throne
Pretenders to the Scottish throne
201
Peers created by James II of Scotland
Lord high admirals of Scotland
Politicians killed in duels
1450s births
1485 deaths
Earls or mormaers of Mar
Earls of March (Scotland)
15th-century Scottish military personnel
Sons of kings