Stewart of Darnley, also known as the Lennox Stewarts, was a notable Scots family. They were a branch of the

Clan Stewart Clan Stewart (Scottish Gaelic, Gaelic: ''Stiùbhart'') is a Scottish Highlands, Scottish Highland and Scottish Lowlands, Lowland Scottish clan, clan. The clan is recognised by Court of the Lord Lyon; however, it does not have a Scottish clan chi ...

, who provided the English Stuart monarchs with their male-line Stuart descent, after the reunion of their branch with the royal Scottish branch. In 1565 the Darnley branch was re-united with the

Royal Royal may refer to: People * Royal (name), a list of people with either the surname or given name * A member of a royal family or Royalty (disambiguation), royalty Places United States * Royal, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Royal, Ill ...

House of Stewart when

Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley (1546 – 10 February 1567) was King of Scotland as the second husband of Mary, Queen of Scots, from 29 July 1565 until his murder in 1567. Lord Darnley had one child with Mary, the future James VI of Scotland and I ...

married his half-first cousin,

Mary, Queen of Scots Mary, Queen of Scots (8 December 1542 – 8 February 1587), also known as Mary Stuart or Mary I of Scotland, was List of Scottish monarchs, Queen of Scotland from 14 December 1542 until her forced abdication in 1567. The only surviving legit ...

. Despite what their common surname suggests, they were not related closely by virtue of both being Stewarts — being only ninth cousins once removed in the male line. It was rather through their shared grandmother,

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 ...

(daughter of King

Henry VII of England Henry VII (28 January 1457 – 21 April 1509), also known as Henry Tudor, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from his seizure of the crown on 22 August 1485 until his death in 1509. He was the first monarch of the House of Tudor. Henr ...

) that they were related, and which gave both their claims to the English throne. The son of their union

James VI James may refer to: People * James (given name) * James (surname) * James (musician), aka Faruq Mahfuz Anam James, (born 1964), Bollywood musician * James, brother of Jesus * King James (disambiguation), various kings named James * Prince Ja ...

of Scots succeeded to the

throne A throne is the seat of state of a potentate or dignitary, especially the seat occupied by a sovereign (or viceroy A viceroy () is an official who reigns over a polity in the name of and as the representative of the monarch of the territory ...

of England and the throne of Ireland as James I. Lord Darnley’s claim to the Scottish throne was also not by virtue of his being a Stewart, rather he derived it through his great grandmother, Elizabeth Hamilton, a granddaughter of James II. The later English kings and queens of the

House of Stuart The House of Stuart, originally spelled Stewart, also known as the Stuart dynasty, was a dynasty, royal house of Kingdom of Scotland, Scotland, Kingdom of England, England, Kingdom of Ireland, Ireland and later Kingdom of Great Britain, Great ...

, from James I and Charles I onwards, were more properly members of the Stewart of Darnley branch, and all drew upon their feudal heritage in Lennox.

Origins and name

The Stewarts of Darnley were descended from Sir John Stewart (d. 1298), the second son of Alexander Stewart, 4th High Steward of Scotland. Their name is derived from Derneley, a

barony Barony may refer to: * Barony, the peerage, office of, or territory held by a baron * Barony, the title and land held in fealty by a feudal baron * Barony (county division), a type of administrative or geographical division in parts of the British ...

in Eastwood parish,

Renfrewshire Renfrewshire () (; ) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland. Renfrewshire is located in the west central Lowlands. It borders East Renfrewshire, Glasgow, Inverclyde, North Ayrshire and West Dunbartonshire, and lies on the southern ba ...

. It was located east of Barrhead, present day Darnley, within the city of

Glasgow Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...

. In 1356, Robert Stewart,

High Steward of Scotland Prince and Great Steward of Scotland is one of the titles of the heir apparent to the British throne. The holder since 8 September 2022 is Prince William, who bears the other Scottish titles of Duke of Rothesay, Earl of Carrick, Lord of the Is ...

, granted the barony to Sir John Stewart, the eldest son of Sir Alan Stewart of Dreghorn. Like the Royal Stewarts, the Stewarts of Darnley used both the ' Stuart' and the ' Stewart' spelling of their surname.

