EARLY STEWART SCOTTISH QUEENS

The Stewart dynasty was often plagued with many minority monarchs so the role of the Dowager Queens was always one of a power struggle to make sure her son was not killed and his eventual power was protected . However, these three women who married the first two Stewart Kings did not have this problem. What also made them unique was all three were Scottish born women. Unique? When you look at the queens before them from King Malcolm III forward to King Robert Bruce not a single Queen was a Scot. Interestingly Robert Bruce's first wife Isabella of Mar was a Scot, the daughter of the Earl of Mar and a woman named Ellen who had previously been the wife of Earl of Fife. It was Isabella's and King Robert Bruce's daughter, Marjory Bruce wife of Walter Stewart the High Steward of Scotland who was the mother of the Stewart Dynasty beginning with her son Robert II. His wives and daughter in law was...

Elizabeth Mure (first wife of Robert II)

She was the daughter of Sir Adam Mure of Ayrshire and Joan Cunnigham. She initially was Robert’s mistress but married him in 1336 but the nobles and Church had a problem with this marriage as being not within the conical rules. So initially their children were considered “natural”. However he was able to get a papal dispensation in 1347 and married her in 1349. At this point he was able to make all of his sons by Elizabeth legitimate, which would later create a problem for the Stewart dynasty when the King took a second wife. Unfortunately Elizabeth died before 1355 and Robert was not crowned King until 1371, when he was 55, she was never his queen. Elizabeth had 4 sons (his heir Robert III) and 6 daughters:

John (King Robert III), Earl of Carrick, Walter , Lord of Fife, Robert Stewart, Duke of Albany, Alexander,

Margaret m John, Lord of the Isles, Marjory m John, Earl of Moray, Johanna m Sir John Keith/others, Isabella m James Douglas-2^nd Earl of Douglas/others, Katherine m Sir Robert Logan, Elizabeth m St Thomas Hay.

Euphemia Ross (Robert’s queen but his second wife)

She was the daughter of the Earl of Ross and Matilda Bruce (King Robert the Bruce’s sister), creating more problems when both she and Robert II were related to King Robert I: she his niece and he his grandson. This relationship required Robert to obtain another papal dispensation, which was common for noble families in Scotland at the time. Her marriage to Robert II was her second marriage after the death of her first husband the Earl of Moray in 1346 and she remained unmarried until May 1355 when she married Robert II.

Her second marriage to Robert produced 5 more children of which two were sons and it was her sons who disputed the legitimacy of their step-brothers. The Ross family claimed that the sons of the first marriage to Elizabeth Mure had no claim to the Scottish throne as they were illegitimate when born. However despite the fact that this first marriage was ruled unconical by the Church when they declared themselves married and lived together producing at least 10 children, the children of such unions in Scotland (noble or common man) would have been legal heirs under Scottish laws. However, on March 27 1371, the Scottish Parliament at Scone Abbey declared that Robert’s first- born son John (later named Robert III) from his marriage to Elizabeth as his legal heir. Euphemia died 1386 before Robert II in 1391. Her children included:

David, Earl of Caithness, Walter, Earl of Atholl

Margaret m ?, Elizabeth m David Lindsay, Earl of Crawford, Eigidia m Sir Wm. Douglas of Nithsdale

Annabelle Drumond (wife of Robert III)

Annabelle was born in Scotland in 1350 at Dunfermline Abbey, Fife to the Sir John Drummond and Mary Montifex. She married Robert III in 1367 at the age of 17, some 23 years before her husband ascended to the throne of Scotland. When that happened both she and her husband were crowned at the same time. While King David II was still alive John (Robert III) was named earl of Carrick and she was his countess before later becoming his queen. She and Robert had at least 7 children including the future King James I, her youngest and remaining son. What happened to her older son David is unknown but legend claims he was starved to death by his uncle Robert, Earl of Rothesay, brother to King Robert II.

