Robert Stewart, 1st Earl of March
Encyclopedia
Robert Stewart, 1st Earl of Lennox then 1st Earl of March (born circa 1515, died 29 March 1586) was a Scottish nobleman of the family of Stewart of Darnley
.
by his wife Anne, daughter of John Stewart, 1st Earl of Atholl
, and younger brother of Matthew Stewart, 4th Earl of Lennox
. He also bore the ecclesiastical titles of Bishop of Caithness
, his grant confirmed by Pope Paul III
in January 1542, an office previously held by his maternal uncle Andrew Stewart, and Commendator
of St Andrews Cathedral Priory
.
When Matthew, 4th Earl of Lennox, died in 1571, his heir was his grandson King James VI
, as his eldest son Lord Darnley
had died in 1567, so the title merged in the Crown. It was recreated for Matthew's second son Charles
, (Darnley's younger brother), but he died without male issue in 1576. Robert Stewart was next in line, and was created Earl of Lennox
and Lord Darnley
on 16 June 1578.
In 1580 Robert resigned his Earldom of Lennox and Lordship of Darnley; they were recreated the following year for his nephew Esmé Stewart
, son of John Stewart, seigneur d'Aubigny, third son of the third Earl of Lennox. On 5 March 1580 he was created Earl of March
and Lord of Dunbar and held these titles until his death.
in Scotland. After the battle of Glasgow, in April 1543 Robert crossed the Clyde
from Dumbarton Castle
and rode to England, where he was regarded as a 'pledge' or hostage for Matthew. As the war of the Rough Wooing continued, Robert Stewart briefly occupied Dumbarton Castle against the Scottish Government of Regent Arran. Robert came from England with the support of Henry VIII
, and had sailed from Chester
with around 20 followers in May 1546 in the Katherine Goodman and a pinnace. Having borrowed the artillery of the Earl of Argyle, Arran successfully besieged the castle, which surrendered after 20 days. The siege at Dumbarton delayed Arran's action at the siege of St Andrews Castle
on the east coast of Scotland.
Rehabilitated in Scotland, Robert continued to pursue legal action with Alexander Gordon over their competition for church appointments. At the end of the war, in 1550, Robert sought permission from Arran and Guise to return to university in France, he was 28.
John Elder
, a Scottish writer who had settled in England, wrote a description of the wedding of Mary I of England
and Philip II of Spain
for Robert Stewart as a New Year's gift for 1555. Elder's letter was published, addressed to his good friend Lord Robert 'Stuarde' Bishop of Caithness and Provost of Dumbarton College.
On 6 January 1579 Lord Lennox married Lady Elizabeth Stewart (born 1549), daughter of John Stewart, 4th Earl of Atholl
and widow of Hugh Fraser, 5th Lord Lovat. They were divorced 19 May 1581 and she married James Stewart, Earl of Arran
shortly afterwards.
Stewart of Darnley
Stewart of Darnley was a notable Scots family, a branch of the House of Stewart, who provided the English Stuart monarchs with their male-line Stuart descent, after the reunion of their branch with the royal Scottish branch, which led to the ultimate union of the two main kingdoms of Great Britain:...
.
Titles
He was the second son of John Stewart, 3rd Earl of LennoxJohn Stewart, 3rd Earl of Lennox
John 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...
by his wife Anne, daughter of John Stewart, 1st Earl of Atholl
John Stewart, 1st Earl of Atholl
John Stewart, 1st Earl of Atholl , also known as Sir John Stewart of Balveny, was a Scottish nobleman and ambassador to England .-Life:...
, and younger brother of Matthew Stewart, 4th Earl of Lennox
Matthew Stewart, 4th Earl of Lennox
Matthew Stewart, 4th Earl of Lennox was the 4th Earl of Lennox, and leader of the Catholic nobility in Scotland. He was the son of John Stewart, 3rd Earl of Lennox. His grandson was James VI of Scotland....
