John Douglas, Lord of Balvenie
Encyclopedia
John Douglas, Lord of Balvenie (or Balveny, Balvany) (c. 1433–1463) was the youngest of the five formidable Black Douglas brothers, who clashed with King James II of Scotland
.
and his wife, Beatrice Sinclair, daughter to Henry II Sinclair, Earl of Orkney
. Of him there is not much on record prior to 1445 when his father resigned the lands of Balvenie
, Boharm, and Botriphnie
to him. He is also mentioned as an heir of entail to his brother William Douglas, 8th Earl of Douglas
in 1451
In 1448, in retaliation for English raids upon the towns of Dumfries
, by Richard Neville, 5th Earl of Salisbury
, and Dunbar
by Henry Percy, 2nd Earl of Northumberland
, Balvenie is said to have "ravaged Cumberland
and laid the town of Alnwick
in ashes.
Northumberland, having had his lands plundered gave chase to Balvenie. Balvenie meanwhile had regrouped with his brother, Hugh Douglas, Earl of Ormonde
, and on the 23rd October, met Northumberland at Gretna
, the following engagement was a decisive victory for the Douglas brothers known as the Battle of Sark
. Northumberland managed to escape, but his son Lord Poynings
was captured.
with a Safe conduct issued by the King. According to Boece
, Balvenie, along with his brothers, attacked the town of Stirling
and paraded the supposed letter of safe conduct tied to the tail of a horse.
In the years between the murder of the eighth earl, and 1455, there followed an intermittent war between the Crown and the Douglases, with King James attempting to dislodge the brothers from their position of power. Balvenie and his brothers were given safe conducts to travel in 1453 which lasted for four years.
On May 1, 1455, at the Battle of Arkinholm
, near Langholm
, Balvenie and his elder brothers, Archibald Douglas, Earl of Moray
, and Ormond were trapped by forces loyal to the crown and were defeated. Moray was killed during the battle, Ormond was captured and executed soon after, but Balvenie escaped to England
. For a time he took refuge there, along with the other surviving brother, James Douglas, 9th Earl of Douglas
. Following the defeat at Arkinholm, in the summer of 1455, all Douglas titles were declared forfeit, and their land reverted to the crown, Balvenie was specifically cited as having helped his mother fortify the Douglas castle of Abercorn
against the King. Balvenie, Douglas and their mother were outcast from Scottish society for their treasonable dealings with the English.
in 1460, Balvenie returned to Scotland with his brother after being granted an annuity by the English King of £100 from the revenues of the customs of Southampton
and other places. In an attempt to foment further rebellion by John of Islay
against the Scottish crown, the brothers ratified the Treaty of Ardtornish-Westminster, on behalf of the English with the Lord of the Isles.
For his part in these negotiations, the Scottish council of regency, put a price upon Balvenie's head of 1,200 Merk
s (the equivalent of £45,000 pounds sterling in the present day). In 1463 Balvenie was again in Scotland trying to raise men to the Douglas standard, but was captured by members of the Scotts
of Liddesdale
. He was taken to Edinburgh
, where he was incarcerated for twelve days before being beheaded.
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...
.
Early life
Balvenie was the son of James Douglas, 7th Earl of DouglasJames Douglas, 7th Earl of Douglas
James Douglas, 7th Earl of Douglas, 1st Earl of Avondale , known as "the Gross", was a Scottish nobleman. He was the second son of Archibald Douglas, 3rd Earl of Douglas and Joan Moray of Bothwell and Drumsargard , d...
and his wife, Beatrice Sinclair, daughter to Henry II Sinclair, Earl of Orkney
Henry II Sinclair, Earl of Orkney
Henry Sinclair, 2nd Earl of Orkney was a Scottish nobleman and Pantler of Scotland.-Life:He was son of Henry Sinclair, 1st Earl of Orkney by his wife Jean, daughter of John Halyburton of Dirleton. Sinclair was one of those captured following the Battle of Homildon Hill, but released on ransom...
. Of him there is not much on record prior to 1445 when his father resigned the lands of Balvenie
Balvenie Castle
Balvenie Castle is a ruined castle near Dufftown in the Moray region of Scotland.Originally known as Mortlach, it was built in the 12th century by a branch of the powerful Comyn family and extended and altered in the 15th and 16th centuries.The castle fell out of use in the early 14th century when...
