Alexander Comyn, 6th Earl of Buchan

Alexander Comyn, 6th Earl of Buchan (* around 1215, † after July 10, 1289 ) was a Scottish nobleman and one of the most influential political figures in Scotland in the 13th century. He held a number of political offices, including that of Justice of Scotland. He served twice as the Guardian of Scotland.

Origin, inheritance and marriage

Alexander Comyn came from the Comyn clan . He was the eldest son of William Comyn, Earl of Buchan by his second marriage to Marjory, 5th Countess of Buchan . He came from a large family. With William and Fergus he had two younger brothers and three sisters, plus several half-siblings from his father's first marriage. His father had acquired the title of Earl of Buchan through his marriage to Marjory , but after his death in 1233 Marjory remained Countess of Buchan in her own right until her death around 1244.

The Earldom Buchan was ruled by the castles of Kingedward , Dundarg , Cairnbulg , Rattray , Slains and Ellon , Ellon was the center of the rule, while the Deer Abbey , donated by Alexander's father around 1219, was the religious center. Kelly, with its enclosed hunting park, served as his main residence, while Newburgh was the main burgh of the manor. In addition to Buchan, Alexander Comyn also owned considerable land holdings, including an estate on the banks of the River Tay at Scone , lands in Fife and Mortlach . The important Balvenie Castle in Banffshire was an important link to Badenoch , the most important possession of his half-brother Walter Comyn .

Alexander Comyn married Elizabeth de Quincy , one of the daughters of the Anglo-Scottish magnate Roger de Quincy, 2nd Earl of Winchester . After the death of her father in 1264, she and her two sisters inherited his estates, so that Comyn came into possession of further lands in Scotland and England. His wife received estates in Fife, Galloway , Dumfriesshire and Lothian , as well as extensive lands in England, especially in the Midlands . Alexander Comyn was one of the great Anglo-Scottish barons. From around 1275 he held the post of Constable of Scotland , which his father-in-law had previously held. With this office were lands in Perth , Clackmannan , Inverness and Cowie at Stonehaven connected. Although Comyn was very politically active in Scotland and mainly looked after his northern Scottish possessions, he did not neglect his English possessions. He had this administered by authorized representatives. In 1282 he was demonstrably in Shepshed , the administrative center of his English estates in the Midlands. In the 1280s, his son John Comyn took over the management of the Leicestershire estates and his son Roger took over management of the Northamptonshire estates .

Rise to the leading Scottish magnate

Even before 1240 Comyn belonged to the retinue of the Scottish King Alexander II. In the politically troubled period from 1242 to 1258 he supported the aristocratic party dominated by the Comyns, mainly by his half-brother Walter. Between 1242 and 1244 he took part in the eviction of the Bisset family , who were potential rivals in northern Scotland and who were charged with the murder of Patrick, 5th Earl of Atholl , an ally of the Comyns. King Alexander II tried to limit the power of the Comyns by appointing Alan Durward as Justiciar . This important office became increasingly important. The Durward family were also among the rivals of the Comyns in northern Scotland, and when Alan Durward tried after the death of Alexander II in 1249, the minority of the new King Alexander III. To exploit in his favor, the Comyns saw this as a threat to their political supremacy, which led to a power struggle between the two families and their supporters. Only after an intervention by the English King Henry III. In 1251 the Comyns regained control of the government. As one of the most important members of the family, Alexander Comyn became Justiciar of Scotia in 1253 . He replaced Philip Meldrum and Michael Mowat , who had held the office together. When the king was a minor, as low-ranking barons, they had too little influence for the important office. After another English intervention, Alan Durward succeeded in 1255 in breaking the dominant position of the Comyns. Alexander Comyn was replaced as legal advisor. In 1257, however, the Comyns seized the young king, regaining control of the government. In 1258 the Comyns allied themselves with the Welsh princes under Llywelyn ap Gruffydd , with Alexander Comyn again acting as Justiciar of Scotia. Eventually, the Comyns reached a compromise with Alan Durward on a division of power. After this compromise, Alexander Comyn retained the office of Justiciar of Scotia. After the death of his half-brother Walter in late 1258, he also became the political leader of the Comyn family.

