Archibald Douglas, 5th Earl of Angus
Encyclopedia
Archibald Douglas, 5th Earl of Angus (1449 – October 1513), was a late medieval Scottish
magnate. He became known as "Bell the Cat". He became the most powerful nobleman in the realm through a successful rebellion and established his family as the most important in the kingdom.
in East Lothian
, succeeded his father, George Douglas, 4th Earl of Angus
, in 1462 or 1463 at the age of just fourteen.
In 1481, Angus became Warden of the east marches
, but the next year he joined the league against James III
and his favourite
Robert Cochrane at Lauder
. Here he earned his nickname by offering to "bell the cat" – specifically, to deal with Cochrane – beginning the attack upon him by pulling his gold chain off his neck, and then ordering the hanging of Cochrane and others of the king's favourites. (The phrase "to bell the cat
" comes from one of Aesop's fables
, "The Mice in Council"
, and refers to a dangerous task undertaken for the benefit of all.)
Subsequently he joined Alexander Stewart, Duke of Albany, in league with Edward IV of England
on 11 February 1483, signing the convention at Westminster which acknowledged the overlordship of the English king. However, in March Albany and Angus returned, outwardly at least, to their allegiance, and received pardons for their treason.
After a period of peace between them, Angus and the king again started to quarrell. Angus now decided to rebel against the king, having the support of the Scottish nobility this time, he marched against James III and they fought a battle in which the king was killed.
Angus became one of the guardians of the young king James IV
. but soon lost influence, to the Home
s and Hepburns, and the wardenship of the marches went to Alexander Home
. Though outwardly on good terms with James, Angus treacherously made a treaty with Henry VII
around 1489 or 1491, by which he undertook to govern his relations with James according to instructions from England. He also agreed to hand over Hermitage Castle
, commanding the pass through Liddesdale
into Scotland, on the condition of receiving English estates in compensation.
In October 1491 he fortified his castle of Tantallon
against James, but had to submit and to exchange his Liddesdale estate and Hermitage Castle for the lordship of Bothwell
.
In 1493 Angus again returned to favour, receiving various grants of lands. He became Chancellor
, which office he retained till 1498. In 1501, in disgrace once more, he was confined to Dumbarton Castle
. At the disaster at Flodden Field in 1513, though absent himself, Angus lost his two eldest sons. He won appointment as one of the councilors of Margaret Tudor
the queen regent. He died at the end of October 1513. His successor to the Earldom of Angus was his grandson, Archibald Douglas, 6th Earl of Angus
.
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...
magnate. He became known as "Bell the Cat". He became the most powerful nobleman in the realm through a successful rebellion and established his family as the most important in the kingdom.
Life
Angus, born about 1449 at Tantallon CastleTantallon Castle
Tantallon Castle is a mid-14th-century fortress, located east of North Berwick, in East Lothian, Scotland. It sits atop a promontory opposite the Bass Rock, looking out onto the Firth of Forth...
in East Lothian
East Lothian
East Lothian is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland, and a lieutenancy Area. It borders the City of Edinburgh, Scottish Borders and Midlothian. Its administrative centre is Haddington, although its largest town is Musselburgh....
, succeeded his father, George Douglas, 4th Earl of Angus
George Douglas, 4th Earl of Angus
George Douglas, 4th Earl of Angus, Lord Douglas, Abernethy and Jedburgh Forest was a Scottish Nobleman. He was the son of William Douglas, 2nd Earl of Angus and Margaret Hay of Yester. Known as the Great Earl of Angus, he succeeded to the Earldom following the death of his childless brother James...
, in 1462 or 1463 at the age of just fourteen.
In 1481, Angus became Warden of the east marches
Scottish Marches
Scottish Marches was the term used for the Anglo-Scottish border during the late medieval and early modern eras—from the late 13th century, with the creation by Edward I of England of the first Lord Warden of the Marches to the early 17th century and the creation of the Middle Shires, promulgated...
, but the next year he joined the league against James III
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...
and his favourite
Favourite
A favourite , or favorite , was the intimate companion of a ruler or other important person. In medieval and Early Modern Europe, among other times and places, the term is used of individuals delegated significant political power by a ruler...
Robert Cochrane at Lauder
Lauder
The Royal Burgh of Lauder is a town in the Scottish Borders 27 miles south east of Edinburgh. It is also a royal burgh in the county of Berwickshire. It lies on the edge of the Lammermuir Hills, on the Southern Upland Way.-Medieval history:...
