Duncan, 9th Earl of Fife

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Coat of arms of the Earls of Fife

Duncan, 9th Earl of Fife (also Duncan IV Macduff ; according to another count also 8th Earl of Fife ; Scottish Gaelic Donnchadh IV, Earl of Fife ) (* 1289 or 1290; † 1353 ) was a Scottish magnate .

Origin, youth and marriage

Duncan came from the Scottish MacDuff clan . He was born in late 1289 or early 1290, the posthumous child of Duncan, 8th Earl of Fife . The administration of Fife initially took over for him William Fraser , Bishop of St Andrews and one of the Guardians of Scotland . After John Balliol was made king in late 1292, he claimed the administration of Fife. In November 1294, probably because of the dispute between Balliol and Macduff , a great-uncle of Duncan, the English King Edward I claimed the administration of Fife as ruler of Scotland as long as the heir was a minor. Duncan's mother Joan de Clare was the daughter of the English magnate Gilbert de Clare, 3rd Earl of Gloucester , which is why young Duncan spent his childhood and youth not in politically troubled Scotland, but in England. Although he was still a toddler, he is mentioned in 1291 in the so-called appeal of the seven earls who stood up for Robert de Brus as king in the succession dispute. As a toddler in November 1292 he could not make the traditional installation of John Balliol as King of Scotland, which he was entitled to as Earl of Fife . The English King Edward I commissioned the English Baron John de St John with this task in his place . As the Earl of Fife, Duncan was the richest Scottish magnate. In the mid-1290s, when he was a minor, the annual income from his estates was £ 432, the majority of which came from rental income. When Robert Bruce rose to the rank of King of Scots in 1306 and thus rebelled against English rule, Duncan was still under English guardianship. In 1306 or 1307, the English King arranged for Duncan's marriage to nine-year-old Mary de Monthermer , a daughter of Ralph de Monthermer, Earl of Gloucester and his wife Johanna von Akkon . Because Mary's mother was also Duncan's stepmother, he needed a papal dispensation for the marriage , which was granted in 1307.

Change from the English to the Scottish side

As a supporter of the English, a Scottish parliament in Cambuskenneth declared Duncan's title forfeited on November 6, 1314. Thereupon Duncan fled from England to Scotland in 1315, leaving his young, childless wife behind in England. In Scotland, Duncan submitted to King Robert I. Perhaps as early as April 1315, but no later than August 23, 1315 he received his Scottish possessions back. In an agreement concluded with the king in Crichton , Duncan gave his title and possessions to the king, who returned them to him as a fief . Possibly this pardon was mainly due to his high rank, because the Earl of Fife, as the most distinguished Scottish magnate, had the right to appoint the Scottish kings. However, Duncan also had to agree that in the event of his childless death, Fife would fall to the crown. But since the king still had no heir, the Earl of Fife would play an important role in the death of the king. Subsequently, Duncan served the king loyally until his death in 1329, apparently reluctant to actively fight against the English. When a small English fleet landed at Inverkeithing or Donibristle between May 13 and June 11, 1317 to plunder, Fife was only half-heartedly in charge of the defense. Only under the leadership of Bishop William Sinclair could the English be defeated. Fife became the first Scottish nobleman to seal the Arbroath Declaration in 1320 . In March 1328 he took part in the Edinburgh Parliament , which approved peace with England .

Fight against and ultimately support for the disinherited

In 1332 the disinherited , a group of Anglo-Scottish barons led by Edward Balliol , son of King John Balliol , who had been deposed in 1296 , invaded Scotland with a small army. They wanted to overthrow the young David II , the son and heir of Robert I and make Balliol king in his place. As the disinherited on August 6, 1332 at Kinghorn landed, Duncan tried along with several other barons and with a contingent from Fife to prevent the landing. But the Scots were put to flight in a battle . Thereafter, Duncan was one of the leaders of the Scottish Army, which suffered a heavy defeat against the disinherited at the Battle of Dupplin Moor . Allegedly, 360 men-at-arms who fought under his banner are said to have died in the battle. Fife led the Scottish Army retreat, which turned into a flight, and was captured. He was released on condition that Balliol's claim to the throne was recognized. On September 24, 1332 Duncan enthroned together with Bishop William Sinclair von Dunkeld Balliol in Scone . While Balliol then moved to Galloway , Duncan remained as commander of the garrison in Perth . On October 7th, however, the city was conquered by supporters of David II.

