John Comyn, Lord of Badenoch (nobleman, † around 1277)

John Comyn, Lord of Badenoch (called Red Comyn ) († around 1277 ) was a Scottish magnate .

origin

John Comyn came from the Scottish Comyn family . He was the eldest son of Richard Comyn . He had two brothers, William and Richard . His father died between 1244 and 1249, whereupon he inherited extensive land holdings in southern Scotland, especially in Dumfriesshire , Roxburghshire and Peeblesshire and in Tynedale in Northumberland in northern England .

Role in the power struggle in Scotland in the 1250s

In the politically troubled period from 1242 onwards, John Comyn supported his uncle Walter Comyn, Earl of Menteith . First, the Comyns had to assert themselves against the rival families Bisset and Durward in northern Scotland . In 1242 the Comyns succeeded in breaking the Bisset's position when the family was accused of being responsible for the murder of Patrick, 5th Earl of Atholl . The position of the Comyn family was further threatened when Alan Durward was appointed Scottish justiciar by King Alexander II in 1244 . When after the death of Alexander II. 1249 the minor Alexander III. ascended the Scottish throne, there was a bitter political power struggle between the Comyns and the supporters of Alan Durward over the leadership of the government. With the help of the English King Heinrich III. Walter Comyn was able to gain leadership of the Regency Council in 1251, which later also included John Comyn. After another English intervention in 1255, however, the family had to vacate their seats on the Privy Council. As a result, John Comyn took part in the 1257 coup in which the family brought the young king and his wife Margaret into their power. In 1258, under the leadership of the Comyns, several Scottish nobles sought an alliance with the Welsh princes who were at war with England . John Comyn was referred to as the Justiciar of Galloway . The death of Walter Comyn, Earl of Menteith in 1258 weakened the family's position. The young king now took over the government himself and no longer wanted to be tied to one of the rival aristocratic groups. John Comyn inherited the northern Scottish baronies of Badenoch and Lochaber from his childless uncle Walter . But he accused Isabella , his uncle's widow and her new husband, Sir John Russell , that they had poisoned his uncle, and forced her to renounce the title of Earl of Menteith . He could not prove his claim and finally King Alexander III decided. and even the Comyn-dominated Privy Council in 1260 or 1261 to limit the power of the careless and contentious John Comyn. He had to give up the title of Earl of Menteith, which was given to Walter Stewart .

Role as an English baron

Comyn had become head of the older line of the Badenoch family after his uncle's death. To distinguish it from the younger family line, the Earls of Buchan, it was referred to as Red Comyn . This nickname referred to the family's red coat of arms. After the setback in the dispute over the title of Earl of Menteith, he apparently rarely stayed at the Scottish royal court in the 1260s. Since he was also an English baron due to his English possessions, he was allowed to stay at the English royal court, where he was demonstrably in 1262, 1264 and 1265. At that time, Heinrich III was. in a serious conflict with a nobility opposition that led to the open Second War of the Barons against the King in 1264 . In this civil war, Comyn fought on the side of the English king and took part in the Battle of Lewes in 1264 , in which he was captured. In the next year, however, the royal party won the civil war by winning at Evesham . The English king had already confirmed Comyn's possession of his extensive estates in Northumberland in 1262. In 1267 he received royal permission to fortify his Tarset estate in Northumberland. Henry III. rewarded him with further favors and privileges as well as an annual gift of £ 50. In addition, he promised Comyn additional land ownership in 1266, but that promise was never carried out.

Further activity in Scotland

Perhaps the setback at Menteith was one reason why Comyn had stayed in England several times after that. It was not until the end of the 1260s that Comyn was again increasingly active in Scotland. Despite his office as Justiciar of Galloway, he was only occasionally at the royal court and only witnessed a few documents from the king. In 1269 he brought the Earl of Atholl against him when he built a castle in Blair in Atholl . The dispute was finally settled through the mediation of the King and the Privy Council. In 1275, Comyn was justiciar of Galloway, one of the four commanders of the expedition that put down a revolt against Scottish rule on the Isle of Man . Comyn not only built Blair Castle, but he was also responsible for the expansion of Lochindorb Castle in Badenoch and Inverlochy Castle in Lochaber. Perhaps Ruthven Castle was expanded under him, so that he might plan to expand his position in Northern Scotland by building castles. Comyn also sponsored Melrose Abbey and churches in Durham and Glasgow .

Marriages and offspring

Comyn was married twice. In his first marriage he had married Eva , whose origin is unclear. In his second marriage he married Alicia , who presumably came from the de Lindsay family from Lamberton . From his marriages he had five sons:

• John Comyn († around 1302)
• William Comyn, Lord of Kirkintilloch
• Alexander Comyn
• John Comyn († around 1295)
• Robert Comyn († 1306)

He also had at least four daughters, who married Richard Siward , Geoffrey Mowbray , Alexander of Argyll and Andrew Murray . The year of Comyn's death is unknown. His heir became his eldest son, John.

Web links

• Alan Young: Comyn, John [called Red Comyn], lord of Badenoch (dc 1277). 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. ^ Alan Young: Noble Families and Political Factions in the Reign of Alexander III . In: Norman H. Reid (ed.): Scotland in the Reign of Alexander III, 1249-1286 . Edinburgh, John Donald 1990, ISBN 0-85976-218-1 , p. 13.
2. ^ Alan Young: Noble Families and Political Factions in the Reign of Alexander III . In: Norman H. Reid (ed.): Scotland in the Reign of Alexander III, 1249-1286 . Edinburgh, John Donald 1990, ISBN 0-85976-218-1 , p. 10.
3. ^ Alan Young: Noble Families and Political Factions in the Reign of Alexander III . In: Norman H. Reid (ed.): Scotland in the Reign of Alexander III, 1249-1286 . Edinburgh, John Donald 1990, ISBN 0-85976-218-1 , p. 14.

predecessor	Office	successor
Walter Comyn	Lord of Badenoch 1258 – around 1277	John Comyn