Gillespie Archibald Campbell, 2nd Earl of Argyll ( – 9 September 1513) was a Scottish

nobleman Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy. It is normally ranked immediately below royalty. Nobility has often been an estate of the realm with many exclusive functions and characteristics. The characteris ...

and

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, ...

who was killed at the

Battle of Flodden The Battle of Flodden, Flodden Field, or occasionally Branxton, (Brainston Moor) was a battle fought on 9 September 1513 during the War of the League of Cambrai between the Kingdom of England and the Kingdom of Scotland, resulting in an English ...

Biography

Archibald was the eldest son of

Colin Campbell, 1st Earl of Argyll Colin Campbell, 1st Earl of Argyll (c. 1433 – 10 May 1493) was a medieval Scottish nobleman, peer, and politician. He was the son of Archibald Campbell, Master of Campbell and Elizabeth Somerville, daughter of John Somerville, 3rd Lord S ...

and Isabel Stewart, daughter of

John Stewart, 2nd Lord Lorne John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second ...

. He was made Master of the Royal Household of

James IV of Scotland James IV (17 March 1473 – 9 September 1513) was King of Scotland from 11 June 1488 until his death at the Battle of Flodden in 1513. He inherited the throne at the age of fifteen on the death of his father, James III, at the Battle of Sau ...

on 24 March 1495. After a crisis of law and order in the west of Scotland, Argyll was made governor of Tarbert Castle and Baillie of Knapdale, and this was followed by an appointment as Royal Lieutenant in the former

Lordship of the Isles The Lord of the Isles or King of the Isles ( gd, Triath nan Eilean or ) is a title of Scottish nobility with historical roots that go back beyond the Kingdom of Scotland. It began with Somerled in the 12th century and thereafter the title ...

on 22 April 1500. Argyll eventually rose to the position of

Lord High Chancellor of Scotland The Lord Chancellor of Scotland, formally the Lord High Chancellor, was a Great Officer of State in the Kingdom of Scotland. Holders of the office are known from 1123 onwards, but its duties were occasionally performed by an official of lower st ...

. His "clan" was rivalled only by

Clan Gordon Clan Gordon is a Highland Scottish clan, historically one of the most powerful Scottish clans. The Gordon lands once spanned a large territory across the Highlands. Presently, Gordon is seated at Aboyne Castle, Aberdeenshire. The Chief of the ...

. The Earls of Argyll were hereditary Sheriffs of Lorne and

Argyll Argyll (; archaically Argyle, in modern Gaelic, ), sometimes called Argyllshire, is a historic county and registration county of western Scotland. Argyll is of ancient origin, and corresponds to most of the part of the ancient kingdom of ...

. However, a draft record of the 1504

Parliament of Scotland The Parliament of Scotland ( sco, Pairlament o Scotland; gd, Pàrlamaid na h-Alba) was the legislature of the Kingdom of Scotland from the 13th century until 1707. The parliament evolved during the early 13th century from the king's council o ...

records a move to request Argyll to hold his Sherriff Court at

Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...

, where the King and his council could more easily oversee proceedings, if the Earl was found at fault. The historian Norman Macdougall suggests this clause may have been provoked by Argyll's kinship with

Torquil MacLeod Torquil MacLeod ( Scottish Gaelic: Torcall mac Murchaidh, and Torcall MacLeòid) ('' fl.'' 14th century) was a Hebridean lord and is today considered to be the founder of the MacLeods of Lewis, who are known in Gaelic as ''Sìol Torcaill'' ("seed ...

and MacLean of Duart. These western chiefs supported the suppressed Lordship of the Isles. The Earl of Argyll was killed at the

on 9 September 1513, with the king and many others. He is buried at Kilmun Parish Church.

Family

By his wife Elizabeth, a daughter of

John Stewart, 1st Earl of Lennox John Stewart, 1st Earl of Lennox (before 14308 July/11 September 1495) was known as Lord Darnley and later as the Earl of Lennox. Family Stewart was the son of Catherine Seton and Alan Stewart of Darnley, a direct descendant of Alexander Stew ...

, Argyll had issue:James Balfour Paul, Scots Peerage, vol i, pp 335-337
/ref> * Colin Campbell * Archibald Campbell of

Skipness Skipness ( gd, Sgibinis, ) is a village on the east coast of Kintyre in Scotland, located just over south of Tarbert and facing the Isle of Arran. There is Skipness Castle (a ruined castle) and Kilbrannan Chapel, which contains some rar ...

(d 1537 escaping from

Edinburgh Castle Edinburgh Castle is a historic castle in Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland. It stands on Castle Rock (Edinburgh), Castle Rock, which has been occupied by humans since at least the Iron Age, although the nature of the early settlement is unclear. ...

), second husband of Janet Douglas, Lady Glamis * Sir John Campbell of Calder (d.1546) ancestor of the

Earls Cawdor Earl Cawdor, of Castlemartin in the County of Pembroke, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1827 for John Campbell, 2nd Baron Cawdor. This branch of Clan Campbell descends from Sir John Campbell (died 1546), thi ...

* Donald Campbell the

Abbot of Coupar Angus The Abbot of Coupar Angus (later Commendator of Coupar) was the head of the monastic community and lands of Coupar Angus Abbey, on the boundary between Angus and Gowrie in Scotland. The abbot David Bane (David Bayn) was granted the mitre in 1464. ...

* Margaret Campbell, who married John Erskine, 5th Lord Erskine * Isabel Campbell, married

Gilbert Kennedy, 2nd Earl of Cassilis Gilbert Kennedy, 2nd Earl of Cassillis (died between 24 and 30 August 1527) was a Scottish nobleman, the son of David Kennedy, 1st Earl of Cassilis and Agnes, daughter of William Borthwick, 3rd Lord Borthwick. In August 1524 Margaret Tudor se ...

* Janet Campbell, married John Stewart, 2nd Earl of Atholl * Jean Campbell, married Sir John Lamont of that ilk, son Duncan Lamont * Catherine Campbell, married Lachlan Cattanach Maclean, 11th Chief of Duart, secondly to Archibald Campbell of Auchinbreck * Marion Campbell, married Sir Robert Menzies of that ilk * Elen Campbell, married Sir Gavin Kennedy of Blairquhan * Mary Campbell, married James Stewart, 4th Earl of Bute

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Argyll, Archibald Campbell, 2nd Earl of Lord chancellors of Scotland 2 Deaths at the Battle of Flodden 15th-century births 1513 deaths Court of James IV of Scotland Scottish landowners Burials at the Argyll Mausoleum 15th-century Scottish peers 16th-century Scottish peers