Another change to the Scottish side

When in the further course of the Second Scottish War of Independence in 1335 the English King Edward III. led a campaign in support of Balliol to Scotland, Duncan surrendered Cupar Castle on August 7th without resistance. A little later, Duncan and other Scottish barons submitted to the English king, who had advanced as far as Perth . Over the next few years, Duncan continued to support Balliol and the English king, which is why his holdings were looted by William Douglas and other supporters of David II. It was only when David II returned in 1341 from his French exile, where he had fled from the English king, that Duncan changed sides again and submitted to the Scottish king. On October 17, 1346, he was captured by the English together with the king and numerous other Scottish nobles at the Battle of Neville's Cross . King Edward III sentenced him to death as a traitor, but eventually pardoned him and allowed him to return to Scotland to raise the ransom. This was set at 1,000 marks in 1350 .

In January 1320 Duncan's wife Mary followed him to Scotland, she survived him and died after 1371. After Duncan's death in 1353 his only daughter Isabella became his heir.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Michael Brown: Aristocratic Politics and the Crisis of Scottish Kingship, 1286–96 . In: The Scottish Historical Review , 90 (2011), p. 6.
  2. ^ Geoffrey WS Barrow: Robert Bruce and the Community of the Realm of Scotland . Eyre & Spottiswoode, London 1965, p. 62.
  3. ↑ Michael Penman: Robert the Bruce. King of the Scots . Yale University Press, New Haven 2014, ISBN 978-0-300-14872-5 , p. 95.
  4. ^ Michael Altschul: A baronial family in medieval England. The Clares . The Johns Hopkins Press, Baltimore 1965, p. 38.
  5. ^ Geoffrey WS Barrow: Robert Bruce and the Community of the Realm of Scotland . Eyre & Spottiswoode, London 1965, pp. 390-391.
  6. ↑ Michael Penman: Robert the Bruce. King of the Scots . Yale University Press, New Haven 2014, ISBN 978-0-300-14872-5 , p. 178.
  7. ^ Geoffrey WS Barrow: Robert Bruce and the Community of the Realm of Scotland . Eyre & Spottiswoode, London 1965, p. 340.
  8. ^ Geoffrey WS Barrow: Robert Bruce and the Community of the Realm of Scotland . Eyre & Spottiswoode, London 1965, p. 427.
  9. ^ Geoffrey WS Barrow: Robert Bruce and the Community of the Realm of Scotland . Eyre & Spottiswoode, London 1965, p. 365.
  10. ^ Ranald Nicholson: Edward III and the Scots. The formative Years of a Military Career . Oxford University Press, Oxford 1965, p. 83.
  11. ^ Ranald Nicholson: Edward III and the Scots. The formative Years of a Military Career . Oxford University Press, Oxford 1965, p. 89.
  12. ^ Ranald Nicholson: Edward III and the Scots. The formative Years of a Military Career . Oxford University Press, Oxford 1965, p. 94.
  13. ^ Ranald Nicholson: Edward III and the Scots. The formative Years of a Military Career . Oxford University Press, Oxford 1965, p. 214.
  14. ^ Ranald Nicholson: Edward III and the Scots. The formative Years of a Military Career . Oxford University Press, Oxford 1965, p. 216.
  15. ^ Ranald Nicholson: Edward III and the Scots. The formative Years of a Military Career . Oxford University Press, Oxford 1965, p. 227
  16. ↑ Michael Penman: Robert the Bruce. King of the Scots . Yale University Press, New Haven 2014, ISBN 978-0-300-14872-5 , p. 277.
predecessor Office successor
Duncan Earl of Fife
1290-1353 		Isabella
personal data
SURNAME Duncan, 9th Earl of Fife
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Duncan, 8th Earl of Fife; Duncan IV, Earl of Fife; Donnchadh IV, Earl of Fife
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Scottish magnate
DATE OF BIRTH 1289 or 1290
DATE OF DEATH 1353