James Mor Stewart, called James the Fat, () (c. 1400–1429 or 1449) was the youngest son of

Murdoch Stewart, Duke of Albany Murdoch Stewart, Duke of Albany () (1362 – 25 May 1425) was a leading Scottish nobleman, the son of Robert Stewart, Duke of Albany, and the grandson of King Robert II of Scotland, who founded the Stewart dynasty. In 1389, he became Justicia ...

and Isabella of Lennox. When his father and brothers were executed by King

James I James I may refer to: People *James I of Aragon (1208–1276) * James I of Sicily or James II of Aragon (1267–1327) * James I, Count of La Marche (1319–1362), Count of Ponthieu * James I, Count of Urgell (1321–1347) *James I of Cyprus (1334� ...

for treason in 1425, James led a rebellion against the king, taking the town of

Dumbarton Dumbarton (; , or ; or , meaning 'fort of the Britons (historical), Britons') is a town in West Dunbartonshire, Scotland, on the north bank of the River Clyde where the River Leven, Dunbartonshire, River Leven flows into the Clyde estuary. ...

and killing the keeper of

Dumbarton Castle Dumbarton Castle (, ; ) has the longest recorded history of any stronghold in Scotland. It sits on a volcanic plug of basalt known as Dumbarton Rock which is high and overlooks the Scottish town of Dumbarton. History Dumbarton Rock was forme ...

. His success was short lived and he soon fled to

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

, where he would spend the remainder of his life in exile. A second attempt at rebellion in 1429 saw a fleet sail to Ireland to collect James "to convey him home that he might be king", but he died before the attempt could be made. James's eldest son James "Beag" Stewart was able to secure a royal

pardon A pardon is a government decision to allow a person to be relieved of some or all of the legal consequences resulting from a criminal conviction. A pardon may be granted before or after conviction for the crime, depending on the laws of the j ...

and return to Scotland, and was the ancestor of the Stewarts of Ardvorlich on Lochearnside, whose family history is recounted by

Sir Walter Scott Sir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet (15 August 1771 – 21 September 1832), was a Scottish novelist, poet and historian. Many of his works remain classics of European literature, European and Scottish literature, notably the novels ''Ivanhoe'' (18 ...

in ''

A Legend of Montrose ''A Legend of Montrose'' is an historical novel by Sir Walter Scott, set in Scotland in the 1640s during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. It forms, along with '' The Bride of Lammermoor'', the 3rd series of Scott's '' Tales of My Landlord''. The ...

''. James Mor's brother Walter (executed 1425) left a son, Andrew Stewart, 1st Lord Avondale, who became

Lord Chancellor of Scotland The Lord Chancellor of Scotland, formally titled Lord High Chancellor, was an Officer of State in the Kingdom of Scotland. The Lord Chancellor was the principal Great Officer of State, the presiding officer of the Parliament of Scotland, the K ...

in 1459, and was one of the leading servants of King

James III of Scotland James III (10 July 1451/May 1452 – 11 June 1488) was King of Scots from 1460 until his death at the Battle of Sauchieburn in 1488. He inherited the throne as a child following the death of his father, King James II, at the siege of Roxburg ...

Biography

Little is known of James's life before the arrest of his father, the Duke of Albany, and his eldest son Alexander, for treason by King

James I of Scotland James I (late July 1394 – 21 February 1437) was List of Scottish monarchs, King of Scots from 1406 until his assassination in 1437. The youngest of three sons, he was born in Dunfermline Abbey to King Robert III of Scotland, Robert III and ...

on 21 March 1425, on the 9th day of the March parliament. The family properties of

Doune Castle Doune Castle is a medieval stronghold near the village of Doune, in the Stirling (council area), Stirling council area of central Scotland and the historic county of Perthshire. The castle is sited on a wooded bend where the Ardoch Burn flows i ...

and

Falkland Palace Falkland Palace, in Falkland, Fife, Scotland, is a royal palace of the Scottish kings. It was one of the favourite places of Mary, Queen of Scots, who took refuge there from political and religious turmoil of her times. Today it is under th ...

were captured, and Duke Murdoch and two of his sons were imprisoned and held pending trial. James soon became a rallying point for enemies of the King, raising a large rebellion against the crown. Initially at least, events moved in his favour. He received the support of his mother's supporters in the Lennox, and also from

Fionnlagh MacCailein Fionnlagh MacCailein or Finlay ''Colini'' (died 1419) was a medieval Scottish bishop. Both his early life and the details of his career as Bishop of Dunblane are not well known, however it is known that he held the latter bishopric between 1403 ...

, Bishop of Argyll, a long-standing supporter of the Albany Stewarts. James marched on the town of

, burned it, and killed the keeper of the royal

castle A castle is a type of fortification, fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by Military order (monastic society), military orders. Scholars usually consider a ''castle'' to be the private ...

there, Sir John Stewart of Dundonald, who was the King's uncle. However, the castle itself, commanded by John Colquhoun, successfully held out against James's men. Among other supporters were the Clan Galbraith, in particular the ninth chief James Galbraith of Culcreuch who joined Stewart's rebellion. As many as 600 members of the clan were forced to flee after the failure of the revolt, exiled to

Kintyre Kintyre (, ) is a peninsula in western Scotland, in the southwest of Argyll and Bute. The peninsula stretches about , from the Mull of Kintyre in the south to East Loch Tarbert, Argyll, East and West Loch Tarbert, Argyll, West Loch Tarbert in t ...

and the Isle of Gigha, where they adopted the new name of MacBhreatneaich of M'Vretny ("son of the Briton") .

