Lord George Stewart (or Stuart), 9th Seigneur d'Aubigny (17 July 1618 – 23 October 1642) was an Anglo-Scottish nobleman of French descent and a third cousin of King

Charles I of England Charles I (19 November 1600 – 30 January 1649) was King of Kingdom of England, England, Kingdom of Scotland, Scotland, and Kingdom of Ireland, Ireland from 27 March 1625 until Execution of Charles I, his execution in 1649. Charles was born ...

. He supported that king during the

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

as a

Royalist A royalist supports a particular monarch as head of state for a particular kingdom, or of a particular dynastic claim. In the abstract, this position is royalism. It is distinct from monarchism, which advocates a monarchical system of gove ...

commander and was killed, aged 24, at the

Battle of Edgehill The Battle of Edgehill (or Edge Hill) was a pitched battle of the First English Civil War. It was fought near Edge Hill, Warwickshire, Edge Hill and Kineton in southern Warwickshire on Sunday, 23 October 1642. All attempts at constitution ...

in 1642.

Origins

He was the 3rd son of Esmé Stewart, 3rd Duke of Lennox (1579–1624), 7th Seigneur d'Aubigny, by his wife Katherine Clifton, 2nd Baroness Clifton (c.1592–1637). His eldest brother was James Stewart, 1st Duke of Richmond, 4th Duke of Lennox (1612–1655) of Cobham Hall in Kent.

Youth in France

His father died of spotted fever when George was aged 6 and he became a ward of his cousin King

. He was brought up (with his elder brother

Henry Henry may refer to: People and fictional characters * Henry (given name), including lists of people and fictional characters * Henry (surname) * Henry, a stage name of François-Louis Henry (1786–1855), French baritone Arts and entertainmen ...

and younger brother

Ludovic Ludovic is a given name and surname. Notable people with the name include: People with the given name A * Ludovic Albós Cavaliere (born 1979), Andorran ski mountaineer * Ludovic Ambruș (born 1946), Romanian wrestler who competed in the 1972 ...

) at the Château d'Aubigny in the parish of Aubigny-sur-Nère in the ancient

province A province is an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman , which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire, Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...

Berry A berry is a small, pulpy, and often edible fruit. Typically, berries are juicy, rounded, brightly colored, sweet, sour or tart, and do not have a stone or pit although many pips or seeds may be present. Common examples of berries in the cul ...

in France, as a

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

, under the charge of his paternal grandmother, Katherine de Balsac (d.1631/2), Dowager Duchess of Lennox,Cust 1891, pp. 100–105. widow of Esmé Stewart, 1st Duke of Lennox, 1st Earl of Lennox (1542–1583). Esmé Stewart, 1st Duke of Lennox was the favourite of the young King James I & VI (and a first cousin of that king's father Henry Stewart, Lord Darnley), who in 1579 had returned to Scotland from his French origins at Aubigny and was showered with honours by the young Scottish king, from 1603 also King of England. The Château d'Aubigny and the lordship of that manor (''Seigneurie d'Aubigny'') was first acquired by his distant relative Sir

John Stewart of Darnley Sir John Stewart of Darnley, 1st Comte d'Évreux, 1st Seigneur de Concressault, 1st Seigneur d'Aubigny (1429) was a Scottish nobleman and famous military commander who served as Constable of the Scottish Army in France, supporting the French ag ...

, 1st Comte d'Évreux (c.1380–1429), 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 and famous military commander who served as Constable of the Scottish Army in France, supporting the French against the English during the

Hundred Years War The Hundred Years' War (; 1337–1453) was a conflict between the kingdoms of England and France and a civil war in France during the Late Middle Ages. It emerged from feudal disputes over the Duchy of Aquitaine and was triggered by a c ...

, and a fourth cousin 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 ...

(reigned 1406 to 1437), the third monarch of the

House of Stewart The House of Stuart, originally spelled Stewart, also known as the Stuart dynasty, was a royal house of Scotland, England, Ireland and later Great Britain. The family name comes from the office of High Steward of Scotland, which had been held ...

