John Stewart, 5th Earl of Atholl facts for kids

John Stewart, 5th Earl of Atholl (born 1563, died 1595), was an important Scottish landowner. He lived during a time when Scotland had its own king, James VI of Scotland.

John Stewart was the son of John Stewart, 4th Earl of Atholl and Margaret Fleming. His mother was the daughter of Malcolm Fleming, 3rd Lord Fleming and Janet Stewart.

In 1578, John Stewart married Marie Ruthven. She was the daughter of William Ruthven, 1st Earl of Gowrie and Dorothea Stewart. Marie was an interesting person. In 1578, she wrote a letter to her husband's aunt, Barbara Stewart. Marie invited her to Cupar to share details about a place she planned to visit. She wanted to describe the fashion and customs of that place.

Helping Others

In October 1587, John Stewart helped Agnes Sinclair, who was the Countess of Erroll. She had been taken from her home by Colin Campbell of Glenlyon and his followers. Atholl stepped in to rescue her.

Disagreement in Perth

On June 29, 1591, John Stewart had a disagreement with the Earl of Erroll in Perth. This happened when Anne of Denmark, the Queen, was making a special visit to the town. Atholl was the Provost of Perth, which meant he was like the mayor of the town. The Earl of Erroll was the Constable, a high-ranking officer. They argued about who should go first in the procession, showing who was more important.

Friendship with the Queen

Atholl and his wife, Marie, became friends with Queen Anne of Denmark. In July 1592, while the Queen was at Falkland Palace, they invited her to stay with them at Dunkeld. However, King James VI, after thinking about it, did not allow the Queen to go. Queen Anne was upset and wished she could be back home in Denmark with her mother, Sophie.

There were some suspicions that Atholl might have been involved in a rebel attack on Falkland Palace in June. The English ambassador, Robert Bowes, even wrote that Atholl had "his spoon deep in the late pie at Falkland." This was a way of saying he was very involved in the recent events.

The English diplomat Robert Bowes also hoped that Atholl and Marie would convince Marie's sister, Margaret Ruthven, to marry the son of the Master of Forbes. This marriage would have helped to reduce the power of the Earl of Huntly. However, Margaret ended up marrying John Graham, 4th Earl of Montrose instead.

His Death

John Stewart, 5th Earl of Atholl, died in September 1595. He was buried at Dunkeld on October 11. Queen Anne of Denmark was in Perth at the time and saw his funeral procession from a house there. At the time, there were rumors that he might have been poisoned.

The Earldom After His Death

When John Stewart died in 1595, he had four daughters: Dorothea, Mary, Jean, and Anne. He did not have any sons who lived to adulthood, as two had died when they were very young. Because there was no male heir, the title of Earl of Atholl went back to the crown. King James VI then gave the rights to the earldom, along with the right to arrange the daughters' marriages, to his wife, Anne of Denmark, on September 1, 1595.

There was a lot of discussion about who should become the next Earl of Atholl. Some thought Queen Anne might claim it for herself or for her son, Prince Henry. The Earl of Orkney also asked for the title.

In March 1596, John Stewart, the 6th Lord Innermeath, married Marie Ruthven, John Stewart's widow. In May 1596, he was made the new Earl of Atholl. This happened after Marie, the Countess, bought back the rights to the earldom for a large sum of money.

John's daughter Dorothea Stewart later married William Murray, 2nd Earl of Tullibardine. Their son, also named John, became the Earl of Atholl in 1629.