Esmé Stewart, 1st Duke of Lennox

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Coat of arms of Esmé Stewart, 1st Duke of Lennox

Esmé Stewart, 1st Duke of Lennox (* around 1542 - † May 26, 1583 in Paris ) was a Scottish nobleman from the Stewart family .

Esmé was a son of John Stewart, Seigneur d'Aubigny and his wife Anne de la Queuille. His father had become a French citizen in 1537. Esmé followed his father in 1567 as Seigneur d ' Aubigny . In France he was captain of the Scottish Guard and returned to Scotland in 1579. Here he became the favorite of the 13-year-old King James VI. of Scotland. This awarded him the Earl of Lennox on March 5, 1580 , which his uncle Robert had exchanged for the title of Earl of March with the king shortly before . Along with the Earldom, he was given the subordinate title of Lord Darnley, Aubigny and Dalkeith . On August 5, 1581 he was finally made Duke of Lennox, along with the subordinate title Lord Aubigny, Dalkeith, Torboltoun and Aberdour , raised.

Lennox had renounced the Catholic faith for the sake of the king, but was suspected by the Scottish lords of continuing to hold on to it. It was also believed that he might have a pernicious influence on the king's homoerotic tendencies. He was detained at Ruthven Castle and eventually forced to return to France after ten months in prison. He remained in secret correspondence with the king until his untimely death, barely able to overcome the loss of Lennox.

Esmé Stewart married Catherine († 1631/32), daughter of Guillaume de Balsac , Seigneur d ' Entragues et Marcoussis around 1572 , with whom he had the following children:

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predecessor Office successor
New title created Duke of Lennox
1581-1583 		Ludovic Stewart
New title created Earl of Lennox
1580-1583 		Ludovic Stewart
John Stewart Seigneur d'Aubigny
1567–1583 		Esmé Stewart
personal data
SURNAME Stewart, Esmé, 1st Duke of Lennox
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Stuart, Esmé
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Scottish nobleman
DATE OF BIRTH around 1542
DATE OF DEATH May 26, 1583
Place of death Paris