Stewart of Darnley

Stewart of Darnley, also known as the Lennox Stewarts, were a notable Scots family, a branch of the Clan Stewart, who provided the English Stuart monarchs with their male-line Stuart descent, after the reunion of their branch with the royal Scottish branch.

In 1565 the Darnley branch was re-united with the

James VI of Scots succeeded to the throne

of England and the throne of Ireland as James I.

Lord Darnley’s claim to the Scottish throne was also not by virtue of his being a Stewart, rather he derived it through his great grandmother,

Elizabeth Hamilton, a granddaughter of James II

.

The later English kings and queens of the

Lennox

.

Origins and name

The Stewarts of Darnley were descended from

barony in Eastwood parish, Renfrewshire. It was located 1.5 mi (2.4 km) east of Barrhead, present day Darnley, within the city of Glasgow

.

In 1356,

High Steward of Scotland, granted the barony to Sir John Stewart, the eldest son of Sir Alan Stewart of Dreghorn. Like the Royal Stewarts, the Stewarts of Darnley used both the 'Stuart' and the 'Stewart

' spelling of their surname.

Ancestors

Alexander Stewart, 4th High Steward of Scotland
Sir John Stewart (d.1298)
Alan Stewart of Dreghorn (d.1333)
Alexander Stewart of Darnley (d.1374)
Alexander Stewart of Darnley (d.1404)
John Stewart of Darnley (d.1429)
Alan Stewart of Darnley (d.1439)

Lordship of Aubigny

Sir

John Stewart, 2nd Earl of Buchan, in the army of Charles VII of France. For his services, he was rewarded with the lands of Aubigny-sur-Nère and Concressault, which were given to the second son in the family so they could live in France to strengthen the Auld Alliance

.

Notable members of this branch were:

Louis XII of France during the Italian Wars
.

Robert Stewart, 5th Lord of Aubigny, Marshal of France; fought in the Battle of Marignano and the Battle of Pavia.
Battle of Edge Hill
.

Earldom of Lennox

The eldest son of Sir Alan Stewart of Darnley (d. 1439) was John Stewart, Lord Darnley, head of the House of Stewart of Darnley, who was created Earl of Lennox in 1488. He died in 1495 and was succeeded by the following descendants:

Flodden
, 1513)
John Stewart, 3rd Earl of Lennox (ob 1526)
Matthew Stewart, 4th Earl of Lennox (1516–1571)

In 1580, the head of the House of Stewart, King James VI of Scots, granted the title of Duke of Lennox to Esmé Stewart, 1st Duke of Lennox, a cousin and a member of a French branch of the Royal Stewarts.^[1]

The following English members of the House of Stewart of Darnley were styled Earls of Lennox by the English Crown, although the

King of Scots, in whose kingdom the earldom

of Lennox lay, did not recognize the title:

Charles Stuart, 1st Earl of Lennox

(1555–1576), second son of the 4th Earl of the second creation

Lady Arbella Stuart (1575–1615) (over-ridden)

Claimants to the English Throne

In 1544

Charles Stuart, 1st Earl of Lennox

, were held by contemporaries to have a credible claim to the throne of England.

Edward VI

.

In 1565

naturalized

or born in England.

By marrying Darnley, Mary neutralized a dangerous rival claim to the throne of England whilst strengthening that of her own house. In 1603 Mary and Darnley's son,

King of England, thereby uniting the crowns

of England and Scotland and laying the basis for the future United Kingdom.

References

^ Willson, David Harris (1967). King James VI and I. New York: Oxford University Press. pp. 32–33.
^ Willson 1967, p. 15.