Mary Stewart, Princess of Scotland
Encyclopedia
Princess Mary, Countess of Arran (13 May 1453 – May 1488) was the eldest daughter of King James II of Scotland
and Mary of Guelders
. Her brother was King James III of Scotland
. She married twice; firstly to Thomas Boyd, 1st Earl of Arran
; secondly to James Hamilton, 1st Lord Hamilton
. It was through her children by her second husband that the Hamilton Earls of Arran
and Stewart Lennoxes
derived their claim to the Kingdom of Scotland
.
.
, Scotland on 13 May 1453 in Scotland, the eldest daughter of King James II of Scotland and Mary of Guelders. She had four brothers including James, who would succeed to the Scottish throne as James III in 1460 upon their father's accidental death by an exploding cannon. She had a younger sister, Margaret
, who later became the mistress of William Crichton, 3rd Lord Crichton of Auchingoul, by whom she had an illegitimate daughter, Margaret, Countess of Rothes. Mary's mother died in 1463, leaving her an orphan at the age of ten.
Her paternal grandparents were King James I of Scotland
and Joan Beaufort
, and her maternal grandparents were Arnold, Duke of Guelders
and Catherine of Cleves, daughter of Adolph IV, Duke of Cleves and Marie of Burgundy
.
was given as her dowry; Thomas Boyd was subsequently created Earl of Arran. Law Castle, in Ayrshire
was built for the couple. Thomas was also appointed Great Chamberlain of Scotland for life. In 1469, Thomas was sent to escort King James's future consort Princess Margaret from Denmark to Scotland; during his absence the king became alienated from Thomas by the enemies of the Boyd clan who brought false charges of treason
against Thomas and his brother, Alexander. Mary, upon hearing that Thomas was to be summoned before the king and Parliament
to answer the charges, immediately went to the harbour of Leith
to forewarn her husband when his ship docked in July. Mary and Thomas promptly sailed to Denmark. On 22 November 1469 he was attainted, and his title, honours, and estates forfeited to the crown. She later returned to Scotland in an attempt to have her husband cleared of all charges laid against him. Upon her arrival in Scotland, King James detained her in custody in Dean Castle at Kilmarnock until her marriage was annulled. Mary's marriage to Thomas was declared void in 1473.
Thomas and Mary together had two children:
In early 1474, Mary married secondly as his second wife, James Hamilton, 1st Lord Hamilton, who was almost forty years her senior. They received a papal dispensation
on 26 April 1476 thus legitimising the two children already born to them. Together James and Mary had three children:
Mary's son by her first husband Thomas, James Boyd, 2nd Lord Boyd of Kilmarnock was killed at the age of fifteen by Lord Montgomerie
, which ignited a feud that lasted for over seventy years. Margaret, her daughter by Thomas, lived to the age of forty-eight. Although she was married twice, neither marriage produced children.
Mary died in May 1488 at the age of thirty-five.
Due to their proximity to the throne, Mary's descendants, the Hamiltons of Arran and the Stewart Lennoxes, would obtain considerable power, and play conspicuous roles in 16th century Scottish politics; especially effecting the life and reign of Mary, Queen of Scots, the great-granddaughter of her brother, James III.
James II of Scotland
James II reigned as King of Scots from 1437 to his death.He was the son of James I, King of Scots, and Joan Beaufort...
and Mary of Guelders
Mary of Guelders
Mary of Guelders was the Queen Consort of Scotland as the wife of King James II of Scotland. She served as Regent of Scotland from 1460 to 1463.-Background:...
. Her brother was King James III of Scotland
James III of Scotland
James III was King of Scots from 1460 to 1488. James was an unpopular and ineffective monarch owing to an unwillingness to administer justice fairly, a policy of pursuing alliance with the Kingdom of England, and a disastrous relationship with nearly all his extended family.His reputation as the...
. She married twice; firstly to Thomas Boyd, 1st Earl of Arran
Thomas Boyd, 1st Earl of Arran
Thomas Boyd, Earl of Arran was a Scottish nobleman.Thomas was the son of Robert, 1st Lord Boyd, who was a regent during the minority of James III. His father was able have Thomas created Earl of Arran and Baron Kilmarnock in the Peerage of Scotland and arrange Thomas' marriage to Princess Mary,...
; secondly to James Hamilton, 1st Lord Hamilton
James Hamilton, 1st Lord Hamilton
James Hamilton, 1st Lord Hamilton, 6th Lord of Cadzow was a Scottish nobleman, scholar and politician.-Early life:...
. It was through her children by her second husband that the Hamilton Earls of Arran
Earl of Arran
Earl of Arran is a title in both the Peerage of Scotland and the Peerage of Ireland. The two titles refer to different places, the Isle of Arran in Scotland, and the Aran Islands in Ireland...
and Stewart Lennoxes
Earl of Lennox
The Mormaer of Lennox or Earl of Lennox was the ruler of the long-lasting provincial Mormaerdom/Earldom of Lennox in the Medieval Kingdom of the Scots. The first Mormaer is usually regarded as Ailin I , but the genealogy of the Mormaers gives earlier names...
derived their claim to the Kingdom of Scotland
Kingdom of Scotland
The Kingdom of Scotland was a Sovereign state in North-West Europe that existed from 843 until 1707. It occupied the northern third of the island of Great Britain and shared a land border to the south with the Kingdom of England...
