James Stewart, 5th High Steward of Scotland

James Stewart (also James the Steward or the Stewart ) (* around 1260, † July 16, 1309 ) was a Scottish nobleman

Origin and heritage

James Stewart came from the Scottish Stewart family . He was the eldest son of Alexander of Dundonald and his wife Jean Macrorie. His father went on a pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela , which is perhaps why James got his name, which was unusual in Scotland at the time. His uncle Walter was the first family member to name himself after the office of steward, which then became the family name Stewart. After his father's death in 1282, James inherited the extensive family estates in Scotland and the inheritance of the Steward of Scotland . The position of steward had become an almost pure honorary title, but it secured the title holder a place on the Privy Council. Stewart's holdings included Renfrew , Bute, and Kyle Stewart in Ayrshire and estates in Teviotdale , Lauderdale, and Lothian . With this land holdings he was also one of the greatest magnates in Scotland.

Role during the Scottish succession contest and under King John Balliol

Stewart served King Alexander III. as an advisor. After the accidental death of the king in 1286, he was elected by a parliamentary assembly to one of the six Guardians of Scotland who exercised the reign of the minor heiress Margaret . He was initially a supporter of the claim to the throne of Robert de Brus, Lord of Annandale . On September 20, 1286 he is said to have attended the meeting at Turnberry Castle with other barons , at which they promised Brus their support. Ultimately, he and the other supporters of Brus recognized Margarete's claim to the throne. However, when she died in 1290 and the succession to the throne was now completely unclear, Stewart supported Brus' throne again. He served as a representative of Brus in the court assembly which, under the presidency of the English King Edward I, decided on the claims of the aspirants to the Scottish throne . Instead of Brus, however, John Balliol was appointed the new king in 1292 . Though unhappy with the decision, Stewart served as Ayrshire Sheriff . When Balliol wanted to create new sheriff domes in 1293, Stewart was to become sheriff of a large area south of Argyll , which should include Bute, Cumbraes , Kintyre and probably also Arran . Stewart remained closely associated with the Bruce family. During a parliament in August 1293, he supported the transfer of Earldom Carrick from Robert de Brus , a son of the heir to the throne, to his son Robert Bruce .

Role during the First Scottish War of Independence

During the war of 1296

The question of the sovereignty of the English king over Scotland finally led to war between England and Scotland . Stewart was one of the Scottish barons whom Edward I summoned to military service for a campaign in the war against France at the end of June 1295 . Like King John Balliol and the other Scottish barons, he was excused and ignored the request. Probably he was one of the barons who de facto disempowered John Balliol in early July 1295 through the formation of a twelve-member council of state. In February 1296 he sealed the recognition of the alliance with France during a parliament . Since France was still at war with England, the alliance was an open declaration of war on England. Edward I then led an army to Scotland. Stewart was in command of the important frontier castle of Roxburgh , but after an English army defeated the Scots in the Battle of Dunbar in April 1296 , the Scottish resistance was broken. Stewart surrendered Roxburgh Castle on May 5th, immediately after the defeat. On May 13th he swore allegiance to the English king, after which he led the peace negotiations with the English king. He placed himself in the service of the English, accepted the handover of Dumbarton and Kirkintilloch Castle , married the sister of an Anglo-Irish magnate and thus acquired lands in Ireland .

During the battle against England from 1297 to 1304

Stewart apparently preferred the English rule to the fight for John Balliol, especially since he hoped not only to maintain his position, but also to gain further advantages. But soon he had to realize that the English rule threatened his position. Therefore, in 1297, when Scottish patriots under William Wallace continued the fight against England , Stewart was again among the Scottish leaders. He had probably helped Wallace, who was a vassal of his, in preparing the revolt. He played a double game against the English. When an English army under Henry Percy and Robert Clifford invaded Annandale and Nithsdale , he surrendered together with William Douglas at Irvine after lengthy negotiations. Ostensibly on the English side, he appeared before the Battle of Stirling Bridge with the Earl of Lennox when the English were preparing for battle. He and Lennox pretended to persuade their vassals on the Scottish side to surrender and thus delayed the passage of the English army over the bridge. When the defeat of the English became evident, Stewart gave the order to attack the fleeing English entourage . In the Battle of Falkirk in 1298 he led a stately knight troop, which, however, fled because of the superiority of the English. His younger brother John , on the other hand, fell in battle. On August 31, 1298, the English king declared Stewart's holdings forfeited and gave them to Sir Alexander Lindsay . Despite the defeat of Falkirk, the Scots continued the fight, but now they avoided open field battles and instead waged a guerrilla war against the English occupiers and their Scottish allies. With numerous other barons, Stewart took part in a raid in the Forest of Selkirk in 1299 . During the council meeting of Peebles , which took place shortly afterwards , at which there were violent disputes among the Scots, Stewart in particular contributed to the settlement of the conflicts. In the autumn of 1302 Stewart was a member of the Scottish delegation that traveled to the French king in Paris. Philip IV conducted peace negotiations with the English to finally end the war. The Scots tried to be included in this peace. Contrary to his earlier promises, the French king concluded the peace of Paris with England in May 1303 , in which the conflict in Scotland was not taken into account. Then Stewart returned to Scotland. In view of the almost hopeless military situation, like almost all Scottish nobles, he submitted to the English king in February 1304. The latter wanted to pardon Stewart only after the fugitive William Wallace had been caught. After Wallace's capture and execution, Stewart had to humbly submit to the king and hope for his mercy. At the end of 1305 he finally got his possessions back.