. He also bore the ecclesiastical titles of Bishop of Caithness
Bishop of Caithness
The Bishop of Caithness was the ecclesiastical head of the Diocese of Caithness, one of Scotland's 13 medieval bishoprics. The first referenced bishop of Caithness was Aindréas, a Gael who appears in sources between 1146 and 1151 as bishop. Aindréas spent much if not all of his career outside his...
, his grant confirmed by Pope Paul III
Pope Paul III
Pope Paul III , born Alessandro Farnese, was Pope of the Roman Catholic Church from 1534 to his death in 1549. He came to the papal throne in an era following the sack of Rome in 1527 and rife with uncertainties in the Catholic Church following the Protestant Reformation...
in January 1542, an office previously held by his maternal uncle Andrew Stewart, and Commendator
Prior of St Andrews
The Prior of St Andrews was the head of the property and community of Augustinian canons of St Andrews Cathedral Priory, St Andrews, Fife, Scotland. It was established by King David I in 1140 with canons from Nostell Priory, West Yorkshire...
of St Andrews Cathedral Priory
St Andrews Cathedral Priory
St Andrews Cathedral Priory was a priory of Augustinian canons in St Andrews, Fife, Scotland. Plans were made for its foundation in the reign of Alaxandair mac Maíl Choluim , who set aside some land for that purpose. It was finally established by King David I and his son in 1140 with canons from...
.
When Matthew, 4th Earl of Lennox, died in 1571, his heir was his grandson King James VI
James I of England
James VI and I was King of Scots as James VI from 24 July 1567 and King of England and Ireland as James I from the union of the English and Scottish crowns on 24 March 1603...
, as his eldest son Lord Darnley
Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley
Henry Stewart or Stuart, 1st Duke of Albany , styled Lord Darnley before 1565, was king consort of Scotland and murdered at Kirk o'Field...
had died in 1567, so the title merged in the Crown. It was recreated for Matthew's second son Charles
Charles Stuart, 1st Earl of Lennox
Charles Stuart, 5th Earl of Lennox was the second son of Matthew Stewart, 4th Earl of Lennox and of Margaret Douglas, daughter of Margaret Tudor....
, (Darnley's younger brother), but he died without male issue in 1576. Robert Stewart was next in line, and was created Earl of Lennox
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...
and Lord Darnley
Lord Darnley
Lord Darnley is a title associated with a Scottish Lordship of Parliament first created in 1356 and tracing a descent to the Dukedom of Richmond in England. Outside the Peerage of Scotland, another Earldom of Darnley was created in the Peerage of Ireland in 1729.The first baron was Sir John...
on 16 June 1578.
In 1580 Robert resigned his Earldom of Lennox and Lordship of Darnley; they were recreated the following year for his nephew Esmé Stewart
Esmé Stewart, 1st Duke of Lennox
Esmé Stewart, 1st Duke of Lennox, 1st Earl of Lennox was the son of John Stewart, 5th Lord of Aubigny who was the younger brother of Matthew Stewart, 4th Earl of Lennox...
, son of John Stewart, seigneur d'Aubigny, third son of the third Earl of Lennox. On 5 March 1580 he was created Earl of March
Earl of March
The title The Earl of March has been created several times in the Peerage of Scotland and the Peerage of England. The title derived from the "marches" or boundaries between England and either Wales or Scotland , and was held by several great feudal families which owned lands in those border...
and Lord of Dunbar and held these titles until his death.