.
.
Family
Mary was born at Stirling CastleStirling Castle
Stirling Castle, located in Stirling, is one of the largest and most important castles, both historically and architecturally, in Scotland. The castle sits atop Castle Hill, an intrusive crag, which forms part of the Stirling Sill geological formation. It is surrounded on three sides by steep...
, Scotland on 13 May 1453 in Scotland, the eldest daughter of King James II of Scotland and Mary of Guelders. She had four brothers including James, who would succeed to the Scottish throne as James III in 1460 upon their father's accidental death by an exploding cannon. She had a younger sister, Margaret
Princess Margaret Stewart of Scotland
Margaret Stewart, Princess of Scotland was a Scottish princess of the House of Stewart. She was the younger daughter of King James II and Queen Mary of Guelders, a Dutch princess by birth...
, who later became the mistress of William Crichton, 3rd Lord Crichton of Auchingoul, by whom she had an illegitimate daughter, Margaret, Countess of Rothes. Mary's mother died in 1463, leaving her an orphan at the age of ten.
Her paternal grandparents were King James I of Scotland
James I of Scotland
James I, King of Scots , was the son of Robert III and Annabella Drummond. He was probably born in late July 1394 in Dunfermline as youngest of three sons...
and Joan Beaufort
Joan Beaufort, Queen of Scotland
Joan Beaufort was the Queen Consort of Scotland from 1424 to 1437 as the spouse of King James I of Scotland. During part of the minority of her son James II , she served as the Regent of Scotland....
, and her maternal grandparents were Arnold, Duke of Guelders
Arnold, Duke of Guelders
Arnold of Egmond was Duke of Guelders, Count of Zutphen. He was son of John II of Egmond and Maria van Arkel....
and Catherine of Cleves, daughter of Adolph IV, Duke of Cleves and Marie of Burgundy
Marie of Burgundy, Duchess of Cleves
Marie of Burgundy, Duchess of Cleves was the second child of John the Fearless and Margaret of Bavaria, and an elder sister of Philip the Good. Born in Dijon, she became the second wife of Adolph, Count of Mark in May 1415. He was made the 1st Duke of Cleves in 1417...
.
Marriages and issue
Mary was married to her first husband Thomas Boyd before 26 April 1467 when she was almost fourteen years old. The Isle of ArranIsle of Arran
Arran or the Isle of Arran is the largest island in the Firth of Clyde, Scotland, and with an area of is the seventh largest Scottish island. It is in the unitary council area of North Ayrshire and the 2001 census had a resident population of 5,058...
was given as her dowry; Thomas Boyd was subsequently created Earl of Arran. Law Castle, in Ayrshire
Ayrshire
Ayrshire is a registration county, and former administrative county in south-west Scotland, United Kingdom, located on the shores of the Firth of Clyde. Its principal towns include Ayr, Kilmarnock and Irvine. The town of Troon on the coast has hosted the British Open Golf Championship twice in the...
was built for the couple. Thomas was also appointed Great Chamberlain of Scotland for life. In 1469, Thomas was sent to escort King James's future consort Princess Margaret from Denmark to Scotland; during his absence the king became alienated from Thomas by the enemies of the Boyd clan who brought false charges of treason
Treason
In law, treason is the crime that covers some of the more extreme acts against one's sovereign or nation. Historically, treason also covered the murder of specific social superiors, such as the murder of a husband by his wife. Treason against the king was known as high treason and treason against a...
against Thomas and his brother, Alexander. Mary, upon hearing that Thomas was to be summoned before the king and Parliament
Scottish Parliament
The Scottish Parliament is the devolved national, unicameral legislature of Scotland, located in the Holyrood area of the capital, Edinburgh. The Parliament, informally referred to as "Holyrood", is a democratically elected body comprising 129 members known as Members of the Scottish Parliament...
to answer the charges, immediately went to the harbour of Leith
Leith
-South Leith v. North Leith:Up until the late 16th century Leith , comprised two separate towns on either side of the river....
to forewarn her husband when his ship docked in July. Mary and Thomas promptly sailed to Denmark. On 22 November 1469 he was attainted, and his title, honours, and estates forfeited to the crown. She later returned to Scotland in an attempt to have her husband cleared of all charges laid against him. Upon her arrival in Scotland, King James detained her in custody in Dean Castle at Kilmarnock until her marriage was annulled. Mary's marriage to Thomas was declared void in 1473.
