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| Archibald Douglas | |
| Earl of Douglas | |
|---|---|
| Titles | Duke of Touraine(de jure) Earl of Wigtown Lord of Galloway Lord of Bothwell, Selkirk and Ettrick Forest, Eskdale, Lauderdale, Liddesdale and Annandale Count of Longueville Seigneur de Dun-le-Roi |
| Born | 1390 |
| Birthplace | Scotland |
| Died | 1439 |
| Place of death | Restalrig, Midlothian |
| Buried | St Bride's Kirk Douglas, South Lanarkshire |
| Predecessor | Archibald Douglas, 4th Earl of Douglas |
| Successor | William Douglas, 6th Earl of Douglas |
| Offspring | William Douglas, 6th Earl of Douglas Margaret Douglas David Douglas |
| Dynasty | Douglas |
| Father | Archibald Douglas, 4th Earl of Douglas |
| Mother | Princess Margaret of Scotland |
Archibald Douglas (1390–26 June 1439), was a Scottish nobleman, son of Archibald Douglas, 4th Earl of Douglas and Joan Moray. He was Earl of Douglas and Wigtown, Lord of Galloway, Lord of Bothwell, Selkirk and Ettrick Forest, Eskdale, Lauderdale, and Annandale in Scotland, and de jure Duke of Touraine, Count of Longueville, and Seigneur of Dun-le-roi in France.
He fought with the French at Baugé in 1421, and was made count of Longueville in Normandy. He succeeded to his father's English and Scottish titles in 1424, though he never drew on his father's French estates of the Duchy of Touraine. Douglas served as ambassador to England in 1424, during the ransoming of James I. He held the office of Regent of the Kingdom, during the minority of James II from 1437 to 1439. Douglas died from a fever in Restalrig, Midlothian, and was buried at Douglas.
Marriage and issue
Between 1423 and 1425 he married Eupheme Graham (before 1413–1468), daughter of Patrick Graham, de jure Earl of Strathearn. They had three children.
- William Douglas (c.1424–24 November 1440), who briefly succeeded as 6th Earl
- Margaret Douglas (before 1435–1475) the 'Fair Maid of Galloway', who married first William Douglas, 8th Earl of Douglas, second James Douglas, 9th Earl of Douglas, third John Stewart, 1st Earl of Atholl
- David Douglas (before 1439–24 November 1440)
Both sons were summarily beheaded at Edinburgh Castle on trumped up charges, in the presence of the young King James II. The so-called 'Black Dinner' thus broke the power of the 'Black' Douglases. The lordships of Annandale and Bothwell fell to the crown, Galloway to Margaret Douglas, and the Douglas lands and earldom passed to William's great-uncle James Douglas, Earl of Avondale, who was himself implicated, with Sir William Crichton, in the murder of the young earl.
| Peerage of Scotland | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Archibald Douglas |
 Earl of Douglas 1424–1439 |
Succeeded by William Douglas |
| French nobility | ||
| Preceded by Archibald Douglas |
 de jure Duke of Touraine 1424–1439 Louis III of Naples de facto 1424-1434 |
Succeeded by René I of Naples |
References
- This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain.
- thepeerage.com