Life
In 1543, Matthew and Robert came to oppose the rule of Regent Arran and Mary of GuiseMary of Guise
Mary of Guise was a queen consort of Scotland as the second spouse of King James V. She was the mother of Mary, Queen of Scots, and served as regent of Scotland in her daughter's name from 1554 to 1560...
in Scotland. After the battle of Glasgow, in April 1543 Robert crossed the Clyde
River Clyde
The River Clyde is a major river in Scotland. It is the ninth longest river in the United Kingdom, and the third longest in Scotland. Flowing through the major city of Glasgow, it was an important river for shipbuilding and trade in the British Empire....
from Dumbarton Castle
Dumbarton Castle
Dumbarton Castle has the longest recorded history of any stronghold in Great Britain. It overlooks the Scottish town of Dumbarton, and sits on a plug of volcanic basalt known as Dumbarton Rock which is high.-Iron Age:...
and rode to England, where he was regarded as a 'pledge' or hostage for Matthew. As the war of the Rough Wooing continued, Robert Stewart briefly occupied Dumbarton Castle against the Scottish Government of Regent Arran. Robert came from England with the support of Henry VIII
Henry VIII of England
Henry VIII was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. He was Lord, and later King, of Ireland, as well as continuing the nominal claim by the English monarchs to the Kingdom of France...
, and had sailed from Chester
Chester
Chester is a city in Cheshire, England. Lying on the River Dee, close to the border with Wales, it is home to 77,040 inhabitants, and is the largest and most populous settlement of the wider unitary authority area of Cheshire West and Chester, which had a population of 328,100 according to the...
with around 20 followers in May 1546 in the Katherine Goodman and a pinnace. Having borrowed the artillery of the Earl of Argyle, Arran successfully besieged the castle, which surrendered after 20 days. The siege at Dumbarton delayed Arran's action at the siege of St Andrews Castle
Siege of St Andrews Castle
The Siege of St Andrews Castle followed the killing of Cardinal David Beaton by a group of Protestants at St Andrews Castle. They remained in the castle and were besieged by the Governor of Scotland. However, over 18 months the Scottish besieging forces made little impact, and the Castle finally...
on the east coast of Scotland.
Rehabilitated in Scotland, Robert continued to pursue legal action with Alexander Gordon over their competition for church appointments. At the end of the war, in 1550, Robert sought permission from Arran and Guise to return to university in France, he was 28.
John Elder
John Elder (writer)
-Life:Elder was a native of Caithness. He passed twelve years of his life at the universities of St. Andrews, Aberdeen, and Glasgow, and appears to have entered the ministry. He went to England soon after the death of James V of Scotland in 1542. At Mary's accession Elder turned Roman catholic, as...
, a Scottish writer who had settled in England, wrote a description of the wedding of Mary I of England
Mary I of England
Mary I was queen regnant of England and Ireland from July 1553 until her death.She was the only surviving child born of the ill-fated marriage of Henry VIII and his first wife Catherine of Aragon. Her younger half-brother, Edward VI, succeeded Henry in 1547...
and Philip II of Spain
Philip II of Spain
Philip II was King of Spain, Portugal, Naples, Sicily, and, while married to Mary I, King of England and Ireland. He was lord of the Seventeen Provinces from 1556 until 1581, holding various titles for the individual territories such as duke or count....
for Robert Stewart as a New Year's gift for 1555. Elder's letter was published, addressed to his good friend Lord Robert 'Stuarde' Bishop of Caithness and Provost of Dumbarton College.
On 6 January 1579 Lord Lennox married Lady Elizabeth Stewart (born 1549), daughter of John Stewart, 4th Earl of Atholl
John Stewart, 4th Earl of Atholl
-Biography:He was the son of John Stewart, 3rd Earl of Atholl and Grizel Rattray. He supported the government of the queen dowager, and in 1560 was one of the three nobles who voted in Parliament against the Reformation and the confession of faith, and declared their adherence to Roman Catholicism...
and widow of Hugh Fraser, 5th Lord Lovat. They were divorced 19 May 1581 and she married James Stewart, Earl of Arran
James Stewart, Earl of Arran
Captain James Stewart, Earl of Arran was created Earl of Arran by the young King James VI, who wrested the title from James Hamilton, 3rd Earl of Arran...
shortly afterwards.