James Stewart, 1st Earl of Moray
James Stewart, 1st Earl of Moray (* 1531 - 23 January 1570 in Linlithgow ) was a Scottish peer . He was the second eldest of the numerous illegitimate sons of Jacob V, King of Scotland ; his mother was Margaret Erskine . From 1557 until his assassination, the former advisor to Queen Mary Scots was Regent of Scotland to his nephew James VI.
Life
James Stewart developed into one of the leaders of the Protestants whose revolt led to the Scottish Reformation in 1560 . After bringing his half-sister Queen Mary of Scotland back to Scotland from France in 1561 , he began vigorously to defend her right to attend mass in her private chapel, which led to disagreements with John Knox , the leader of the Reformation movement.
In 1562 he put down the revolt of George Gordon, Earl of Huntly , Scotland's most important Catholic magnate. This fell in battle, and as a result of his loyal behavior Stewart was enfeoffed with the titles Earl of Mar and Earl of Moray . He remained the Queen's chief advisor until Mary's wedding to Henry Lord Darnley in 1565 . The wedding, devised by him and the Hamilton family , turned into a political failure and Moray fled to England.
On the day of Queen Mary's Italian secretary David Rizzio's assassination , he returned to Edinburgh and was rehabilitated. Because of his knowledge of the conspiracy to murder Darnley, he stayed away from political activities. When Maria was imprisoned in Loch Leven Castle , he was in France.
He returned in August 1567 and, after Mary's abdication, took over the reign of her underage son, Jacob VI. which proved extremely difficult due to the ongoing civil war in the country. Despite the first Protestant government in Scotland, the Reformed Church received little support.
On January 23, 1570 Moray was ambushed in Linlithgow by James Hamilton of Bothwellhaugh , supporter of the previous Queen Maria, while riding past with an arquebus . He was injured so badly that he died. James Stewart is the world's first documented assassination victim to be killed by a firearm .
progeny
James Stewart was married since 1562 to Lady Agnes Keith († 1588), daughter of William Keith, 3rd Earl Marischal , with whom he had three daughters:
- Annabell Stewart († before 1572)
- Elizabeth Stewart, 2nd Countess of Moray († 1591), ⚭ 1581 James Stewart, 2nd Lord Doune
- Margaret Stewart († 1589), ⚭ Francis Hay, 9th Earl of Erroll
Web links
- James Stewart, 1st Earl of Moray, on thepeerage.com , accessed September 10, 2016.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Undiscovered Scotland: James Stewart, 1st Earl of Moray , consulted on January 22, 2011
| predecessor | Office | successor |
|---|---|---|
| Queen Mary Queen of Scots |
Regent of Scotland 1567–1570 |
Regent Matthew Stewart, 4th Earl of Lennox |
| New title created |
Earl of Moray 1562-1570 |
Elizabeth Stewart |
| New title created |
Earl of Mar 1562-1570 |
Title expired |
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Stewart, James, 1st Earl of Moray |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Moray, James Stewart 1st Earl of |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Earl of Moray |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 1531 |
| DATE OF DEATH | January 23, 1570 |
| Place of death | Linlithgow |