Earl of Atholl
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The Mormaer of Earl of Atholl refers to a medieval comital
Count
A count or countess is an aristocratic nobleman in European countries. The word count came into English from the French comte, itself from Latin comes—in its accusative comitem—meaning "companion", and later "companion of the emperor, delegate of the emperor". The adjective form of the word is...
lordship straddling the highland
Scottish Highlands
The Highlands is an historic region of Scotland. The area is sometimes referred to as the "Scottish Highlands". It was culturally distinguishable from the Lowlands from the later Middle Ages into the modern period, when Lowland Scots replaced Scottish Gaelic throughout most of the Lowlands...
province of Atholl (Ath Fodhla), now in northern Perthshire
Perthshire
Perthshire, officially the County of Perth , is a registration county in central Scotland. It extends from Strathmore in the east, to the Pass of Drumochter in the north, Rannoch Moor and Ben Lui in the west, and Aberfoyle in the south...
. Atholl is a special Mormaer
Mormaer
The title of Mormaer designates a regional or provincial ruler in the medieval Kingdom of the Scots. In theory, although not always in practice, a Mormaer was second only to the King of Scots, and the senior of a toisech.-Origin:...
dom, because a King of Atholl is reported from the Pictish period. The only other two Pictish kingdoms to be known from contemporary sources are Fortriu
Fortriu
Fortriu or the Kingdom of Fortriu is the name given by historians for an ancient Pictish kingdom, and often used synonymously with Pictland in general...
and Circinn. Indeed, the early thirteenth century document known to modern scholars as the de Situ Albanie
De Situ Albanie
De Situ Albanie is the name given to the first of seven Scottish documents found in the so-called Poppleton Manuscript, now in the Bibliothèque Nationale, Paris...
repeats the claim that Atholl was an ancient Pictish kingdom. In the eleventh century, the famous Crínán of Dunkeld
Crínán of Dunkeld
Crínán of Dunkeld was the lay abbot of the diocese of Dunkeld, and perhaps the Mormaer of Atholl. Crínán was progenitor of the House of Dunkeld, the dynasty which would rule Scotland until the later 13th century....
may have performed the role of Mormaer.
Royal connections continued with Máel Muire, who was the son of King Donnchad I, and the younger brother of Máel Coluim III mac Donnchada
Malcolm III of Scotland
Máel Coluim mac Donnchada , was King of Scots...
. Matad
Matad, Earl of Atholl
Matad of Atholl was Mormaer of Atholl, 1130s-1153/9.It is possible that he was granted the Mormaerdom by a King of Scotland, as suggested by Roberts, rather than merely inheriting it. However, this is unlikely. If he did inherit it, he inherited it from his father, Máel Muire...
was perhaps the most famous of the Mormaers, fathering Harald Maddadsson
Harald Maddadsson
Harald Maddadsson was Earl of Orkney and Mormaer of Caithness from 1139 until 1206. He was the son of Matad, Mormaer of Atholl, and Margaret, daughter of Earl Haakon Paulsson of Orkney...
, a notorious rebel of the Scottish King and perhaps the first Gael
Gaël
Gaël is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department of Brittany in north-western France.It lies southwest of Rennes between Saint-Méen-le-Grand and Mauron...
to rule Orkney as Earl of Orkney
Earl of Orkney
The Earl of Orkney was originally a Norse jarl ruling Orkney, Shetland and parts of Caithness and Sutherland. The Earls were periodically subject to the kings of Norway for the Northern Isles, and later also to the kings of Alba for those parts of their territory in mainland Scotland . The Earl's...
. The line of Máel Muire and Crínán came to an end when Forbhlaith, the daughter of Mormaer Henry married David de Hastings.
The latter marriage produced a daughter, Ada, who married into the Strathbogie family, a semi-Normanized Gaelic family with Fife
Fife
Fife is a council area and former county of Scotland. It is situated between the Firth of Tay and the Firth of Forth, with inland boundaries to Perth and Kinross and Clackmannanshire...
origins. The Strathbogies ruled until the Wars of Independence, when the Campells
Clan Campbell
Clan Campbell is a Highland Scottish clan. Historically one of the largest, most powerful and most successful of the Highland clans, their lands were in Argyll and the chief of the clan became the Earl and later Duke of Argyll.-Origins:...
took over. It finally passed to the Stewarts.
