Margaret Drummond (Mistress)
Encyclopedia
Margaret Drummond was a daughter of John Drummond, 1st Lord Drummond
and a mistress
of King James IV of Scotland
. She was a great-great-great-great-niece of the Margaret Drummond
who was King David II
's second queen.
Her death has been the subject of a very persistent romantic legend
.
and Linlithgow
. However, the king had a number of mistresses in his time, and this relationship seems to have been shorter than those he had with either Marion Boyd
or Janet Kennedy
.
and Margaret Douglas, daughter of Archibald Douglas, 5th Earl of Douglas
). Their sons were George Gordon, 4th Earl of Huntly
and Alexander Gordon (archbishop of Glasgow). She married secondly Sir John Drummond of Innerpeffry.
, their graves can still be seen in front of the altar. This did not cause a great deal of suspicion at the time; standards of food hygiene are unlikely to have been very good then, and cases of accidental food poisoning have happened in any period.
After her death the king paid for mass
es to be said for her soul, and continued to support their daughter.
agents or by pro-English elements in the Scottish
nobility
. Many believe that James IV was planning to or had already secretly married Drummond, and her death was necessary in order to allow or force the King to marry the English princess Margaret Tudor
, daughter of Henry VII of England
and Elizabeth of York
. The (comparatively recent) plaque on her grave in Dunblane Cathedral claims that she was commonly believed to be "privately married" to the king, and that she was murdered by Scottish nobles who supported the English marriage.
Furthermore, the "Marriage of the Rose and Thistle", as the poet William Dunbar
described it, brought about the Union of the Crowns
exactly 100 years later, as it enabled their great-grandson James VI of Scotland
to claim the English throne upon the death of Elizabeth I
through his descent from Henry VII.
Had James IV married Margaret Drummond instead of Margaret Tudor, the Union of the Crowns might never have taken place and Scotland might have remained an independent country. This idea has been the theme of numerous historical novels and popular histories.
Serious historians are skeptical of the theory. It is not supported by the contemporary evidence, and originates in a history of the Drummond family written by Viscount Strathallan in 1681. Her death was probably a case of accidental food poisoning, a common cause of death at that time. The idea that James had to be pressured to marry Margaret Tudor is dubious. As Scotland was the less important and poorer country, it is more likely that James IV pressured Henry VII to give him his daughter. It is also clear that negotiations for the marriage had been taking place before Margaret Drummond died.
John Drummond, 1st Lord Drummond
John Drummond, first Lord Drummond , was a Scottish statesman.Drummond, ninth successive knight of his family, was the eldest son of Sir Malcolm Drummond of Cargill and Stobhall, Perthshire, by his marriage with Mariota, eldest daughter of Sir David Murray of Tullibardine in the same county. He sat...
and a mistress
Mistress (lover)
A mistress is a long-term female lover and companion who is not married to her partner; the term is used especially when her partner is married. The relationship generally is stable and at least semi-permanent; however, the couple does not live together openly. Also the relationship is usually,...
of King James IV of Scotland
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...
. She was a great-great-great-great-niece of the Margaret Drummond
Margaret Drummond (Queen)
Margaret Drummond was the second queen of David II of Scotland and a daughter of Sir Malcolm Drummond, Knt. by his wife Margaret, née Graham....
who was King David II
David II of Scotland
David II was King of Scots from 7 June 1329 until his death.-Early life:...
's second queen.
Her death has been the subject of a very persistent romantic legend
Legend
A legend is a narrative of human actions that are perceived both by teller and listeners to take place within human history and to possess certain qualities that give the tale verisimilitude...
.
Relationship with the king
She was definitely the mistress of James IV for much of 1496, and possibly for as long as 1495 to 1497. There are records from 1496 which refer to her living in the royal castles at StirlingStirling
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 Linlithgow
Linlithgow
Linlithgow is a Royal Burgh in West Lothian, Scotland. An ancient town, it lies south of its two most prominent landmarks: Linlithgow Palace and Linlithgow Loch, and north of the Union Canal....
. However, the king had a number of mistresses in his time, and this relationship seems to have been shorter than those he had with either Marion Boyd
Marion Boyd (mistress)
Marion Boyd , also known as Margot or Margaret, was a mistress of King James IV of Scotland.They had two children: Alexander, born about 1490, and Catherine, who married James Douglas, 3rd Earl of Morton....
or Janet Kennedy
Janet Kennedy
Janet 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...
.