Political activity under Alexander III.

As justiciar of Scotia, Alexander Comyn was one of the most important advisors to Alexander III after 1258. and the leader of the nobles at the royal court. He supported the policy of the king and was often the first magnate to witness royal documents. Thanks to his help, the king was able to expand his authority in south-west and north Scotland. In 1263 he had a leading role in repelling the Norwegian attack on western Scotland . He then supported the restoration of royal Scottish administration as sheriff of Wigtown and Dingwall and as Baillie of Inverie between 1263 and 1266. Due to his duties in Scotland, Comyn did not take part in the English campaign against Wales in 1276 , to which he was called as the English crown vassal. Instead, he paid a sign of 50 marks . In 1282 the Scottish king himself excused Comyn's absence during the renewed campaign against Wales , as he was on an important mission to the remote islands of West Scotland on the king's behalf . The exact reason for this trip is not known, instead of Alexander Comyn his son Roger took part in the campaign. In 1281 Comyn took part in negotiations about the marriage of the king's daughter Margaret to King Erik II of Norway . After the death of Alexander , the only son of the king in 1284, he participated in the parliament in Scone, where Margaret of Norway , daughter of Alexander's daughter Margaret, was recognized as heir to the throne. After the death of Alexander III. In 1286 Comyn was elected as a seasoned politician to one of the six Guardians of Scotland who took over the reign of the absent Margaret of Norway. He held this office until his death. The exact date of his death is unknown, it is documented that his son John held the title of Earl of Buchan on April 6, 1290.

family

Comyn was able to expand his influence through marriage. Of his sisters, Elizabeth married the Earl of Mar, Jean the Earl of Ross , Idonea the Baron Gilbert Hay and Agnes Philip Meldrum. From his marriage to Elizabeth de Quincy, Comyn had four sons and five daughters:

John Comyn, 7th Earl of Buchan (around 1250–1308) ⚭ Isabel Macduff
Roger Comyn
Alexander Comyn († after 1308), ⚭ Joan, daughter of William Latimer, 1st Baron Latimer
William Comyn, Provost of St. Mary's Church, St Andrews
Marjorie , ⚭ Patrick Dunbar, 7th Earl of Dunbar
Emma / Agnes / Marjory , ⚭ Malise, 6th Earl of Strathearn
Elisabeth, ⚭ Gilbert de Umfraville, 7th Earl of Angus
Elena, ⚭ William Brechin
Annora , ⚭ Nicholas de Soulis

His daughters Comyn was able to marry off Scottish magnates, while his eldest son and heir, John, married a daughter of the Earl of Fife . Through these marriages Comyn's position in Scotland was not only politically but also socially secured. He had donated two poorhouses in Newburgh and Turriff , and he had made donations to the monasteries of Deer , Arbroath , Lindores , Inchcolm , Scone, and St Andrews .

literature

John Milne: Comyn, Earl of Buchan . In: James Balfour Paul (Ed.): The Scots Peerage . tape 2 : Banff-Cranstoun . David Douglas, Edinburgh 1905, p. 250–261 (English, Textarchiv - Internet Archive ).
David Laing (Ed.): Andrew of Wyntoun : The Orygynale Cronykil of Scotland . tape 2 . Edmonston and Douglas, Edinburgh 1872 ( online at www.archive.org [accessed August 31, 2014] OCR reprint: Cambridge Scholars Publishing, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, 2009, ISBN 978-1-151-43677-1 ).
Alan Young: Robert the Bruce's Rivals: The Comyns, 1213-1314 . Tuckwell Press Ltd, East Linton 1997, ISBN 978-1-86232-053-6 .

