Francis Stewart, 1st Earl of Bothwell

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Francis Stewart, Earl of Bothwell (1563 - 1612) was son to John Stewart, Lord Darnley, Prior of Coldingham (d.1563), an illegitimate child of James V of Scotland by his mistress Elizabeth Carmichael. John Stewart's wife was Jane Hepburn, Mistress of Caithness, Lady Morham (d.1599) sister to James Hepburn, the fourth Earl of Bothwell. Following Bothwell's forfeiture, Francis Stewart was created Earl of Bothwell on 29 July 1587 by King James VI.

A cousin of James VI of Scotland and I of England, it was alleged that they had a homosexual relationship with one another. ^{[citation needed]} In December 1564 he was made Lord Badenoch, and in 1566 he was appointed Commendator of Culross Abbey. Sometime before 16 June 1581, when he received a charter of the 'comitatus' of Bothwell, he was Commendator of Kelso Abbey in Roxburghshire. Francis Stewart also succeeded John Maitland, 1st Lord Maitland of Thirlestane as Commendator of Coldingham Priory in 1578, and although some historians give Sir Alexander Home as Maitland's successor, he in fact declined to accept it, and Priory charters record Stewart as Commendator until at least 1587.

At one stage he was Lord High Admiral of Scotland, but the king grew to distrust Bothwell, seeing him as a potential rival (he was next in line for the throne after James).

Bothwell felt that the beheading of Mary Queen of Scots should result in an invasion of England, a course of action his cousin, the king disagreed with. He was imprisoned for his activities in trying to advance such a course of action.

Bothwell was subsequently accused of witchcraft and gaoled for the crime in 1591. He was forfeited of his honours, titles, and lands for this crime. In 1593 he attempted to capture Holyrood Palace and took the king captive, making him promise to offer him a full pardon. However, once pardoned Bothwell reverted to acting in the manner in which he previously had and he was again attainted by Act of Parliament, 21 July 1593. In April 1595 Francis Stewart fled to France. Later he went to Naples, where he lived in poverty, dying there in 1612.

[edit] References

Scottish Kings, a Revised Chronology of Scottish History, 1005 - 1625 by Sir Archibald H. Dunbar, Bart., Edinburgh, 1899, p239.
The Scots' Peerage by Sir James Balfour Paul, Edinburgh, 1905, vol. ii, p.170/1.