James Douglas, 9th Earl of Douglas
James Douglas | |
|---|---|
| Earl of Douglas | |
 Quartered arms of Sir James Douglas, 9th Earl of Douglas, KG | |
| Predecessor | William Douglas, 8th Earl of Douglas |
| Successor | forfeit |
| Born | 1426 Scotland |
| Died | 1491 (aged 64–65) Lindores Abbey |
| Buried | Lindores Abbey |
| Noble family | Douglas |
| Spouse(s) | Margaret Douglas, Fair Maid of Galloway Anne Holland |
| Father | James Douglas, 7th Earl of Douglas |
| Mother | Beatrice Sinclair |
James Douglas, 9th Earl of Douglas, 3rd Earl of Avondale KG (1426–1491) was a Scottish nobleman, last of the 'Black' earls of Douglas.
Early life
The son of James the Gross, 7th Earl of Douglas, by his wife Lady Beatrice Sinclair, daughter to Henry II Sinclair, Earl of Orkney; Douglas was a twin, the older by a few minutes, the younger being Archibald Douglas, Earl of Moray.[1] James was known as "fiery face" due to a birthmark and his temper.[2]
He succeeded to the earldom on the murder of his brother William Douglas, 8th Earl of Douglas by King James II and his entourage on 22 February 1452.[3] William had been issued with a letter of safe conduct and joined the King for feasting before Lent.[4] On the second evening, he was stabbed 26 times and his body was thrown out of the window.[5] James denounced his brother's murderers, took up arms against the king, and withdrew his allegiance by disavowing his oath.[4] He and his brothers attacked Stirling a month later,[6] driving a horse through the town with the safe conduct letter given to William attached to its tail.[5] The King responded by leading a series of raids into Douglas territories in July.[7] The months of conflict that followed was tantamount to civil war.[4]
James and the King were compelled to and make an uneasy peace on 28 August 1452.
Rebellion and exile in England
Meanwhile, another branch of the Douglas family, known as the
From England, the Earl of Douglas continued to intrigue against
Following his attainder his first wife divorced him (if they ever married) so he married again to Anne Holland, the widowed daughter of John Holland, 2nd Duke of Exeter.
Capture and death
In 1484 he was taken prisoner at the battle of Lochmaben Fair, and was relegated to Lindores Abbey, where he died in or after 1491.[9]
References
- ^ Paul, James Balfour (1904–1914). The Scots peerage : founded on Wood's ed. of Sir Robert Douglas's Peerage of Scotland; containing an historical and genealogical account of the nobility of that kingdom. Robarts - University of Toronto. Edinburgh : D. Douglas.
- ^ MacPherson, Hamish (22 February 2022). "The tenacious survival of the Douglases despite the revenge plot of a king". The National. Retrieved 18 September 2024.
- ^ "James II". Oxford Reference. Retrieved 18 September 2024.
- ^ a b c McKeown, Tricia (21 February 2024). "James II and The Black Douglases". Historic Environment Scotland Blog. Retrieved 18 September 2024.
- ^ a b MacPherson, Hamish (15 February 2022). "How the tragedy that befell Clan Douglas may have inspired Game of Thrones". The National. Retrieved 18 September 2024.
- ISBN 978-0-19-158022-2.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-78885-399-6.
- ISBN 978-1-904607-82-3.
- ^ a b c d Chisholm 1911.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-78346-988-8.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-4447-4105-6.
- ISBN 978-1-904607-82-3.
Sources
- This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Douglas s.v. James Douglas, 9th Earl". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 8 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 444.
