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James Stewart, 1st Earl of Moray,
Regent of Scotland, (1531-1570)
Born 1531
Died 21 January 1570 Linlithgow (murdered)
Buried Edinburgh, St.Giles's
Married 10 February 1562
Lady Anne Keith,
daughter of William Keith, 3rd Earl Marischal and Margaret Keith, of
Innerugie
Died 16 July 1588 Edinburgh
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Illegitimate son of King James V by Margaret Erskine, in 1538 he received
'in commendam' the priories of St. Andrews and Pittenweem. He matriculated
at the University of St. Andrews and in April 1548 accompanied the young
Queen Mary to France. He had letters of
legitimation under the Great Seal and in December 1557 was a commissioner
to arrange the terms of the Queen's marriage. Four of the commissioners
died in France, "not without suspicion of poison". James Stewart himself
had ever after "an infirmitie of his stomacke."
After several years' association with John Knox, he joined the reformed
religion in 1559 and became one of the Lords of the Congregation. When
the Queen Regent died in 1560, he went to France to beg the return of Mary,
Queen of Scots. On her return he became her
main advisor with authority of a Prime Minister.
On 30 January 1562 he received a charter creating him Earl of Moray
and Lord Abernethy. About a week later, the day before his marriage, he
was also created Earl of Mar. He opposed Mary's marriage to Henry Darnley
and, after an attempted coup in 1565, was outlawed and took refuge in England.
Pardoned the following year, he became regent in 1567 for the infant James
VI after Mary's forced abdication. As Regent of Scotland he became known
as "the Good Regent". He defeated Mary's army at Langside in 1568. His
Protestant and pro-English policies alienated him from some nobles and
he was
murdered at Linlithgow by one of Mary's supporters, James Hamilton
of Bothwellhaugh.
Source: Leo van de Pas |
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