Walter Comyn, Earl of Menteith

Walter Comyn, Earl of Menteith (also Lord of Badenoch ) († between October 16 and November 22, 1258 ) was a Scottish magnate . It belonged to King Alexander III when he was a minor . the Regency Council.

origin

Walter Comyn came from the Scottish Comyn clan . He was the second known son from William Comyn's first marriage . His father became Earl of Buchan through his second marriage to Marjory in 1212 . Walter had three biological brothers, plus three half-brothers and three half-sisters through his father's second marriage. The support of this large family, which was closely related, helped Walter to have a great influence on Scottish politics.

Walter himself is first mentioned in a document between 1211 and 1214 when he attested two documents from King William the Lion in favor of Arbroath Abbey . Thanks to his influential father, who was Scottish justiciar from around 1205 and sheriff of Forfar from around 1195 to around 1212 , Walter was a regular at the royal court during the last years of William the Lion's reign and during the reign of Alexander II . Walter Comyn not only took part in the celebration of the wedding of Alexander II to the English king's daughter Johanna in York in 1221 , but was also one of the twelve Scottish nobles who swore to the English king that they would keep the terms of the marriage contract. Between 1220 and 1229 Comyn was apparently often at the royal court and with increasing regularity witnessed documents from Alexander II, while his older brother Richard took care of the management of the family estates in northern and eastern Scotland.

Rise to Lord of Badenoch and Earl of Menteith

As a younger son, Walter should not inherit the family estates, but between 1229 and 1234 his father received from Alexander II the rule of Badenoch in the highlands around Strath Spey . This hereditary fief may have been given to William Comyn in gratitude for the services he had rendered in suppressing the Gillescop MacWilliam rebellion in Moray from 1229 to 1230. Alexander II apparently expected that, with the help of William and Walter Comyn in particular, he would be able to expand his royal authority in northern Scotland. Badenoch was very important because the rulers controlled the important passes and crossings from the northern and western highlands into the Tay basin . After the death of his father in 1233, Walter inherited the Badenoch rule. As Lord of Badenoch he had a higher rank than his older brother Richard and therefore took over the management of the Comyn family. In addition, he married between June 30, 1233 and January 9, 1234 Isabella , the daughter and heiress of Maurice, Earl of Menteith . After the death of his father-in-law in 1234, he was made Earl of Menteith through the rights of his wife , which enabled him to further expand his position. For the next few years Comyn served the king not only in northern Scotland. In 1235 he was entrusted with the administration of Galloway after the king had defeated the rebels around Thomas of Galloway , the illegitimate son of Alan of Galloway .

Leading Scottish nobleman

Role during the later reign of Alexander II.

From 1237 until his death, Walter Comyn was the dominant force in Scottish politics. As a leading Scottish magnate, he swore on behalf of the Scottish nobles in 1237 to abide by the Treaty of York . In 1242, he and members of his family took action against the Bisset family . The Bissets were accused of being responsible for the murder of Patrick, 5th Earl of Atholl , who was an ally of the Comyns. Under pressure from the Comyns, in late 1242 the king outlawed John and Walter Bisset . In 1244, however, both Alexander II and the English King Heinrich III. the dominant political position of Comyn as a threat. Henry III. moved to northern England with an army and demanded a friendship treaty from Alexander II. The Scottish nobility was split into two factions into the supporters of the Comyns and those of the Earl of Dunbar , and Walter Comyn, as leader of one faction, had to assure the English king of his good behavior, because Comyn and other nobles were accused of leaving their castles at the without permission to have fortified the English-Scottish border. Comyn himself had strengthened Tarset Castle in Northumberland, while Nicholas de Soulis built Hermitage Castle in Liddesdale . Either Aymer or John Maxwell built Caerlaverock Castle in Nithsdale . Comyn was also suspected of covering for the runaway Geoffrey de Marisco . His son William had tried in 1238, Heinrich III. to murder. Therefore, after the conclusion of the Treaty of Newcastle in 1244 , Comyn, along with forty-one named followers, had to swear that they had not carried out any attacks on the possessions of the English king and that they would not harbor any enemies of the king. In the same year Alexander II appointed Alan Durward , who was not assigned to either of the two aristocratic factions, as Scottish justiciar and thus head of his government in order to limit Comyn's political power. Although the Earl of Dunbar was subsequently considered the most powerful Scottish magnate, Comyn remained the driving political force in Scotland due to his strong entourage, which consisted mainly of members of the Comyn of Badenoch , Comyn of Buchan and Comyn of Kilbride families .

Political leadership during the minority of Alexander III.

