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Elizabeth Mure
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Elizabeth Mure (est. born 2 March 1320 - died before May 1355), a member of Clan Muir, was the first wife of Robert, High Steward of Scotland, and Guardian of Scotland (1338–1341 and from October 1346), who later became King Robert II of Scotland.[1][2]
Key Information
Because their marriage was originally not sanctioned in a church, but what today would be called a common-law marriage, Elizabeth is often identified as his mistress.
Life
[edit]Elizabeth Mure was said to be born at Rowallan Castle. Her parents were Sir Adam Mure of Rowallan, Ayrshire, and Janet Mure of Pokelly, Ayr, South Ayrshire.[3][4] Through her father, Elizabeth Mure may be a descendant of Fergus of Galloway (est. 1078 - 1161) and his wife Elizabeth FitzRoy (est. 1109 - 1160), the illegitimate daughter of King Henry I of England, and a member of the House of Normandy. The Muirs/Mures also claim descent from King Fergus Mór of Dál Riata, per the history of Clan Muir.[5]
Elizabeth is believed to have entered into a 'secular marriage' with Robert Stewart, then High Steward of Scotland, around 1336.[3] They had multiple children. The marriage was criticized as uncanonical, so they remarried in 1349, following a papal dispensation dated at Avignon 22 November 1347. They had at least ten children, with some accounts saying as many as thirteen. Doubts about the validity of their marriage led to disputes over their children's right to the crown.
When Robert Stewart inherited the crown at the age of 55 in 1371, becoming Robert II of Scotland, Elizabeth had already died.[6] Robert II later remarried (Papal Dispensation dated 2 May 1355). On 27 March 1371, "The Lord John (who later took the title of King Robert III, changing his name because of what he saw as John de Baliol's unpatriotic desecration of the name John), Earl of Carrick and Steward of Scotland, first-born son of King Robert II" was declared heir to the Crown by Parliament in Scone Abbey.
Issue
[edit]- Robert III (c. 1337 – 4 April 1406), born John Stewart, Earl of Carrick
- Walter Stewart, Lord of Fife (c.1338–1362)
- Robert Stewart, Duke of Albany (c. 1340–1420)
- Alexander Stewart, Earl of Buchan (1343 – c. 20 July 1405)
- Margaret Stewart, married John of Islay, Lord of the Isles
- Marjorie Stewart, married firstly, John Dunbar, Earl of Moray, and secondly, Sir Alexander Keith
- Johanna (Jean) Stewart, married firstly, Sir John Keith, secondly, Sir John Lyon, and thirdly in 1384, Sir James Sandilands.
- Isabella Stewart, married firstly, James Douglas, 2nd Earl of Douglas, and secondly, John Edmonstone of that Ilk
- Katherine Stewart, married Sir Robert Logan of Grugar and Restalrig, Lord High Admiral of Scotland
- Elizabeth Stewart, married Sir Thomas Hay, Lord High Constable of Scotland
See also
[edit]Polnoon Castle - Elizabeth Mure was the great-great-granddaughter of John Montgomerie
Notes
[edit]- ^ Hayes, Amy V. (April 2023). "Marshall, Illegitimacy in Medieval Scotland: 1100–1500". The Scottish Historical Review. 102 (1): 162–164. doi:10.3366/shr.2023.0594. ISSN 0036-9241.
- ^ Oram, Richard (26 August 2011). The Stewarts: Kings and Queens of Scotland 1371-1625. The History Press. ISBN 978-0-7524-6923-2.
- ^ a b Boardman, Stephen (7 July 2022). The Early Stewart Kings: Robert II and Robert III. Birlinn Ltd. ISBN 978-1-78885-441-2.
- ^ Marshall, Rosalind K. (16 May 2019). Scottish Queens, 1034–1714. Birlinn Ltd. ISBN 978-1-78885-184-8.
- ^ "Clan Muir History". Clan Muir History Society. 1 January 2022. Retrieved 10 August 2022.
- ^ Macdonald, Alastair J. (20 July 2012), "5 The Kingdom of Scotland at War, 1332–1488", A Military History of Scotland, Edinburgh University Press, pp. 158–181, doi:10.1515/9780748632046-009, ISBN 978-0-7486-3204-6, retrieved 3 August 2024
References
[edit]- Dunbar, Sir Archibald H., Bt., Scottish Kings, a Revised Chronology of Scottish History 1005 - 1625, Edinburgh, 1899, p. 160-1.
