William Douglas, Lord of Liddesdale

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Sir William Douglas, Lord of Liddesdale (also William Douglas of Lothian ; Douglas of Liddesdale or Knight of Liddesdale ) (* around 1310; † August 1353 with Williamhope ) was a Scottish magnate and military.

origin

William Douglas came from a line of the Scottish Douglas family . He was the eldest son of Sir James Douglas and his wife Joan . His father was a young valet in 1306 and later owned a small estate in Lothian . William Douglas was likely underage when his father died before April 1323. He became his heir and was knighted before 1330.

Military service in the fight against the disinherited

During the minority of the Scottish King David II. Douglas was appointed Warden of the Scottish Marches in 1330 , possibly as a direct successor to his distant cousin James Douglas . Because of his office, he was probably in southern Scotland when the so-called disinherited invaded Scotland in 1332. At that time Scotland and England were officially not at war, but the English King Edward III. rejected the peace made with Scotland in 1328 and secretly supported the disinherited. In early 1333 a Scottish force invaded English Cumberland . In response to this attack, the English baron Sir Anthony Lucy led a raid across the Solway Firth to south-west Scotland in March 1333 . When the English were on their way back, they attacked Douglas along with the crew of Lochmaben Castle . However, the Scots were beaten and Douglas was captured.

Battle on the Scottish side in the Second Scottish War of Independence

Douglas remained in captivity at Carlisle Castle until 1335 before he was released. Back in Scotland, he continued to support the followers of David II in the war against England . First in Annandale and Lothian, then in Galloway he gathered opponents of the opposing king Edward Balliol, who was supported by the disinherited, and waged a guerrilla war with them against his supporters. In April 1335 he attended the Parliament of the Guardian John Randolph, 3rd Earl of Moray in Dairsie . In July 1335, together with Moray, he defeated the forces of the Count of Namur fighting on the English side in the battle near Boroughmuir . After the count had surrendered, Douglas escorted him to the English border with Moray. On the way back they were caught in an English ambush. While Moray was captured, Douglas escaped. Sir Andrew Murray became the new Guardian to succeed Moray . Douglas supported Murray, even when Murray, unlike most Scottish nobles, refused to submit to the English king. Douglas led the attack of the Scottish patriots at the Battle of Culblean on November 30, 1335 and thus played a major role in the victory over David Strathbogie , one of Edward Balliol's most important supporters. For his contribution to the victory, Murray is said to have awarded him the Earldom Atholl, which Strathbogie had also claimed. But he was probably only promised the title. In 1336 Douglas fought against John of Eltham , the younger brother of the English king, who with his troops devastated areas in south-west Scotland. In February 1337 he supported Andrew Murray, among others, when he attacked castles in Fife under English occupation . Only Cupar Castle withstood the attacks while St Andrews Castle was captured. At the end of 1337, Douglas distinguished himself in a battle near Crichton , which ended in a draw. Then Douglas waged a guerrilla war against the English from the Liddesdale and Forest of Selkirk hills. After the English king had signed an armistice with the Scots, Douglas traveled to France in 1338, where he visited the exiled David II in Château Gaillard . There he probably received money from the French king to continue the fight against England. Douglas hired a pirate, and with this and five galleys he returned to Scotland in 1339. The ships blocked the mouth of the Tay and thus the access to Perth, which was still occupied by English troops . Then Douglas was able to bribe William Bullock , the English commander of Cupar Castle. Bullock switched sides, surrendered the castle, and supported the siege of Perth. The English defenders finally surrendered the city on August 17, 1339. On April 16, 1341 he conquered Edinburgh Castle together with Bullock by a ruse . He then occupied the castle and used it as a base for further attacks. When David II returned to Scotland from exile in the same year, Douglas, along with Murray and Alexander Ramsay, was considered one of the most successful military on the Scottish side.