Family
Margaret and James IV had a daughter, Margaret Stewart. She married firstly John Gordon, Lord Gordon, (son of Alexander Gordon, 3rd Earl of HuntlyAlexander Gordon, 3rd Earl of Huntly
Alexander Gordon, 3rd Earl of Huntly was a Scottish nobleman and the 3rd Earl of Huntly. He was granted Strathavon in Banffshire and the Brae of Lochaber. He was a member of the Privy Council of Scotland.-Biography:...
and Margaret Douglas, daughter of Archibald Douglas, 5th Earl of Douglas
Archibald Douglas, 5th Earl of Douglas
Archibald Douglas was a Scottish nobleman and General, son of Archibald Douglas, 4th Earl of Douglas and Margaret Stewart, eldest daughter of Robert III...
). Their sons were George Gordon, 4th Earl of Huntly
George Gordon, 4th Earl of Huntly
George Gordon, 4th Earl of Huntly was a Scottish nobleman.-Biography:He was the son of John Gordon, Lord Gordon, and Margaret Stewart, daughter of James IV. George Gordon inherited his earldom and estates in 1524 at age 10...
and Alexander Gordon (archbishop of Glasgow). She married secondly Sir John Drummond of Innerpeffry.
Circumstances of death
It is definitely known that in 1501 she died of food poisoning, along with her sisters Eupheme and Sibylla, while staying at their parents' residence. As a general rule, claims of poisoning made in relation to a historical figure who died after a sudden illness should be treated with caution, but in this case, with three people who presumably died shortly after eating the same meal, the contemporary judgement should be accepted. The three sisters are buried together in Dunblane CathedralDunblane Cathedral
Dunblane Cathedral is the larger of the two Church of Scotland parish churches serving Dunblane, near the city of Stirling, in central Scotland.-History:...
, their graves can still be seen in front of the altar. This did not cause a great deal of suspicion at the time; standards of food hygiene are unlikely to have been very good then, and cases of accidental food poisoning have happened in any period.
After her death the king paid for mass
Mass
Mass can be defined as a quantitive measure of the resistance an object has to change in its velocity.In physics, mass commonly refers to any of the following three properties of matter, which have been shown experimentally to be equivalent:...
es to be said for her soul, and continued to support their daughter.
Murder theories
It has been widely suggested in more recent years that Margaret Drummond was murdered, either by EnglishKingdom 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...
agents or by pro-English elements in the Scottish
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...
nobility
Nobility
Nobility is a social class which possesses more acknowledged privileges or eminence than members of most other classes in a society, membership therein typically being hereditary. The privileges associated with nobility may constitute substantial advantages over or relative to non-nobles, or may be...
. Many believe that James IV was planning to or had already secretly married Drummond, and her death was necessary in order to allow or force the King to marry the English princess 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...
, daughter of Henry VII of England
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....
and Elizabeth of York
Elizabeth of York
Elizabeth of York was Queen consort of England as spouse of King Henry VII from 1486 until 1503, and mother of King Henry VIII of England....
. The (comparatively recent) plaque on her grave in Dunblane Cathedral claims that she was commonly believed to be "privately married" to the king, and that she was murdered by Scottish nobles who supported the English marriage.
Furthermore, the "Marriage of the Rose and Thistle", as the poet William Dunbar
William Dunbar
William Dunbar was a Scottish poet. He was probably a native of East Lothian, as assumed from a satirical reference in the Flyting of Dunbar and Kennedie , where, too, it is hinted that he was a member of the noble house of Dunbar....
described it, brought about the Union of the Crowns
Union of the Crowns
The Union of the Crowns was the accession of James VI, King of Scots, to the throne of England, and the consequential unification of Scotland and England under one monarch. The Union of Crowns followed the death of James' unmarried and childless first cousin twice removed, Queen Elizabeth I of...
exactly 100 years later, as it enabled their great-grandson James VI of Scotland
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...
to claim the English throne upon the death of Elizabeth I
Elizabeth I of England
Elizabeth I was queen regnant of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death. Sometimes called The Virgin Queen, Gloriana, or Good Queen Bess, Elizabeth was the fifth and last monarch of the Tudor dynasty...
through his descent from Henry VII.
Had James IV married Margaret Drummond instead of Margaret Tudor, the Union of the Crowns might never have taken place and Scotland might have remained an independent country. This idea has been the theme of numerous historical novels and popular histories.
Serious historians are skeptical of the theory. It is not supported by the contemporary evidence, and originates in a history of the Drummond family written by Viscount Strathallan in 1681. Her death was probably a case of accidental food poisoning, a common cause of death at that time. The idea that James had to be pressured to marry Margaret Tudor is dubious. As Scotland was the less important and poorer country, it is more likely that James IV pressured Henry VII to give him his daughter. It is also clear that negotiations for the marriage had been taking place before Margaret Drummond died.
External links
- Clan Drummond website which repeats dubious legends
- A pedigree of the Drummonds