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Home , Battle of Otterburn, Clan Douglas, Douglas (surname), Duke of Hamilton, Earl of Angus, Earl of Douglas

The “Red ” line of Angus Earls of majority, Morton was implicated in the A Concise History of originated through an illegitimate child of murder of James' father, Henry Stuart, William, 1st . George, 4th Lord Darnley (in 1567), The House of , was a third cousin of James, and was executed in th Douglas 9 Earl of Douglas but was more closely 1581. Darnley was the aligned to his Stewart cousins. As a result, second but eldest the “Red Douglases” sided with King surviving son of Matthew James II at Arkinholm and contributed Stewart, 4th Earl of greatly to the fall of the “Black Lennox, and his wife, Lady Margaret Douglases.” The 5th Earl of Douglas. Darnley's maternal grandparents Angus, Sir Archibald “Bell the were Archibald Douglas, sixth Earl of Cat”, was involved in the Angus, and , daughter of conspiracy by a clique of nobles Henry VII of and widow of James to remove the king’s favorite, IV, king of Scots. Darnley was a first Cochrane. When the tale of the mice tying cousin of Mary, Queen of Scots. a bell around the cat’s neck was related to The titles of Douglas and Morton passed to the nobles, Sir Archibald stepped forward the Earls of Angus who became heirs to the proclaiming, “I will bell the cat!” The Dukedom of Hamilton. nobles then captured Cochrane and hung Their titles then passed to the him from Lauder Bridge in front of King 7th of Hamilton while James III. The two elder sons of “Bell the the estates Society Cat” fell at the Field. have passed of North America, Ltd. Andrew Douglas of Hermiston, younger down to the Earl of son of Archibald I, Lord of Douglas and Hume, the present Founded in 1975

uncle of William "le Hardy" was the Douglas of Douglas. progenitor of the Douglases of , Visit our CDSNA website: the Earls of Morton, and the Douglases of The nature of Scottish law and how it Mains. The 4th Lord Dalkeith succeeded pertains to titles and estates is convoluted www.ClanDouglasSociety.org

to his estates upon the resignation of his and, as a result, it is unclear who the father and was raised to the peerage as Earl apparent Chief of Douglas might be. of Morton prior to his marriage to Joanna, the deaf and dumb daughter of King James I. Sir James Douglas, 4th , ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ played an important role in the affairs of Mary, Queen of For more Douglas information, visit our friends @ Scots. He became Regent of the Douglas Archives in 1572, for the infant James VI (and I.) However, A collection of historical and genealogical resources

once James VI reached the age http://www.douglashistory.co.uk/ © 2013 by H Edington A Concise History of of Crowns” in the early 18th century. Joan of Arc’s army, continuing to fight the House of Douglas Other, though no less important, branches against the English. For his efforts, he was of the Douglases were those of Annandale, awarded the Duchy of Touraine. The 4th During the sixteenth century there was told , Ormond, Forfar, Dalkeith, Mains, Earl was killed at the Battle of Verneuil. a legend of a knight in the year 767 AD the of Touraine, Buccleuch, and Sir Archibald Douglas, 5th Earl, died from who was rewarded with the Clydesdale Hamilton, and the Earls of Home. a fever in Restalrig, , and was lands in return for his aid rendered to the th Sir William’s son (“the Good” Sir James or buried at Douglas. Sir William, 6 Earl, Scottish King at an opportune time. Of this and his brother David were murdered, on tale there is not the slightest proof. “the Black Douglas”) was the foremost captain to trumped up charges, in the presence of the However, the Douglas name is of territorial young King James II in the so-called Black and Gaelic origin and it is likely that during and after the Scottish “Wars for Independence.” Sir Dinner. Sir James Douglas, 7th Earl of Douglases lived in that same area for some Douglas, called "the Gross", was also time before William de Duglas’ name James was given the task of taking King Robert’s heart to created Earl of Avondale in 1437. He was appeared on several official charters the great-uncle of the murdered Douglas between 1175 and 1213. From him today’s the Crusades. He fell in battle against the Moors near Teba, Spain in 1330. His son, lords and likely had something to do with it Douglases can trace their roots. to obtain greater political power. William Sir William, inherited the family estates Sir William “le Hardy” Douglas, was the but fell in battle against the English at Douglas, 8th Earl of Douglas was the first person of note to join eldest son of James Douglas, 7th Earl. Halidon Hill in 1333. Sir William’s heir in his revolt against England. He was and uncle, Sir Archibald, was killed within In 1452 King James II sent one of Constable of in 1297 and a an hour during the same battle. Douglas's friends with an invitation to witness to the sacking of Berwick by Douglas to come to under a Edward I “Longshanks” of England. Sir Archibald’s son, Sir William, became the first Earl of Douglas and later safe-conduct. There James demanded the Captured during Wallace’s revolt, William nd dissolution of a league into which Douglas Douglas was taken to the Tower of succeeded to the Earldom of Mar. The 2 Earl, Sir James Douglas, fell had entered with two other powerful lords. , where he died in 1298. Upon Douglas's refusal, the king murdered fighting against Percy at the Four principle stems of the Douglas family him with his own hands, stabbing him 26 in 1388. Sir wrote their great and often noble deeds into Archibald “the Grim”, the 3rd times, and had the earl's body thrown out more than seven hundred years of turbulent Earl, was the natural son of “The Good” of a window. James Douglas, 9th Earl of Scottish history. The branches of the Sir James. He is known to have fought Douglas, was the last of the 'Black' earls of House of Douglas were: the Douglas of against the English at Poitiers in 1356 and Douglas. He succeeded to the earldom on Douglasdale (the Black Douglases) who is credited with the restoration of many the murder of his brother William Douglas, gained fame with Bruce; the Angus “Red church properties. Archibald “the Grim” 8th Earl of Douglas by King James II and Douglases” who played a significant part in subdued for the Scottish Crown his entourage. He denounced his brother's the Scottish/English conflict between the murderers and took up arms against the th th built soon after. mid-15 and early 18 centuries; the line The 4th Earl, another Archibald, king. This rebellion culminated in the of Morton, closely aligned with the fought against Henry IV of Battle of Arkinholm in 1455 where the fortunes of Mary, Queen of Scots; and the power and fortunes of the Black Douglases England at the Battle of Drumlanrig and Queensbury Douglases Shrewsbury in 1403, where he was forever broken. who reached their zenith with the “Union was taken prisoner. He became a general in