John Erskine, Earl of Mar Advocate of the Middle Way, 1548-1572
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1 John Erskine, Earl of Mar Advocate of the Middle Way, 1548-1572 Elizabeth E. Brain Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of M.A. e Table of Contents e 1 The Family of Erskine 2 Between Queen and Congregation 3 Erskine•s Support of the Reformation 4 The Earldom of Mar and the Royal Marriage 5 Mar and the Protestant Opposition 6 The Regencies of Moray and Lennox: Mar Remains Steadfast 7 Mar Becomes Regent -- Outlying Areas and Foreign Affaira 8 The Struggle to Establish a Central Government 9 The Regent Mar•s Maltreatment of the Kirk 10 Morton Takes Control. e Abbreviations Used e A.P.S. Acts of the Parliament of Scotland, London, 1814, II, III. A.T.S. Accounts of the Lord High Treasurer of Scotland, ed. J.B. Paul';-'Edinburgh, 1911-1916, IX, X, XI. c.s.P. ca~end~ of Sts.te Papers Rela.ting !Q. Scotland and MBrt sueen of Scots, I, II, ed. J. Bain, Edinburgh, 1 9 -1900; III, IV, ed. W.K. Boyd, Edinburgh, 1903-1905 E.R.S. Excheguer Rolls of Scotland, ed. G.P. M'Neill, Edinburgh, 1898-1899, VIII, XIX, XX. Fore. Eliz. Calendar of State Papers, Elizabeth, I-VII, ed. J. SteVënson, London, 1863-1870, VIII-X, ed. A.J. Crosby, 1871-1876. R.G.S. Register of the Great Seal of Scotland, ed. J.B. Paul, and J.M. Thomson, Edrnburgh, 1883-1886, III, IV. R.P.C. Register of the Pri!l Council of Scotland, ed. J. H. Burton~Edinburgh, 1877-187E; I, II. R.P.S. Register of the Privy Seal of Scotland, ed. D.H. Fleming, and J.~eVëridge, Edinburgh, 1936-1952, III, IV. e e Preface Thou~h much has been written about events in Seotland at the time of the reformation, there is still a need for studies of ind.ividuals involved in these events, and their effeet ·on the history of their time. 'l'he ob,iect of this thesis is to trace the eareer of a moderate, John, F.arl of Mar, and show how he influenced the nolitical events in Seotland in the second third of the sixteenth eentury. I wish to thank m,y director of studies, Dr. w. s. Reid for the advice and encouragement he had t:!'i ven me, and also the staff of ~dpath Library and Mr. John Tmrie of Ree:ister House, F.dinbure:h for the help they have given me in llbtainin!?' source material, and my mother for her painstaking care in proof readine:. ottawa, Ontario, April, 1965. - 1 - e Chapter I e Family Background Much has been written about the history of Scotland in the sixteenth century, or rather, much has been written about that roma.ntic, intriguing, mysterious, "tragic", and perhaps, slightly foolish, figure, Mary, Queen of Scots. Despite this large outpouring of literature, much of it polemical, and intended mainly to denigrate, or to exalt, Mary, important aspects and persona of the period have been neglected. The sixteenth century was an important turning point in European history. When it opened all Europe was Catholic; the unified, centralized nation state was growing in importance and power; nationalism was replacing religion as the important factor in the lives of many; in England, after long years of civil discord the Tudor dynasty was establishing itself on the throne. At its close religious unity was gone for ever; Protestantism was firmly established in England and Scotland, parts of Germany, and the northern Netherlands. Religion had once again become a political force, sometimes allying itself with nationalism and reinforcing political loyalty, and sometimes encouraging sedition and rebellion. In England, shortly after the close of the century, a new dynasty, the Stewarts, came to the throne. In Scotland, as elsewhere, this was a time of religious and political strife. The Protestant, pro-English party - 2 - e had, by the end of the century, gained the upper hand, but e for many years the outcome of the struggle was in doubt. During these years of uncertainty and struggle John Erskine, Earl of Mar pla.yed an important role, in times of criais usually trying to hold the balance between the two parties, and preserve the peace of the country, and always steering his course along the middle way. In the sixteenth century the Erskines had been guardians to infant Stewarts, and Marts father had been governor of the important royal castles of Stirling and Edinburgh. Mar himself played a prominent and rewarding part in the factional struggles in the third quarter of the century, and died as Regent for the infant James VI. When James V died in December 1542 after the disastrous Battle of Solway Moss, his daughter and heiress, Mary, was only one week old. Scotland was entering on