Early Mormaers/Earls of Atholl
- DubdonDubdon of AthollDubdon of Atholl was Mormaer of Atholl during the reign of King Dub of Scotland. The Chronicle of the Kings of Alba says that Dubdon was killed along with Abbot Dúnchad of Dunkeld in the battle of dorsum Crup, fought between Dub and Cuilén, in which the former was victorious...
(fl.FloruitFloruit , abbreviated fl. , is a Latin verb meaning "flourished", denoting the period of time during which something was active...
960s) - ?
- CrínánCrínán of DunkeldCrínán of Dunkeld was the lay abbot of the diocese of Dunkeld, and perhaps the Mormaer of Atholl. Crínán was progenitor of the House of Dunkeld, the dynasty which would rule Scotland until the later 13th century....
? (d. 1045) - ?
- Máel Muire (fl. 1130s)
- Matad, Earl of AthollMatad, Earl of AthollMatad of Atholl was Mormaer of Atholl, 1130s-1153/9.It is possible that he was granted the Mormaerdom by a King of Scotland, as suggested by Roberts, rather than merely inheriting it. However, this is unlikely. If he did inherit it, he inherited it from his father, Máel Muire...
(d. 1151x1161) - Máel Coluim, Earl of AthollMáel Coluim, Earl of AthollMáel Coluim of Atholl was Mormaer of Atholl between 1153/9 and the 1190s.The Chronicle of Holyrood tells us that in 1186 Máel Coluim had an outlaw called Adam mac Domnaill killed at the altar of a church in Coupar, and burned 58 of his associates inside the church...
(d. 1190s) - Henry, Earl of AthollHenry, Earl of AthollHenry of Atholl, the son of Maol Choluim , was Mormaer of Atholl, Scotland, from sometime in the 1190s until his death in 1211. Henry had no sons, but did have at least two daughters - called Isabella and Forbhlaith. Before he died, Henry married off Isabella to Thomas, brother of the second most...
(d. 1211) - Isabella, Countess of AthollIsabella, Countess of AthollIsabella of Atholl was countess or ban-mormaer of Atholl, Scotland, from the death of her father Henry in 1211 until the accession of her son Padraig in 1236/7...
(d. ?)- m. Thomas of Galloway (d. 1232)
- m. (?) Alan DurwardAlan DurwardAlan Hostarius was the son of Thomas de Lundin, a grandson of Gille Críst, Mormaer of Mar. His mother's name is unknown, but she was almost certainly a daughter of Máel Coluim, Mormaer of Atholl, meaning that Alan was the product of two Gaelic comital families.Alan was one of the most important...
- Padraig, Earl of AthollPadraig, Earl of AthollPadraig or Patrick of Atholl was Mormaer of Atholl, from 1236/7 until 1241. The Chronicle of Melrose tells us that while he was lodging in Haddington, East Lothian, his enemies, "most wicked men," torched his lodging, killing both him and his two unknown companions...
(d. 1241) - Forbhlaith, Countess of AthollForbhlaith, Countess of AthollForbhlaith was the latter of two heiresses of Atholl, the other being her sister Isabella. She married David de Hastings, a French knight who already possessed minor lands in Angus. They were, however, without a son when David died in 1247...
(d. ?)- m. David de Hastings
- Ada, Countess of AthollAda, Countess of AthollAda of Atholl was the daughter of David de Hastings, England, and Forbhlaith of Atholl, Scotland.She married John de Strathbogie, a descendant of Donnchadh II, Mormaer of Fife. As a result of their union, a new dynasty of Atholl Earls, the Strathbogies, came to be born, starting with their son...
(d. 1264) m. John de Strathbogie - David de Strathbogie, 8th Earl of AthollDavid I Strathbogie, Earl of AthollDavid I Strathbogie was the first of the Strathbogie Earls of Atholl.David was the son of John de Strathbogie and Ada, suo jure Countess of Atholl....
(d. 1270) - John de Strathbogie, 9th Earl of AthollJohn de Strathbogie, 9th Earl of AthollJohn of Strathbogie was warden and Justiciary of Scotland.-Early years and family:John was born in Atholl, Perthshire, Scotland around 1266. He was the son of David I Strathbogie, Earl of Atholl , by his spouse Isabel, daughter of Richard de Dover, Baron of Chilham, Kent...
(d. 1306) - David II Strathbogie, Earl of AthollDavid II Strathbogie, Earl of AthollSir David II Strathbogie was Earl of Atholl, Constable of Scotland, and Chief Warden of Northumberland.The eldest son and heir of John Strathbogie, Earl of Atholl by his wife Marjory daughter of Donald, 10th Earl of Mar, Sir David was a prisoner in England in 1300...