. Here he earned his nickname by offering to "bell the cat" – specifically, to deal with Cochrane – beginning the attack upon him by pulling his gold chain off his neck, and then ordering the hanging of Cochrane and others of the king's favourites. (The phrase "to bell the cat
Bell the cat
Belling the Cat is a fable also known under the titles The Bell and the Cat and The Mice in Council. Although often attributed to Aesop, it was not recorded before the Middle Ages and has been confused with the quite different fable of Classical origin titled The Cat and the Mice. In the...
" comes from one of Aesop's fables
Aesop's Fables
Aesop's Fables or the Aesopica are a collection of fables credited to Aesop, a slave and story-teller believed to have lived in ancient Greece between 620 and 560 BCE. The fables remain a popular choice for moral education of children today...
, "The Mice in Council"
Bell the cat
Belling the Cat is a fable also known under the titles The Bell and the Cat and The Mice in Council. Although often attributed to Aesop, it was not recorded before the Middle Ages and has been confused with the quite different fable of Classical origin titled The Cat and the Mice. In the...
, and refers to a dangerous task undertaken for the benefit of all.)
Subsequently he joined Alexander Stewart, Duke of Albany, in league with Edward IV of England
Edward IV of England
Edward IV was King of England from 4 March 1461 until 3 October 1470, and again from 11 April 1471 until his death. He was the first Yorkist King of England...
on 11 February 1483, signing the convention at Westminster which acknowledged the overlordship of the English king. However, in March Albany and Angus returned, outwardly at least, to their allegiance, and received pardons for their treason.
After a period of peace between them, Angus and the king again started to quarrell. Angus now decided to rebel against the king, having the support of the Scottish nobility this time, he marched against James III and they fought a battle in which the king was killed.
Angus became one of the guardians of the young king James IV
James IV of Scotland
James IV was King of Scots from 11 June 1488 to his death. He is generally regarded as the most successful of the Stewart monarchs of Scotland, but his reign ended with the disastrous defeat at the Battle of Flodden Field, where he became the last monarch from not only Scotland, but also from all...
. but soon lost influence, to the Home
Clan Home
The Homes are a Scottish family. They were a powerful force in medieval Lothian and the Borders. The chief of the name is David Douglas-Home, 15th Earl of Home.-Origins of the clan:...
s and Hepburns, and the wardenship of the marches went to Alexander Home
Alexander Home, 1st Lord Home
Sir Alexander Home of that Ilk, 1st Lord Home was in 1448 Sheriff Deputy for Berwickshire, and was made a Lord of Parliament on 2 August 1473...
. Though outwardly on good terms with James, Angus treacherously made a treaty with Henry VII
Henry VII of England
Henry VII was King of England and Lord of Ireland from his seizing the crown on 22 August 1485 until his death on 21 April 1509, as the first monarch of the House of Tudor....
around 1489 or 1491, by which he undertook to govern his relations with James according to instructions from England. He also agreed to hand over Hermitage Castle
Hermitage Castle
Hermitage Castle is a semi-ruined castle in the border region of Scotland. It is under the care of Historic Scotland. The Castle has a reputation, both from its history and its appearance, as one of the most sinister and atmospheric in Scotland....
, commanding the pass through Liddesdale
Liddesdale
Liddesdale, the valley of the Liddel Water, in the County of Roxburgh, southern Scotland, extends in a south-westerly direction from the vicinity of Peel Fell to the River Esk, a distance of...
into Scotland, on the condition of receiving English estates in compensation.
In October 1491 he fortified his castle of Tantallon
Tantallon Castle
Tantallon Castle is a mid-14th-century fortress, located east of North Berwick, in East Lothian, Scotland. It sits atop a promontory opposite the Bass Rock, looking out onto the Firth of Forth...
against James, but had to submit and to exchange his Liddesdale estate and Hermitage Castle for the lordship of Bothwell
Bothwell
Bothwell is a small town in the South Lanarkshire council area of Scotland. It lies on the north bank of the River Clyde, adjacent to Uddingston and Hamilton, nine miles east-south-east of Glasgow city centre....
.
In 1493 Angus again returned to favour, receiving various grants of lands. He became Chancellor
Lord Chancellor of Scotland
The Lord Chancellor of Scotland was a Great Officer of State in pre-Union Scotland.Holders of the office are known from 1123 onwards, but its duties were occasionally performed by an official of lower status with the title of Keeper of the Great Seal...