Escape to Ireland

James Mor's rebellion was quickly defeated. His father and brothers were found guilty of

treason Treason is the crime of attacking a state (polity), state authority to which one owes allegiance. This typically includes acts such as participating in a war against one's native country, attempting to Coup d'état, overthrow its government, spy ...

by a jury of knights and peers, and executed after a trial. At a stroke, almost all of James' family was wiped out. Only his mother, Isabella of Lennox survived the insurrection. Later in 1425, pursued by a royal expedition, James fled to Antrim,

, accompanied by the sons of his dead brother Walter, to escape the King's justice. Few details of his escape survive but it seems likely that he sought assistance from the Campbells of Lochawe, to whom he was closely linked by blood and marriage. James Mor would never return to his native Scotland. He remained an

exile Exile or banishment is primarily penal expulsion from one's native country, and secondarily expatriation or prolonged absence from one's homeland under either the compulsion of circumstance or the rigors of some high purpose. Usually persons ...

in Ireland until his death.Confusingly, different sources give James' death as, variously, 1429 and 1449. Most sources agree on 1429, but this date is not consistent with the suggested birth dates of most of his children His widowed mother and sister remained in Scotland.

Claim to the throne

James Stewart was in line to claim the throne as sole surviving grandson of the Duke of Albany, brother to the late King Robert III.

Family and legacy

In Ireland, James became involved with an unknown woman with the surname MacDonald. Some sources suggest she was one of the daughters of Iain Mòr Tànaiste MacDhòmhnaill, 1st Earl of Antrim, the son of

John of Islay, Lord of the Isles John of Islay (or John MacDonald) ( or ) (died 1386) was the lord of the Isles (1336–1386) and chief of Clan Donald. In 1336, he styled himself ''Dominus Insularum'' ('Lord of the Isles'), although this was not the first ever recorded instan ...

and Earl of Ross. James did not marry, but he had seven illegitimate children: * James "Beag" Stewart (born c.1424–1470) was able to secure a royal pardon and return to Scotland. He married Annabel Buchanan, daughter of Patrick, 14th Lord of Buchanan, and was granted the estate "Baldorran" from his cousin John Stewart Damby in 1457. He is the ancestor of the Stewarts of Ardvorlich on Lochearnside, whose family history is recounted by

in ''

''.Stewarts of Balquhidder webpage
Retrieved November 2010 * Murdoch Stewart, born c.1427 in Antrim, Ireland. * Arthur Stewart, born c.1429 in Antrim, Ireland. * Robert Stewart, born c.1433 in Antrim, Ireland. * Matilda Stewart, born c.1435 * Alexander Stewart, born c.1437 in Antrim, Ireland. James' mother Isabella of Lennox was imprisoned by King James in

Tantallon Castle Tantallon Castle is a ruined mid-14th-century fortress, located east of North Berwick, in East Lothian, Scotland. It sits atop a promontory opposite the Bass Rock, looking out onto the Firth of Forth. The last medieval curtain wall castle to b ...

after the execution of her husband and children. However, in 1437 the King was himself assassinated, and soon afterwards Isabella was released from captivity, eventually recovering her lands and title. In the next few years, although forced to govern her province from her castle at

Inchmurrin Inchmurrin () is an island in Loch Lomond in Scotland. It is the largest lake island, fresh water island in the British Isles. Geography and geology Inchmurrin is the largest and most southerly of the islands in Loch Lomond. It reaches a he ...

Loch Lomond Loch Lomond (; ) is a freshwater Scottish loch which crosses the Highland Boundary Fault (HBF), often considered the boundary between the lowlands of Central Scotland and the Highlands.Tom Weir. ''The Scottish Lochs''. pp. 33-43. Published by ...

, she issued a large numbers of charters, was popular in the province, and was tolerated by King James II. At some point after she regained her liberty, Isabella brought her young grandchildren, the children of James the Fat, to be raised at her castle at

Ancestry

Notes

References

;General * Brown, Michael, ''James I.'' Edinburgh: Canongate Press, 1994. . * Campbell, Alastair, ''A History of Clan Campbell, Volume 2''
Dewar, Peter Beauclerk, p.482, ''Burke's Landed Gentry of Great Britain''
Retrieved November 2011 * Nelker, Gladys P, ''The Clan Steuart'', 1970.

External links

Retrieved November 2010 * ttp://www.chuckspeed.com/balquhidder/history/jstewart.htm James the Fat at chuckspeed.comRetrieved November 2010 {{DEFAULTSORT:Stewart, James, The Great 1429 deaths Year of birth unknown Nobility from Stirling (council area) James Mor Medieval Gaels from Scotland 15th-century Scottish nobility Younger sons of dukes