John Stewart, 1st Earl of Angus, Lord of Bonkyl, ''

jure uxoris ''Jure uxoris'' (a Latin phrase meaning "by right of (his) wife"), citing . describes a title of nobility used by a man because his wife holds the office or title '' suo jure'' ("in her own right"). Similarly, the husband of an heiress could beco ...

'' Lord of Abernethy (died 9 December 1331) was a medieval Scottish nobleman. Stewart was the son of Sir Alexander Stewart of Bonkyll, great-grandson of Alexander Stewart, 4th High Steward of Scotland, and Jean Fitz James, daughter of Alexander Fitz James. Sir Alexander died around 1319, and Stewart inherited his father's estates in

Berwickshire Berwickshire (; ) is a historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area in south-eastern Scotland, on the English border. The county takes its name from Berwick-upon-Tweed, its original county town, which was part of Scotland at the ...

, centered upon the barony of Bonkyll and Preston. In 1328, he married Margaret de Abernethy, heiress to the Lordship of Abernethy. Her father Sir Alexander de Abernethy was the last of the Gaelic lords of Abernethy, descendants of Gille Míchéil, Earl of Fife. Stewart assumed his wife's titles, and was further ennobled by

Robert I of Scotland Robert I (11 July 1274 – 7 June 1329), popularly known as Robert the Bruce (), was King of Scots from 1306 until his death in 1329. Robert led Kingdom of Scotland, Scotland during the First War of Scottish Independence against Kingdom of Eng ...

in 1329, being created

Earl of Angus The Mormaer or Earl of Angus was the ruler of the medieval Scottish Provinces of Scotland, province of Angus, Scotland, Angus. The title, in the Peerage of Scotland, is held by the Duke of Hamilton, and is used as a courtesy title for the eldes ...

. The Earldom of Angus had been forfeited by the previous holder, Robert de Umfreville, before 1314, for choosing the losing side during the

Wars of Scottish Independence The Wars of Scottish Independence were a series of military campaigns fought between the Kingdom of Scotland and the Kingdom of England in the late 13th and 14th centuries. The First War (1296–1328) began with the English invasion of Scotla ...

, although he continued to style himself Earl until his death in 1325. It is through John Stewart's granddaughter,

Margaret Margaret is a feminine given name, which means "pearl". It is of Latin origin, via Ancient Greek and ultimately from Iranian languages, Old Iranian. It has been an English language, English name since the 11th century, and remained popular thro ...

's illicit relationship with

William Douglas, 1st Earl of Douglas William Douglas, 1st Earl of Douglas (c. 1323 – 1 May 1384) was a Kingdom of Scotland, Scottish nobleman, peer, magnate, and head of the Black Douglas family. Under his leadership, the Black Douglases continued their climb to pre-eminence i ...

, that the Earldom of Angus, Lordship of Abernethy, and the '' comitatus'' associated with it passed on to the Douglases in the person of George Douglas (the first ''Red'' Douglas). This close connection of the Douglas Earls of Angus with the House of Stewart was to have large implications for the latter's future struggles with the Black Douglases. Stewart was knighted on 24 November 1331 on the coronation of King David II, but died just two weeks later. He was succeeded by his son Thomas Stewart, 2nd Earl of Angus.

References

, - John Stewart, 1st Earl of Angus Year of birth missing 1331 deaths People from Berwickshire Nobility from the Scottish Borders

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 ...

14th-century Scottish earls {{Scotland-earl-stub

See also

References