Harrower Family Tree » Robert Stewart (1340-1420)

Personal data Robert Stewart 

• He was born on July 1, 1340.Source 1

  Dundonald, South Ayrshire, Scotland

• Title: Regent of Scotland, Duke of Albany, Earl of Fife, Earl of MenteithSource 1
• (Created) on February 28, 1361: Earl of Menteith.Sources 1, 2
• (Created) on April 28, 1398: Duke of Albany.Source 3
• (Created) between December 4, 1371 and March 6, 1372: Earl of Fife, following the resignation of Elizabeth, his sister-in-law.Source 2
• (Created) on September 2, 1403: Earl of Atholl for life, but was never so styled, so it may be that he resigned at once.Source 2

  Earl of Buchan before 20 September, 1406, following the death of his brother, Alexander ( below), but resigned it the same day

• (Created) before September 20, 1406: Earl of Buchan, following the death of his brother, Alexander, but resigned it the same day.Source 2
• He died on September 3, 1420 in Stirling Castle, Stirling, Stirlingshire, Scotland, he was 80 years old.Source 1
• He is buried after September 3, 1420 in Dunfermline Abbey, Dunfermline, Fife, Scotland.Source 1
• A child of Robert Stewart and Elizabeth Mure

Household of Robert Stewart

(1) He is married to Margaret Graham.

They got married on September 9, 1361, he was 21 years old.Source 1

Child(ren):

1. Janet Stewart  ± 1364-± 1425
2. Mary Stewart  1363-????
3. Margaret Stewart  1368-± 1439
4. Murdoch Stewart  1362-1425
5. Joan Stewart  
6. Beatrice Stewart  ????-± 1424
7. Isobel Stewart  

(2) He is married to Muriella Keith.

They got married on May 4, 1380 at Dundonald, Ayrshire, Scotland, he was 39 years old.Sources 4, 5

Child(ren):

1. John Stewart  1381-1424 
2. Robert Stewart  ± 1388-± 1431
3. Marjory Marcelline Stewart  1375-± 1421 
4. Elizabeth Stewart  
5. Andrew Stewart  ????-± 1413

Notes about Robert Stewart

Robert Stewart, Duke of Albany
BIRTH 1 Jul 1340 Dundonald, South Ayrshire, Scotland
DEATH 3 Sep 1420 (aged 79-80) Stirling, Scotland
BURIAL Dunfermline Abbey, Dunfermline, Fife, Scotland

Robert Stewart, Duke of Albany (c. 1340 - 3 September 1420) was a member of the Scottish royal family who served as regent (at least partially) to three different Scottish monarchs (Robert II, Robert III, and James I). A ruthless politician, Albany was widely regarded as having caused the murder of his nephew, the Duke of Rothesay, and brother to the future King James I of Scotland. James was held in captivity in England for eighteen years, during which time Albany served as regent in Scotland, king in all but name. He died in 1420 and was succeeded by his son, Murdoch Stewart, Duke of Albany, who was executed for treason when James returned to Scotland in 1425, almost causing the complete ruin of the Albany Stewarts.

Robert Stewart was the third son of the future King Robert II of Scotland (1316-1390) and of Elizabeth Mure of Rowallan. His parents' marriage was deemed uncanonical at first, which in some circles, gave their children and descendants the label of illegitimacy, but the granting of a papal dispensation in 1349 saw their remarriage and their children's legitimisation. Robert's grandfather was Walter Stewart, 6th High Steward of Scotland (1293-1326) and his father was the first monarch of the House of Stewart. His great-grandfather was Robert the Bruce (1274-1329), legendary victor of the Battle of Bannockburn.

Robert Stewart was raised in a large family with many siblings. His older brother John Stewart (1337-1406) became Earl of Carrick in 1368, and would later be crowned King of Scotland under the name Robert III.

In 1361, Stewart married Margaret Graham, Countess of Menteith (1334-1380), a wealthy divorcee who took Robert as her fourth husband. His sister-in-law's claim to the Earldoms of Menteith and Fife allowed him to assume those titles, becoming Earl of Menteith and Earl of Fife. In 1362 the couple had a son and heir, Murdoch Stewart, (1362-1425) who would in time inherit his father's titles and estates.

Stewart was responsible for the construction of Doune Castle, which remains largely intact today. When Stewart was created Earl of Menteith, he was granted the lands on which Doune Castle now stands. Building may have started any time after this, and the castle was at least partially complete in 1381, when a charter was sealed here.

After the death of his brother King Robert III, Albany ruled Scotland as regent. His young nephew, the future James I of Scotland, remained in exile and imprisonment in England for 18 years. Albany made little effort to secure the young Prince's ransom and return to Scotland, focusing his energies instead on securing his own power and interest.

Albany's political triumph did not settle his differences with the other members of the nobility, in particular Donald McDonald, 2nd Lord of the Isles, who in 1411 led an army of clansmen from the Northwest Highlands into open battle with the Stewarts. This conflict began when Albany had attempted to secure the Earldom of Ross for his second son John, despite McDonald's better claim.[12] At the Battle of Harlaw (known as "Red Harlaw" on account of its savagery)[13] on 24 July 1411, losses were heavy on both sides, though McDonald's eventual withdrawal allowed the Stewarts to claim a strategic victory.[14] The Stewart army was led by Albany's nephew, Alexander Stewart, Earl of Mar, who later sat on the jury of knights and peers which convicted Albany's son Murdoch Stewart, Duke of Albany and two of his sons of treason, virtually annihilating the Albany Stewarts.

