Andrew Leslie, 5th Earl of Rothes (before 1541 – 1611) 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

He was the son of George Leslie, 4th Earl of Rothes, and his third wife Agnes Somerville, daughter of Sir John Somerville of Cambusnethan and Elizabeth Carmichael. He succeeded his father as 5th Earl in 1558, as his elder half-brothers Norman Leslie and William Leslie had forfeited their rights by having been implicated in the murder of Cardinal Beaton in 1546.

Career

Leslie took an active part with the

Lords of the Congregation The Lords of the Congregation (), originally styling themselves the Faithful, were a group of Protestant Scottish nobles who in the mid-16th century favoured a reformation of the Catholic church according to Protestant principles and a Scottish ...

, first against the queen-mother,

Mary of Guise Mary of Guise (; 22 November 1515 – 11 June 1560), also called Mary of Lorraine, was List of Scottish royal consorts, Queen of Scotland from 1538 until 1542, as the second wife of King James V. She was a French people, French noblewoman of the ...

, when she was regent of Scotland, and afterwards against

Mary, Queen of Scots Mary, Queen of Scots (8 December 1542 – 8 February 1587), also known as Mary Stuart or Mary I of Scotland, was List of Scottish monarchs, Queen of Scotland from 14 December 1542 until her forced abdication in 1567. The only surviving legit ...

in opposing her marriage with

Lord Darnley Lord Darnley is a noble title associated with a Scottish Lordship of Parliament, first created in 1356 for the family of Stewart of Darnley and tracing a descent to the Dukedom of Richmond in England. The title's name refers to Darnley in Scot ...

, and in being part of the plot to murder

David Rizzio David Rizzio ( ; ; – 9 March 1566) or Riccio ( , ) was an Italian courtier, born in Pancalieri close to Turin, a descendant of an ancient and noble family still living in Piedmont, the Riccio Counts di San Paolo e Solbrito, who rose to bec ...

. He was, however, one of the peers who acquitted

Bothwell Bothwell () is a Protected area, conservation village in the South Lanarkshire council area of Scotland and part of the Greater Glasgow area. It lies on the north bank of the River Clyde, adjacent to Uddingston and Hamilton, Scotland, Hamilton, ...

of Darnley's murder, and went over to the side of the queen. He fought for her at the

Battle of Langside The Battle of Langside was fought on 13 May 1568 between forces loyal to Mary, Queen of Scots, and forces acting in the name of her infant son James VI. Mary’s short period of personal rule ended in 1567 in recrimination, intrigue, and disast ...

. As the Marian civil war continued, in April 1573, Rothes negotiated for

Regent Morton James Douglas, 4th Earl of Morton (c. 1516 – 2 June 1581) was a Scottish nobleman. He played a leading role in the murders of Queen Mary's confidant, David Rizzio, and king consort Henry Darnley. He was the last of the four regents of Scot ...

and the King's party with the "Castilians"

William Kirkcaldy of Grange Sir William Kirkcaldy of Grange (c. 1520 –3 August 1573) was a Scottish politician and soldier who fought for the Scottish Reformation. He ended his career holding Edinburgh castle on behalf of Mary, Queen of Scots and was hanged at the c ...

and Henry Echlin of Pittadro, who held

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 ...

. Rothes continued to occupy a position of some prominence in Scottish affairs until his death in 1611.

Personal life

In 1547, Leslie married Grizel Hamilton, daughter of Sir

James Hamilton of Finnart Sir James Hamilton of Finnart (c. 1495 – 16 August 1540) was a Kingdom of Scotland, Scottish nobleman and architect, the illegitimate son of James Hamilton, 1st Earl of Arran, and Marion Boyd (mistress), Marion Boyd of Bonshaw. Although legitim ...

and wife Margaret Livingston of Easter Wemyss. A dispensation was required for the marriage, which cost

Regent Arran 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 throne is vacant and a new monarch has not yet been dete ...

£20 and he paid a dowry of £1,333 Scots. Their children included: * James Leslie, Master of Rothes, who married Hon. Margaret Lindsay, only daughter of

Patrick Lindsay, 6th Lord Lindsay Patrick Lindsay, 6th Lord Lindsay of the Byres, (1521–1589), Scottish courtier and Confederate lord. Patrick was the son of John Lindsay, 5th Lord Lindsay, who died in December 1563, and Helen Stewart, daughter of John, 2nd Earl of Atholl. ...

. *

Patrick Leslie Patrick Leslie (25 September 1815 – 12 August 1881) was a Scottish settler in Australia. Leslie and his two brothers (Walter and George) were the first to settle on the Darling Downs, and he was the first person to buy land in Warwick. ...

(d. 1608), who was the 1st Lord Lindores; he married Jean Stewart, a daughter of

Robert Stewart, 1st Earl of Orkney Robert Stewart, 1st Earl of Orkney and Lord of Zetland (Shetland) (spring of 1533 – 4 February 1593) was a recognised illegitimate son of James V, King of Scotland, and his mistress Eupheme Elphinstone. Robert Stewart was half-brother to M ...

(a natural son 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 ...

by Euphemia Elphinstone). * Eupheme Leslie, who married James Lindsay, 7th Lord Lindsay, the only son of the 6th Lord Lindsay, in 1573. As his eldest son and heir apparent died before him, he was succeeded in his titles by James's son, and his grandson, John Leslie.

References

External links

Clan Leslie Trust
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rothes, Andrew Leslie, 5th Earl of 16th-century births 1611 deaths Nobility from Fife 5 16th-century Scottish peers