Margaret Erskine
Encyclopedia
Lady Margaret Erskine was a mistress of King James V of Scotland
.
She was a daughter of John Erskine, 5th Lord Erskine
and Margaret Campbell.
James V had a number of mistresses in his time, but some accounts describe her as his favourite. She was the mother of the most important of his illegitimate children, James Stewart, 1st Earl of Moray
, who was Regent during the minority of James VI
.
In 1527, Margaret married Sir Robert Douglas of Lochleven, who was killed at the Battle of Pinkie Cleugh
. Her son Robert Douglas was sent to England and Cambridge University in 1560 as a hostage for the Treaty of Berwick
. She was the châtelaine of Lochleven Castle when Mary, Queen of Scots was kept there, with her eldest surviving son William Douglas, 6th Earl of Morton
.
. The Bishop had told the Pope that James never intended to marry Margaret and the petition was an imposture. The Pope replied that he had postponed any grant, thinking that the proposal was made without the King's knowledge.
Chronicle accounts and English letters also mention this scheme and the involvement of James Hamilton of Finnart
. One of the English ambassador Sir William Howard
's informants was Margaret Tudor
, and he reported to Henry VIII;
, and Spanish diplomats at the Vatican believed the marriage had already taken place.
James V of Scotland
James V was King of Scots from 9 September 1513 until his death, which followed the Scottish defeat at the Battle of Solway Moss...
.
She was a daughter of John Erskine, 5th Lord Erskine
John Erskine, 5th Lord Erskine
John Erskine, 5th Lord Erskine was a Scottish nobleman who was de jure but not de facto Earl of Mar.He succeeded to the title of 16th Earl of Mar de jure, [S., c. 1115], on 9 September 1513. On 3 August 1522, Mar was appointed keeper of the ten year old King James V of Scotland and Stirling Castle...
and Margaret Campbell.
James V had a number of mistresses in his time, but some accounts describe her as his favourite. She was the mother of the most important of his illegitimate children, James Stewart, 1st Earl of Moray
James Stewart, 1st Earl of Moray
James Stewart, 1st Earl of Moray , a member of the House of Stewart as the illegitimate son of King James V, was Regent of Scotland for his nephew, the infant King James VI of Scotland, from 1567 until his assassination in 1570...
, who was Regent during the minority of James VI
James I of England
James VI and I was King of Scots as James VI from 24 July 1567 and King of England and Ireland as James I from the union of the English and Scottish crowns on 24 March 1603...
.
In 1527, Margaret married Sir Robert Douglas of Lochleven, who was killed at the Battle of Pinkie Cleugh
Battle of Pinkie Cleugh
The Battle of Pinkie Cleugh, on the banks of the River Esk near Musselburgh, Scotland on 10 September 1547, was part of the War of the Rough Wooing. It was the last pitched battle between Scottish and English armies, and is seen as the first modern battle in the British Isles...
. Her son Robert Douglas was sent to England and Cambridge University in 1560 as a hostage for the Treaty of Berwick
Treaty of Berwick (1560)
The Treaty of Berwick was negotiated on 27 February 1560 at Berwick-upon-Tweed. It was an agreement made by the representative of Queen Elizabeth I of England, the Duke of Norfolk, and the Scottish Lords of the Congregation...
. She was the châtelaine of Lochleven Castle when Mary, Queen of Scots was kept there, with her eldest surviving son William Douglas, 6th Earl of Morton
William Douglas, 6th Earl of Morton
William Douglas, 6th Earl of Morton was the son of Sir Robert Douglas of Lochleven and Margaret Erskine, a former mistress of James V of Scotland. Sir William's half-brother from his mother's liaison with the king was James Stewart, Earl of Moray, Regent of Scotland from 1567 until his...
.
Rumoured as royal bride
Although Margaret Erskine had married Robert Douglas there is evidence that James V may have considered arranging their divorce and marrying his mistress. It seems that James or one of his advisors sought the advice of the Pope in the matter in June 1536. Shortly before James V finalised his marriage contract with Madeleine of Valois in November 1536, Charles, Bishop of Macon and French ambassador at the Vatican, wrote discussing his audience with the PopePope Paul III
Pope Paul III , born Alessandro Farnese, was Pope of the Roman Catholic Church from 1534 to his death in 1549. He came to the papal throne in an era following the sack of Rome in 1527 and rife with uncertainties in the Catholic Church following the Protestant Reformation...
. The Bishop had told the Pope that James never intended to marry Margaret and the petition was an imposture. The Pope replied that he had postponed any grant, thinking that the proposal was made without the King's knowledge.
Chronicle accounts and English letters also mention this scheme and the involvement of James Hamilton of Finnart
James Hamilton of Finnart
Sir James Hamilton of Finnart was a Scottish nobleman and architect, the illegitimate son of James Hamilton, 1st Earl of Arran, and Mary Boyd of Bonshaw....
. One of the English ambassador Sir William Howard
William Howard, 1st Baron Howard of Effingham
William Howard, 1st Baron Howard of Effingham , was the eldest son of Thomas Howard, 2nd Duke of Norfolk by his second wife, Agnes Tilney...
's informants was Margaret Tudor
Margaret Tudor
Margaret Tudor was the elder of the two surviving daughters of Henry VII of England and Elizabeth of York, and the elder sister of Henry VIII. In 1503, she married James IV, King of Scots. James died in 1513, and their son became King James V. She married secondly Archibald Douglas, 6th Earl of...
, and he reported to Henry VIII;
"Sire, I hear, both by the Queen's Grace your sister and diverse others that the marriage is broken between the King's Grace your nephew and the Monsieur de VendômeHad the marriage gone ahead, their son James Stewart, the future Regent, could have been declared legitimate. By July 1536, the Imperial ambassador in London, Eustace ChapuysMary of BourbonMary of Bourbon or Marie de Bourbon was a daughter of Charles, Duke of Vendôme and Françoise d'Alençon, daughter of René, Duke of Alençon. Mary was the subject of marriage negotiations of James V of Scotland. He visited her in France, but subsequently married the Princess Madeleine...
, and he will marry a gentlewoman in Scotland, the Lord of Erskine's daughter, who was with your Grace the last summer at ThornburyThornbury CastleThornbury Castle is a castle in Thornbury, South Gloucestershire, England. It was begun in 1511 as a home for Edward Stafford, 3rd Duke of Buckingham. It is not a true castle , but rather an early example of a Tudor country house, with minimal defensive attributes. It is now a grade I listed...
; by whom he has had a child, having a husband, and his Grace has found means to divorce them. And there is great lamentation made for it in this country as far as men dare. Sire, there was no man made privy to this matter but Sir James Hamilton." (25 April 1536)
Eustace Chapuys
Eustace Chapuys was a Savoyard diplomat who served as the Imperial ambassador to England from 1529 until 1545 and is best known for his extensive and detailed correspondence.-Life:...
, and Spanish diplomats at the Vatican believed the marriage had already taken place.
External links
- article on Erskine family tree