(d. 1326) (forfeited)
After David II, two of others of his name claimed the lordship, though neither exercised it:
-
- David III Strathbogie, titular Earl of AthollDavid III Strathbogie, titular Earl of AthollDavid of Strathbogie was a 14th century Anglo-Scottish noble. He was born the son and heir of Sir David II Strathbogie, Earl of Atholl, Constable of Scotland and Chief Warden of Northumberland, by his spouse Joan, elder daughter of Sir John Comyn of Badenoch, Joint Guardian of Scotland.This David...
(d. 1335) - David IV Strathbogie, titular Earl of Atholl (d. 1369)
- David III Strathbogie, titular Earl of Atholl
Earls of Atholl; Second creation (1320)
- John Campbell, 1st Earl of AthollJohn Campbell, Earl of AthollJohn Campbell, Earl of Atholl was a Scottish nobleman.He was the son of Sir Neil Campbell by his wife Mary Bruce. His grandparents were Sir Cailean Mór Campbell, Afraig of Carrick, Robert de Brus, 6th Lord of Annandale and Marjorie, Countess of Carrick...
(d. 1333) inherited the property confiscated from David II Strathbogie in about 1320, but died without issue
Earls of Atholl; Third creation (1341)
- William Douglas, 1st Earl of AthollWilliam Douglas, Lord of LiddesdaleSir William Douglas, Lord of Liddesdale was also known as the Knight of Liddesdale and the Flower of Chivalry. He was a Scottish nobleman and soldier active during the Second War of Scottish Independence.-Family:...
(d. 1353) resigned his earldom upon or shortly after creation
Earls of Atholl; Fourth creation (1342)
- Other titles: Earl of StrathearnEarl of StrathearnThe Mormaer of Strathearn or Earl of Strathearn was a provincial ruler in medieval Scotland. Of unknown origin, the mormaers are attested for the first time in a document perhaps dating to 1115. The first known mormaer, Maol Íosa I is mentioned by Ailred of Rievaulx as leading native Scots in the...
(1358, abd. 1369, regained 1370)- Robert Stewart, 1st Earl of AthollRobert II of ScotlandRobert II became King of Scots in 1371 as the first monarch of the House of Stewart. He was the son of Walter Stewart, hereditary High Steward of Scotland and of Marjorie Bruce, daughter of Robert I and of his first wife Isabella of Mar...
(1316–1390), grandson of Robert IRobert I of ScotlandRobert I , popularly known as Robert the Bruce , was King of Scots from March 25, 1306, until his death in 1329.His paternal ancestors were of Scoto-Norman heritage , and...
, ceased to be Earl of Atholl in 1367, and later became King Robert II in 1371
- Robert Stewart, 1st Earl of Atholl
Earls of Atholl; Fifth creation (1398)
- Other titles: Duke of RothesayDuke of RothesayDuke of Rothesay was a title of the heir apparent to the throne of the Kingdom of Scotland before 1707, of the Kingdom of Great Britain from 1707 to 1801, and now of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland....
(1398) and Earl of CarrickEarl of CarrickThe Earl of Carrick was the head of a comital lordship of Carrick in southwestern Scotland. The title emerged in 1186, when Donnchad, son of Gille Brigte, Lord of Galloway, became Mormaer or Earl of Carrick in compensation for exclusion from the whole Lordship of Galloway...
(c. 1390)- David Stewart, Duke of RothesayDavid Stewart, Duke of RothesayDavid Stewart was the heir to the throne of Scotland from 1390 and the first Duke of Rothesay from 1398. He also held the titles of Earl of Atholl and Earl of Carrick...
, 1st Earl of Atholl (d. 1402), grandson of Robert IIRobert II of ScotlandRobert II became King of Scots in 1371 as the first monarch of the House of Stewart. He was the son of Walter Stewart, hereditary High Steward of Scotland and of Marjorie Bruce, daughter of Robert I and of his first wife Isabella of Mar...
, died without issue
- David Stewart, Duke of Rothesay
Earls of Atholl; Sixth creation (1403)
- Other titles: Duke of AlbanyDuke of AlbanyDuke of Albany is a peerage title that has occasionally been bestowed on the younger sons in the Scottish, and later the British, royal family, particularly in the Houses of Stuart and Hanover....