Career

In 1632, at the age of 14, he inherited the Seigneurie d'Aubigny ( lordship of the manor of Aubigny-sur-Nère), following the death of his 17-year-old elder brother Henry Stewart (1616–1632), who died in Venice. By 1633 he was a student at the

Collège de Navarre The College of Navarre (, ) was one of the colleges of the historic University of Paris. It rivaled the University of Paris, Sorbonne and was renowned for its library. History The college was founded by Queen Joan I of Navarre in 1305, who provi ...

, part of the

University of Paris The University of Paris (), known Metonymy, metonymically as the Sorbonne (), was the leading university in Paris, France, from 1150 to 1970, except for 1793–1806 during the French Revolution. Emerging around 1150 as a corporation associated wit ...

. He did homage to

Louis XIII of France Louis XIII (; sometimes called the Just; 27 September 1601 – 14 May 1643) was King of France from 1610 until his death in 1643 and King of Navarre (as Louis II) from 1610 to 1620, when the crown of Navarre was merged with the French crown. ...

for the lordship of Aubigny on 5 August 1636, shortly after his eighteenth birthday. Later that year he moved to England. He fought with the French against the Spanish in the

Battle of Montjuïc (1641) The Battle of Montjuïc took place on 26 January 1641 during the Reapers' War. A Habsburg Spain, Spanish force under Pedro Fajardo de Zúñiga y Requesens, Pedro Fajardo launched an attack on the Catalonia, Catalan army led by Francesc de T ...

. As civil war loomed in England, Stewart joined the forces of King Charles at York where he was knighted on 18 April 1642 along with his brother Bernard.

Death, burial & succession

He was mortally wounded during the first engagement of the

on Sunday 23 October 1642, aged 24. Also killed later during the Civil War fighting for the Royalist cause were his two younger brothers Lord John Stewart (1621–1644) and Lord Bernard Stewart (1623–1645),Manganiello 2004, p. 518. the famous Van Dyck double-portrait of whom – the iconic image of

Cavalier The term ''Cavalier'' () was first used by Roundheads as a term of abuse for the wealthier royalist supporters of Charles I of England and his son Charles II of England, Charles II during the English Civil War, the Interregnum (England), Int ...

s – survives in the

National Gallery, London The National Gallery is an art museum in Trafalgar Square in the City of Westminster, in Central London, England. Founded in 1824, it houses a collection of more than 2,300 paintings dating from the mid-13th century to 1900. The current dire ...

. George Stewart was buried in

Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford Christ Church Cathedral is a cathedral of the Church of England in Oxford, England. It is the seat of the bishop of Oxford and the principal church of the diocese of Oxford. It is also the chapel of Christ Church, Oxford, Christ Church, a colle ...

. The lordship of Aubigny passed to his next brother, Ludovic Stewart (d. 1665).

Marriage and children

In 1638, at the age of 20 and secretly, he married

Katherine Howard Catherine Howard ( – 13 February 1542) was Queen of England from July 1540 until November 1541 as the fifth wife of King Henry VIII. She was the daughter of Lord Edmund Howard and Joyce Culpeper, a first cousin to Anne Boleyn (the second ...

(d. 1650), a daughter of

Theophilus Howard, 2nd Earl of Suffolk Theophilus Howard, 2nd Earl of Suffolk, (13 August 15843 June 1640) was an England, English nobleman and politician. Career Born at the family estate of Saffron Walden, he was the son of Thomas Howard, 1st Earl of Suffolk, by his second wife, ...

, without her father's consent, thus offending his guardian the king. The surviving portrait of George Stewart by

Anthony van Dyck Sir Anthony van Dyck (; ; 22 March 1599 – 9 December 1641) was a Flemish Baroque painting, Flemish Baroque artist who became the leading court painter in England after success in the Spanish Netherlands and Italy. The seventh child of ...

, now in the

National Portrait Gallery, London The National Portrait Gallery (NPG) is an art gallery in London that houses a collection of portraits of historically important and famous British people. When it opened in 1856, it was arguably the first national public gallery in the world th ...

