Malise III of Strathearn ( Gaelic: ''Maol Íosa''; c. 12571312) was a Scottish nobleman, the ruler of the region of

Strathearn Strathearn or Strath Earn (), also the Earn Valley, is the strath of the River Earn, which flows from Loch Earn to meet the River Tay in the east of Scotland. The area covers the stretch of the river, containing a number of settlements in ...

Biography

He was the son of Malise II and his second wife Matilda, daughter of Gilbert, Earl of Orkney and Caithness. He succeeded his father on the latter's death in 1271, though for some reason he does not refer to himself as Earl until 1283, perhaps because he had not been formally infeft in the earldom. Malise helped to keep the

Kingdom of Scotland The Kingdom of Scotland was a sovereign state in northwest Europe, traditionally said to have been founded in 843. Its territories expanded and shrank, but it came to occupy the northern third of the island of Great Britain, sharing a Anglo-Sc ...

stable after the death of King Alexander, and in an example of his behaviour, he is recorded as levying the tenants of the land belonging to Inchaffray Abbey to help preserve the peace. In 1284 he had joined with other Scottish noblemen who acknowledged

Margaret, Maid of Norway Margaret (, ; March or April 1283 – September 1290), known as the Maid of Norway, was the queen-designate of Scotland from 1286 until her death. As she was never crowned, her status as monarch is uncertain and has been debated by historia ...

as the heir to Alexander. In the interregnum following Margaret's death, Malise took a prominent part in state affairs, and was involved in most of the political events of the time. Perhaps because of his marriage into the House of Comyn, he took the side of John Balliol in his competition for the throne with

Robert Bruce 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 Scotland during the First War of Scottish Independence against England. He fought successfully dur ...

, and accompanied John at the Battle of Dunbar in 1296. Later he swore fealty to

Edward I of England Edward I (17/18 June 1239 – 7 July 1307), also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots (Latin: Malleus Scotorum), was King of England from 1272 to 1307. Concurrently, he was Lord of Ireland, and from 1254 ...

, and two of his sons were taken as hostages by that king, to ensure their father's good behaviour. In 1297 he took the Earl of Fife's uncle as a prisoner for King Edward, along with his two sons. A close friend of the

Prince of Wales Prince of Wales (, ; ) is a title traditionally given to the male heir apparent to the History of the English monarchy, English, and later, the British throne. The title originated with the Welsh rulers of Kingdom of Gwynedd, Gwynedd who, from ...

(later King Edward II), he was invested in 1305 as Lieutenant of the Warden north of the Forth. In 1306 he was ordered to take the sons of the Steward of Scotland and the Earl of Atholl as hostages, but before he could complete this task, he was imprisoned in Rochester Castle because of his alleged surrender to King Robert Bruce. According to Malise, King Robert and the Earl of Atholl had marched into Strathearn and deceived and coerced him into paying Robert homage. Notwithstanding this explanation, he remained imprisoned. On petition from the Earl's wife and sons, King Edward ordered an inquiry to be made, but nothing came of this. After having been transferred to

York York is a cathedral city in North Yorkshire, England, with Roman Britain, Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers River Ouse, Yorkshire, Ouse and River Foss, Foss. It has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a Yor ...

in 1307, he was finally acquitted and set free in 1310. Malise was present on the English side when King Robert stormed Perth Castle in 1312. He died later the same year, and was entombed in Inchaffray Abbey, to the right of the high altar.

Marriage and issue

The Earl married a lady named Agnes Egidia Comyn, the second daughter of Alexander Comyn, Earl of Buchan, and wife Elizabeth (or Isabel or Isabella) de Quincy. The Countess Agnes would later be imprisoned for life for conspiring against King Robert with her nephew William Soules. Malise and Agnes had three sons and one daughter: * Malise IV, succeeded as Earl * Gilbert, went with King Edward to Flanders in 1297, and may have died or been killed there * Robert, is recorded as having been imprisoned in the

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with other Scottish youths in 1297. Nothing further is known of him * Matilda, married Robert de Toeni, Lord Toeni of Flamsted (1276–1309), son of Ralph de Toeni.

References

* Anderson, Rev'd John, "The Ancient Earls of Strathearn", in Sir James Balfour Paul (ed.
''The Scots Peerage''
Volume VIII, (Edinburgh, 1911), pp. 247–50 * Rymer, Thomas, ''Foedera Conventiones, Literae et cuiuscunque generis Acta Publica inter Reges Angliae''. London. 1745. (Latin

* Neville, Cynthia J., ''Native Lordship in Medieval Scotland: The Earldoms of Strathearn and Lennox, c. 1140-1365'', (Portland & Dublin, 2005)

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Strathearn, Malise III, Earl of 13th-century births 1317 deaths Nobility from Perth and Kinross Year of birth unknown Place of birth unknown Date of death unknown Place of death unknown Scottish people of the Wars of Scottish Independence 6 13th-century mormaers 14th-century Scottish earls