, Boharm, and Botriphnie
Drummuir
Drummuir is a small village in Scotland, in the traditional county of Banffshire, and in the Moray council area. It is between Dufftown , Keith and Huntly ....
to him. He is also mentioned as an heir of entail to his brother William Douglas, 8th Earl of Douglas
William Douglas, 8th Earl of Douglas
William Douglas, 8th Earl of Douglas, 2nd Earl of Avondale was a Scottish nobleman. He was the eldest son of James Douglas, 7th Earl of Douglas and Beatrice Sinclair....
in 1451
In 1448, in retaliation for English raids upon the towns of Dumfries
Dumfries
Dumfries is a market town and former royal burgh within the Dumfries and Galloway council area of Scotland. It is near the mouth of the River Nith into the Solway Firth. Dumfries was the county town of the former county of Dumfriesshire. Dumfries is nicknamed Queen of the South...
, by Richard Neville, 5th Earl of Salisbury
Richard Neville, 5th Earl of Salisbury
Richard Neville, jure uxoris 5th Earl of Salisbury and 7th and 4th Baron Montacute, KG, PC was a Yorkist leader during the early parts of the Wars of the Roses.-Background:...
, and Dunbar
Dunbar
Dunbar is a town in East Lothian on the southeast coast of Scotland, approximately 28 miles east of Edinburgh and 28 miles from the English Border at Berwick-upon-Tweed....
by Henry Percy, 2nd Earl of Northumberland
Henry Percy, 2nd Earl of Northumberland
Henry Percy, 2nd Earl of Northumberland was an English nobleman and military commander in the lead up to the Wars of the Roses. He was the son of Henry "Hotspur" Percy, and the grandson of Henry Percy, 1st Earl of Northumberland...
, Balvenie is said to have "ravaged Cumberland
Cumberland
Cumberland is a historic county of North West England, on the border with Scotland, from the 12th century until 1974. It formed an administrative county from 1889 to 1974 and now forms part of Cumbria....
and laid the town of Alnwick
Alnwick
Alnwick is a small market town in north Northumberland, England. The town's population was just over 8000 at the time of the 2001 census and Alnwick's district population was 31,029....
in ashes.
Northumberland, having had his lands plundered gave chase to Balvenie. Balvenie meanwhile had regrouped with his brother, Hugh Douglas, Earl of Ormonde
Hugh Douglas, Earl of Ormonde
Hugh Douglas, Earl of Ormonde was a Scottish Soldier and nobleman, a member of the powerful Black Douglases.He was the fourth son of James the Gross, 7th Earl of Douglas and his wife Beatrice Lindsay, daughter of Henry II Sinclair, Earl of Orkney...
, and on the 23rd October, met Northumberland at Gretna
Gretna
-Places:In Scotland:*Gretna, Scotland in Dumfries and Galloway*Gretna GreenIn Canada:*Gretna, ManitobaIn the United States:*Gretna, Florida*Gretna, Louisiana*Gretna, Nebraska*Mount Gretna, Pennsylvania*Mount Gretna Heights, Pennsylvania...
, the following engagement was a decisive victory for the Douglas brothers known as the Battle of Sark
Battle of Sark
The Battle of Sark was fought between England and Scotland in October 1448. A large battle, it was the first significant Scottish victory over the English in over half a century, following the Battle of Otterburn of 1388...
. Northumberland managed to escape, but his son Lord Poynings
Henry Percy, 3rd Earl of Northumberland
Henry Percy, 3rd Earl of Northumberland was the son of Henry Percy, 2nd Earl of Northumberland and Lady Eleanor Neville, daughter of Ralph Neville, 1st Earl of Westmorland and his second wife Joan Beaufort.-Family:...
was captured.
Douglas rebellion
In 1452 Balvenie's eldest brother, the Earl of Douglas was murdered by King James II with his own hands. Douglas had arrived 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...
with a Safe conduct issued by the King. According to Boece
Hector Boece
Hector Boece , known in Latin as Hector Boecius or Boethius, was a Scottish philosopher and first Principal of King's College in Aberdeen, a predecessor of the University of Aberdeen.-Biography:He was born in Dundee where he attended school...
, Balvenie, along with his brothers, attacked the town of Stirling
Stirling
Stirling is a city and former ancient burgh in Scotland, and is at the heart of the wider Stirling council area. The city is clustered around a large fortress and medieval old-town beside the River Forth...
and paraded the supposed letter of safe conduct tied to the tail of a horse.