Marriage and family
Albany married twice. Firstly, in 1361, he married Margaret Graham, Countess of Menteith, (1334-1380) a wealthy divorcee who took him as her fourth husband. His sister-in-law's claim to the Earldoms of Menteith and Fife allowed him to assume those titles after marriage. The couple had eight children, seven daughters and a son:

Lady Janet Stewart (married Sir David de Moubray)
Lady Mary Stewart (married Sir William Abernathy, 6th of Saltoun)
Lady Margaret Stewart (married to Sir John Swinton, 14th of that Ilk)
Lady Joan Stewart (married Sir Robert Stewart, 1st Lord of Lorne and had descendants)
Lady Beatrice Stewart (married Sir James Douglas of Balveny)
Lady Isobel Stewart (married to Alexander Leslie, 7th Earl of Ross and later to Walter de Haliburton, 1st Lord Haliburton of Dirleton and had descendants)
Murdoch Stewart, Duke of Albany (1362-1425) (Married Joan Douglas and later to Isabel, Countess of Lennox)
Lady Margery (married Sir Duncan Campbell, 1st Lord Campbell and had descendants)
Margaret died in 1380 and Albany subsequently married Muriella Keith, with whom he had three children:
John Stewart, 2nd Earl of Buchan (1381-1424); he fought in France against the English during the Hundred Years War, serving with distinction, but was killed at the Battle of Verneuil on 17 August 1424.
Robert Stewart, Earl of Ross, died without issue
Lady Elizabeth Stewart (married to Malcolm Fleming, ancestor of Malcolm Fleming, 3rd Lord Fleming)

The Duke of Albany died in 1420 in Stirling Castle and lies buried in Dunfermline Abbey in Fife. He was succeeded as Duke of Albany and Regent of Scotland by his son, Murdoch Stewart, Duke of Albany. But Murdoch would not enjoy his power for long. In 1425 the exiled King James, captive in England for 18 years, finally returned to Scotland, and executed Murdoch and most of his family for treason, causing the almost complete ruin of the Albany Stewarts.

Murdoch Stewart's sole surviving male heir was his youngest son, James the Fat, who fled to Ireland after a brief rebellion against the King over the arrest of his father and brothers. James remained in Ireland, unable to return, and died there in 1429. He was never able to inherit his father's titles, since they had been declared forfeit.

Albany's great-grandson, James "Beg" Stewart, (c. 1410-1470) would eventually secure a pardon from the King and return to Scotland, though the family would never recover their lost estates. James "Beg" Stewart is the ancestor of the Stewarts of Ardvorlich on Lochearnside, whose family history is recounted by Sir Walter Scott in A Legend of Montrose.

Family Members

Parents
Robert King of Scots 1316-1390
Elizabeth Mure Stewart 1320-1354

Spouse
Margaret Graham Stewart 1334-1380

Siblings
Walter Stewart unknown-1362
Margaret Stewart MacDonald
Alexander Stewart unknown-1405
Robert Stewart 1337-1406
Isabella Eupheme Stewart Douglas 1348-1410
Marjorie Stewart Dunbar 1348-1417
Elizabeth Stewart De La Haye of Errol 1348-1389
Jean Stewart Lyon 1350-1404

Half Siblings
David Stewart 1357-1389
Elizabeth Stewart Lindsey 1362-1446

Children
Murdoch Stewart 1362-1425
Marjory Marceline Stewart Campbell 1375-1421

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Many Scots know the medieval stories of William Wallace and Robert the Bruce, who lived lives of high drama, political intrigue, and great heroism. Their tales are engraved into the Scottish psyche through books and films, monuments and castles, yet the Kings and people that followed King Robert I are lesser known or celebrated, whether it be the Bruce's son King David II, or the first Stewart king Robert II. Far fewer people know of Robert, 1st Duke of Albany who during a period in Scottish history, between the reigns of Robert III and his son James I, was the dominant figure who shaped Scotland's domestic and foreign policies. Albany was a figure of great controversy, either according to Sir Walter Scott's Fair Maid of Perth, a great villain who murdered his way to power, or a great patriot, who through ruthless methods and political genius managed to guide Scotland through wild and uncertain times. A powerful personage Albany at various times ruled Scotland as Guardian or Governor, and pitted his wits against the likes of the English kings Richard II, Henry IV and Henry V, the victor of Agincourt. A man of incredible energy, he would fight a number of military campaigns against the English, and in the north he would defend against the Gaelic powers seeking to expand into central Scotland. He fought alongside his father when a teenager and his last major military campaign would occur when at the age of 78. Under his leadership his family and friends would acquire lands, titles and powers, and he showed immense political and diplomatic abilities to win the powerful clans to his side. He was also a talented propagandist, turning the moderate success of the Relief of Cockslaw into a national victory, and later he would disturb the reigns of Henry IV and Henry V by entertaining as a guest a man who was the supposedly murdered Plantagenet King Richard II. His greatest diplomatic coup was organising armies to cross over to the continent in support of France against the power of England. Hero or villain, the following book seeks to outline the Duke of Albany's role in Scottish history.

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Timeline Robert Stewart

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