John Douglas, Lord of Balvenie facts for kids
John Douglas, Lord of Balvenie (around 1433–1463), was the youngest of five powerful brothers known as the Black Douglases. They were a very important family in Scotland. John and his brothers famously went against King James II of Scotland.
Contents
John Douglas's Life Story
Growing Up and Early Adventures
John Douglas was the son of James Douglas, who was the 7th Earl of Douglas. His mother was Beatrice Sinclair. We don't know much about John's early years before 1445. That year, his father gave him control of lands like Balvenie, Boharm, and Botriphnie. He was also named as a future heir to his brother, William Douglas, the 8th Earl of Douglas, in 1451.
In 1448, English forces attacked Scottish towns like Dumfries and Dunbar. To get back at them, John Douglas is said to have "damaged Cumberland and burned the town of Alnwick."
An English leader, Henry Percy, chased after John. But John met up with his brother, Hugh Douglas. On October 23, they faced Henry Percy near Gretna. The Douglas brothers won a big victory in this battle, known as the Battle of Sark. Henry Percy got away, but his son was captured.
The Douglas Family Against the King
In 1452, something shocking happened. John's oldest brother, the Earl of Douglas, was killed by King James II himself. The Earl had gone to Stirling Castle with a promise from the King that he would be safe. After this, John and his brothers attacked the town of Stirling. They even paraded the King's safe conduct letter tied to a horse's tail to show their anger.
For the next few years, there was a war between the King and the Douglas family. King James wanted to take away their power. In 1453, John and his brothers were given safe travel passes for four years.
But on May 1, 1455, at the Battle of Arkinholm, John and his older brothers, Archibald and Ormond, were caught by the King's army. They were defeated. Archibald was killed in the battle, and Ormond was captured and executed soon after. However, John Douglas managed to escape to England.
He stayed in England for a while with his other surviving brother, James Douglas, the 9th Earl of Douglas. After their defeat, in the summer of 1455, all the Douglas family's titles and lands were taken away by the King. John was specifically mentioned for helping his mother make their castle of Abercorn stronger against the King. John, James, and their mother were seen as traitors in Scotland because they had dealings with the English.
Returning to Scotland and His End
After King James II died at Roxburgh Castle in 1460, John Douglas came back to Scotland with his brother. The English King, Edward IV, had given him money from taxes collected in Southampton. John and his brother then worked with another Scottish leader, John of Islay, to try and start another rebellion against the Scottish crown. They signed an agreement with the English King.
Because of his part in these talks, the Scottish leaders put a price on John Douglas's head. They offered 1,200 Merks, which would be like £45,000 today. In 1463, John was back in Scotland trying to gather men to support the Douglas family. But he was captured by members of the Scotts of Liddesdale. He was taken to Edinburgh and held for twelve days. After that, he was beheaded.