In the years between the murder of the eighth earl, and 1455, there followed an intermittent war between the Crown and the Douglases, with King James attempting to dislodge the brothers from their position of power. Balvenie and his brothers were given safe conducts to travel in 1453 which lasted for four years.
On May 1, 1455, at the Battle of Arkinholm
Battle of Arkinholm
The Battle of Arkinholm was fought on May 1, 1455, at Arkinholm near Langholm in Scotland, during the reign of King James II of Scotland.Although a small action, involving only a few hundred troops, it was the decisive battle in a civil war between the king and the Black Douglases, the most...
, near Langholm
Langholm
Langholm , also known colloquially as the "Muckle Toon", is a burgh in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, on the River Esk and the A7 road.- History:...
, Balvenie and his elder brothers, Archibald Douglas, Earl of Moray
Archibald Douglas, Earl of Moray
Archibald Douglas, Earl of Moray was a Scottish nobleman during the reign of King James II of Scotland. He was one of the five brothers from the Black Douglas family who clashed with the king....
, and Ormond were trapped by forces loyal to the crown and were defeated. Moray was killed during the battle, Ormond was captured and executed soon after, but Balvenie escaped to England
Kingdom of England
The Kingdom of England was, from 927 to 1707, a sovereign state to the northwest of continental Europe. At its height, the Kingdom of England spanned the southern two-thirds of the island of Great Britain and several smaller outlying islands; what today comprises the legal jurisdiction of England...
. For a time he took refuge there, along with the other surviving brother, James Douglas, 9th Earl of Douglas
James Douglas, 9th Earl of Douglas
James Douglas, 9th Earl of Douglas, 3rd Earl of Avondale KG was a Scottish nobleman, last of the 'Black' earls of Douglas. He was a twin, the older by a few minutes, the younger was Archibald Douglas, Earl of Moray....
. Following the defeat at Arkinholm, in the summer of 1455, all Douglas titles were declared forfeit, and their land reverted to the crown, Balvenie was specifically cited as having helped his mother fortify the Douglas castle of Abercorn
Abercorn
Abercorn is a village and parish in West Lothian, Scotland. Close to the south coast of the Firth of Forth, the village is around west of South Queensferry.-History:...
against the King. Balvenie, Douglas and their mother were outcast from Scottish society for their treasonable dealings with the English.
Return to Scotland and death
Following the death of King James at Roxburgh CastleRoxburgh Castle
Roxburgh Castle was a castle sited near Kelso, in the Borders region of Scotland, in the former Roxburghshire.-History:The castle was founded by King David I. In 1174 it was surrendered to England after the capture of William I at Alnwick, and was often in English hands thereafter. The Scots made...
in 1460, Balvenie returned to Scotland with his brother after being granted an annuity by the English King of £100 from the revenues of the customs of Southampton
Southampton
Southampton is the largest city in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England, and is situated south-west of London and north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest...
and other places. In an attempt to foment further rebellion by John of Islay
John of Islay, Earl of Ross
John of Islay was a late medieval Scottish magnate. He was Earl of Ross and last Lord of the Isles as well as being Mac Domhnaill, chief of Clan Donald....
against the Scottish crown, the brothers ratified the Treaty of Ardtornish-Westminster, on behalf of the English with the Lord of the Isles.
For his part in these negotiations, the Scottish council of regency, put a price upon Balvenie's head of 1,200 Merk
Merk
A merk was a Scottish silver coin. Originally the same word as a mark of silver, the merk was in circulation at the end of the 16th century and in the 17th century. It was originally valued at 13s 4d , later raised to 14s Scots...
s (the equivalent of £45,000 pounds sterling in the present day). In 1463 Balvenie was again in Scotland trying to raise men to the Douglas standard, but was captured by members of the Scotts
Clan Scott
Clan Scott is a Scottish clan. Clan Scott is not a Highland clan but Lowland, from the Borders region of Scotland. Families and clans from this area prefer to be known as Borderers instead of Lowlanders.-Origins:...
of 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...
. He was taken to Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
, where he was incarcerated for twelve days before being beheaded.
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 http://www.archive.org/stream/douglasbook01fras#page/n5/mode/2up - Maxwell, Sir Herbert, History of the House of Douglas II vols, London 1902 http://www.archive.org/stream/ahistoryhousedo00maxwgoog#page/n12/mode/2up
- Brenan, Gerald, A History of the House of Percy, II vols. London 1902 http://www.archive.org/stream/ahistoryhousepe01lindgoog#page/n9/mode/2up