John Drummond, 1st Earl of Melfort facts for kids

Quick facts for kids The Right Honourable The Earl of Melfort PC
Earl of Melfort and Jacobite Duke of Melfort, ca 1688
Jacobite Secretary of State
In office 6 December 1688 – 2 June 1694
Monarch	James II
Succeeded by	Earl of Middleton
Secretary of State in Scotland
In office 15 September, 1684 – 4 December,1688
Preceded by	Earl of Moray
Succeeded by	Earl of Melville
Treasurer-Depute
In office 1682–1684
Preceded by	Earl of Lauderdale
Succeeded by	Earl of Kintore
Master of the Ordnance
In office 1680–1682
Personal details
Born	John Drummond 8 August 1649 Stobhall, Perthshire, Scotland
Died	25 January 1715(1715-01-25) (aged 65) Paris
Resting place	Saint-Sulpice, Paris
Political party	Jacobite
Spouses	Sophia Maitland (died ca 1680) Euphemia Wallace
Children	Robert Lundin (d 1713) John Drummond, Earl of Melfort (1682–1754) plus 16 others
Parents	The Earl of Perth (ca 1615–1675) Lady Anne Gordon (ca 1621–1656);
Residences	Lundin House, Lundin, Fife
Alma mater	St Andrews
Occupation	Politician
Awards	Order of the Thistle Order of the Garter (Jacobite)

John Drummond, 1st Earl of Melfort (born August 8, 1649 – died January 25, 1715) was an important Scottish politician. He was a close helper and friend to King James II of England and Scotland.

John Drummond became a Catholic. He and his brother, the Earl of Perth, often told King James not to make deals with his enemies. This made the king more and more alone. It led to him losing his throne in the Glorious Revolution of 1688.

After King James was sent away, John Drummond became the first Jacobite Secretary of State. This was a top job for those who still supported James. But other Jacobites did not like him much, so he had to quit in 1694. He then worked as King James's ambassador to the Pope in Rome. He never got back his old power and stopped being active in politics. He died in Paris in 1715.

Life Story

John Drummond was born in 1649, likely at Stobhall in Perthshire, Scotland. His family's main home, Drummond Castle, was being used by soldiers at the time. He was the second son of James Drummond, 3rd Earl of Perth, and Lady Anne Gordon. His older brother, James Drummond, 4th Earl of Perth, was also a close political friend.

In 1670, John Drummond married Sophia Maitland. She inherited land in Lundin in Fife. Sophia was also the niece of a powerful politician, the Duke of Lauderdale. John and Sophia had six children. Sophia died in 1680.

Later, when John Drummond was sent away from Scotland, his titles and property were taken by the government in 1695. However, Sophia's lands were given to their children in 1688. After this, his children from his first marriage did not have much contact with him. They used the name 'Lundin'.

After Sophia died, John Drummond married Euphemia Wallace in 1680. They had seven more children. These children grew up in France. His son, John Drummond, 2nd Earl of Melfort, took part in the Jacobite rising of 1715. His grandsons later fought in the Battle of Culloden in 1746. They became important French army officers.

Political Career

Early Scottish Politics (1670–1688)

John Drummond's marriage to the Duke of Lauderdale's niece helped his career. Lauderdale was the king's main representative in Scotland. This marriage brought Drummond land and important jobs. In 1673, he became a Captain in the Foot Guards. He was made Deputy Governor of Edinburgh Castle in 1679. Then he became Master of the Ordnance in 1680, which meant he was in charge of weapons.

King Charles II had no legal children. This meant his brother, James, would become king. James was a Catholic. Many people worried about this because of the power of Catholic King Louis XIV of France. This led to a time of fear called the Popish Plot. It also caused the Exclusion Crisis from 1679 to 1681. During this time, some politicians, called Whigs, wanted to stop James from becoming king. Others, called Tories, supported him.

In Scotland, James had more support. In 1681, James became the king's main representative in the Scottish Parliament. He built a group of supporters, including the Drummond brothers. With their help, the Scottish Parliament passed the 1681 Test Act. This law made government officers promise to be loyal to the king. It also said they had to support the Protestant religion.

John Drummond became Treasurer-Depute of Scotland in 1682. This meant he helped manage the country's money. In 1684, he became a joint Secretary of State, Scotland. His brother became the Lord Chancellor, a very high legal position.

Many people feared a civil war if James was not allowed to be king. So, when Charles II died, James became king with wide support in England, Scotland, and Ireland. People expected him not to weaken the Protestant churches. James was 52 in 1685, and his second marriage had no children. His heirs were his Protestant daughters, Mary and Anne. This changed in 1688, and John Drummond played a big part in the problems that followed.

The Drummond brothers mostly ruled Scotland. But after 1684, they spent most of their time in London. This made them lose touch with what was happening in Scotland. King James often made decisions for Scotland based on old or wrong information. He thought people would accept his personal Catholic faith, but they did not want Catholicism to become the main religion. His efforts to allow more religious freedom were badly timed. In 1685, King Louis XIV of France took away religious freedom for French Protestants. This made people in Britain even more worried that a Catholic takeover was happening.

