James the Fat
Encyclopedia
James Mor Stewart, called James the Fat, (c. 1400-1429 or 1449) was the youngest son of Murdoch Stewart, Duke of Albany and Isabella of Lennox. When his father and brothers were executed by King James I
for treason in 1425, James led a rebellion against the king, taking the town of Dumbarton and killing the keeper of Dumbarton Castle
. His success was short lived and he soon fled to Ireland
, where he would spend the remainder of his life in exile. A second attempt at rebellion in 1429 saw a fleet sail to Ireland to collect James "to convey him home that he might be king", but he died before the attempt could be made.
James's eldest son James "Beg" Stewart
was able to secure a royal pardon and return to Scotland, and was the ancestor of the Stewarts of Ardvorlich on Lochearnside
, whose family history is recounted by Sir Walter Scott in A Legend of Montrose
. His youngest son Andrew Stewart, 1st Lord Avondale
became Lord Chancellor of Scotland
in 1459, becoming one of the leading servants of King James III of Scotland
.
Little is known of James's life before the arrest of his father, the Duke of Albany, and his eldest son Alexander, for treason by King James I of Scotland
on 21 March 1425, on the 9th day of the March parliament. The family properties of Doune Castle
and Falkland Palace
were captured, and Duke Murdoch and two of his sons were imprisoned and held pending trial. James soon became a rallying point for enemies of the King, raising a large rebellion against the crown. Initially at least, events moved in his favour. He received the support of his mother's supporters in the Lennox, and also from Fionnlagh MacCailein
, Bishop of Argyll
, a long-standing supporter of the Albany Stewarts. James marched on the town of Dumbarton, burned it, and killed the keeper of the royal castle
there, Sir John Stewart of Dundonald, who was the King's uncle. However, the castle itself, commanded by John Colquhoun, successfully held out against James's men.
Among other supporters were the Clan Galbraith
, in particular the ninth chief James Galbraith of Culcreuch who joined Stewart's rebellion. As many as 600 members of the clan were forced to flee after the failure of the revolt, exiled to Kintyre
and the Isle of Gigha, where they adopted the new name of MacBhreatneaich of M'Vretny ("son of the Briton") .
, Ireland
, accompanied by the illegitimate sons of his dead brother Walter of Lennox, to escape the King's vengeance. Few details of his escape survive but it seems likely that he sought assistance from the Campbells of Lochawe, to whom he was closely linked by blood and marriage.
James would never return to his native Scotland. He remained an exile
in Ireland, a threat to the childless and insecure King James, until his death. His widowed mother and sister were however spared James' wrath and remained in Scotland.
. Moreover, the King was childless. It was not until 1430 that King James himself had a son an heir, the future King James II of Scotland
(1430–1460), and until that time the succession to his throne would be in doubt. However, as Albany had been executed for treason, and James was both under attainder and in exile, his claim would need the backing of serious military force in order to become real.
of the North and West, and against Alexander of Islay, Earl of Ross
, and Lord of the Isles
. Among the reasons for the King's campaign was that Alexander's uncle John Mór MacDonald
was thought to be harbouring and protecting James Mór, a direct threat to the King's throne.
James Mór Stewart had by now become a serious threat to King James, not merely because he was likely to have the support of Murdoch's former vassals in Lennox
, Menteith
and Fife
, but also because he had obtained the backing of Henry VI
, King of England, who complained that King James was ignoring the English King's superior status and the terms of James' release from captivity in England several years before. Now James Mór had the support of Alexander of Islay too.
King James soon undertook a bloody campaign of arrests and executions in the Western Highlands, but his efforts to force obedience were not successful. By 1429 the region was in full revolt; Alexander led an army of Highlanders to Inverness
and burned the city. In that same year a fleet was dispatched from Scotland to bring James the Fat back from Ulster 'to convey him home that he might be king'.
The English, following an intent by King James to form an alliance with the Ulster
O'Donnell
s of Tyrconnell against the MacDonalds, were themselves hostile to the Scottish king and also tried to bring James the Fat to England to act as leverage for their own purposes. The events of 1429 proved to be James Stewart's best chance of regaining his family's titles and lands, and even the greatest prize of all - the Crown of Scotland.
At this point, however, all plans were undone by the sudden death of James Stewart. As the Annals of the Four Masters
reports:
In Ireland, James became involved with an unknown woman with the surname MacDonald. Some sources suggest she was one of the daughters of Iain Mòr Tànaiste MacDhòmhnaill
, 1st Earl of Antrim, the son of John of Islay, Lord of the Isles
and Earl of Ross. James did not marry, but he had seven illegitimate children:
James' mother Isabella of Lennox was imprisoned by King James in Tantallon Castle
after the execution of her husband and children. However, in 1437 the King was himself assassinated, and soon afterwards Isabella was released from captivity, eventually recovering her lands and title. In the next few years, although forced to govern her province from her castle at Inchmurrin
, Loch Lomond
, she issued a large numbers of charters, was popular in the province, and was tolerated by King James II
. At some point after she regained her liberty, Isabella brought her young grandchildren, the children of James the Fat, to be raised at her castle at Inchmurrin
.
