John Stewart, Earl of Mar (died 1479)

For the son of James III of Scotland, see John Stewart, Earl of Mar (died 1503).

John Stewart (c. 1457 - 1479) was a Scottish prince. The third surviving son of King James II and his wife, Mary of Guelders, he held the title of Earl of Mar. John died under mysterious circumstances in Edinburgh, probably on the orders of his eldest brother, King James III.

John Stewart
Earl of Mar
The arms of John Stewart, Earl of Mar
Born	c. 1457 Scotland
Died	1479 (aged c. 22) Canongate, Edinburgh, Scotland
House	Stewart
Father	James II of Scotland
Mother	Mary of Guelders

Life

John was probably born in 1457.^[1] He was the fourth son of James II of Scotland.^[2] John had been given the title of Earl of Mar by 23 June 1459, after a dispute between the king's lawyers and Thomas, Lord Erskine, over possession of the earldom.^[3] James II was killed by an exploding cannon in 1460, after which John's eldest brother, James III, became King of Scots.^[4]

Little is known about John's life; the historian Gordon Donaldson called him "no more than a name".^[5] John's potential marriage was discussed by the Scottish parliament in 1466.^[6][7] He attended meetings of parliament in 1476 and 1479.^[8] John frequently spent time in Aberdeen, and was apparently involved in disputes with residents of that burgh.^[9] In April 1476, John received a royal letter commanding the residents of Aberdeen to support him in his local "feuds".^[10]

John fell under the suspicion of his brother, James III, after attending parliament in Edinburgh in March 1479.^[11] Later in 1479, John was arrested and imprisoned at Craigmillar Castle on the king's orders.^[12] John's imprisonment may have been related to the downfall of his other brother, Alexander, Duke of Albany, earlier that same year.^[13] Two contemporary chronicles claimed that John was arrested over his associations with witchcraft.^[14] John was convicted in a trial at Craigmillar, and was then taken to a house in the Canongate of Edinburgh, presumably to serve his sentence.^[15] However, he died at this house soon afterwards, possibly in December 1479.^[16][17] According to John Lesley and other later historians, John was killed in his bathtub, traditionally while receiving the contemporary medical treatment of bloodletting.^[18]

John never married, and left no known issue.^[19]

Ancestry

Ancestors of John Stewart, Earl of Mar (died 1479)

16. Robert II of Scotland 8. Robert III of Scotland 17. Elizabeth Mure 4. James I of Scotland 18. John Drummond of Lennox 9. Anabella Drummond 19. Mary Montifex 2. James II of Scotland 20. John of Gaunt 10. John Beaufort, 1st Earl of Somerset 21. Katherine de Roet 5. Joan Beaufort 22. Thomas Holland of Kent 11. Margaret Holland 23. Alice FitzAlan 1. John Stewart, Earl of Mar 24. Arnold I of Egmond 12. John II of Egmond 25. Jolanthe of Leiningen 6. Arnold, Duke of Gelderland 26. John XII of Arkel 13. Maria van Arkel 27. Joanna of Jülich 3. Mary of Guelders 28. Adolph III of Mark 14. Adolph I, Duke of Cleves 29. Margaret of Julich 7. Catherine of Cleves 30. John the Fearless 15. Mary of Burgundy 31. Margaret of Bavaria