Malise Graham, 1st Earl of Menteith facts for kids

Malise Graham, 1st Earl of Menteith (born around 1407, died 1490), was an important Scottish nobleman in the 1400s. For a time, he was even considered a possible heir to the Scottish throne! This was because there was some debate about whether the children of King Robert II's first wife, Elizabeth Mure, were truly legitimate heirs.

By 1437, most of the male family members from Elizabeth Mure's side had passed away. This left only King James II himself. King Robert II had married Elizabeth Mure in a way that some people thought was not proper according to church law. This made the right of her children to inherit the throne unclear. A law passed in 1373 said her sons and their male heirs could inherit. However, it did not say if her female descendants were lawful heirs.

Malise was King Robert II's grandson through his second wife. This marriage was definitely considered proper by church law. He was also the most senior male heir, no matter what people thought about Elizabeth Mure's marriage.

His family shield shows a pattern of squares, with three shell shapes on a band across the middle.

Malise Graham's Life Story

Malise Graham was the first person in his family to hold the title of Earl of Menteith on his own. He was the only son of Sir Patrick Graham of Kincardine. His uncle was Sir Robert Graham. Both were sons of an older Sir Patrick Graham, who was an ancestor of the Earls and Dukes of Montrose.

His family is believed to be directly related to John de Menteith. John de Menteith was known for handing over the Scottish hero William Wallace to the English. This happened during the Wars of Scottish Independence.

Malise's father, Sir Patrick Graham, married Euphemia Stewart, Countess of Strathearn. Through his mother, Malise was a descendant of King Robert II. Malise was born around 1407, or perhaps a little later. His name, Malise, is an English version of the Gaelic name Maol Íosa.

Becoming an Earl

In his younger years, Malise was known as the Earl of Strathearn. He was even suggested as a hostage for King James I of Scotland. He was among those who welcomed King James in Durham in March 1424.

However, the King took advantage of Malise being young. He took away Malise's earldom of Strathearn. Instead, he made Malise the Earl of Menteith. The official document for this new earldom was dated September 6, 1427.

Malise's land was reduced from all of Strathearn to just Menteith. This likely happened after the death of Robert Stewart, Duke of Albany in 1420. The new earldom included all of the Aberfoyle area and part of Port of Menteith. This was only about half of the original earldom. The rest of the land was taken by the Crown.

Years as a Hostage

Just two months after becoming Earl of Menteith, in November 1427, Earl Malise went to England. He was a hostage for King James I. He was held in Pontefract Castle. He was not set free until June 17, 1453. During this time, in April 1440, he was taxed as a foreigner.

James Hamilton, 1st Lord Hamilton, helped Malise get released. James Hamilton had married Malise's sister, Euphemia Graham. In return, James Hamilton received land in the lordship of Kinpont in West Lothian. In the official document, Malise called himself Earl of Menteith and Lord of Kinpont. Kinpont was a very old possession of the Graham family. It had passed down to Malise from his father.

Later Life and Parliament

Earl Malise appeared in the Parliament of Scotland many times. Not much is known about his later life, except that he seemed to have gotten into debt. Some say he was at the Battle of Sauchieburn on June 11, 1488. He was said to have fought for the King. However, this is unlikely, as he would have been over eighty years old then.

Records show that his grandson inherited his estates on May 6, 1493. These records state that Earl Malise died peacefully during the reign of King James IV of Scotland. The exact date of his death is not known. However, he was dead before May 19, 1490. On that date, land belonging to Malise was given to John Home of Earlston because Malise had passed away.

Family Life

Earl Malise was married at least twice. His first wife is believed to have been Janet de Rochford. On April 19, 1471, Janet, Countess of Malise, Earl of Menteith, was given her share of income from Kinpont. This land belonged to her son Patrick. She likely died not long after this, but it is not certain.

In 1490, the Countess of Menteith was named Marion. She outlived her husband. She married John Drummond before May 17, 1491. Marion was still alive in 1530. She died between April 28 and August 23 of that year.

Earl Malise had many children. However, his grandson, Alexander Graham, 2nd Earl of Menteith, inherited his titles and lands.

Sources

• Paul, James Balfour, The Scots Peerage, Vols. VI & VIII, (Edinburgh, 1909)
• Brown, M. H., "Graham, Malise, third earl of Strathearn and first earl of Menteith (1406x13–1490)", Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004 accessed 21 May 2007