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...
for treason in 1425, James led a rebellion against the king, taking the town of Dumbarton and killing the keeper of 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:...
. His success was short lived and he soon fled to Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, where he would spend the remainder of his life in exile. A second attempt at rebellion in 1429 saw a fleet sail to Ireland to collect James "to convey him home that he might be king", but he died before the attempt could be made.
James's eldest son James "Beg" Stewart
James "Beg" Stewart
James "Beag" Stewart of Baldorran was the seventh illegitimate son of James Mor Stewart , who fled into exile in Ireland when his father Murdoch Stewart, Duke of Albany was executed for treason by James I of Scotland in 1425...
was able to secure a royal pardon and return to Scotland, and was the ancestor of the Stewarts of Ardvorlich on Lochearnside
Lochearnhead
Lochearnhead is a village on the A84 Stirling to Crianlarich road at the foot of Glen Ogle, north of the Highland Boundary Fault...
, whose family history is recounted by Sir Walter Scott in A Legend of Montrose
A Legend of Montrose
A Legend of Montrose is an historical novel by Sir Walter Scott, set in Scotland in the 1640s during the Civil War. It forms, along with The Bride of Lammermoor, the 3rd series of Scott's Tales of My Landlord...
. His youngest son Andrew Stewart, 1st Lord Avondale
Andrew Stewart, 1st Lord Avandale
Andrew Stewart was Lord Chancellor of Scotland from 1460 to 1482 and one of the leading servants of King James III of Scotland.-Early life:...
became Lord Chancellor of Scotland
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...
in 1459, becoming one of the leading servants of 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...
.
Biography
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...
on 21 March 1425, on the 9th day of the March parliament. The family properties of Doune Castle
Doune Castle
Doune Castle is a medieval stronghold near the village of Doune, in the Stirling district of central Scotland. The castle is sited on a wooded bend where the Ardoch Burn flows into the River Teith. It lies north-west of Stirling, where the Teith flows into the River Forth...
and Falkland Palace
Falkland Palace
Falkland Palace in Falkland, Fife, Scotland, is a former royal palace of the Scottish Kings. Today it is in the care of the National Trust for Scotland, and serves as a tourist attraction.-Early years:...
were captured, and Duke Murdoch and two of his sons were imprisoned and held pending trial. James soon became a rallying point for enemies of the King, raising a large rebellion against the crown. Initially at least, events moved in his favour. He received the support of his mother's supporters in the Lennox, and also from Fionnlagh MacCailein
Fionnlagh MacCailein
Fionnlagh MacCailein or Finlay Colini was a medieval Scottish bishop. Both his early life and the details of his career as Bishop of Dunblane are not well known, however it is known that he held the latter bishopric between 1403 and his death in 1419...
, Bishop of Argyll
Bishop of Argyll
The Bishop of Argyll or Bishop of Lismore was the ecclesiastical head of the Diocese of Argyll, one of Scotland's 13 medieval bishoprics. It was created in 1200, when the western half of the territory of the Bishopric of Dunkeld was formed into the new diocese. The bishops were based at Lismore...
, a long-standing supporter of the Albany Stewarts. James marched on the town of Dumbarton, burned it, and killed the keeper of the royal 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:...
there, Sir John Stewart of Dundonald, who was the King's uncle. However, the castle itself, commanded by John Colquhoun, successfully held out against James's men.
Among other supporters were the Clan Galbraith
Clan Galbraith
Clan Galbraith is a Scottish clan. The clan does not have a chief recognised by the Lord Lyon King of Arms. Because of this, the clan is considered an armigerous clan, and as such Clan Galbraith has no standing under Scots Law. The clan-name of Galbraith is of Gaelic origin, however its meaning...
, in particular the ninth chief James Galbraith of Culcreuch who joined Stewart's rebellion. As many as 600 members of the clan were forced to flee after the failure of the revolt, exiled to Kintyre
Kintyre
Kintyre is a peninsula in western Scotland, in the southwest of Argyll and Bute. The region stretches approximately 30 miles , from the Mull of Kintyre in the south, to East Loch Tarbert in the north...
and the Isle of Gigha, where they adopted the new name of MacBhreatneaich of M'Vretny ("son of the Briton") .