Hermitage Castle, the castle where William Douglas murdered his rival Alexander Ramsay

Rewards from the king and conflicts with other magnates

The Guardian Robert Stewart had already promised Douglas land ownership in various parts of Scotland, perhaps because Douglas himself paid his own expenses during the war. Upon his return, David II recognized the value of Douglas' support and generously rewarded him with land ownership. On July 18, 1341 Douglas was raised to Earl of Atholl , to he was later appointed Lord of Dalkeith and received lands in Peeblesshire , Eskdale and Ewesdale . Douglas apparently never carried the title of Earl of Atholl. Instead of keeping property in the Highlands , he wanted to concentrate his property in southern Scotland. There he held the barony of Liddesdale as the guardian of his godchild and namesake William Douglas . Liddesdale was controversial between Robert Stewart and the Douglas. Archibald Douglas , the father of Douglas' godchild, had acquired Liddesdale during the war with England , but Stewart also made claims to the barony. At the instigation of Douglas, the Privy Council approved at a meeting in February 1342 in Aberdeen the exchange of Liddesdale for Atholl, which fell to Stewart. Douglas now held Liddesdale as a fiefdom of his own, with which his godchild was disinherited. In addition, Douglas came into conflict with Alexander Ramsay. The king had given this well-deserved military man the administration of Roxburgh Castle , which he had conquered, and the office of sheriff of Teviotdale . Douglas made an older claim to this office. When Ramsay was holding court in the parish church of Hawick on June 20, 1342 , Douglas raided the place and took Ramsay prisoner. He had Ramsay brought to Hermitage Castle , where Ramsay died a short time later. At Robert Stewart's instigation, David II reluctantly pardoned Douglas. Since the king could not punish Douglas, he took revenge on William Bullock, the ally of Douglas, who had meanwhile been raised to the rank of royal Chamberlain . Bullock was thrown into the dungeon, where he died a little later.

Again imprisonment in England

After the armistice with England had expired, David II invaded northern England in 1346 with the Scottish army. In the twilight of October 17, 1346, Douglas led a squad of the Scottish Army to gather food. He came across an English army by surprise. Douglas was able to flee to the Scottish camp with difficulty and alert the Scots. In the following Battle of Neville's Cross he led one of the Scottish battalions, but the battle ended in a severe Scottish defeat. Both David II and Douglas were captured. In March 1348 the English parliament still demanded that not only the Scottish king, but also Douglas should not be released under any circumstances. Nevertheless, from around 1348 onwards, Douglas was involved in the lengthy efforts to free the king. After renewed negotiations in York in November 1350, Douglas traveled to Scotland before the end of the year to bring the English king's demand for a ransom of £ 40,000 for the release of the Scottish king to a Scottish parliament. Parliament refused this request and Douglas returned to English captivity before February 9, 1351. Since the English king then demanded further political concessions in addition to a high ransom , the negotiations held in Newcastle continued . In November 1351, Douglas accompanied David II when he was allowed to travel to Scotland to negotiate with the Scottish magnates. However, neither Douglas nor the king were able to convince the magnates to agree to the demands of the English king during another parliament. Thereupon they both returned to England as prisoners in March 1352. So far, the ransom from Douglas had not been negotiated, but on July 17, 1352 he concluded an agreement with Edward III, apparently without the participation of David II. In this, Douglas swore allegiance to the English king and received Hermitage Castle, Liddesdale and estates in Annandale and Moffatdale , which had previously been occupied by English troops. For this purpose he should in case of war Edward III. support. Although Douglas declared that he would not wage war against his own country, ie Scotland, he assured English troops unhindered passage through Liddesdale and its other areas. That made his behavior very questionable, if not treasonous. This agreement was not yet known in Scotland when Douglas was allowed to return to Scotland before August 1353. Since the defeat at Neville's Cross, the country has been marked by disunity between the magnates and feuds . In the Forest of Ettrick , Douglas was ambushed at Williamhope by his former ward William Douglas and was killed. This had returned to Scotland from France after the Battle of Neville's Cross. According to the chronicler Walter Bower , the murder happened out of revenge for the murder of Ramsay, but the disinheritance of his ward in 1342 was probably the background of the attack. Douglas was buried in Melrose Abbey . The younger William Douglas was never prosecuted for the murder. He now claimed the property of the murdered man, which was confirmed to him by a royal document in February 1354.

