Alexander of Dundonald, 4th High Steward of Scotland

Alexander of Dundonald, 4th High Steward of Scotland (* around 1220, † 1282 ) was a Scottish nobleman.

origin

Alexander of Dundonald came from the Scottish Stewart family . He was the eldest son of Walter Fitzalan and his wife Beatrice of Angus . After his father's death in 1241, he inherited his extensive estates and the hereditary position of steward of the Scottish kings. Alexander named himself after Dundonald Castle , one of the family headquarters.

Guardian and military service

Alexander testified to a royal document on the day of King Alexander II's death in 1249 and thus probably took part in the king's campaign against the West Scottish islands . During the politically troubled period of the minority of King Alexander III. he managed to almost always be on the just successful side. At first, he was likely critical of the ambitions of Walter Comyn, Earl of Menteith , who dominated the Regency Council for the underage king. However, he was at least temporarily at the royal court, demonstrably in December 1253. In August 1255 he supported the overthrow of Menteith and his followers together with other magnates. Alexander was a member of the Regency Council as the Guardian of Scotland , even after the Comyns were able to regain some of their influence in 1258. In 1260 he was one of the magnates who supported John Comyn of Badenoch in an attempt to gain the title of Earl of Menteith against Isabella , the widow of his uncle Walter Comyn. Thereupon the young king intervened and in 1261 awarded the title to Alexander's younger brother Walter . This made it clear that the king himself took over the government, with which the Regency Council was dissolved. During the war with Norway , Alexander was in command of the Scottish Army during the undecided Battle of Largs . The office of steward had lost its actual duties in the 13th century, but Alexander was able to upgrade his position significantly, in which he succeeded that he was no longer referred to as the king's steward, but as the steward of Scotland . In addition, he could probably acquire the rule of Cowal with Dunoon Castle .

Marriage and offspring

Alexander married Jean , a daughter of James Macrorie, Lord of Bute . He had at least three children with her:

• James Stewart (around 1260–1309)
• John Stewart (around 1269-1298), Laird of Bonkyl
• Elizabeth Stewart ⚭ William Douglas , Laird of Douglas

He made a pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela after 1252 , which is why he probably named one of his sons James, a name that was unusual in Scotland in the 13th century. This became his legacy.

Web links

• GWS Barrow: Alexander of Dundonald (c. 1220-1282). 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
• Alexander Stewart, 4th High Steward of Scotland on thepeerage.com , accessed September 3, 2019.

Individual evidence

1. ^ Archibald AM Duncan: Scotland. The Making of the Kingdom (The Edinburgh History of Scotland; Vol. I ). Oliver & Boyd, Edinburgh 1975. ISBN 0-05-00203-7-4 , p. 551.
2. ^ Archibald AM Duncan: Scotland. The Making of the Kingdom (The Edinburgh History of Scotland; Vol. I ). Oliver & Boyd, Edinburgh 1975. ISBN 0-05-00203-7-4 , p. 574.
3. ↑ Michael Brown: The wars of Scotland, 1214-1371 . Edinburgh University Press, Edinburgh 2004, ISBN 0-7486-1237-8 , p. 47.
4. ^ Archibald AM Duncan: Scotland. The Making of the Kingdom (The Edinburgh History of Scotland; Vol. I ). Oliver & Boyd, Edinburgh 1975. ISBN 0-05-00203-7-4 , p. 562.
5. ↑ Michael Brown: The wars of Scotland, 1214-1371 . Edinburgh University Press, Edinburgh 2004, ISBN 0-7486-1237-8 , p. 49.
6. ↑ Michael Brown: The wars of Scotland, 1214-1371 . Edinburgh University Press, Edinburgh 2004, ISBN 0-7486-1237-8 , p. 54.
7. ^ Archibald AM Duncan: Scotland. The Making of the Kingdom (The Edinburgh History of Scotland; Vol. I ). Oliver & Boyd, Edinburgh 1975. ISBN 0-05-00203-7-4 , p. 583.
8. ^ Geoffrey Barrow: The Army of Alexander's Scotland . In: Norman H. Reid (ed.): Scotland in the Reign of Alexander III, 1249-1286 . Edinburgh, John Donald 1990, ISBN 0-85976-218-1 , p. 138.
9. ^ Geoffrey Barrow, Ann Royan: James Fifth Stewart of Scotland, 1260 (?) - 1309 . In: KJ Stringer (Ed.): Essays on the Nobility of Medieval Scotland , John Donald Publishers, Edinburgh 1985, ISBN 0-85976-113-4 , p. 167.
10. ^ Geoffrey Barrow, Ann Royan: James Fifth Stewart of Scotland, 1260 (?) - 1309 . In: KJ Stringer (Ed.): Essays on the Nobility of Medieval Scotland , John Donald Publishers, Edinburgh 1985, ISBN 0-85976-113-4 , p. 166.

predecessor	Office	successor
Walter Fitzalan	High Steward of Scotland 1241-1282	James Stewart
Alexander Comyn , Walter Comyn , John de Balliol , Uilleam, 5th Earl of Mar , Gamelin	Guardian of Scotland 1255–1261 Co-regents: Alan Durward (until 1257), Patrick Dunbar, 6th Earl of Dunbar (until 1257)	no direct successor