- McAndrew, Bruce A., Scotlands Historic Heraldry, Boydell Press, 2006: ISBN 1-84383-261-5
Elizabeth Mure
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Early Life and Origins
Birth and Parentage
Elizabeth Mure was born around 1320 at Rowallan Castle in Ayrshire, Scotland, the seat of her family's estates.[3][4] She was the daughter of Sir Adam Mure, laird of Rowallan, a knight and local landowner whose family held the barony from at least the early 14th century.[4][5] Her mother is commonly identified as Janet (or Joanna) Mure of Pokelly, a nearby property in Ayrshire, though some genealogical records express uncertainty about this attribution due to limited contemporary documentation.[5][6] The Mures of Rowallan traced their lineage to earlier Norman or Anglo-Norman settlers in southwestern Scotland, maintaining a modest noble status through land holdings and feudal ties rather than high royal office.[7]Family Background and Social Status
Elizabeth Mure was the daughter of Sir Adam Mure of Rowallan, a knight who held the estate of Rowallan Castle in Ayrshire, Scotland, during the early 14th century.[8] Sir Adam, born circa 1290, succeeded his father William Mure and married around 1315, establishing the family's position through landownership in the Kilmarnock area.[9] The Mure lineage traced back to the 13th century, with the family establishing itself on Rowallan lands by the 1200s as part of Clan Muir, a Lowland Scottish kindred focused on regional agrarian and martial roles.[10] Her mother's identity remains uncertain in historical records, though contemporary genealogical accounts commonly identify her as Janet (or Joan) Mure of Pokelly, from a cadet branch of the same clan, suggesting possible kinship ties within the Mures.[6] This union reflects typical alliances among Ayrshire gentry, prioritizing local consolidation of holdings over broader noble connections. Elizabeth was likely born around 1320 at Rowallan Castle, positioning her within a household of moderate means centered on feudal obligations and knightly service to the Scottish crown.[5] Socially, the Mures of Rowallan occupied the status of lairds and lesser nobility, with knightly rank conferring prestige but limited influence beyond Ayrshire; they lacked the vast territorial power or royal ties of magnates like the Stewarts.[11] Sir Adam's knighthood, possibly earned through service in the Wars of Independence post-Bannockburn (1314), underscored their alignment with Brucean loyalism, yet the family's resources were primarily local, tied to castle-based lordship rather than national offices. This gentry standing elevated Elizabeth above commoners but marked her as a suitable match for concubinage rather than immediate noble wedlock with high stewards, highlighting 14th-century Scottish hierarchies where royal-adjacent figures like Robert Stewart sought dispensations for such unions.[7]Relationship with Robert Stewart
Initial Union as Concubine
Elizabeth Mure, daughter of Sir Adam Mure of Rowallan, entered into an informal union with Robert Stewart, High Steward of Scotland, around 1336, when she was approximately sixteen years old and likely already pregnant. This relationship, lacking ecclesiastical sanction, functioned as concubinage under canon law, a common arrangement among Scottish nobility despite Church prohibitions on extramarital unions.[3][1] The couple cohabited openly, with Elizabeth bearing Robert their firstborn son, John Stewart (who succeeded as Robert III), on an unspecified date in 1337. Subsequent children followed rapidly, including daughters such as Jean and Katherine, and sons like Walter, establishing a family dynamic centered on Rowallan Castle in Ayrshire. These offspring, born prior to any formal marital rite, faced potential illegitimacy under strict canon law, though Scottish custom often tolerated such handfast-like unions for political alliances.[3][12] Robert, as heir presumptive through his mother Marjorie Bruce, prioritized the union for dynastic continuity amid the Second War of Scottish Independence, where informal partnerships facilitated rapid family expansion without delaying for papal approval. Elizabeth's role as de facto consort involved managing household affairs and supporting Robert's guardianship duties from 1338 to 1341, though her lower social status—gentry rather than nobility—drew no recorded contemporary criticism until succession disputes arose.[1][3]Birth of Children and Family Dynamics
