William Douglas, 8th Earl of Douglas
William Douglas, 8th Earl of Douglas , (* around 1425; † February 21, 1452 murdered at Stirling Castle ) was a Scottish nobleman and Guardian of Scotland .
William was the eldest son of James Douglas, 7th Earl of Douglas and his wife Beatrice Stewart of Albany. He was knighted in 1430 . He followed his father in 1443 as 8th Earl of Douglas and 2nd Earl of Avondale . In 1450 he married Margaret Douglas of Galloway . Between 1443 and 1449 William held the office of Lord Lieutenant of the Kingdom, from 1450 to 1452 he was also Warden of the Marches . In 1450 he made a pilgrimage to Rome .
King James II of Scotland tried to break the hegemony of the Douglas family and take their lands, which plunged Scotland into civil war. As early as 1440, Jacob, who was ten at the time, had the 6th Earl of Douglas executed. James II invited William with assurance of safe conduct to Stirling Castle and demanded there from him the dissolution of his alliance with Alexander Lindsay, 4th Earl of Crawford . When William refused, he was personally stabbed by the king.
William died childless, so his brother James followed him as 9th Earl of Douglas.
Web links
- William Douglas, 8th Earl of Douglas, on thepeerage.com , accessed September 1, 2016.
| predecessor | Office | successor |
|---|---|---|
| James Douglas |
Earl of Douglas Earl of Avondale 1443-1452 |
James Douglas |
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Douglas, William, 8th Earl of Douglas |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Douglas, William Douglas, 8th Earl of |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Scottish nobleman |
| DATE OF BIRTH | around 1425 |
| DATE OF DEATH | February 21, 1452 |
| Place of death | Stirling Castle |