Walter Stewart, 1st Earl of Atholl
Walter Stewart, 1st Earl of Atholl (* around 1360, † March 26, 1437 in Edinburgh ) was a Scottish peer from the Stewart family .
He held the titles of 1st Earl of Atholl , 4th Earl of Strathearn and 3rd Earl of Caithness .
Life
He was the third son of Robert II , King of Scotland, and his second wife Euphemia de Ross , Countess of Moray.
Walter held the office of Grand Justice of Scotland.
In 1402 at the latest, his niece Euphemia Stewart, 2nd Countess of Strathearn and Caithness , the daughter of his brother David , renounced the title of Countess of Caithness in his favor . On April 28, 1404 he was also raised to Earl of Atholl . In 1428 he renounced the title of Earl of Caithness in favor of his older son . When he died childless in 1431, the title reverted to him. Between 1424 and 1427 also was a male fairy of the title Earl of Strathearn the son of his niece Malise Graham, 3rd Earl of Strathearn withdrawn and also assigned to the 1st Earl of Atholl.
Walter was half-brother of the Scottish King Robert III. and uncle of King James I. The legitimacy of the first marriage of his father and their descendants has been partly questioned. Walter, who came from the undoubtedly legitimate second marriage of Robert II, therefore derived claims to the throne for himself. As part of a conspiracy, he finally murdered his nephew, King James I, on February 21, 1437.
Walter Stewart was thereupon sentenced to death and formally tortured to death in Edinburgh over a period of three days in an extremely brutal manner, even for the time. His titles of nobility were stripped from him for high treason.
Marriages and offspring
His first marriage was around 1378 Margaret Barclay († 1404), daughter and heiress of David Barclay, Lord of Brechin . With her he had two sons:
- Allan (Alexander) Stewart, 4th Earl of Caithness († 1431)
- David Stewart, Master of Atholl († 1437)
The Earl married a second time around 1404 Elizabeth, daughter of Sir William Graham of Kincardine († 1424). This marriage remained childless.
literature
- MH Brown: Stewart, Walter, earl of Atholl, first earl of Caithness, and earl of Strathearn (early 1360s-1437). 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 (not viewed).
- Thomas Finlayson Henderson: Stewart, Walter (d.1437) . In: Sidney Lee (Ed.): Dictionary of National Biography . Volume 54: Stanhope - Stovin. , MacMillan & Co, Smith, Elder & Co., New York City / London 1898, pp. 358 - 359 (English).
Web links
- Walter Stewart, 1st Earl of Atholl on thepeerage.com
| predecessor | Office | successor |
|---|---|---|
| Euphemia Stewart |
Earl of Caithness 1402-1428 |
Allan Stewart |
| New title created |
Earl of Atholl 1404-1437 |
Title forfeited |
| Euphemia Stewart |
Earl of Strathearn 1424 / 1427-1437 |
Title forfeited |
| Allan Stewart |
Earl of Caithness 1431-1437 |
Title forfeited |
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Stewart, Walter, 1st Earl of Atholl |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Stuart, Walter |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Scottish nobleman and conspirator |
| DATE OF BIRTH | around 1360 |
| DATE OF DEATH | March 26, 1437 |
| Place of death | Edinburgh , Scotland |