another, and perhaps the worst, in a long series of minorities. There ensued a struggle for power between Cardinal Beaton, advocate of the old faith and the ttauld alliance", and the Earl of Arran, who had leanings towards the new faith and a new alliance--with England. Arran, who was the next in line of succession to the throne, had the beat legal claim to the governorship of the realm, but Beaton produced a forged will in which James V named him e.s head of the government • and joined three of the most powerful of the nobility with him as assessors.l By gifts and promises of gifts he won - 3 - e the support of many of the nobles. To counter this anti e English influence Henry VIII sent back to Scotland a number of the lords captured at Solway, who had promised to work for an Anglo-Scottish alliance, and the marriage of Queen Mary with Henry's son Edward. Along with the "assured lords 11 the Earl of Angus and his brother, strong supporters of the alliance with England, were restored to the country. Beaton 1 s forgery of the will was discovered, and Arran, temporarily at least, won the struggle for the regency. Beaton was seized, and imprisoned by the Douglases; in March 1543 Arran was declared governor of the realm by Parliament. Though he had lost the first round, Beaton was not yet out of the fight. He managed to escape from the custody of the Douglases and began to plot with John Hamilton, Abbot of Paisley, Arran's half-brother. After the Parliament of 1543, Sir Ralph Sadler negotiated a peace treaty between England and Scotland, including an agreement for the marriage of Queen Mary to Prince Edward. Despite the opposition of the Cardinal and the clergy, the treaty was agreed to by the nobility.2 Treaties with England were distinctly unpopular in Scotland, and Beaton, no~ joined by Hamilton, Abbot of Paisley, continued to urge the old alliance and the old faith. Arran began to waver--a condition which became continual--conferred with Beaton, e was received back into the Roman Gatholic, church and e associated Beaton and Mary of Guise with himself in a new council of government. A new Parliament annulled the treaties - 4 - e with England, renewed the alliance with France, and re e affirmed the laws against heres~r. Beaton became Chancellor. In his search for an ally against Arran Beaton had requested the French government to send Matthew Stewart, 'Earl of Lennox, back to Scotland. Lennox, who was next in line of succession after Arran could urge his claim to the succession as superior to Arran•s on the grounds that the marriage of Arran 1 s parents was doubtful. Beaton promised Lennox that he would be governor of Scotland and husband of Mary of Guise.3 By the time Lennox arrived at Court the position had changed and Beaton had won the support of Arran. Realizing at length that he had been deceived, and that all Beaton 1 s promises to him would never be fulfilled, Lennox withdrew to his own country around Glasgow, then to Dunbarton and raised an army, which was joined by sorne of Arran 1 s former supporters. In the meantime Henry VIII, angered by the Scottish repudiation of the alliance with England, sent to Scotland, a fleet which took Leith, plundered and burned Edinburgh, and ravaged the surrounding countryside. Lennox was forced to flee the country and take refuge in England, but the "rough wooingtt continued. In 1545 Hertford invaded the border areas, and boasted of burning seven monasteries and over 240 villages and towns.4 In 1547 the Scots were defeated at Pinkie and the English sejzed and. e fortified Haddington. The Scots appealed to France for the e protection of their ki~gdom, and .agreed to send Mary to Fr~nce to be educated there and.to marry the Dauphin, rather \ - 5 - than have her fall into the hands of the English. In these e years, while Scotland was being invaded almost annually by the English in order to impose by force an alliance which the • invasions only rendered all the more unpopular, the country was also the scene of virtual civil wa~ between factions of the nobility. How did the nobles achieve a position in which they were able to disturb the peace of the realm with impunity, not only at this time, but also during the many previous minorities, and even at times under the rule of strong kings? The undue power of the nobles was largely responsible for the difficulties found over the centuries in imposing internal peace and order in Scotland. What was the basis of this power? Following the ;,_/ Wars of Independance there had been large transferences of land; Robert III especially, made sweeping grants of land.