John Stewart ( – 11 March 1503) 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 ...

prince. He was the youngest son of King James III and his wife, Margaret of Denmark. John held the title of

Earl of Mar There are currently two earldoms of Mar in the Peerage of Scotland, and the title has been created seven times. The first creation of the earldom is currently held by Margaret of Mar, 31st Countess of Mar, who is also clan chief of Clan Mar. Th ...

. Very little is known about his life.

Life

John was probably born in late 1479. He was certainly alive by the summer of 1480. The third and youngest son of

James III of Scotland James III (10 July 1451/May 1452 – 11 June 1488) was King of Scots from 1460 until his death at the Battle of Sauchieburn in 1488. He inherited the throne as a child following the death of his father, King James II, at the siege of Roxburg ...

, John was traditionally born at

Dunfermline Palace Dunfermline Palace is a ruined former Scottish royal palace and important tourist attraction in Dunfermline, Fife, Scotland. It is currently, along with other buildings of the adjacent Dunfermline Abbey, under the care of Historic Environmen ...

. He was probably resident at

Stirling Castle Stirling Castle, located in Stirling, is one of the largest and most historically and architecturally important castles in Scotland. The castle sits atop an Intrusive rock, intrusive Crag and tail, crag, which forms part of the Stirling Sill ge ...

in 1482, alongside his mother, Margaret of Denmark, and his two elder brothers, who were both named James. John seems to have been kept at Stirling during much of his childhood. John's mother died in the castle in 1486. His father was killed at the

Battle of Sauchieburn The Battle of Sauchieburn was fought on 11 June 1488, at the side of Sauchie Burn, a stream about south of Stirling, Scotland. The battle was fought between the followers of King James III of Scotland and a large group of rebellious Scottish ...

in 1488, after which his eldest brother,

James IV James IV (17 March 1473 – 9 September 1513) was King of Scotland from 11 June 1488 until his death at the Battle of Flodden in 1513. He inherited the throne at the age of fifteen on the death of his father, James III, at the Battle of Sauch ...

, became

King of Scots The monarchy of the United Kingdom, commonly referred to as the British monarchy, is the form of government used by the United Kingdom by which a hereditary monarch reigns as the head of state, with their powers regulated by the British cons ...

. John's father granted him the title of

on 2 March 1486. In 1490, the

Scottish parliament The Scottish Parliament ( ; ) is the Devolution in the United Kingdom, devolved, unicameral legislature of Scotland. It is located in the Holyrood, Edinburgh, Holyrood area of Edinburgh, and is frequently referred to by the metonym 'Holyrood'. ...

complained that some of the rents due to John from his estates were not being collected. Alexander Home, a prominent courtier who had become keeper of

, was made John's guardian around the same time. The remainder of John's life is very obscure. Unlike his elder brother, James, Duke of Ross, he did not play any noticeable role in politics. The parliament of 1496 discussed disputes in the

earldom of Mar There are currently two earldoms of Mar in the Peerage of Scotland, and the title has been created seven times. The first creation of the earldom is currently held by Margaret of Mar, 31st Countess of Mar, who is also clan chief of Clan Mar. Th ...

without reference to John, who apparently did not attend. John died on 11 March 1503. After his death, the earldom of Mar passed to his eldest brother,

, who granted most of its estates to his courtier, Alexander Elphinstone.

Ancestry

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mar, John Stewart, Earl of

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 ...

Earls or mormaers of Mar Scottish princes 1479 births 1503 deaths 15th-century Scottish peers 16th-century Scottish peers Peers created by James III Sons of kings