The strong position of Comyn became apparent during the government crisis following the death of Alexander II in 1249, especially since Dunbar had also died in 1248. Before his death, the king had not made any arrangements for the reign of his underage son. Comyn was therefore not part of the government, but eventually he successfully thwarted Alan Durward's attempt to remain head of government even while the heir to the throne was a minor. Together with the Scottish clergy, the Comyns now asked the English king to intervene in Scotland. He took the opportunity and moved again to northern England in 1251. He secured his influence in the Scottish government by marrying his daughter Margaret to the minor Alexander III. at Christmas 1251 in York. The Durwards government was replaced by a Comyn-dominated government. Somewhat surprisingly, Walter Comyn did not become justiciar himself, but he did manage to fill key government positions with his followers and confidants. Justiciar became his half-brother Alexander Comyn, 6th Earl of Buchan . The English king tried to determine the Scottish politics. He appointed the English barons Robert de Ros and John de Balliol as Guardians for Alexander III. and for Margarete. However, Comyn and the Scottish government were able to restrict the powers of these two Guardians, whose influence was thus limited.

Power struggle with Alan Durward

In 1255 Heinrich III intervened. back in Scotland, supporting Alan Durward, who overthrew the Comyn-dominated government. Instead, a fifteen-member State Council was formed to take over government for the next seven years. Alan Durward took over the leadership of the government as justiciar. Comyn and his supporters refused to recognize the State Council, which was nevertheless able to take over the government. But Durward feared the power of Comyn and his family. He tried to denigrate the previous Comyn-led government. To further limit the influence of the Comyns, he renewed his claim to the title of Earl of Mar against William, 5th Earl of Mar, who was allied with the Comyns . The Comyns, however, tried to Henry III. to convince them to stand up again in their favor. When this failed, they kidnapped the young Alexander III in a coup in Kinross at the end of October 1257 . As a result, Comyn and his supporters regained control of the government. However, since he lacked the general support of the Scottish magnates, Comyn tried in March 1258 to get support from Lord Llywelyn of Wales . He first convinced his Scottish allies, almost all of whom were relatives, to ally themselves with the prince. The cautious wording of the treaty that Comyn concluded with the Welsh prince shows that Comyn was reluctant to violate the wishes of the Scottish king, but the alliance was ineffective as the Welsh prince had already signed a truce with the English king. The English king could no longer intervene in Scottish politics, as he was faced with a noble opposition in England , which in fact took over the government in June 1258. Without interference from England, Comyn and Durward quickly reached a compromise in September 1258. In this they agreed to form a ten-member State Council. This included Comyn himself three of his supporters, while Durward was also allowed to nominate four members.

Death and inheritance

With this deal with Durward, Comyn continued to be the leading Scottish politician. On October 16, 1258, he testified to a certificate from the king, but he probably did so after a riding accident in late October or early November 1258. The news of his death was brought to the English king in St Albans on November 22nd . From his marriage to Isabella of Menteith there was possibly a son, who was mentioned only once in 1250 in a document from the Earl of Lennox as Henry, son of the Earl of Menteith . Since Comyn had no surviving children from his marriage to Isabella of Menteith, his nephew John Comyn became his heir as Lord of Badenoch, but not as Earl of Menteith. Comyn's widow married the English knight Sir John Russell . John Comyn then occupied the Earldom Menteith, but had to vacate it again soon. In addition, John Comyn supported rumors that Walter Comyn had been poisoned by his wife. These actions testify to the Comyn's fear of losing control after Walter Comyn's death.

By 1238 Walter Comyn had donated the Augustinian priory Inchmahome on the largest of the three islands in the Lake of Menteith . Comyn's primary residence was likely to be on the neighboring island of Inchtalla . To do this, Comyn sponsored Scone and Arbroath Abbey.

reception

Walter Comyn had considerable influence on Scottish politics at a difficult time. Matthew Paris described him in his chronicle as the most powerful Earl of Scotland. Chronicler John Fordun described Comyn as forward-looking and cunning. However, most medieval chroniclers, such as John Fordun and Walter Bower , were critical of Comyn's dominant influence on Scottish politics. They saw him as the unconscionable leader of an overpowering aristocratic faction that threatened the king's power himself. Comyn, on the other hand, had been the king's most important representative in northern Scotland since 1229 and in southwestern Scotland since 1235. From 1237 he had considerable influence and after the death of Alexander II he was the politically leading nobleman of Scotland with the support of most of the nobility and the Church until his own death. He was a representative of the local nobility who lived during the minority of Alexander III. the power of the Guardians of Scotland installed by the English king in 1251 limited until they finally lost their influence in 1255. Yet Comyn did not pursue a nationalist policy against foreign interference, as the Matthew Paris Chronicle claims. Like his domestic opponents, Comyn realized that while Alexander III was a minor, he needed the political support of the English king.

Walter Comyn found its way into English-language literature in an alienated form through the 1817 novel Rob Roy by Walter Scott . In chapter 13 of the second volume he is mentioned there under the anglicized form of his name as Walter Cuming:

"[...] and that they suld dee the death of Walter Cuming of Guiyock, wha hadna as muckle o'him left thegither as would supper a messan-dog [...]"