, may have been painted to mark his marriage; the Latin inscription ''Me Firmior Amor'' ("love is stronger than me") may allude to his conflicting loyalties. His wife survived him and remarried to

James Levingston, 1st Earl of Newburgh James Livingston, 1st Earl of Newburgh (c. 1622 – 4 December 1670) was a Scotland, Scottish Peerage, peer who sat in the House of Commons of England from 1661 to 1670. He supported the Cavaliers, Royalist cause in the English Civil War. Livings ...

, and following the defeat of the Royalists both were suspected in 1648 of plotting to rescue the exiled King Charles I and on the discovery of the supposed plot fled to

the Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

where Katherine died in 1650. By Newburgh she had one further child, Elizabeth Levingston. By his wife George Stewart had two children: * Charles Stewart, 3rd Duke of Richmond, 6th Duke of Lennox (1638–1672), of Cobham Hall in Kent and of

Richmond House Richmond House is a government building in Whitehall, City of Westminster, London. Its name comes from an historic townhouse of the Duke of Richmond that once stood on the site. History Stewart Dukes of Richmond Richmond House was first built ...

in London, last in the male line of the Stewarts of Aubigny, who was the heir of his infant first cousin Esmé Stuart, 2nd Duke of Richmond, 5th Duke of Lennox (1649–1660), the son and heir of James Stewart, 1st Duke of Richmond, 4th Duke of Lennox (1612–1655), of Cobham Hall in Kent. After his death in 1672, childless but having married three times, the titles of Richmond and Lennox (which had merged into the crown respectively in 1485 on the accession of

Henry Tudor, Earl of Richmond Henry VII (28 January 1457 – 21 April 1509), also known as Henry Tudor, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from his seizure of the crown on 22 August 1485 until his death in 1509. He was the first monarch of the House of Tudor. Henry ...

as King

Henry VII of England Henry VII (28 January 1457 – 21 April 1509), also known as Henry Tudor, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from his seizure of the crown on 22 August 1485 until his death in 1509. He was the first monarch of the House of Tudor. Henr ...

), and in 1586 on the accession of King James I & VI as King of Scotland (being the heir of his paternal grandfather

Matthew Stewart, 4th Earl of Lennox Matthew Stewart, 4th Earl of Lennox (21 September 1516 – 4 September 1571) was a leader of the Catholic nobility in Scotland. He was the paternal grandfather of King James VI of Scotland. He owned Temple Newsam in Yorkshire, England. Origin ...

(d.1571)) became available for re-grant by King Charles II, and the French territorial title of Aubigny was also vacant. The Stewarts of Aubigny had been much beloved by the Stuart monarchs and Charles II conferred their titles on his last mistress Louise de Kérouaille and his illegitimate son by her Charles Lennox, 1st Duke of Richmond, 1st Duke of Lennox (1672–1723). At the request of the English king, the French king created Louise ''Duchesse d'Aubigny'' in the

peerage of France The Peerage of France () was a hereditary distinction within the French nobility which appeared in 1180 during the Middle Ages. The prestigious title and position of Peer of France () was held by the greatest, highest-ranking members of the Fr ...

, which title was inherited at her death by her grandson Charles Lennox, 2nd Duke of Richmond, 2nd Duke of Lennox, 2nd Duc d'Aubigny (1701–1750). The titles are still held today by his descendant, seated at

Goodwood House Goodwood House is a country house and estate covering in Westhampnett, Chichester, West Sussex, England and is the seat of the Duke of Richmond. The house was built in about 1600 and is a Grade I listed building. Description The house and it ...

in Sussex. * Katherine Stewart (1640–1702), of Cobham Hall in Kent, heiress of her childless brother, who later inherited via her paternal grandmother the title Baroness Clifton of Leighton Bromswold; the dukedoms passed to male heirs only. She married firstly Henry O'Brien, Lord Ibrackan, and secondly Sir Joseph Williamson.

Notes

References

* *

External links

Genealogy of George Stewart, 9th seigneur d'Aubigny on The Peerage website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stewart d'Aubigny, George, 9th Seigneur 1618 births 1642 deaths Cavaliers University of Paris alumni Younger sons of dukes Younger sons of barons Military personnel killed in action People killed in the English Civil War George Stewart, 9th Seigneur d'Aubigny 17th-century Scottish people Burials at Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford 17th-century English knights