Archibald Douglas, 4th Earl of Douglas

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Archibald Douglas, Duke of Touraine and 4th Earl of Douglas (1372-1424), was a Scottish nobleman. He was the eldest son of Archibald Douglas, 3rd Earl of Douglas and Joan Moray.

In 1400 the Earl of March and Henry 'Hotspur' Percy had laid waste to eastern Scotland as far as Lothian. Douglas, who held the office of Lord Warden of the Marches, defeated them near Preston.

With the regent, Albany, he was suspected of complicity in the murder, in March 1402, of David Stewart, Duke of Rothesay, who was in their custody at Falkland Castle, but both were officially declared guiltless by parliament. In that year Douglas raided England but was wounded, losing an eye, at the Battle of Humbleton Hill, and was taken prisoner by the Percys. He fought on the side of his captors against the House of Lancaster at Shrewsbury in 1403, and was taken prisoner by the English King Henry IV. He became reconciled during his captivity with the earl of March, whose lands had been conferred on Douglas, but were now, with the exception of Annandale, restored.

Douglas returned to Scotland in 1409, but was in constant communication with the English court for the release of the captive King James I. In 1412 he had visited Paris, when he entered into a personal alliance with John the Fearless, Duke of Burgundy, and in 1423 he commanded a contingent of 10,000 Scots sent to the aid of Charles VII against the English. He was made lieutenant-general in the French army, and received the title Duke of Touraine, with remainder to his heirs-male, on 19 April 1424.

The newly created duke was defeated and slain at Verneuil in August 1424, along with his second son, James, and son-in-law John Stewart, 2nd Earl of Buchan.

[edit] Marriage and issue

In 1390 he married Lady Margaret Stewart of Galloway, eldest daughter of John Stewart, Earl of Carrick, who later became King Robert III. They had four children:

• Archibald Douglas (1390-1439), who succeeded to the earldom.
• Elizabeth Douglas (before 1401-1451), who married first John Stewart, 2nd Earl of Buchan, second Thomas Mar, son of Alexander Stewart, Earl of Mar, third William Sinclair, 3rd Earl of Orkney.
• William Douglas (b. before 1401)
• James Douglas (before 1401-1424)

Peerage of Scotland
Preceded by: Archibald Douglas	Earl of Douglas 1400–1424	Succeeded by: Archibald Douglas

[edit] References

• This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain.
• thepeerage.com