Alexander Stewart, Earl of Menteith

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Seal of Alexander Stewart, Earl of Menteith

Alexander Stewart, Earl of Menteith († between March 1304 and March 1306) was a Scottish nobleman.

origin

Alexander Stewart came from the Scottish Stewart family . He was the eldest son of Walter Balloch Stewart, Earl of Menteith and his wife Mary, Countess of Menteith .

Role in the Scottish succession dispute

Alexander and his younger brother John of Menteith attended the meeting at Turnberry Castle on September 20, 1286, following their father's entourage . At this meeting gathered after the death of King Alexander III. a number of barons who supported Robert de Brus' claim to the throne . In 1292, however, it was not Brus, but his opponent John Balliiol who was appointed King of the Scots by King Edward I of England . After his father's death around 1294, Alexander inherited his father's estates and the title of Earl of Menteith .

Role in the Scottish War of Independence

A dispute arose between King John Balliol and the English King Edward I over the question of sovereignty over Scotland, which in 1296 led to war between the two empires. After the English conquest of Berwick and the massacre of the population, Menteith led a campaign of revenge to Tynedale and Redesdale in April 1296 together with the Earls of Ross and Atholl in April 1296 . Then he was one of the leaders of the Scottish armed forces that occupied Dunbar Castle . When the garrison of the castle surrendered after the Battle of Dunbar , Menteith fell into English captivity. Along with other high-ranking prisoners, he was imprisoned in the Tower of London . Like his cousin James the Steward , he submitted to the English king, was pardoned, and was the only Scot during the English administration of Scotland to hold a higher position as judge. Before October 1296 he led a campaign against the West Scottish Alexander Macdougall, Lord of Argyll, on behalf of the English king . From 1297, however, there was an uprising against the English occupation . Menteith belonged to the Scottish army in 1298, which suffered a heavy defeat in the battle of Falkirk against the English army under Edward I. He probably belonged to the Scottish cavalry, which fled early from the battlefield in view of the impending defeat. The Scots continued the fight against England, however, and Menteith was one of the magnates who, after the council meeting at Peebles in August 1299, made a raid into the English-controlled forest of Selkirk and attacked Roxburgh Castle in vain . When it came to an argument between the two Guardians Robert Bruce and John Comyn in 1301 , Menteith left the council and withdrew to his possessions in Clydesdale . After John Comyn submitted to the King of England in February 1304, Menteith and his brother John also submitted before March. The year of his death is unknown.

Marriage and offspring

Menteith married Maud de Arnot , a daughter of David de Arnot . He had several children with her, including:

His heir was first his son Alan. After his early death, his children could not claim their title. Eventually Alexander's second son Murdoch was able to win back the title.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Michael Penman: Robert the Bruce. King of the Scots . Yale University Press, New Haven 2014, ISBN 978-0-300-14872-5 , p. 25.
  2. ^ Ranald Nicholson: Scotland. The Later Middle Ages (The Edinburgh History of Scotland, Vol. II. ) Oliver and Boyd, Edinburgh 1974, ISBN 0-05-002038-2 , p. 49.
  3. ^ Geoffrey WS Barrow: Robert Bruce and the Community of the Realm of Scotland . Eyre & Spottiswoode, London 1965, p. 104.
  4. ↑ Michael Penman: Robert the Bruce. King of the Scots . Yale University Press, New Haven 2014, ISBN 978-0-300-14872-5 , p. 51.
  5. ↑ Michael Brown: The wars of Scotland, 1214-1371 . Edinburgh University Press, Edinburgh 2004, ISBN 0-7486-1237-8 , p. 176.
  6. ^ Geoffrey WS Barrow: Robert Bruce and the Community of the Realm of Scotland . Eyre & Spottiswoode, London 1965, p. 143n.
  7. ^ Geoffrey WS Barrow: Robert Bruce and the Community of the Realm of Scotland . Eyre & Spottiswoode, London 1965, p. 151.
  8. ↑ Michael Penman: Robert the Bruce. King of the Scots . Yale University Press, New Haven 2014, ISBN 978-0-300-14872-5 , p. 61.
  9. ^ Geoffrey WS Barrow: Robert Bruce and the Community of the Realm of Scotland . Eyre & Spottiswoode, London 1965, p. 153.
  10. ↑ Michael Brown: The wars of Scotland, 1214-1371 . Edinburgh University Press, Edinburgh 2004, ISBN 0-7486-1237-8 , p. 195.
predecessor Office successor
Walter Balloch Stewart
(iure uxoris Mary, Countess of Menteith ) 		Earl of Menteith
around 1294 – before 1306 		Alan Stewart
personal data
SURNAME Stewart, Alexander, Earl of Menteith
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Scottish magnate
DATE OF BIRTH 13th Century
DATE OF DEATH between March 1304 and March 1306