John Drummond and his brother became Catholic in 1685. This made them even more separate from others. They supported policies that made King James less popular. Even some Catholics worried about these policies. Many Scots saw changes to religion as dangerous. This led to quick defeats of rebellions in 1685. In 1686, the Scottish Parliament was stopped from meeting. A powerful leader, Queensberry, was forced out of his job because he would not support religious freedom for Catholics.

In 1686, John Drummond was made Earl of Melfort. He also joined the Privy Council of England, a group of the king's advisors. This made many English politicians angry. It also meant that James's closest advisor was not connected to the politicians in Scotland or England. John Drummond also helped create the Order of the Thistle. This was a group meant to reward James's Scottish supporters. It included Catholics like Melfort and his brother, and also Protestants.

Two big events in June 1688 turned opposition into open rebellion. First, King James's son, James Francis Edward, was born on June 10. This meant there was now a Catholic heir to the throne. This pushed aside James's Protestant daughter Mary and her husband William of Orange. Second, King James put seven bishops on trial for speaking out against him. This made it seem like he was attacking the Church of England. When the bishops were found not guilty on June 30, James lost his political power in both Scotland and England.

In 1685, many people feared a civil war if James was not king. But by 1688, anti-Catholic riots made it seem like only removing James could stop a war. Important people from all parts of society invited William of Orange to take the English throne. William landed in England on November 5. John Drummond suggested arresting many important Whigs. But King James's army left him, and he went into exile on December 23.

Life in Exile (1688–1714)

People who stayed loyal to King James were called 'Jacobites'. This name comes from Jacobus, the Latin word for James. Their political ideas were called Jacobitism. John Drummond left London on December 3, 1688, with his second wife, Euphemia, and their seven children. A few days later, they arrived at Saint-Germain-en-Laye near Paris. This became the home of the exiled King James's court for the next 25 years. The English Parliament offered William and Mary the throne in February. Scotland held a meeting, called a Convention, to decide who would rule Scotland.

France was fighting the Nine Years' War (1688–1697) against a group of countries called the Grand Alliance. This group included Austria, the Netherlands, and England. To weaken his enemies, the French King Louis XIV gave James military help to get his kingdoms back. In March 1689, James landed in Ireland. John Drummond was his Secretary of State there.

The Scottish Convention was meeting in Edinburgh. On March 16, a letter written by John Drummond was read out. It demanded that Scots obey King James and threatened them if they did not. This letter made people in Scotland very angry. It showed that James had not learned anything from losing his throne.

There was a disagreement among the Jacobites. Some, called 'Compounders', were Protestant and thought King James should make deals to get his throne back. Others, mostly Catholic like John Drummond, were 'Non-Compounders'. They told James to refuse any deals. John Drummond and the Non-Compounders had a lot of power over Jacobite plans until 1694. This was based on a too-hopeful view of the war in 1689.

John Drummond always thought about England and Scotland more than Ireland. This led to arguments with the Irish Jacobite leader, the Earl of Tyrconnell, and the French ambassador. He was called back in October 1689 and sent to Rome as James's ambassador. But he could not convince the Popes to support James. He returned to St Germain in 1691.

Jacobite forces lost battles in Scotland in 1690 and Ireland in 1691. Then, plans to invade England failed after the English and Dutch navies won a big battle at La Hogue in June 1692.

In April 1692, King James released a statement written by John Drummond. It said that once he was back on the throne, he would not forgive those who had not shown loyalty. John Drummond's encouragement of James's stubbornness made him lose support from both the French and English Jacobites. The Protestant Earl of Middleton was more moderate. He joined the court at St Germain in 1693 as a joint Secretary. But John Drummond was forced to resign in June 1694.

John Drummond then lived in Orléans and later Rouen. He was allowed to return to St Germain in 1697. But his political career was mostly over. This was confirmed in 1701 when a letter he wrote to his brother was sent to London by mistake. This led to people thinking he was a traitor. After King James died in 1701, John Drummond lived in Paris. He died in January 1715 and was buried in the Church of Saint-Sulpice, Paris.

Most historians have not seen John Drummond in a good light. His influence is often seen as negative. One historian said it was "based on flattery, officiousness and subservience" to James's "exalted conception of prerogative."

John Drummond was reportedly better at judging art than politics. He built two important art collections. The first had works by famous artists like Van Dyck and Rubens. He left it behind in 1688. He built another collection in Paris, which was open to the public. His wife Euphemia, who lived to be 90, later sold it.

Images for kids

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  Drummond Castle and gardens

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  John Maitland, Duke of Lauderdale; Drummond's marriage to his niece helped his political career

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  James Drummond, Earl of Perth, his elder brother and political ally, was arrested in 1688 and then sent into exile in 1694

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  James c. 1685, as commander of the Royal Army; his expansion of the army was viewed as another sign of absolutist policies

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  Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, location of the exiled Jacobite court

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  Defeat at La Hogue in June 1692, ended plans for an invasion of England

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  Melfort was buried at Saint-Sulpice, Paris