Euphemia II, Countess of Ross (also Euphemia Leslie) was the daughter of

Alexander Leslie, Earl of Ross Alexander Leslie, Earl of Ross (died 1402) was a Scottish nobleman. Born between 1367 and 1382, he was the son of Walter Leslie, Lord of Ross and Euphemia I, Countess of Ross. In around 1394, or not later than 1398, he became Earl of Ross and s ...

and his wife Isabella Stewart, daughter of

Robert Stewart, 1st Duke of Albany Robert Stewart, Duke of Albany (c. 1340 – 3 September 1420) was a member of the Scottish royal family who served as regent (at least partially) to three Scottish monarchs ( Robert II, Robert III, and James I). A ruthless politician, Albany ...

. She was the only child and heir of Earl Alexander, and succeeded to the earldom ''de jure'' upon his death in 1402.

Life

She became a ward of her grandfather

from a precept of 11 July 1405, Paul, James Balfour, ''

The Scots Peerage ''The Scots Peerage'' is a nine-volume book series of the Scottish nobility compiled and edited by Sir James Balfour Paul, published in Edinburgh from 1904 to 1914. The full title is ''The Scots Peerage: Founded on Wood's Edition of Sir Rober ...

'', Vol. VII, (Edinburgh, 1910) and never seems to have exercised much power in the province of Ross. Governor Albany became Regent and persuaded her to resign the earldom to his own second son, John Stewart, Earl of Buchan. This action was challenged by

Domhnall of Islay, Lord of the Isles Donald, Lord of the Isles (; died 1423), was the son and successor of John of Islay, Lord of the Isles and chief of Clan Donald. The Lordship of the Isles was based in and around the Scottish west-coast island of Islay, but under Donald's fat ...

, who claimed the earldom on behalf of his wife Mariota and who became an enemy of the Albany Stewarts. In 1411 he marched an army of 10,000 Islesmen and Ross vassals against Albany's main northern ally,

Alexander Stewart, Earl of Mar Alexander Stewart (c. 13751435) was a Kingdom of Scotland, Scottish nobleman and warlord. An illegitimate grandson of Robert II of Scotland, he was originally the Earl of Moray, becoming the Earl of Mar from 1405. He acquired the earldom throug ...

. There was a failed attempt to marry Euphemia to Thomas Dunbar, the son of Thomas Dunbar, Earl of Moray. Euphemia thereafter disappears from the record, retiring to the nunnery of North Berwick. Some histories report that she was a hunchback 'of a weakly constitution, small, and deformed'.

References

* * * Paul, James Balfour, ''

'', Vol. VII, (Edinburgh, 1910) {{DEFAULTSORT:Ross, Euphemia II, Countess of Leslie, Euphemia Leslie, Euphemia Leslie, Euphemia Nobility from Highland (council area) Leslie, Euphemia Leslie, Euphemia Leslie, Euphemia 15th-century Scottish peers 15th-century Scottish women 15th-century Christians Scottish countesses