Elizabeth Mure and Robert Stewart, the High Steward of Scotland, began producing offspring around 1336 following their informal union, with births occurring amid the Second War of Scottish Independence.[1] The couple had at least nine children prior to their papal dispensation for marriage in 1347, consisting of four sons and five daughters born illegitimate under canon law but treated as legitimate heirs by Robert in Scottish custom.[13] Exact birth dates are sparsely recorded, reflecting the era's limited documentation for non-royal unions, though the eldest son, John Stewart (who succeeded as Robert III), was born circa 1337 in Carrick.[14] Subsequent sons included Walter Stewart, created Earl of Fife around 1361 but dying young in 1362 without issue; Robert Stewart, who predeceased his father; and Alexander Stewart, later notorious as the Earl of Buchan and "Wolf of Badenoch" for his turbulent career.[15] The daughters—among them Elizabeth, Jean, Margaret, Mary, and possibly Katherine—were strategically married to Scottish nobles, such as Elizabeth to David Lindsay, Earl of Crawford, to forge alliances amid ongoing feudal conflicts.[4] These unions underscore Robert's use of family ties to consolidate power as Guardian of Scotland (1338–1341 and 1346 onward). Family dynamics centered on Robert's Ayrshire estates, including Dundonald Castle, where the household operated as a de facto royal court despite the concubine status. Robert, as a key Bruce ally and regent figure, integrated the children into governance early, educating sons in martial and administrative roles while leveraging daughters for diplomacy, though the irregular marriage drew ecclesiastical scrutiny absent resolution until 1347.[15] No contemporary accounts detail interpersonal tensions, but the rapid succession of births—spanning roughly a decade—indicates a stable cohabitation, with Elizabeth managing domestic affairs in Robert's frequent absences for military campaigns.[4] This arrangement prioritized dynastic continuity over canonical form, reflecting pragmatic medieval noble priorities where paternal acknowledgment trumped initial illegitimacy.[1]Marriage and Legitimization
Papal Dispensation of 1347
The papal dispensation of 1347 was issued by Pope Clement VI at Avignon on 22 November, granting Robert Stewart, High Steward of Scotland, and Elizabeth Mure permission to contract a valid marriage despite their impediment of consanguinity in the fourth degree.[4][16] This degree of relation arose from shared ancestry tracing back through Scottish noble lines, rendering their prior union uncanonical under ecclesiastical law, which prohibited marriages within four degrees without dispensation.[17] The document explicitly legitimized all children born to the couple prior to the dispensation, including at least four sons and five daughters from their relationship that had begun around 1336, thereby securing their inheritance rights amid ongoing Scottish noble succession disputes.[4][3] The request for dispensation likely stemmed from Robert's rising political prominence as Guardian of Scotland and heir presumptive to the throne, necessitating formal regularization of his family to preempt challenges to his lineage's legitimacy.[3] Pope Clement VI, during the Avignon Papacy, routinely issued such bulls to influential secular figures, often in exchange for political alignment or fees, though no direct evidence ties this one to specific concessions from Robert.[3] Following receipt of the bull, Robert and Elizabeth underwent a canonical remarriage ceremony circa 1348–1349, affirming the dispensation's effect and aligning their union with church requirements for indissolubility and progeny validation.[16] This act resolved prior irregularities without annulling the children's prior status under Scottish custom, where informal unions were often tolerated among nobility.[17]Implications for Status and Succession
The papal dispensation of 22 November 1347, granted by Pope Clement VI, transformed Elizabeth Mure's position from that of Robert Stewart's long-term concubine to his lawful wife, despite their prior relationship being impeded by consanguinity in the fourth degree and affinity in the third and fourth degrees. This elevation aligned her status with that of a noble consort to the High Steward of Scotland, affirming the legitimacy of their union under canon law and mitigating prior ecclesiastical irregularities. Prior to this, their cohabitation had produced at least nine children without formal sanction, but the dispensation's validation of the marriage retroactively regularized her role as principal spouse, though she predeceased Robert's accession as king in 1371 and thus never held queenship.