David Beaton
David Beaton (also Bethune , * around 1494 ; † May 29, 1546 in St Andrews , Fife ) was Archbishop of Saint Andrews and Cardinal .
Life
He came from the Scottish line of the French noble family Béthune . He was a younger son of John Bethune (around 1460-1524), 6th Laird of the feudal barony Balfour in Fife .
After studying at the universities and the college of St. Andrews , Paris and Glasgow , Beaton first worked at the French court as envoy and ambassador of the Scottish reign and in 1525 secret seal keeper of Jacob V of Scotland . Under the protection of King Francis I , he soon became Bishop of Mirepoix in Languedoc , because he had been negotiating with Madeleine de Valois since 1533 because of Jacob's marriage and, after her death in 1537, with Marie de Guise , and later with Pope Paul III. elevated to cardinal. Since December 20, 1538 "Scottish" cardinal (titular church: Santo Stefano al Monte Celio ) of St Andrews and primate of the empire, he was papal legate since 1544 .
Beaton took full possession of the weak King Jacob, divided him with his nobility and drove him to persecute the Protestants . After Jacob's death (1542), on the basis of an alleged will of the king, he claimed the reign of the minor Maria Stuart ; but Parliament awarded it to the Earl of Arran and had Beaton arrested in 1543. But this soon escaped, reconciled with Arran and was now the most distinguished opponent of the connection between Scotland and England and the plans of Henry VIII to win Maria Stuart's hand for his son. His severity against the Protestants, whose ardent preacher George Wishart he executed on March 28, 1546, brought about his death. Attacked and murdered by conspiratorial nobles in his castle on May 29, 1546, he was hung in a cardinal's suit on the same window from which he had watched Wishart's burning two months earlier.
His political views corresponded to those of the Scottish-French alliance and were shaped by the opposition to the Anglican counter-movement.
In 1823, William Tennant's drama Cardinal Beaton appeared , based on Beaton's life.
progeny
With his mistress Mariota Ogilvy († 1575), daughter of James Ogilvy, 1st Lord Ogilvy of Airlie , he had four illegitimate children:
- Margaret Bethune (around 1525 – after 1583) ⚭ David Lindsay, 10th Earl of Crawford ;
- David Bethune of Melgund (around 1530–1589);
- Alexander Bethune of Hospitalfield and Carsgownie (* around 1532);
- Agnes Bethune (around 1540 – after 1600), ⚭ (1) James Auchterlonie of Auchterlonie, ⚭ (2) Sir Alexander Gordon of Gight.
literature
- Nigel M. de S. Cameron et al. (Ed.): Dictionary of Scottish Church History and Theology. T & T Clark, Edinburgh 1993, ISBN 0-567-09650-5 .
- Margaret HB Sanderson: Cardinal of Scotland. David Beaton, c. 1494-1546. Revised edition. John Donald, Edinburgh 2001, ISBN 0-85976-522-9 .
- Ronny Baier: Beaton, David. In: Biographisch-Bibliographisches Kirchenlexikon (BBKL). Volume 22, Bautz, Nordhausen 2003, ISBN 3-88309-133-2 , Sp. 68-75.
Web links
- Beaton, David. In: Salvador Miranda : The Cardinals of the Holy Roman Church. ( Florida International University website), accessed May 24, 2017.
- Cardinal David Bethune on thepeerage.com
| predecessor | Office | successor |
|---|---|---|
| James Beaton |
Archbishop of St Andrews 1539–1546 |
John Hamilton |
| Philippe de Lévis-Léran |
Bishop of Mirepoix 1537–1546 |
Claude de La Guiche |
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Beaton, David |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Bethune, David |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Scottish Cardinal and Archbishop of St Andrews |
| DATE OF BIRTH | around 1494 |
| DATE OF DEATH | May 29, 1546 |
| Place of death | St Andrews |