Thomas and Mary together had two children:
- Margaret Boyd (1468–1516), married firstly, Alexander Forbes, 4th Lord Forbes; secondly Sir David Kennedy, 1st Earl of CassilisDavid Kennedy, 1st Earl of CassilisDavid Kennedy, 1st Earl of Cassilis was a Scottish peer, the son of John Kennedy, 2nd Lord Kennedy. Invested as a Knight on 29 January 1487/88 by King James III, he wed Agnes Borthwick, daughter of Sir William Borthwick, 2nd Lord Borthwick, before July 1489...
. Both marriages were childless. - James Boyd, 2nd Lord BoydJames Boyd, 2nd Lord BoydJames Boyd 2nd Lord Boyd , grandson and heir of Robert Boyd, 1st Lord Boyd being only son of Thomas Boyd, Earl of Arran, by Mary, eldest daughter of James II of Scotland, which Thomas was eldest son of the 1st Lord Boyd, but died while his father still lived, in about 1472.In 1482 on the death of...
of Kilmarnock (1469–1484)
In early 1474, Mary married secondly as his second wife, James Hamilton, 1st Lord Hamilton, who was almost forty years her senior. They received a papal dispensation
Dispensation (Catholic Church)
In the canon law of the Roman Catholic Church, a dispensation is the suspension by competent authority of general rules of law in particular cases...
on 26 April 1476 thus legitimising the two children already born to them. Together James and Mary had three children:
- James Hamilton, 1st Earl of ArranJames Hamilton, 1st Earl of ArranJames Hamilton, 1st Earl of Arran and 2nd Lord Hamilton was a Scottish nobleman and first cousin of James IV of Scotland.-Biography:...
(1475–1529), married firstly in 1490 Elizabeth Home by whom he had two daughters; he divorced Elizabeth in 1504. He married secondly in 1516, Janet Bethune, daughter of Sir David Bethune, 1st of Creich and Janet Duddlingston. by whom he had three children including his heir, James Hamilton, Duke of Châtellerault, 2nd Earl of Arran (c.1516- 22 January 1575), heir presumptiveHeir PresumptiveAn heir presumptive or heiress presumptive is the person provisionally scheduled to inherit a throne, peerage, or other hereditary honour, but whose position can be displaced by the birth of an heir or heiress apparent or of a new heir presumptive with a better claim to the position in question...
to the Kingdom of Scotland (2 July 1536 – 22 May 1540), (April 1541- 8 December 1542), (14 December 1542 – 19 June 1566), (29 July 1567 – 22 January 1575); RegentRegentA regent, from the Latin regens "one who reigns", is a person selected to act as head of state because the ruler is a minor, not present, or debilitated. Currently there are only two ruling Regencies in the world, sovereign Liechtenstein and the Malaysian constitutive state of Terengganu...
of Scotland (1542–1554)) . - Hon. Elizabeth Hamilton (died after April 1531), married 9 April 1494 Matthew Stewart, 2nd Earl of LennoxMatthew Stewart, 2nd Earl of LennoxMatthew Stewart, 2nd Earl of Lennox was a prominent Scottish nobleman. Stewart was the son of John Stewart, 1st Earl of Lennox, and Margaret Montgomerie, daughter of Alexander, Master of Montgomerie....
, by whom she had issue. The Lennox Stewarts, of whom Henry Stuart, Lord DarnleyHenry Stuart, Lord DarnleyHenry Stewart or Stuart, 1st Duke of Albany , styled Lord Darnley before 1565, was king consort of Scotland and murdered at Kirk o'Field...
, the second husband of Mary, Queen of Scots was the most notable, derived their claim to the Scottish throne from Elizabeth's son John Stewart, 3rd Earl of LennoxJohn Stewart, 3rd Earl of LennoxJohn Stewart, 3rd Earl of Lennox was a prominent Scottish magnate. He was the son of Matthew Stewart, 2nd Earl of Lennox, and Elizabeth Hamilton, daughter of James Hamilton, 1st Lord Hamilton and Mary Stewart, Princess of Scotland, daughter of King James II of Scotland.The Earl of Lennox had led...
. - Robert Hamilton, Seigneur d'Aubigny (died 1543)
Mary's son by her first husband Thomas, James Boyd, 2nd Lord Boyd of Kilmarnock was killed at the age of fifteen by Lord Montgomerie
Hugh Montgomerie, 1st Earl of Eglinton
Hugh Montgomerie, 1st Earl of Eglinton was a Scottish peer.He succeeded his father Alexander Montgomerie, as 2nd Lord Montgomerie around 1470. He fought in the Battle of Sauchieburn in 1488 against King James III of Scotland and was subsequently appointed Constable of Rothesay Castle by James IV....
, which ignited a feud that lasted for over seventy years. Margaret, her daughter by Thomas, lived to the age of forty-eight. Although she was married twice, neither marriage produced children.
Mary died in May 1488 at the age of thirty-five.
Due to their proximity to the throne, Mary's descendants, the Hamiltons of Arran and the Stewart Lennoxes, would obtain considerable power, and play conspicuous roles in 16th century Scottish politics; especially effecting the life and reign of Mary, Queen of Scots, the great-granddaughter of her brother, James III.