[18][2] For succession, the dispensation purported to legitimize the couple's pre-marital offspring, including sons John (later Robert III), Walter, Robert, and Alexander, enabling their inheritance of Stewart estates and titles. However, scholarly analysis reveals canonical limitations: under prevailing Scottish interpretations of church law, children born in concubinage prior to dispensation were not fully retroactively legitimized for royal succession, potentially classifying them as "natural" rather than fully legitimate heirs, though ignorance of the affinity impediment offered partial mitigation. This ambiguity fueled intra-family rivalries, as Robert's subsequent marriage to Euphemia de Ross in 1355 produced sons David and Walter, whose legitimacy was unquestioned and whom Robert initially favored—elevating David to Earl of Strathearn in 1370—prompting parliamentary entailments in 1371 and 1373 to prioritize the Mure sons' line for the crown.[18][19] Despite debates, the legitimization proved effective in practice, as John Stewart succeeded as Robert III in 1390 without successful canonical challenge, securing the Stewart dynasty's hold on the Scottish throne through subsequent generations. Lingering doubts over the Mure children's status resurfaced in later disputes, such as seventeenth-century claims to Strathearn invoking potential illegitimacy to contest royal descent, but these were rejected under doctrines permitting post-nuptial legitimization for inheritance. The arrangement thus stabilized short-term succession while embedding tensions that contributed to Albany stewardship intrigues post-1406.[2][19]Death and Immediate Aftermath
Date and Circumstances of Death
Elizabeth Mure died before 2 May 1355, as evidenced by a papal dispensation dated that month allowing Robert Stewart to remarry Euphemia de Ross.[1] [20] Her precise date of death remains undocumented in surviving records. No contemporary accounts detail the circumstances surrounding her passing, which appears to have been from natural causes given the absence of references to violence, illness, or other events in reliable historical sources. She was reportedly buried at Paisley Abbey in Renfrewshire, Scotland, a site associated with the Stewart family.[1] [5] Alternative traditions place her burial at the Church of the Blackfriars in Perth, though this lacks corroboration from primary evidence.[21]Robert's Subsequent Marriage
Following the death of Elizabeth Mure before May 1355, Robert Stewart entered into his second marriage with Euphemia de Ross on 2 May 1355.[22][23] Euphemia (c. 1329–1386), daughter of Hugh, 6th Earl of Ross, was the widow of John Randolph, 3rd Earl of Moray, who had died at the Battle of Neville's Cross in 1346; her first marriage had brought her control over the earldom of Moray and associated northern territories.[3][1] The union appears to have been strategically arranged to bolster Robert's regional power, as Euphemia's inheritance included significant lands in Ross and Moray, areas of ongoing contention amid Anglo-Scottish conflicts.[3][23] A papal dispensation facilitated the marriage, addressing potential consanguinity issues similar to those resolved for Robert's prior union.[24] This alliance integrated Euphemia's holdings into the Stewart patrimony, though it later contributed to succession tensions between children from both marriages upon Robert's accession as king in 1371.[1][25]Issue and Descendants
List of Children
Elizabeth Mure and Robert II (then Robert Stewart, High Steward of Scotland) had nine children born before their marriage, all of whom were legitimized by the papal dispensation of 22 November 1347.[26][20] These consisted of four sons and five daughters, whose births occurred between approximately 1337 and the mid-1340s.[27] The sons were:- John Stewart (c. 1337–1406), later Robert III of Scotland, eldest son and heir who succeeded his father in 1390.[20]
- Robert Stewart (c. 1340–1420), Earl of Fife (later 1st Duke of Albany), who served as Governor of Scotland and played a key role in regency politics.[20]
- Alexander Stewart (c. 1343–1405), Earl of Buchan, known as the "Wolf of Badenoch" for his turbulent career involving feuds and ecclesiastical conflicts.[20]
- Walter Stewart (dates uncertain, d. before 1362), held the position of Lord High Admiral.[20]
- Elizabeth Stewart (c. 1346–d. after 1381), married Sir David Lindsay of Crawford as his second wife.[20]
- Janet Stewart (dates uncertain), married Sir Robert Keith.[20]
- Margaret Stewart (dates uncertain), married Sir John Swinton.[20]
- Matilda (or Annabella) Stewart (dates uncertain), married Sir Patrick Hepburn.[20]
- Mary Stewart (dates uncertain), married Sir William Keith, brother of Robert Keith.[20]