Alexander Comyn (knight)

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Seal of Alexander Comyn

Sir Alexander Comyn (also de Comyn ) († after 1308) was a Scottish nobleman.

origin

Alexander Comyn came from the Scottish Comyn family , which was one of the leading noble families in Scotland in the second half of the 13th century. He was a younger son of Alexander Comyn, 6th Earl of Buchan and his wife Elizabeth de Quincy . His father died before 1290, after which Alexander's older brother John inherited the family title and possessions. Alexander was knighted.

Battle on the English side in the First Scottish War of Independence

After war broke out between England and Scotland in 1296, Scotland was occupied by English troops. A rebellion broke out against English rule from 1297 onwards , which included large parts of the country. Among the leaders of the rebellion was John Comyn of Badenoch , related to Alexander Comyn , who was supported by Alexander's older brother, the Earl of Buchan. In contrast to his brother and most of the other members of his family, Alexander Comyn loyally supported English rule after 1297. Together with the pirate Lachlan Macruarie , he plundered rebel estates against the English occupation in northern Scotland in 1299. The English King Edward I rewarded him by making him Sheriff of Aberdeenshire . But even after almost all Scottish nobles had submitted to the English king in 1304, English rule was not yet secured. Comyn complained to the English government that the inhabitants of the areas he administered, but also the neighboring nobles, continued to be hostile to him as open supporters of the English. In 1305 he got into a conflict with John of Strathbogie, 9th Earl of Atholl , who had previously held the office of Sheriff of Aberdeenshire. Atholl was now judge for Scotland north of the Forth and achieved that Comyn did not get Aboyne Castle . The reason for this was that he already owned two castles, Urquhart and Tarradale , and as sheriff he was lord of Aberdeen Castle . In addition, the English government doubted his loyalty, as he was probably still allied with Lachlan Macruarie. In fact, there was a new uprising against English rule in 1306 when Robert Bruce rose to be King of Scots. After initial setbacks, Bruce was able to capture Urquhart near Loch Ness and Tarradale in Black Isle in 1308 . At the Battle of Inverurie in May 1308, Bruce defeated the Earl of Buchan, his most powerful opponent in Scotland. Buchan and probably Alexander Comyn had to flee Scotland after the defeat. The year of his death is unknown; he probably died before 1311.

The ruins of Urquhart Castle, which was temporarily owned by Alexander Comyn. Photograph from 2004.

Marriage and offspring

Comyn had married Joan , a daughter of the English nobleman William Latimer . With her he had two daughters:

His daughter Alice married the Anglo-French baron Henry de Beaumont around 1310. This later raised claims to the Comyn inheritance and became one of the leaders of the so-called disinherited who invaded Scotland with an army in 1332. This led to the Second Scottish War of Independence .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Michael Brown: The wars of Scotland, 1214-1371 . Edinburgh University Press, Edinburgh 2004, ISBN 0-7486-1237-8 , p. 193.
  2. ^ Geoffrey WS Barrow: Robert Bruce and the Community of the Realm of Scotland . Eyre & Spottiswoode, London 1965, p. 153.
  3. ^ Geoffrey WS Barrow: Robert Bruce and the Community of the Realm of Scotland . Eyre & Spottiswoode, London 1965, p. 219.
  4. ↑ Michael Brown: The wars of Scotland, 1214-1371 . Edinburgh University Press, Edinburgh 2004, ISBN 0-7486-1237-8 , p. 198.
  5. ^ Geoffrey WS Barrow: Robert Bruce and the Community of the Realm of Scotland . Eyre & Spottiswoode, London 1965, p. 152.
  6. ^ Geoffrey WS Barrow: Robert Bruce and the Community of the Realm of Scotland . Eyre & Spottiswoode, London 1965, p. 251.
personal data
SURNAME Comyn, Alexander
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Comyn, Sir Alexander; De Comyn, Alexander
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Scottish nobleman
DATE OF BIRTH 13th Century
DATE OF DEATH after 1308