Supporting the Robert Bruce Rebellion, Final Years and Death

Although Stewart had only recently received his possessions back, he supported the rebellion of Robert Bruce, who had risen King of the Scots in March 1306. Edward I then declared his possessions again for confiscation and gave them to the Earl of Lincoln . After the defeat in the Battle of Methven and the escape of Bruce, Stewart surrendered again to the English king on October 23, 1306, whereupon he got his possessions back. Possibly due to his poor health, he apparently did not take any active part in the fighting for the next few years. In March 1309 at the latest, however, he changed sides again and took part in the first parliament in St Andrews that Robert Bruce held as king. A little later he died. Robert Bruce probably attended his funeral at Paisley Abbey .

Family and offspring

Stewart had married Egidia (also Gelis ) around after 1296 , a sister of Richard de Burgh, 2nd Earl of Ulster . Not only did she bring an estate with Coleraine in Ulster as a dowry , but through the marriage Stewart became a brother-in-law of an important follower of the English king. Stewart had several children with his wife, including:

• Andrew Stewart († before 1309)
• Walter Stewart (around 1296-1327)
• Sir John Stewart († 1318)
• James Stewart

Stewart made little donation to churches and monasteries and was likely not particularly religious. His son Walter eventually became his heir.

Aftermath

Stewart was politically active in a politically very troubled and difficult time for over twenty years, in which he never played a leading role. He acted cautiously and, as in 1297, during the Battle of Stirling Bridge. Little is known about his person and his personality remains vague, although he was clearly a Scottish patriot. Apparently he was not a man of many words, but rather a man of action. A niece of his wife, Elizabeth de Burgh , married Robert Bruce in 1302. This marriage cemented the ties between the Bruce and Stewart families.

Web links

• James Stewart, 5th High Steward of Scotland on thepeerage.com , accessed September 10, 2016.
• GWS Barrow: Stewart, James (c. 1260-1309). In: Henry Colin Gray Matthew, Brian Harrison (Eds.): Oxford Dictionary of National Biography , from the earliest times to the year 2000 (ODNB). Oxford University Press, Oxford 2004, ISBN 0-19-861411-X , ( oxforddnb.com license required ), as of 2004