Ancestors

* Alexander Stewart, 4th High Steward of Scotland * Sir John Stewart (d.1298) * Alan Stewart of Dreghorn (d.1333) * Alexander Stewart of Darnley (d.1374) * Alexander Stewart of Darnley (d.1404) * John Stewart of Darnley (d.1429) * Alan Stewart of Darnley (d.1439)

Lordship of Aubigny

Sir John Stewart of Darnley (d. 1429) fought in the

Hundred Years' War The Hundred Years' War (; 1337–1453) was a conflict between the kingdoms of Kingdom of England, England and Kingdom of France, France and a civil war in France during the Late Middle Ages. It emerged from feudal disputes over the Duchy ...

under his namesake and distant cousin John Stewart, 2nd Earl of Buchan, in the army of

Charles VII of France Charles VII (22 February 1403 – 22 July 1461), called the Victorious () or the Well-Served (), was King of France from 1422 to his death in 1461. His reign saw the end of the Hundred Years' War and a ''de facto'' end of the English claims to ...

. For his services, he was rewarded with the lands of Aubigny-sur-Nère and Concressault, which were given to the second son in the family so they could live in France to strengthen the

Auld Alliance The Auld Alliance ( Scots for "Old Alliance") was an alliance between the kingdoms of Scotland and France against England made in 1295. The Scots word ''auld'', meaning ''old'', has become a partly affectionate term for the long-lasting asso ...

. Notable members of this branch were: * Bernard Stewart, 4th Lord of Aubigny, commander of the '' Garde Écossaise''; commander in the armies of

Charles VIII of France Charles VIII, called the Affable (; 30 June 1470 – 7 April 1498), was King of France from 1483 to his death in 1498. He succeeded his father Louis XI at the age of 13. His elder sister Anne acted as regent jointly with her husband Peter II, Du ...

and

Louis XII of France Louis XII (27 June 14621 January 1515), also known as Louis of Orléans was King of France from 1498 to 1515 and King of Naples (as Louis III) from 1501 to 1504. The son of Charles, Duke of Orléans, and Marie of Cleves, he succeeded his second ...

during the

Italian Wars The Italian Wars were a series of conflicts fought between 1494 and 1559, mostly in the Italian Peninsula, but later expanding into Flanders, the Rhineland and Mediterranean Sea. The primary belligerents were the House of Valois, Valois kings o ...

. * Robert Stewart, 5th Lord of Aubigny,

Marshal of France Marshal of France (, plural ') is a French military distinction, rather than a military rank, that is awarded to General officer, generals for exceptional achievements. The title has been awarded since 1185, though briefly abolished (1793–1804) ...

; fought in the Battle of Marignano and the

Battle of Pavia The Battle of Pavia, fought on the morning of 24 February 1525, was the decisive engagement of the Italian War of 1521–1526 between the Kingdom of France and the Habsburg Empire of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, Charles V, Holy Roman Empero ...

. * George Stewart, 9th Seigneur d'Aubigny, fought with the French against the Spanish at the

Battle of Montjuïc (1641) The Battle of Montjuïc took place on 26 January 1641 during the Reapers' War. A Habsburg Spain, Spanish force under Pedro Fajardo de Zúñiga y Requesens, Pedro Fajardo launched an attack on the Catalonia, Catalan army led by Francesc de T ...

; killed during the

English Civil War The English Civil War or Great Rebellion was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Cavaliers, Royalists and Roundhead, Parliamentarians in the Kingdom of England from 1642 to 1651. Part of the wider 1639 to 1653 Wars of th ...

at the Battle of Edge Hill.

Earldom of Lennox

The eldest son of Sir Alan Stewart of Darnley (d. 1439) was John Stewart, Lord Darnley, head of the House of Stewart of Darnley, who was created

Earl of Lennox The Earl or Mormaer of Lennox was the ruler of the region of the Lennox in western Scotland. It was first created in the 12th century for David of Scotland, Earl of Huntingdon and later held by the Stewart dynasty. Ancient earls The first e ...

in 1488. He died in 1495 and was succeeded by the following descendants: * Matthew Stewart, 2nd Earl of Lennox (1488- ob Flodden, 1513) * John Stewart, 3rd Earl of Lennox (ob 1526) *

Matthew Stewart, 4th Earl of Lennox Matthew Stewart, 4th Earl of Lennox (21 September 1516 – 4 September 1571) was a leader of the Catholic nobility in Scotland. He was the paternal grandfather of King James VI of Scotland. He owned Temple Newsam in Yorkshire, England. Origin ...

(1516–1571) In 1580, the head of the House of Stewart, King James VI of Scots, granted the title of

Duke of Lennox The title Duke of Lennox has been created several times in the peerage of Scotland, for Clan Stewart of Darnley. The dukedom, named for the district of Lennox in Dumbarton Dumbarton (; , or ; or , meaning 'fort of the Britons (histo ...