Escape to Ireland
James the Fat's rebellion was short-lived, and in the end he was able to do nothing to save his father and brothers, who were found guilty of treason by a jury of knights and peers, and executed after a perfunctory trial. At a stroke, almost all of James' family was wiped out. Only his mother, Isabella of Lennox survived the King's wrath. Later in 1425, threatened by a royal expedition, James fled to AntrimAntrim, County Antrim
Antrim is a town in County Antrim in the northeast of Northern Ireland, on the banks of the Six Mile Water, half a mile north-east of Lough Neagh. It had a population of 20,001 people in the 2001 Census. The town is the administrative centre of Antrim Borough Council...
, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, accompanied by the illegitimate sons of his dead brother Walter of Lennox, to escape the King's vengeance. Few details of his escape survive but it seems likely that he sought assistance from the Campbells of Lochawe, to whom he was closely linked by blood and marriage.
James would never return to his native Scotland. He remained an exile
Exile
Exile means to be away from one's home , while either being explicitly refused permission to return and/or being threatened with imprisonment or death upon return...
in Ireland, a threat to the childless and insecure King James, until his death. His widowed mother and sister were however spared James' wrath and remained in Scotland.
Claim to the throne
While in exile, James Stewart posed a threat to the King because he had a legitimate claim to the throne as sole surviving son of the Duke of Albany, brother to the late King Robert IIRobert II of Scotland
Robert 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...
. Moreover, the King was childless. It was not until 1430 that King James himself had a son an heir, the future King James II of Scotland
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...
(1430–1460), and until that time the succession to his throne would be in doubt. However, as Albany had been executed for treason, and James was both under attainder and in exile, his claim would need the backing of serious military force in order to become real.
Second Rebellion against the King
Meanwhile in Scotland the King's vengeance turned north to the Highlands and IslandsHighlands and Islands
The Highlands and Islands of Scotland are broadly the Scottish Highlands plus Orkney, Shetland and the Hebrides.The Highlands and Islands are sometimes defined as the area to which the Crofters' Act of 1886 applied...
of the North and West, and against Alexander of Islay, Earl of Ross
Alexander of Islay, Earl of Ross
Alexander of Islay or Alexander MacDonald was a medieval Scottish nobleman, who succeeded his father Domhnall of Islay as Lord of the Isles and rose to the rank of Earl of Ross...
, and Lord of the Isles
Lord of the Isles
The designation Lord of the Isles is today a title of Scottish nobility with historical roots that go back beyond the Kingdom of Scotland. It emerged from a series of hybrid Viking/Gaelic rulers of the west coast and islands of Scotland in the Middle Ages, who wielded sea-power with fleets of...
. Among the reasons for the King's campaign was that Alexander's uncle John Mór MacDonald
John Mór Tanister
John Mór Tanister was the second son of John Macdonald and Princess Margaret Stewart of Scotland, daughter of King Robert II. He is the founder of Clan MacDonald of Dunnyveg....
was thought to be harbouring and protecting James Mór, a direct threat to the King's throne.
James Mór Stewart had by now become a serious threat to King James, not merely because he was likely to have the support of Murdoch's former vassals in Lennox
Lennox
Lennox may refer to:* Lennox , often referred to as "The Lennox", an historic mormaerdom, earldom and then dukedom, in Stirling, Scotland* Lennox International, a global manufacturer of furnaces and central air conditioners....
, Menteith
Menteith
Menteith or Monteith , a district of south Perthshire, Scotland, roughly comprises the territory between the Teith and the Forth. The region is named for the river Teith, but the exact sense is unclear, early forms including Meneted, Maneteth and Meneteth.First recorded as the Mormaerdom of...
and 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...
, but also because he had obtained the backing of Henry VI
Henry VI of England
Henry VI was King of England from 1422 to 1461 and again from 1470 to 1471, and disputed King of France from 1422 to 1453. Until 1437, his realm was governed by regents. Contemporaneous accounts described him as peaceful and pious, not suited for the violent dynastic civil wars, known as the Wars...
, King of England, who complained that King James was ignoring the English King's superior status and the terms of James' release from captivity in England several years before. Now James Mór had the support of Alexander of Islay too.
King James soon undertook a bloody campaign of arrests and executions in the Western Highlands, but his efforts to force obedience were not successful. By 1429 the region was in full revolt; Alexander led an army of Highlanders to Inverness
Inverness
Inverness is a city in the Scottish Highlands. It is the administrative centre for the Highland council area, and is regarded as the capital of the Highlands of Scotland...
and burned the city. In that same year a fleet was dispatched from Scotland to bring James the Fat back from Ulster 'to convey him home that he might be king'.
The English, following an intent by King James to form an alliance with the Ulster
Ulster
Ulster is one of the four provinces of Ireland, located in the north of the island. In ancient Ireland, it was one of the fifths ruled by a "king of over-kings" . Following the Norman invasion of Ireland, the ancient kingdoms were shired into a number of counties for administrative and judicial...