Annabelle favored the burgh of Fife and donated a sandstone font with her likeness and heraldry to the parish Kirk. Her life was difficult because of the turmoil her husband’s riding accident, which left him cripple and the murder of her eldest son at the hands of her brother in law. This brother ran the country in the king’s name creating all sorts of problems from the Islands to the Borders as well as within his family. It was assumed by historians he was trying to supplant his own son Murdock as heir apparent. Annabelle died at age 51 at Scone Palace and was buried at Dunfermline. Her children included:

David, Duke of Rothesay(murdered by his uncle), Robert died infancy, James (Duke of Rothesay on his brother’s death and later became James I of Scotland

Margaret m Archibald, Earl of Douglas, Mary m George Douglas, Earl of Angus/others, Elizabeth m Sir James Douglas, 1^st Baron of Dalkeith, Egida m to a Douglas family.

The next posting will be looking at three children of these women and how their lifes might have influenced Scottish history.

FICTION FRIDAY!!

Yep, it’s Fiction Friday again. Though this week I am going to step away from the traditional romance fiction and offer up some new titles I recently have found, but haven’t read. They are historical in the true sense but are mostly mysteries. I have also included two ebooks that looked interesting from one of the very first Ebook publishers, Awe Struck Press. So here are my offerings with hopes that there will more straight historical fiction in the new year:

Those of you looking for a book set in the late medieval period of Scotland you might want to check out author Shona MacLean who as created the protagonist Alexander Seaton in two books. THE REDEMPTION OF ALXANDER SEATON takes place in 17^th century Scotland and Alex is a wayward minister who is now a teacher and when a murder occurs at his school and one of his few friends is named the murder, he sets out to solve this thriller journey the killer but also finds himself. Her second book in the series, A GAME OF SORROWS, has Alexander heading to Ireland to help his family who is cursed

Mystery writer Shirley McKay has a two book series called the Hue Cullen mysteries.

In HUE AND CRY, Hue is a young Scottish university student in 1579 at Saint Andrews, when a young teenage boy is murdered on the campus. As he has recently returned from Paris he is drawn into the complex passions and secrets surrounding one of the Regents of the university and the murder. Add to these secrets are the over bearing atmosphere of the

Protestant Kirk and the academic community and you have a great mystery.

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She follows up with FATE AND FORTUNE where life gets complicated for Hue in 1580 when his father dies, a young woman is found dead on the beach at St. Andrews and he finds a law manuscript in his father’s belongings. He is encouraged to read for the Bar in Edinburgh and before you know it when he has the manuscript published there is another murder and he fears that it is connected with the one in St Andrews. Though as he begins to investigate the two murders the truth may be closer than he wants to know.

From Awe Struck Books here are interesting titles:

Beltaine's Song by Kelley Heckart

For each of them, spring's song has a different meaning. Now king and queen of the powerful kingdom of Dal Riata, Aedan and Domelch have more than just Cailleach'swrath to contend with. Aedan struggles with being a king and being a husband. Domelch struggles with her beliefs, trying to be the Christianwoman Aedan wed, but her heart still thrums with the voices of old gods. They must battle earthly foes—enemy kings and traitorous allies. For the first time, the arrival of spring heralds the sound of a harsh battle horn as their foes close in. Through all this turmoil, can their love survive?” Awe Struck books

Campbell's Reivers by Neil Grant

This new novel is based on the exploits of young Alex Campbell, sent off by his father to join the newly-forming Scots Brigade in the Low Countries of Europe. Romance having been found in unusual circumstances, the young man finds himself forced to part from his new love and leave his native Scotland to take part in the war between His Most Catholic Majesty, Phillip II of Spain, and Prince William the Silent, Prince of Nassau/Orange. Leading troops recruited from the Border area of southern Scotland, Alex rides at the head of his small band of 'reivers' into the pages of the tumultuous history of 16th Century Europe. Awe Struck books.