Biography

He was an illegitimate son of Alexander Stewart, Earl of Buchan and probably Mairead inghean Eachann

Mairead inghean Eachann

Mairead inghean Eachann was the spouse of Alexander Stewart, Earl of Buchan and mother of Alexander Stewart, Earl of Mar. She is mentioned in the Moray Registrum, which gives her name in Latin and informs us that she came from the lands within the sphere of the bishopric of Ross...

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Alexander held the Earldom of Mar and the Lordship of the Garioch

Garioch

Garioch is the name of one of six committee areas in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It has a population of 46,254 .Centred on Inverurie, a traditional rural market town whose foundation dates back to the 9th century with the establishment of Christianity at Polnar, "The Kirk of Rocharl" - now St...

 in right of his first wife Isabel Douglas, Countess of Mar

Isabel Douglas, Countess of Mar

Isabel Douglas, Countess of Mar was Countess of Mar.Isabel was the sister of the famous James 2nd Earl of Douglas and Earl of Mar, who died leading the Scots to victory at the Battle of Otterburn. He died without any legitimate children and his sister Isabel inherited most of his property,...

 (d. 1408). Alexander's marriage to Isabella followed his capture of Kildrummy Castle

Kildrummy Castle

Kildrummy Castle is a ruined castle near Kildrummy, in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, United Kingdom. Though ruined, it is one of the most extensive castles of 13th century date to survive in eastern Scotland, and was the seat of the Earls of Mar....

, and Isabella with it, in 1404. This event sent major shockwaves throughout the kingdom and Alexander only escaped punishment because he was a close relation to the Royal Family. His possession of the Earldom was later regularised in 1424 by grant of his cousin, King James I

James I of Scotland

James I, King of Scots , was the son of Robert III and Annabella Drummond. He was probably born in late July 1394 in Dunfermline as youngest of three sons...

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He was a close supporter of his uncle Robert Stewart, Duke of Albany, who was then ruler of the kingdom as regent for his brother King Robert III of Scotland

Robert III of Scotland

Robert III was King of Scots from 1390 to his death. His given name was John Stewart, and he was known primarily as the Earl of Carrick before ascending the throne at age 53...

, after he had been badly injured being kicked by his horse. Alexander led the so-called "Lowland" army, in fact that of the north-east and eastern Highlands, against Domhnall of Islay, Lord of the Isles

Domhnall of Islay, Lord of the Isles

Donald, or properly, Dómhnall Íle , was the son and successor of John of Islay, Lord of the Isles and chief of Clan Donald. The Lordship of the Isles was based in and around the Scottish west-coast island of Islay, but under Domhnall's father had come to include many of the other islands off the...

 at the bloody and indecisive battle of Harlaw

Battle of Harlaw

The Battle of Harlaw was a Scottish clan battle fought on 24 July 1411 just north of Inverurie in Aberdeenshire. It was one of a series of battles fought during the Middle Ages between the barons of northeast Scotland against those from the west coast....

 in 1411.

Unlike his father, who had been unable to keep the peace in the fractious north-east, Alexander, Walter Bower

Walter Bower

Walter Bower , Scottish chronicler, was born about 1385 at Haddington, East Lothian.He was abbot of Inchcolm Abbey from 1418, was one of the commissioners for the collection of the ransom of James I, King of Scots, in 1423 and 1424, and in 1433 one of the embassy to Paris on the business of the...

 says, "ruled with acceptance nearly all of the north of the country beyond the Mounth

Mounth

The Mounth is the range of hills on the southern edge of Strathdee in northeast Scotland. It was usually referred to with the article, i.e. "the Mounth". The name is a corruption of the Scottish Gaelic monadh which in turn is akin to the Welsh mynydd, and may be of Pictish origin...

". He achieved this not by using different methods from his father but by his ability to keep his cateran

Cateran

The term cateran historically referred to a band of fighting men of a Scotland Highland clan; hence the term applied to the Highland, and later to any, marauders or cattle-lifters....

 forces in check and to use them to protect his extensive lands when needed; the result was that the lowland areas of Aberdeenshire and Moray were protected.

Alexander sat on the jury of 21 knights and peers which convicted his cousin, Murdoch Stewart, Duke of Albany and two of his sons of treason in 1424, leading to the execution of Albany and his sons and the virtual annihilation of his family.

Marriages and children

Alexander first married to Isabel Douglas, Countess of Mar

Isabel Douglas, Countess of Mar

Isabel Douglas, Countess of Mar was Countess of Mar.Isabel was the sister of the famous James 2nd Earl of Douglas and Earl of Mar, who died leading the Scots to victory at the Battle of Otterburn. He died without any legitimate children and his sister Isabel inherited most of his property,...

 (d. 1408). Alexander remarried with Marie van Hoorn, daughter of Willem, Lord of Duffel

Duffel

Duffel is a municipality in the Belgian province of Antwerp.The municipality comprises only the town of Duffel proper. On January 1, 2006 Duffel had a total population of 16,019...

, in 1410. He died without having a legitimate male heir, and the Earldom of Mar passed to the crown. He had two illegitimate children, Thomas who died childless and Margaret who married Lachlan Maclean of Duart.