Janet Kennedy (c. 1480 – c. 1545), was a Scottish noble and the

mistress Mistress is the feminine form of the English word "master" (''master'' + ''-ess'') and may refer to: Romance and relationships * Mistress (lover), a female lover of a married man ** Royal mistress * Maîtresse-en-titre, official mistress of a ...

of King

James IV of Scotland James IV (17 March 1473 – 9 September 1513) was List of Scottish monarchs, 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 I ...

Life

She was the eldest daughter of Lady Elizabeth Gordon and John Kennedy, 2nd Lord Kennedy . Through her father, she was a great-great-granddaughter of King Robert III where as her mother was the daughter of

Alexander Gordon, 1st Earl of Huntly Alexander Seton, 1st Earl of Huntly (died 15 July 1470), who adopted the family name of Gordon from about 1457, was a powerful 15th-century Scottish magnate. He was knighted in 1439/1440 and was Lord of Badenoch, Gordon, Strathbogie and Cluny. ...

. She is believed to have first been married to Alexander Gordon of Lochinvar around 1493. They may have had a daughter. By 1497, Janet was the mistress of

Archibald Douglas, 5th Earl of Angus Archibald may refer to: People and characters *Archibald (name), a masculine given name and a surname *Archibald (musician) (1916–1973), American R&B pianist * Archibald, a character from the animated TV show ''Archibald the Koala'' Other uses ...

("Bell the Cat"), with whom she had a daughter, Mary. They also may have been married, though she was never described as his Countess. She attracted the attention of King James IV around 1497. She had three children with the king. They included

James Stewart, 1st Earl of Moray James Stewart, 1st Earl of Moray (c. 1531 – 23 January 1570) was a member of the House of Stewart as the illegitimate son of King James V of Scotland. At times a supporter of his half-sister Mary, Queen of Scots, he was the regent of Scotl ...

, Lady Margaret Stewart and Lady Jane Stewart. They lived for a time at

Stirling Castle Stirling Castle, located in Stirling, is one of the largest and most historically and architecturally important castles in Scotland. The castle sits atop an Intrusive rock, intrusive Crag and tail, crag, which forms part of the Stirling Sill ge ...

and the household was the responsibility of

Andrew Aytoun Andrew Aytoun (died 1547), was a Scottish soldier and engineer, and captain of Stirling Castle. Aytoun worked for James IV of Scotland, whose reign lasted from 1488 until his death at the battle of Flodden in 1513. He was regarded as a member of ...

. The King had a number of mistresses, but this appears to have been his longest relationship, which continued even after his marriage to

Margaret Tudor Margaret Tudor (28 November 1489 – 18 October 1541) was List of Scottish royal consorts, Queen of Scotland from 1503 until 1513 by marriage to King James IV. She then served as regent of Scotland during her son's minority, and fought to exte ...

. After James IV's marriage by proxy, he met Janet at

Bothwell Castle Bothwell Castle is a large medieval castle, sited on a high, steep bank, above a bend in the River Clyde in South Lanarkshire, Scotland. It is located between Bothwell and Uddingston, about south-east of Glasgow. Construction of the castle wa ...

in April 1503, then she was sent to

Darnaway Castle Darnaway Castle, also known as Tarnaway Castle, is located in Darnaway Forest, southwest of Forres in Moray, Scotland. This was Comyn land, given to Thomas Randolph along with the Earldom of Moray by King Robert I. The castle has remained t ...

in August just before Margaret arrived. James IV gave her the lordship of

in September 1498, transferred from the

Earl of Angus The Mormaer or Earl of Angus was the ruler of the medieval Scottish Provinces of Scotland, province of Angus, Scotland, Angus. The title, in the Peerage of Scotland, is held by the Duke of Hamilton, and is used as a courtesy title for the eldes ...

. In March 1500 the king gave her, in consideration of the "hartlie luve and invict favoris he has and beris to her", extensive lands in

Menteith Menteith or Monteith () is a district of south Perthshire, Scotland, roughly comprises the territory between the River Teith, Teith and the River Forth, Forth. Historically, the area between Callander and Dunblane was known in English by the si ...

and the keeping 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 ...

. It is not clear whether she is the same as the "Janet bair ars" who received gifts from the king in 1505–12. Her daughter Lady Margaret Stewart came to court from Darnaway in April 1513, her household being accommodated at

Edinburgh Castle Edinburgh Castle is a historic castle in Edinburgh, Scotland. It stands on Castle Rock (Edinburgh), Castle Rock, which has been occupied by humans since at least the Iron Age. There has been a royal castle on the rock since the reign of Malcol ...

. Porter, Linda (2024), ''The Thistle and the Rose: The Extraordinary Life of Margaret Tudor'',

Head of Zeus Bloomsbury Publishing plc is a British worldwide publishing house of fiction and non-fiction. Bloomsbury's head office is located on Bedford Square in Bloomsbury, an area of the London Borough of Camden. It has a US publishing office located in ...

, London, p. 124, Janet Kennedy also had relationships with two other men, one of whom was John Ramsay, 1st Lord Bothwell whom she married in 1505. Two of her partners died at the

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

External links

References

Barnes, Ishbel ''Janet Kennedy Royal Mistress'' (John Donald: Edinburgh, 2007)
MacDougall, Norman ''James IV of Scotland'' 1480s births 1540s deaths Nobility from South Ayrshire Mistresses of James IV of Scotland Scottish noblewomen 16th-century Scottish nobility 15th-century Scottish women 16th-century Scottish women Daughters of barons

Janet Janet may refer to: Names * Janet (given name) Surname * Charles Janet (1849–1932), French engineer, inventor and biologist, known for the Left Step periodic table * Jules Janet (1861–1945), French psychologist and psychotherapist * Maur ...

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