Children of James II of Scots

[Prince_Lieven]

James II of Scotland and his wife Marie of Gueldres had 5 surviving children. Anyone know anything interesting about them?

1. Mary Stewart, born 1451. She married Thomas Boyd, Earl of Arran (d. c.1473/4) before 26 April 1467/8 and had:
-James, Lord Boyd (d. 1484)
-Margaret Boyd (1468/73-after 1516). She married Alexander, Lord Forbes, and later David Kennedy, Earl of Cassilis.

Mary's marriage to Boyd was made void in 1473/4 and she married James, Lord Hamilton, around February 1474. They had:
-James, Earl of Arran (1475-1529). Married firstly Elizabeth Home, then Janet Beaton.
-Robert, Seigneur d'Aubigny (d. 1543)
-Elizabeth (d. after 1531). She married Matthew Stewart, Earl of Lennox (d. 1513).

Princess Mary died in c.May 1488. In retrospect, her second marriage and it's issue would prove important to the Scottish succession.

2. James III of Scots, born in May 1452. He married Princess Margaret of Denmark (1456-1486) in 1469 and had:
-James IV of Scots (1473-1513)
-James, Duke of Ross (1476-1504)
-John, Earl of Mar (1480-1503)

James III was assasinated on June 11 1488.

3. Alexander, Duke of Albany, Baron of Annandale, Earl of March, Mar and Garioch, born c.1454. He married Lady Katherine Sinclair in 1475, and had children, but in 1479 the marriage was divorced and the children bastardised. In October 1479 all of Alexander's estates were declared forfeit. He married Anne de la Tour of Auvergne (d. 1512) in 1479 and had:
-John, Duke of Albany (1481-1536). He married another Anne de la Tour (d. 1543).

Alexander had all his estates returned to him in 1482, but forfeited again in 1483. He died competing in a tournament in France in 1485.

4. John, Earl of Mar, born in either 1456, 57, or 59. He forfeited his estates in 1479 and either died or was murdered in 1479.

5. Margaret Stewart. She never married, but was abducted (and probably raped) by William, Lord Crichton (d. 1493), an enemy of James II, and had illegitimate issue:
-Margaret Crichton (d. by 1546). She married firstly William Todrick (d. by 1507), secondly George Halkerstound (d. 1513) and thirdly George Leslie, Earl of Rothes (d. 1513).

Any one have anything to volunteer?

[Kimberly]

He also had an illigitimate son...John Stewart of Sticks and Ballechin who married and had issue

[bell_the_cat]

I told the story of the brothers on the Queen Consorts thread (Margaret of Denmark). Albany and Mar were a big problem for James III, as they were bigger and more popular than he was. Mar was imprisoned in 1479 and was drowned in his bath (a bit like the Duke of Clarence in England). Albany escaped from Edinburgh Castle by tying sheets together. In England he teamed up with Richard Duke of Gloucester, and supported the latter's invasion of Scotland in 1482. For a while he was powerful in Scotland until James again got the upper hand and Albany had to flee, this time to France, where he was soon killed in a jousting accident. His son John was regent for James V around 1520.

Mary, ancestress of the Hamilton family (and of Henry, Lord Darnley) was first of all married into the Boyd family, who took  over the reins of the kingdom as James III was still a minor. The Boyds were very unpopular and were overthrown when James came of age. Mary had to divorce her husband and married James Lord Hamilton.

[bell_the_cat]

Margaret was involved in an affair with Lord Crichton. Was she abducted, or was it a "consenting adults" Mary Queen of Scots style thing? His grandfather, also William had been regent for James II.

The younger William Lord Crichton was involved in the aristocratic opposition to James III, and lost his lands when James regained power in 1483. Crichton Castle was given to the Hepburn family. It still stands (as a ruin) near Edinburgh.

So it was that Crichton Castle belonged to the Earl of Bothwell who "abducted" Mary Queen of Scots eighty years later.

[Prince_Lieven]

Thanks for the info Bell and Kim. I thought it was about time that the earlier Stewarts got some more attention.  

About Margaret, I got my info from Weir's 'Britain's Royal Families'. Weir states: Some sources state she became the wife of William, Lord Crichton, but this is almost certainly a fabrication. He abducted and seduced her to spite her brother, James III; there is not contemporary evidence for their marriage.

Also, any info on Mary's Boyd children?

[bell_the_cat]

Thanks for the info Bell and Kim. I thought it was about time that the earlier Stewarts got some more attention.  

About Margaret, I got my info from Weir's 'Britain's Royal Families'. Weir states: Some sources state she became the wife of William, Lord Crichton, but this is almost certainly a fabrication. He abducted and seduced her to spite her brother, James III; there is not contemporary evidence for their marriage.

Also, any info on Mary's Boyd children?

Not a lot, except to say that the Boyds obtained power in an unconventional way. Thomas Boyd's uncle was James III martial arts teacher. James wasn't very good at thios subject, but somehow it was enough for the Boyd family to take over the government for a while.

During this time (1467) Thomas Boyd was married to Mary and sent abroad to look for a wife for the king -they eventually came up with Margaret of Denmark. After their fall from power the king's former teacher was executed and the rest of the Boyds went into exile, where Thomas died.

After his death the marriage was declared invalid, and the Earldom of Arran which had been conferred on him went to the offspring of the princess's second marriage.

So presumably the two children from the first marriage were regarded as illegitimate.

At some point (James IV?) one of Thomas' brothers was allowed back to be Lord Boyd and refound the family fortunes - they became Earls of Kilmarnock in the 17th C. One of the Earls was beheaded for his part in the 1745 rebellion.

[bell_the_cat]

David Kennedy (the second husband of Margaret Boyd) found favour with James IV and was made Earl of Cassilis. He also fell at Flodden in 1513. However Margaret was his second wife and was not the mother of his children.

The Earls of Cassilis were a very influential family in Ayrshire. They built the wonderful Culzean Castle on the Firth of Clyde in the 18th C.

[Prince_Lieven]

Thanks Bell!

[Kimberly]

Regarding Margaret, my source (Oram) suggests that James had an ability to alienate those closest in blood to him. Alexander and John criticized him strongly. Alexander fled into exile to avoid charges of treason and John Earl of Mar was killed in suspicious circumstances. Margaret evaded her brother's marriage plans for her by bearing a child as a result of an affair with William 3rd Lord Crichton.

[Prince_Lieven]

Ooooh, that's interesting - so Margaret preferred to be the unmarried mother of a bastard than to have to marry who James wanted? Happy families with the Stewarts, as usual!

[Kimberly]

Mary was so p11d off with him that she joined the rebellion against him in1482.