Individual evidence

1. ^ Geoffrey Barrow, Ann Royan: James Fifth Stewart of Scotland, 1260 (?) - 1309 . In: KJ Stringer (Ed.): Essays on the Nobility of Medieval Scotland , John Donald Publishers, Edinburgh 1985, ISBN 0-85976-113-4 , p. 168.
2. ^ Geoffrey WS Barrow: Robert Bruce and the Community of the Realm of Scotland . Eyre & Spottiswoode, London 1965, p. 25.
3. ^ Geoffrey WS Barrow: Robert Bruce and the Community of the Realm of Scotland . Eyre & Spottiswoode, London 1965, p. 68.
4. ^ Geoffrey WS Barrow: Robert Bruce and the Community of the Realm of Scotland . Eyre & Spottiswoode, London 1965, p. 76.
5. ^ Geoffrey WS Barrow: Robert Bruce and the Community of the Realm of Scotland . Eyre & Spottiswoode, London 1965, p. 93.
6. ^ Geoffrey WS Barrow: Robert Bruce and the Community of the Realm of Scotland . Eyre & Spottiswoode, London 1965, p. 87.
7. ^ Geoffrey WS Barrow: Robert Bruce and the Community of the Realm of Scotland . Eyre & Spottiswoode, London 1965, p. 91.
8. ↑ Michael Prestwich: Edward I . Berkeley, University of California Press, 1988, ISBN 0-520-06266-3 , p. 473.
9. ↑ Michael Brown: The wars of Scotland, 1214-1371 . Edinburgh University Press, Edinburgh 2004, ISBN 0-7486-1237-8 , p. 176.
10. ^ Geoffrey WS Barrow: Robert Bruce and the Community of the Realm of Scotland . Eyre & Spottiswoode, London 1965, p. 113.
11. ↑ Michael Prestwich: Edward I . Berkeley, University of California Press, 1988, ISBN 0-520-06266-3 , p. 477
12. ^ Geoffrey WS Barrow: Robert Bruce and the Community of the Realm of Scotland . Eyre & Spottiswoode, London 1965, pp. 124-125.
13. ^ Geoffrey WS Barrow: Robert Bruce and the Community of the Realm of Scotland . Eyre & Spottiswoode, London 1965, p. 144.
14. ^ Geoffrey WS Barrow: Robert Bruce and the Community of the Realm of Scotland . Eyre & Spottiswoode, London 1965, p. 151.
15. ^ Geoffrey Barrow, Ann Royan: James Fifth Stewart of Scotland, 1260 (?) - 1309 . In: KJ Stringer (Ed.): Essays on the Nobility of Medieval Scotland , John Donald Publishers, Edinburgh 1985, ISBN 0-85976-113-4 , p. 178.
16. ^ Geoffrey WS Barrow: Robert Bruce and the Community of the Realm of Scotland . Eyre & Spottiswoode, London 1965, p. 177.
17. ^ Geoffrey WS Barrow: Robert Bruce and the Community of the Realm of Scotland . Eyre & Spottiswoode, London 1965, pp. 182-184.
18. ^ Geoffrey WS Barrow: Robert Bruce and the Community of the Realm of Scotland . Eyre & Spottiswoode, London 1965, p. 189.
19. ^ Geoffrey Barrow, Ann Royan: James Fifth Stewart of Scotland, 1260 (?) - 1309 . In: KJ Stringer (Ed.): Essays on the Nobility of Medieval Scotland , John Donald Publishers, Edinburgh 1985, ISBN 0-85976-113-4 , p. 180.
20. ^ Geoffrey WS Barrow: Robert Bruce and the Community of the Realm of Scotland . Eyre & Spottiswoode, London 1965, pp. 217-218.
21. ^ Geoffrey WS Barrow: Robert Bruce and the Community of the Realm of Scotland . Eyre & Spottiswoode, London 1965, p. 265.
22. ↑ Michael Penman: Robert the Bruce. King of the Scots . Yale University Press, New Haven 2014, ISBN 978-0-300-14872-5 , p. 116.
23. ^ Geoffrey Barrow, Ann Royan: James Fifth Stewart of Scotland, 1260 (?) - 1309 . In: KJ Stringer (Ed.): Essays on the Nobility of Medieval Scotland , John Donald Publishers, Edinburgh 1985, ISBN 0-85976-113-4 , p. 177.
24. ^ Geoffrey Barrow, Ann Royan: James Fifth Stewart of Scotland, 1260 (?) - 1309 . In: KJ Stringer (Ed.): Essays on the Nobility of Medieval Scotland , John Donald Publishers, Edinburgh 1985, ISBN 0-85976-113-4 , p. 182.
25. ^ Geoffrey WS Barrow: Robert Bruce and the Community of the Realm of Scotland . Eyre & Spottiswoode, London 1965, pp. 114-117.
26. ^ Geoffrey Barrow, Ann Royan: James Fifth Stewart of Scotland, 1260 (?) - 1309 . In: KJ Stringer (Ed.): Essays on the Nobility of Medieval Scotland , John Donald Publishers, Edinburgh 1985, ISBN 0-85976-113-4 , p. 181.
27. ^ Geoffrey WS Barrow: Robert Bruce and the Community of the Realm of Scotland . Eyre & Spottiswoode, London 1965, p. 175n.

predecessor	Office	successor
Alexander of Dundonald	High Steward of Scotland 1282-1309	Walter Stewart
no direct predecessors	Guardian of Scotland 1286–1292 Co-regents: Alexander Comyn (1286–1289), William Fraser , Robert Wishart , John Comyn	Bryan FitzAlan