"[...] and they were supposed to die the death of Walter Cuming of Guiyock, of which there was not enough left to endure a stray dog's supper [...]"

- Walter Scott : Rob Roy (1817)

Walter Scott recorded the origin of the comparison he used in a marginal note:

“A great feudal oppressor, who, riding on some cruel purpose through the forest of Guiyock, was thrown from his horse, and his foot being caught in the stirrup, was dragged along by the frightened animal till he was torn to pieces. The expression, 'Walter of Guiyock's curse,' is proverbial. "

“A great feudal oppressor who, riding through the forest of Guiyock on some gruesome project, was thrown from his horse, whose foot got caught in the stirrup and was dragged behind him by the frightened animal until he was torn to pieces. The expression 'Walter of Guiyocks Curse' is proverbial. "

- Walter Scott

literature

• John Anderson: The Ancient Earls of Meneith . In: James Balfour Paul (Ed.): The Scots Peerage . tape 6 : Marchmont-Oxfuird . David Douglas, Edinburgh 1909, p. 125–141 (English, Textarchiv - Internet Archive - in Section IV. Isabella, Countess of Meneith pp. 127–130).
• Alan Young: Robert the Bruce's Rivals. The Comyns, 1213-1314. Tuckwell Press Ltd, East Linton 1997, ISBN 978-1-86232-053-6 .
• Alan Young: The Political Rôle of Walter Comyn, Earl of Menteith, during the Minority of Alexander III of Scotland. In: The Scottish Historical Review. 57, 1989, pp. 121-142.

Web links

• Alan Young: Comyn, Walter, earl of Menteith (d.1258). 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. ^ Edward LG Stones: Anglo-Scottish Relations. 1174-1328. London, Nelson 1965, p. 25.
2. ↑ THE Watt: The Minority of Alexander III of Scotland. In: Transactions of the Royal Historical Society. 21, 1971, p. 3.
3. ^ Alan Young: The Political Rôle of Walter Comyn, Earl of Menteith, during the Minority of Alexander III of Scotland. In: The Scottish Historical Review. 57, 1989, p. 127.
4. ↑ THE Watt: The Minority of Alexander III of Scotland. In: Transactions of the Royal Historical Society. 21, 1971, p. 8.
5. ↑ THE Watt: The Minority of Alexander III of Scotland. In: Transactions of the Royal Historical Society. 21, 1971, p. 14.
6. ↑ ^{a b} D. ER Watt: The Minority of Alexander III of Scotland. In: Transactions of the Royal Historical Society. 21, 1971, p. 17.
7. ^ Alan Young: The Political Rôle of Walter Comyn, Earl of Menteith, during the Minority of Alexander III of Scotland. In: The Scottish Historical Review. 57, 1989, p. 138.
8. ^ Alan Young: The Political Rôle of Walter Comyn, Earl of Menteith, during the Minority of Alexander III of Scotland. In: The Scottish Historical Review. 57, 1989, p. 132.
9. ↑ John Anderson: The Ancient Earls of Meneith . In: James Balfour Paul (Ed.): The Scots Peerage . tape 6 : Marchmont-Oxfuird . David Douglas, Edinburgh 1909, p. 125–141 (English, Textarchiv - Internet Archive - here p. 130).
10. ↑ THE Watt: The Minority of Alexander III of Scotland. In: Transactions of the Royal Historical Society. 21, 1971, p. 20.
11. ^ Alan Young: The Political Rôle of Walter Comyn, Earl of Menteith, during the Minority of Alexander III of Scotland. In: The Scottish Historical Review. 57, 1989, p. 122.
12. ^ Alan Young: The Political Rôle of Walter Comyn, Earl of Menteith, during the Minority of Alexander III of Scotland. In: The Scottish Historical Review. 57, 1989, p. 132.
13. ^ Alan Young: The Political Rôle of Walter Comyn, Earl of Menteith, during the Minority of Alexander III of Scotland. In: The Scottish Historical Review. 57, 1989, p. 128.
14. ↑ Walter Scott: Rob Roy. Volume 2, Chapter 13 (excerpt from books.google.de ).

predecessor	Office	successor
William Comyn	Lord of Badenoch 1229-1258	John I. Comyn
Muireadhach II	Earl of Menteith (iure uxoris Isabella ) after 1234–1258	Walter Bailloch (iure uxoris Mary I. )
Office newly created	Guardian of Scotland 1249–1255 Co-regents: Alexander Comyn , John de Balliol , Uilleam, 5th Earl of Mar , Robert de Keldeleth (1249–1251), Gamelin (1251–1255)	Alan Durward , Alexander Stewart , Patrick Dunbar