, which office he retained till 1498. In 1501, in disgrace once more, he was confined to 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:...
. At the disaster at Flodden Field in 1513, though absent himself, Angus lost his two eldest sons. He won appointment as one of the councilors of Margaret Tudor
Margaret Tudor
Margaret Tudor was the elder of the two surviving daughters of Henry VII of England and Elizabeth of York, and the elder sister of Henry VIII. In 1503, she married James IV, King of Scots. James died in 1513, and their son became King James V. She married secondly Archibald Douglas, 6th Earl of...
the queen regent. He died at the end of October 1513. His successor to the Earldom of Angus was his grandson, Archibald Douglas, 6th Earl of Angus
Archibald Douglas, 6th Earl of Angus
Archibald Douglas, 6th Earl of Angus was a Scottish nobleman active during the reigns of James V and Mary, Queen of Scots...
.
Marriages and children
Angus married four times:- Catherine Seton, a natural daughter of Alexander Gordon, 1st Earl of HuntlyAlexander Gordon, 1st Earl of HuntlyAlexander Seton , 1st Earl of Huntly was a powerful 15th century Scottish magnate. He was knighted in 1439/40 and was Lord of Badenoch, & Cluny....
- on 4 March 1467: Elizabeth, daughter of Robert Boyd, 1st Lord BoydRobert Boyd, 1st Lord BoydRobert Boyd, 1st Lord Boyd Lord Boyd, was a Scottish statesman.-Biography:Robert Boyd was knighted, and was created a Peer of Parliament by James II of Scotland at some date between 1451 and 18 July 1454 . In 1460 he was one of the Regents during the minority of James III...
- about 1498: JanetJanet KennedyJanet Kennedy , the first daughter of John Kennedy, 2nd Lord Kennedy, became a mistress of King James IV of Scotland.Through her father, she was a great-great-granddaughter of King Robert III...
, daughter of John Kennedy, 2nd Lord KennedyJohn Kennedy, 2nd Lord KennedyJohn Kennedy, PC, 2nd Lord Kennedy was a Scottish lord, the son of Gilbert Kennedy, 1st Lord Kennedy.... - in 1500: Katherine Stirling.
Children by second marriage
| Name | Birth | Death | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| George Douglas, Master of Angus George Douglas, Master of Angus George Douglas, Master of Angus was a Scottish Nobleman. The son of Archibald Douglas, 5th Earl of Angus and Elizabeth Boyd, daughter of Robert Boyd, 1st Lord Boyd, he was born at Tantallon Castle and died at the Battle of Flodden.... |
1469 | 9 September 1513 | married in March 1488, Lady Elizabeth Drummond; had issue, killed at the Battle of Flodden | |
| Lady Mariot Douglas | 1470 | married Cuthbert Cunningham, 2nd Earl of Glencairn; had issue | ||
| Sir William Douglas William Douglas of Glenbervie Sir William Douglas of Glenbervie, Knt. was a Scottish nobleman, who fell at Flodden.He was the second son of Archibald Douglas, 5th Earl of Angus and his wife Elizabeth Boyd, daughter of Robert Boyd, 1st Lord Boyd... |
1471 | 9 September 1513 | married Lady Elizabeth Auchinleck; had issue, killed at the Battle of Flodden | |
| Gavin Douglas, Bishop of Dunkeld Gavin Douglas Gavin Douglas was a Scottish bishop, makar and translator. Although he had an important political career, it is for his poetry that he is now chiefly remembered. His principal pioneering achievement was the Eneados, a full and faithful vernacular translation of the Aeneid of Virgil and the first... |
1472 | |||
| Lady Elizabeth Douglas | 1474 | |||
| Sir Archibald Douglas of Kilspindie | 1475 | c.1540 | Given the nickname Greysteil Greysteil Greysteil was a medieval poem popular in 16th century Scotland, set to music and performed for James IV of Scotland and James V of Scotland. The poem was also called Syr Egeir and Syr Gryme, Eger and Grime, the names of the two knights who fight Greysteil and whose contrasted virtues are the poem's... by James V |
|
| Lady Janet Douglas | 1476 | |||
Children by third marriage
| Name |
|---|
| Lady Mary Douglas |
Sources
- Fraser, Sir WilliamWilliam Fraser (historian)Sir William Fraser, KCB, was a solicitor and notable expert in ancient Scottish history, palaeography, and genealogy....
, The Douglas Book IV vols. Edinburgh. 1885