Marriage, offspring, and inheritance

Douglas had married Elizabeth before 1346 , whose origin is unknown. With her he had a daughter, Mary , whom he had handed over as a hostage to the English king in 1352 in return for his release. Mary was eventually released after her father died. She returned to Scotland and married, but died childless. Douglas had bequeathed his estates to James Douglas , the eldest son of his late brother John , in 1351 . This finally managed to get part of these possessions from David II with Dalkeith. He became the progenitor of the Lords of Dalkeith.

rating

Douglas succeeded in the time when David II was a minor and the political and military leadership changed several times, to bind other knights and fighters to himself. His armed force was small, but powerful, and his military successes gave him political influence. While he was one of the few barons of his day who never submitted to Edward Balliol and fought resolutely for David II, he also expected that the conquests he made during this time would later be recognized by the king as his property. Douglas was known in Scotland as the Knight of Liddesdale and was considered the prime of chivalry. English chroniclers, however, called him less brave and more vicious. After Walter Bower, he was an energetic fighter who was true to his promises. He was indeed bold and tactical, but he was also greedy and apparently ready to betray his long imprisonment in England.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Michael Brown: The wars of Scotland, 1214-1371 . Edinburgh University Press, Edinburgh 2004, ISBN 0-7486-1237-8 , p. 237.
  2. ^ Ranald Nicholson: Scotland. The later Middle Ages . Oliver & Boyd, Edinburgh 1974, pp. 132-133.
  3. ^ Ranald Nicholson: Scotland. The later Middle Ages . Oliver & Boyd, Edinburgh 1974, p. 135.
  4. ^ Ranald Nicholson: Scotland. The later Middle Ages . Oliver & Boyd, Edinburgh 1974, p. 136.
  5. ↑ Michael Brown: The wars of Scotland, 1214-1371 . Edinburgh University Press, Edinburgh 2004, ISBN 0-7486-1237-8 , p. 241.
  6. ^ A b Ranald Nicholson: Scotland. The later Middle Ages . Oliver & Boyd, Edinburgh 1974, p. 138.
  7. ^ Ranald Nicholson: Scotland. The later Middle Ages . Oliver & Boyd, Edinburgh 1974, p. 139.
  8. ^ A b Michael Brown: The wars of Scotland, 1214-1371 . Edinburgh University Press, Edinburgh 2004, ISBN 0-7486-1237-8 , p. 243.
  9. ^ A b Ranald Nicholson: Scotland. The later Middle Ages . Oliver & Boyd, Edinburgh 1974, p. 144.
  10. ↑ Michael Brown: The wars of Scotland, 1214-1371 . Edinburgh University Press, Edinburgh 2004, ISBN 0-7486-1237-8 , p. 245.
  11. ↑ Michael Brown: The wars of Scotland, 1214-1371 . Edinburgh University Press, Edinburgh 2004, ISBN 0-7486-1237-8 , p. 247.
  12. ^ Ranald Nicholson: Scotland. The later Middle Ages . Oliver & Boyd, Edinburgh 1974, p. 156.
  13. ^ AAM Duncan: Honi soit qui mal y pense: David II and Edward III, 1346-52 . In: The Scottish Historical Review , 67 (1988), p. 121.
  14. ^ Ranald Nicholson: Scotland. The later Middle Ages . Oliver & Boyd, Edinburgh 1974, p. 157.
  15. ^ Ranald Nicholson: Scotland. The later Middle Ages . Oliver & Boyd, Edinburgh 1974, p. 159.
  16. ↑ Michael Brown: The wars of Scotland, 1214-1371 . Edinburgh University Press, Edinburgh 2004, ISBN 0-7486-1237-8 , p. 302.
  17. ^ Ranald Nicholson: Scotland. The later Middle Ages . Oliver & Boyd, Edinburgh 1974, p. 142.
  18. ^ Ranald Nicholson: Scotland. The later Middle Ages . Oliver & Boyd, Edinburgh 1974, p. 147.
personal data
SURNAME Douglas, William, Lord of Liddesdale
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Sir William Douglas of Liddesdale; William Douglas of Lothian; The Knight of Liddesdale
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Scottish magnate and military
DATE OF BIRTH around 1310
DATE OF DEATH August 1353
Place of death at Williamhope