James Douglas, 7th of Drumlanrig facts for kids
Sir James Douglas, 7th of Drumlanrig (born around 1498, died 1578) was an important Scottish nobleman. He lived during a very exciting and sometimes difficult time in Scotland's history.
Contents
Sir James Douglas's Early Life
Sir James was the son of Sir William Douglas, 6th of Drumlanrig. His father sadly died in a big battle called the Battle of Flodden in 1513.
Sir James was part of a famous Scottish family called the Douglas family. There were two main branches of this family: the 'Black Douglas' and the 'Red Douglas'. Sir James was a 'Black Douglas'. These two groups sometimes had disagreements. To make things even more interesting, Sir James's wife, Margaret, was the sister of a very powerful 'Red Douglas' leader, Archibald Douglas, 6th Earl of Angus.
Protecting Young King James V
A big problem between Sir James and the 'Red' Earl of Angus was about who would look after the young King James V. King James's father, King James IV, had died at the Battle of Flodden in 1513.
King James V's mother, Margaret Tudor, quickly married the Earl of Angus. This marriage meant she could no longer be the king's official guardian. So, there was a struggle for control over the young king.
The Earl of Angus eventually gained a lot of power in Scotland. He filled many important jobs with his own relatives. King James V was almost like a prisoner under Angus's control. Many people tried to free the king. Sir James Douglas was involved in one of these attempts in July 1526, during a fight known as the Battle of Melrose.
In 1528, when he was 16, King James V finally managed to free himself and take charge of his kingdom. Even though Sir James had tried to rescue him, the new king still saw him as part of a powerful family that might cause trouble. Because of this, Sir James was held in Edinburgh Castle for a while.
Getting Back into Favour
After being held in Edinburgh Castle, not much was heard about Sir James until around 1550. However, it seems he was busy expanding his large family!
After 1550, he started to regain the trust of the government. He was given many important jobs by the government, which was acting for Mary, Queen of Scots. Mary had gone to France in 1548.
Here are some of the important things that happened:
- In 1551, he received a pardon for his part in the events of 1526. This meant he was forgiven for trying to free King James V.
- In 1552, he was chosen to be a commissioner. This meant he would meet with people from England to talk about the border between the two countries.
- In 1553, he became the Warden of the West Marches. This was a very important job where he had full power to make decisions about justice in that area. He held this job for many years until he retired when he was very old.
Looking After Young Girls
In 1548, after a man named Sir Simon Carruthers died, Sir James was made the guardian of Sir Simon's two young daughters, Marion and Janet. His job was to make sure they were brought up well and found good husbands. There were some disagreements about their family property, and eventually, a court decided that part of the estate would go to Sir James's heir, William.
The Queen Returns to Scotland
In 1561, Mary, Queen of Scots came back to Scotland. Sir James Douglas was a Protestant, while Queen Mary was a Catholic. This meant they had different religious beliefs.
Sir James, along with other important Protestants like John Knox, signed an important document called the First Book of Discipline in Edinburgh that same year. This document was like a guide for the new Protestant religion in Scotland. Sir James even visited John Knox when he was dying in 1572.
When Queen Mary married the Catholic Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley, many Protestants worried that Scotland would become Catholic again. So, in 1565, Sir James joined other Protestant lords in a small rebellion called the ‘Chaseabout Raid’.
Two years later, after Queen Mary's husband, Lord Darnley, died, and she quickly married the Earl of Bothwell, Sir James joined the Protestant lords in another revolt. This led to Queen Mary's army giving up without a fight at Battle of Carberry Hill in June 1567. Queen Mary was very angry with Sir James and his son William, calling them "hell hounds" and "bloody tyrants."
In 1571, Sir James had a dispute with a supporter of Queen Mary. He was ambushed and taken prisoner. While in prison, he wrote a very touching letter to his son, because he wasn't sure what would happen to him.
Family Life
When Sir James Douglas died in 1578, it was said that he had made his family very powerful in the south-west of Scotland. He had 18 children with two wives and other partners.
His first wife was Margaret Douglas, who was the sister of the Earl of Angus. They had 10 children together. After they divorced around 1539, he married Christian Montgomery. She became the mother of another 6 of his children, including his heir, William Douglas of Hawick.
Sadly, William died before his father. So, when Sir James died, his title and estate were passed down to his grandson, James Douglas.
Robert Douglas, Provost of Lincluden was another one of his sons.