O'Donnell
O'Donnell dynasty
O'Donnell , which is derived from the forename Domhnaill were an ancient and powerful Irish family, kings, princes, and lords of Tír Chonaill in early times, and the chief allies and sometimes...
s of Tyrconnell against the MacDonalds, were themselves hostile to the Scottish king and also tried to bring James the Fat to England to act as leverage for their own purposes. The events of 1429 proved to be James Stewart's best chance of regaining his family's titles and lands, and even the greatest prize of all - the Crown of Scotland.
At this point, however, all plans were undone by the sudden death of James Stewart. As the Annals of the Four Masters
Annals of the Four Masters
The Annals of the Kingdom of Ireland or the Annals of the Four Masters are a chronicle of medieval Irish history...
reports:
Semus Stiuard Mac Rígh Alban, & rioghdhamhna Alban beos iarna indarbadh a h-Albain i n-Erinn do écc, iar t-techt loingis ó fheraibh Alban for a chend dia Ríoghadh. James Stuart, son of the King of Scotland, and Roydamna of Scotland, who had been banished from Scotland to Ireland, died, after the arrival of a fleet from the men of Scotland to convey him home, that he might be made king.
Family and Legacy
John Mór Tanister
John Mór Tanister was the second son of John Macdonald and Princess Margaret Stewart of Scotland, daughter of King Robert II. He is the founder of Clan MacDonald of Dunnyveg....
, 1st Earl of Antrim, the son of John of Islay, Lord of the Isles
John of Islay, Lord of the Isles
John of Islay was the Lord of the Isles and chief of Clan Donald. In 1336, he styled himself Dominus Insularum, "Lord of the Isles"; because this is the first ever recorded instance of the title in use, modern historians count John as the first of the later medieval Lords of the Isles, although...
and Earl of Ross. James did not marry, but he had seven illegitimate children:
- James "Beg" StewartJames "Beg" StewartJames "Beag" Stewart of Baldorran was the seventh illegitimate son of James Mor Stewart , who fled into exile in Ireland when his father Murdoch Stewart, Duke of Albany was executed for treason by James I of Scotland in 1425...
(born c.1410–1470) was able to secure a royal pardon and return to Scotland. He married Annabel Buchanan, daughter of Patrick, 14th Lord of Buchanan, and was granted the estate "Baldorran" from his cousin John Stewart Damby in 1457. He is the ancestor of the Stewarts of Ardvorlich on Lochearnside, whose family history is recounted by Sir Walter Scott in A Legend of MontroseA Legend of MontroseA Legend of Montrose is an historical novel by Sir Walter Scott, set in Scotland in the 1640s during the Civil War. It forms, along with The Bride of Lammermoor, the 3rd series of Scott's Tales of My Landlord...
. - Murdoch Stewart, born c.1427 in Antrim, Ireland.
- Arthur Stewart, born c.1429 in Antrim, Ireland.
- Robert Stewart, born c.1433 in Antrim, Ireland.
- Matilda Stewart, born c.1435
- Alexander Stewart, born c.1437 in Antrim, Ireland.
- Andrew Stewart, 1st Lord AvondaleAndrew Stewart, 1st Lord AvandaleAndrew Stewart was Lord Chancellor of Scotland from 1460 to 1482 and one of the leading servants of King James III of Scotland.-Early life:...
. Born c.1438 in Antrim, Ireland. He became Lord of Avondale in 1459, and Lord Chancellor of ScotlandLord Chancellor of ScotlandThe 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...
in the same year, becoming one of the leading servants of King James III of ScotlandJames III of ScotlandJames 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...
. He held the office of Chancellor for 25 years, dying in 1488. He had no children.
James' mother Isabella of Lennox was imprisoned by King James in Tantallon Castle
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...
after the execution of her husband and children. However, in 1437 the King was himself assassinated, and soon afterwards Isabella was released from captivity, eventually recovering her lands and title. In the next few years, although forced to govern her province from her castle at Inchmurrin
Inchmurrin
Inchmurrin is an island in Loch Lomond in Scotland. It is the largest fresh water island in the British Isles.- Geography and geology :...
, Loch Lomond
Loch Lomond
Loch Lomond is a freshwater Scottish loch, lying on the Highland Boundary Fault. It is the largest lake in Great Britain by surface area. The lake contains many islands, including Inchmurrin, the largest fresh-water island in the British Isles, although the lake itself is smaller than many Irish...
, she issued a large numbers of charters, was popular in the province, and was tolerated by King James II
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...
. At some point after she regained her liberty, Isabella brought her young grandchildren, the children of James the Fat, to be raised at her castle at Inchmurrin
Inchmurrin
Inchmurrin is an island in Loch Lomond in Scotland. It is the largest fresh water island in the British Isles.- Geography and geology :...
.
Ancestry
External links
- James the Fat at Stewarts of Balquhidder webpage Retrieved November 2010
- James the Fat at chuckspeed.com Retrieved November 2010