(1398), Earl of FifeEarl of FifeThe Earl of Fife or Mormaer of Fife referred to the Gaelic comital lordship of Fife which existed in Scotland until the early 15th century....
(1371, res. 1372) and Earl of BuchanEarl of BuchanThe Mormaer or Earl of Buchan was originally the provincial ruler of the medieval province of Buchan. Buchan was the first Mormaerdom in the High Medieval Kingdom of the Scots to pass into the hands of a non-Scottish family in the male line. The earldom had three lines in its history, not counting...
(1382, res. 1406)- Robert Stewart, Duke of Albany, 1st Earl of Atholl (1340–1420), third son of Robert IIRobert II of ScotlandRobert II became King of Scots in 1371 as the first monarch of the House of Stewart. He was the son of Walter Stewart, hereditary High Steward of Scotland and of Marjorie Bruce, daughter of Robert I and of his first wife Isabella of Mar...
, was created Earl of Atholl for the life of his brother (Robert IIIRobert III of ScotlandRobert III was King of Scots from 1390 to his death. His given name was John Stewart, and he was known primarily as the Earl of Carrick before ascending the throne at age 53...
) only. He therefore lost the earldom upon the death of his brother in 1406.
- Robert Stewart, Duke of Albany, 1st Earl of Atholl (1340–1420), third son of Robert II
Earls of Atholl; Seventh creation (1404)
- Other titles: Earl of CaithnessEarl of CaithnessEarl of Caithness is a title that has been created several times in the Peerage of Scotland, and has a very complex history. Its first grant, in the modern sense as to have been counted in strict lists of peerages, is now generally held to have taken place in favor of Maol Íosa V, Earl of...
(1375, abd c 1428–1430), Earl of Strathearn (1427 for life), Earl of Caithness (1430) and Baron Cortachy (1409)- Walter Stewart, 1st Earl of Atholl (d. 1437), sixth and youngest son of Robert IIRobert II of ScotlandRobert II became King of Scots in 1371 as the first monarch of the House of Stewart. He was the son of Walter Stewart, hereditary High Steward of Scotland and of Marjorie Bruce, daughter of Robert I and of his first wife Isabella of Mar...
, was attainted (his honours forfeit) and executed for his part in the murder of James IJames I of ScotlandJames 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...
- Walter Stewart, 1st Earl of Atholl (d. 1437), sixth and youngest son of Robert II
Earls of Atholl; Eighth creation (1457)
- Other titles: Lord of Balveny (1460)
- John Stewart, 1st Earl of AthollJohn Stewart, 1st Earl of AthollJohn Stewart, 1st Earl of Atholl , also known as Sir John Stewart of Balveny, was a Scottish nobleman and ambassador to England .-Life:...
(1440–1512) (a half-brother of James IIJames II of ScotlandJames II reigned as King of Scots from 1437 to his death.He was the son of James I, King of Scots, and Joan Beaufort...
(from a different Stewart family)) - John Stewart, 2nd Earl of AthollJohn Stewart, 2nd Earl of AthollJohn Stewart, 2nd Earl of Atholl was the second Earl of Atholl. He fought in the Battle of Flodden Field on 9 September 1513.-Biography:He was born after 1475 to John Stewart, 1st Earl of Atholl and Eleanor Sinclair. He married Lady Janet Campbell, daughter of Archibald Campbell, 2nd Earl of Argyll...
(d. 1521), only son of the 1st Earl - John Stewart, 3rd Earl of AthollJohn Stewart, 3rd Earl of AthollJohn Stewart, 3rd Earl of Atholl was the son of John Stewart, 2nd Earl of Atholl and Lady Janet Campbell, a daughter of Archibald Campbell, 2nd Earl of Argyll and Elizabeth Stuart....
(1507–1542), only son of the 2nd Earl - John Stewart, 4th Earl of AthollJohn 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...
(d. 1579), only son of the 3rd Earl - John Stewart, 5th Earl of Atholl (1563–1595), only son of the 4th Earl, died without issue
- John Stewart, 1st Earl of Atholl
Earls of Atholl; Ninth creation (1596)
- Other titles: Lord Innermeath (1469)
- John Stewart, 1st Earl of Atholl (1566–1603) (only son of the 5th Lord Innermeath)
- James Stewart, 2nd Earl of Atholl (d. 1625) (only son of the 1st Earl, died without issue and both titles became extinct)