George Keith, 4th Earl Marischal
George Keith, 4th Earl Marischal (around 1553 - April 2, 1623 ) was a Scottish nobleman .
biography
He was the son of William Keith, Master of Marischal († 1580), and Lady Elizabeth Hay. On the death of his paternal grandfather, William Keith, 3rd Earl Marischal , 1581, he inherited his title Earl Marischal and the subordinate title Lord Keith . The hereditary court office of the Marshal of Scotland was also connected with the title .
On the death of his uncle Robert Keith, 1st Lord Altrie , he inherited his title as 2nd Lord Altrie in 1596 , which had been given to him on July 29, 1587 in the Peerage of Scotland with a special inheritance regulation in favor of George.
In 1585 he was appointed to the Scottish Privy Council . He served as the Scottish ambassador to Denmark in 1589 , where he negotiated the marriage of King Jacob VI. with Princess Anna of Denmark , whom he finally married on August 20, 1589 at Kronborg Castle in Denmark by procurationem for the king. He was a follower of the Reformation teachings of Petrus Ramus and founded the Marischal College in Aberdeen in 1593 to spread the Protestant doctrine , which in 1860 was merged with St. Mary's College to form the University of Aberdeen . From 1609 he held the office of High Commissioner of Parliament .
Marriages and offspring
He was married twice. In 1581, his first marriage was Margaret Home (1565–1598), daughter of the 5th Lord Home . He had three children with her:
- William Keith, 5th Earl Marischal (around 1585-1635);
- Anne Keith († 1648) ⚭ William Douglas, 7th Earl of Morton ;
- Margaret Keith ⚭ I) Sir William Keith of Ludquharne, ⚭ II) Sir Robert Arbuthnott of that Ilk († 1633).
After the death of his first wife, he married Margaret Ogilvy († after 1626), daughter of the 5th Lord Ogilvy of Airlie . With her he had at least one son.
- James Keith of Benholm.
His widow Margaret married Alexander Strachan of Thornton after his death around 1626.
Literature and web links
- John Simmons: Keith, George, fourth Earl Marischal (1549 / 50–1623). In: Oxford Dictionary of National Biography . Oxford University Press, 2004.
- George Keith, 4th Earl Marischal on thepeerage.com , accessed September 14, 2016.
| predecessor | Office | successor |
|---|---|---|
| William Keith |
Earl Marischal 1581-1623 |
William Keith |
| Robert Keith |
Lord Altrie 1596-1623 |
William Keith |
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Keith, George, 4th Earl Marischal |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Marischal, George Keith 4th Earl |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Scottish nobleman |
| DATE OF BIRTH | around 1553 |
| DATE OF DEATH | April 2, 1623 |