James Douglas, 7th Earl of Douglas

James Douglas, 7th Earl of Douglas, 1st Earl of Avondale , called the Gross (the Fat) (* 1371 ; † March 24, 1443 ) was a Scottish nobleman .

Life

He was the younger son of Archibald Douglas, 3rd Earl of Douglas and his wife Joan Murray. In 1425 he was involved in the trial of Murdoch Stewart, 2nd Duke of Albany .

He was made Earl of Avondale in 1437 .

When William Douglas, 6th Earl of Douglas , the son of his nephew Archibald Douglas, 5th Earl of Douglas , was executed in 1440 , he inherited this as 7th Earl of Douglas .

James found himself in conflict with King James II , who tried to break the supremacy of the Douglas family and take their lands, which plunged Scotland into civil war.

Marriages and offspring

Her first marriage was with Lady Beatrice Stewart († 1424), daughter of Robert Stewart, 1st Duke of Albany . The marriage remained childless.

After her death, he married Beatrice Sinclair, daughter of Henry II. Sinclair , Jarl of Orkney, at the latest in 1426 . He had eleven children with her:

• William Douglas, 8th Earl of Douglas († 1452)
• James Douglas, 9th Earl of Douglas (1426–1491)
• Margaret Douglas, ⚭ James Douglas of Dalkeith († before 1456)
• Beatrice Douglas, ⚭ William Hay, 1st Earl of Erroll
• Hugh Douglas, 1st Earl of Ormond († 1445), executed
• Henry Douglas, priest
• George Douglas
• Janet Douglas, ⚭ Robert Fleming, 1st Lord Fleming
• Archibald Douglas, de iure uxoris Earl of Moray († 1455), fallen
• Sir John Douglas of Balveny († 1463), executed
• Elizabeth Douglas, ⚭ William Wallace of Craigie

Web links

• James Douglas, 7th Earl of Douglas on thepeerage.com , accessed September 10, 2016.

predecessor	Office	successor
New title created	Earl of Avondale 1437-1443	William Douglas
William Douglas	Earl of Douglas 1440-1443	William Douglas