Esmé Stewart, 1st Duke of Lennox Esmé Stewart, 1st Duke of Lennox, 1st Earl of Lennox, 6th Seigneur d'Aubigny (26 May 1583) of the Château d'Aubigny at Aubigny-sur-Nère in the ancient Provinces of France, province of Berry, France, Berry, France, was a Catholic French nob ...

, a cousin and a member of a French branch of the Royal Stewarts. The following English members of the House of Stewart of Darnley were styled Earls of Lennox by the English Crown, although the

King of Scots The monarchy of the United Kingdom, commonly referred to as the British monarchy, is the form of government used by the United Kingdom by which a hereditary monarch reigns as the head of state, with their powers regulated by the British cons ...

, in whose kingdom the

earl Earl () is a rank of the nobility in the United Kingdom. In modern Britain, an earl is a member of the Peerages in the United Kingdom, peerage, ranking below a marquess and above a viscount. A feminine form of ''earl'' never developed; instead, ...

dom of Lennox lay, did not recognize the title: * Charles Stuart, 1st Earl of Lennox (1555–1576), second son of the 4th Earl of the second creation * Lady Arbella Stuart (1575–1615) (over-ridden)

Claimants to the English throne

In 1544

married

Margaret Douglas Margaret Douglas, Countess of Lennox (8 October 1515 – 7 March 1578), born Lady Margaret Douglas, was the daughter of the Scottish queen dowager Margaret Tudor and her second husband Archibald Douglas, 6th Earl of Angus, and thus the granddau ...

, the granddaughter of Henry VII. Their sons

and Charles Stuart, 1st Earl of Lennox, were held by contemporaries to have a credible claim to the throne of England.

was the fruit of the 1514 union of

, Dowager Queen of Scots and elder daughter of Henry VII with Archibald Douglas, 6th Earl of Angus. Born in England and raised at the

court A court is an institution, often a government entity, with the authority to adjudicate legal disputes between Party (law), parties and Administration of justice, administer justice in Civil law (common law), civil, Criminal law, criminal, an ...

of her uncle

Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is known for his Wives of Henry VIII, six marriages and his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. ...

, Margaret was Henry's officially recognized heir between the disgrace of

Anne Boleyn Anne Boleyn (; 1501 or 1507 – 19 May 1536) was List of English royal consorts, Queen of England from 1533 to 1536, as the Wives of Henry VIII, second wife of King Henry VIII. The circumstances of her marriage and execution, by beheading ...

and the birth of the future

Edward VI Edward VI (12 October 1537 – 6 July 1553) was King of England and King of Ireland, Ireland from 28 January 1547 until his death in 1553. He was crowned on 20 February 1547 at the age of nine. The only surviving son of Henry VIII by his thi ...

. In 1565

married his cousin Mary Queen of Scots, like him a descendant of Margaret Tudor and Henry VII.. Mary's descent from Margaret Tudor's first marriage to

James IV 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 Sauch ...

of Scots also placed her in line for the English throne, but many argued that

's claim was superior as Margaret and her sons Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley and Charles Stuart, 1st Earl of Lennox had been born in England. According to English custom it is desirable that the monarch be

naturalized Naturalization (or naturalisation) is the legal act or process by which a non-national of a country acquires the nationality of that country after birth. The definition of naturalization by the International Organization for Migration of the ...

or born in England. By marrying Darnley, Mary neutralized a dangerous rival claim to the throne of England whilst strengthening that of her own house. In 1603 Mary and Darnley's son,

James VI of Scotland James VI and I (James Charles Stuart; 19 June 1566 – 27 March 1625) was King of Scotland as James VI from 24 July 1567 and King of England and Ireland as James I from the union of the Scottish and English crowns on 24 March 1603 until ...

, succeeded

Elizabeth I Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was List of English monarchs, Queen of England and List of Irish monarchs, Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. She was the last and longest reigning monarch of the House of Tudo ...

King of England The monarchy of the United Kingdom, commonly referred to as the British monarchy, is the form of government used by the United Kingdom by which a hereditary monarch reigns as the head of state, with their powers Constitutional monarchy, regula ...

, thereby uniting the crowns of England and Scotland and laying the basis for the future United Kingdom.

Origins and name

Ancestors

Lordship of Aubigny

Earldom of Lennox

Claimants to the English throne

References

See also