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James Stewart

The Black knight of Lorn

The Black Knight of Lorn was born at Innermeath, Scotland in 1399. His father, Sir John Stewart was ambassador to England and was married to Isabel MacDougall. Isabel MacDougall was the daughter of Ewen MacDougall, 5th of Lorn and 7th of Dunollie and Joan Isaac. his mother was heiress to the House of Ergadia, the senior line descending from Somerled, Lord of the Isles. He was a direct descendant of Alexander Stewart, 4th High Steward of Scotland, through his second son Sir John Stewart of Bonkill.

James was a younger brother of Robert Stewart, 1st Lord Lorne, whose descendants bore this title. He was an ally of the Black Douglases, Earls of Douglas. After the murder of James I, power was held by Archibald Douglas, 5th Earl of Douglas as regent. The Stewarts of Lorne were amongst his most trusted supporters, and their power greatly increased while the Douglas family controlled Scotland and the king was still young. However the unexpected death of the 5th Earl of Douglas from a fever in 1439 saw power being shared between William, 1st Lord Crichton, Chancellor of Scotland and Sir Alexander Livingston, Governor of Stirling Castle. A power struggle began for the king’s person. The Queen could only look on and began to look for protection for herself and her son, the young king. She found it in the form of James Stewart, the Black Knight of Lorne and married him in June of 1439.

Stewart became stepfather to James II. Stewart and his Douglas allies planned to remove the young James II who was being held by Livingstone in his stronghold of Stirling Castle. However, Livingston arrested the Dowager Queen Joan on 3 Aug 1439, imprisoning her in Stirling Castle, while throwing Sir James and his brother Sir William into its dungeon. Sir Alexander Livingston had Joan and her new husband and his brother imprisoned but by September 4, an agreement called “the Appointment” was negotiated and Joan and her husband were released. Livingston was given custody of James II but Joan was allowed access to her son. Joan was relegated to the role of taking care of her children. She had three more sons with Stewart.

The struggles between Livingston and Crichton continued until James reached his majority in 1444. James was in the hands of Livingston and Queen Joan sided with Crichton and James Kennedy, Bishop of St. Andrews. Civil war ensued. In July of 1445, the Black Knight was arraigned before Parliament for talking badly about the government. Joan took shelter in Dunbar Castle which was promptly besieged by Livingston. The Queen and the keeper of the castle, Adam Hepburn of Hailes defended the castle as best they could. But Joan died during the siege on July 15, 1445.

After Joan’s death, the Black Knight took their three sons and went to England. There is some evidence that he was alive and acting as an ambassador for his stepson James II in 1454 although other sources put his death as early as 1448 or 1451.

He married, before 21 Sep 1439, Joan Beaufort, Dowager Queen of Scotland and widow of James I of Scotland. She was a daughter of John Beaufort, 1st Earl of Somerset (son of Katherine De Roet/Swynford and John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, the son of Edward III of England) by his wife Lady Margaret Holland, daughter of Thomas Holland, 2nd Earl of Kent and Joan ´The Fair Maid´ of Kent.

James Stewart and Joan Beaufort had 3 children:
John Stewart, 1st Earl of Atholl
James Stewart, Earl of Buchan, d. 1499. Married 27 Mar 1459, to Margaret Ogilvy, daughter of Alexander Ogilvy of Auchterhouse.
Andrew Stewart, c. 1443-1501. The Bishop of Moray from 1483-1501.