Web links

Alexander Comyn, 6th Earl of Buchan on thepeerage.com , accessed September 18, 2016.
Alan Young: Comyn, Alexander, sixth earl of Buchan (d. 1289). In: Henry Colin Gray Matthew, Brian Harrison (Eds.): Oxford Dictionary of National Biography , from the earliest times to the year 2000 (ODNB). Oxford University Press, Oxford 2004, ISBN 0-19-861411-X , ( oxforddnb.com license required ), as of 2004

Notes and individual references

^ Alan Young: Noble Families and Political Factions in the Reign of Alexander III . In: Norman H. Reid (ed.): Scotland in the Reign of Alexander III, 1249-1286 . John Donald, Edinburgh 1990, ISBN 0-85976-218-1 , p. 9.
^ ^A ^b Alan Young: Noble Families and Political Factions in the Reign of Alexander III . In: Norman H. Reid (ed.): Scotland in the Reign of Alexander III, 1249-1286 . John Donald, Edinburgh 1990, ISBN 0-85976-218-1 , p. 18.
^ Alan Young: Noble Families and Political Factions in the Reign of Alexander III . In: Norman H. Reid (ed.): Scotland in the Reign of Alexander III, 1249-1286 . John Donald, Edinburgh 1990, ISBN 0-85976-218-1 , p. 6.
^ Alan Young: Noble Families and Political Factions in the Reign of Alexander III . In: Norman H. Reid (ed.): Scotland in the Reign of Alexander III, 1249-1286 . John Donald, Edinburgh 1990, ISBN 0-85976-218-1 , p. 13.
↑ There are contradicting representations in the sources for names in italics
↑ Paul mentions three names in two different places, but does not confirm the marriage. Wyntoun confirms the marriage with the "second daughter", but does not give a name.
^ Alan Young: Noble Families and Political Factions in the Reign of Alexander III . In: Norman H. Reid (ed.): Scotland in the Reign of Alexander III, 1249-1286 . John Donald, Edinburgh 1990, ISBN 0-85976-218-1 , p. 11.

predecessor	Office	successor
William Comyn iure uxoris Marjory	Earl of Buchan 1233-1289	John Comyn
Alan Durward	Justiciar of Scotia 1258-1289	Andreas de Moravia
Office newly created	Guardian of Scotland 1249–1255 Co-regents: Walter Comyn , John de Balliol , Uilleam, 5th Earl of Mar , Robert de Keldeleth (1249–1251), Gamelin (1251–1255)	Office no longer assigned
Office newly created	Guardian of Scotland 1286–1289 Co-regents: William Fraser , Robert Wishart , John II Comyn , James Stewart , Duncan of Fife	No direct successor
Margaret, Countess of Derby	Constable of Scotland 1275-1289	John Comyn

personal data
SURNAME	Alexander Comyn, 6th Earl of Buchan
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	Scottish nobleman and regent
DATE OF BIRTH	13th Century
DATE OF DEATH	after July 10, 1289

[1] Alan Young: Noble Families and Political Factions in the Reign of Alexander III . In: Norman H. Reid (ed.): Scotland in the Reign of Alexander III, 1249-1286 . John Donald, Edinburgh 1990, ISBN 0-85976-218-1 , p. 9.

[Young18.-2] A ^b Alan Young: Noble Families and Political Factions in the Reign of Alexander III . In: Norman H. Reid (ed.): Scotland in the Reign of Alexander III, 1249-1286 . John Donald, Edinburgh 1990, ISBN 0-85976-218-1 , p. 18.

[3] Alan Young: Noble Families and Political Factions in the Reign of Alexander III . In: Norman H. Reid (ed.): Scotland in the Reign of Alexander III, 1249-1286 . John Donald, Edinburgh 1990, ISBN 0-85976-218-1 , p. 6.

[4] Alan Young: Noble Families and Political Factions in the Reign of Alexander III . In: Norman H. Reid (ed.): Scotland in the Reign of Alexander III, 1249-1286 . John Donald, Edinburgh 1990, ISBN 0-85976-218-1 , p. 13.

[5] There are contradicting representations in the sources for names in italics

[6] Paul mentions three names in two different places, but does not confirm the marriage. Wyntoun confirms the marriage with the "second daughter", but does not give a name.

[7] Alan Young: Noble Families and Political Factions in the Reign of Alexander III . In: Norman H. Reid (ed.): Scotland in the Reign of Alexander III, 1249-1286 . John Donald, Edinburgh 1990, ISBN 0-85976-218-1 , p. 11.