Notizen zu dieser Person
1 NAME Bell The /Cat/
2 GIVN Bell The
2 SURN Cat
2 NSFX 5th Earl Of Angus
1 _UID 458BF94A7CB04ACFB98B79E6CF87C77D9525
1 _UID 56EB5D80AD98B3429A5A2A4278CE51F4431B
Archibald 'Bell the Cat', 5th Earl of Angus Archibald succeeded as the5th Earl of Angus in 1463 and wasmarriedtoElizabeth, daughter of LordBoyd in 1468. The 5th Earlreceivedhisunique bye-name at a meeting ofScots nobles gathered to plantheremovalof the Kings 'low born' favorites.The analogy was given byLordGraythat they were like mice planning to hanga bell around acat'sneck,'but who is to attach the instrument ofwarning?', 'Iwill bellthecat!', cried Angus; thus acquiring hismoniker. 'Bell theCat' ledthenobles rebellion against James III and waspresent at theBattleofSauchieburn, 1488, where James III fell. He becameGuardian oftheRealmand Lord Chancellor under James IV. In that time the5thEarlregainedthe Bothwell Barony, restoring the ancient Douglas holdingtothefamilypossessions. His primary residence was said tohavebeenTantallonCastle. 'Bell the Cat' took the field, at 63 years ofage,withJames IVat Flodden, but on the eve of battle he argued withhissovereignagainstthe acceptance of the English challenge to fight.KingJames, in amomentof temper, called the Earl's courage intoquestion.Woundedandembittered, Angus quit the field in tears. He leftbehind histwoeldestsons; George, Master of Angus, and Sir William ofGlenbervie&Braidwood,along with two hundred gentlemen of the Douglasname, whofellat Floddenwith their King. The Earl, shamed to his soul,neverrecoveredfrom theinsult and loss. He died in the year after thebattle,1514. TheEarl wasthe father of Gawin Douglas, Bishop of Dunkeld,who isknow forhis Scotstranslation of 'Aeneid'. Another of the Earl'ssons wasSirArchibald ofKilspindie, James V's 'Grey Steil', who wasTreasurerofScotland.
5th Earl of Angus; Lord of Liddesdale thru 1491 '... fifth Earl of Angus,became the most powerful nobleman inthekingdom,and was commonly calledthe Great Earl. He was onlyfourteenyears of agewhen he succeeded hisfather. On attaining thematurity theyoung Earl didnot prove more loyalthan his kinsmen of theelder branch.When the Duke ofAlbany quarrelledwith his brother, KingJames III, andfled into England,Angus became aparty to the treasonabletreaty whichAlbany concluded withthe English Kingfor theacknowledgement of hissovereignty, and ceding tohim Eskdale,Annandale,and Liddesdale, oncondition of being made King ofScotland. TheyoungEarl (in histwenty-eighth year) was the leader of thediscontentednobleswho wereindignant at the preference which the Kingshowedforarchitects,musicians, and painters, and determined to seize thepersonoftheirsovereign and to wreak their vengeance on his favourites.Themusteroftheir feudal array for the purpose of invadingEngland,inretaliationfor the ravages which an English army had madeinScotland,afforded thema favourable opportunity for carryingtheirnefariousschemes intoeffect. On their march to the Border the armyhaltedfor thefirst nightat Lauder, and next morning the principalconspiratorsheld asecretcouncil in the church to arrange for theimmediate executionoftheirdesigns. They were all agreed as to what shouldbe done,andtheyhesitated as to the best mode of proceeding. LordGray,asGodscroftrelates teh occurrence, 'craved audience, and toldthemtheapologue ofthe mice, who consulting in a public meeting how tobesurefrom thecat's surprising them, found out a very good way, whichwastohang abell about her neck, that would ring as she stepped, andsogivethemwarning of her approach, that they might save themselvesbyflight.Butwhen it came to be questioned who would undertake to tiethebellaroundthe cat's neck, there was never a mouse durst cheeptoundertakeit.'Angus started up when Gray had done speaking, andexclaimed,'I willbellthe cat,' a saying which procured for him thecognomenof'ArchibaldBell-the-Cat,' by which he was everafterwardsfamiliarlydesignated.Cochrane and the other royal favouriteswereimmediatelyseized, and inthe most brutal manner hanged over thebridge atLauder.After thesecruel and foul murders, the conspiratorsreturned tothecapital,carrying with them their unfortunate sovereign, andcommittedhima closeprisoner to the Castle of Edinburgh. 'A temporaryreconciliation followed between the King and hisbrother,onwhom officesand grants were liberally bestowed; but this didnotpreventAlbany fromrenewing his treasonable intrigues with theEnglishking. TheEarl of Angusand other two of his accomplices, Lord GrayandSir JamesLiddal, weredespatched to England to negotiate a secrettreatywith theCommissioners ofEdward IV, in which it was stipulated thatoncertainspecified conditionshe should assist Albany in the conquestofthe Crownof Scotland 'to hisproper use.' Angus and hisassociatespromised thatin the event of Albanydying without heirs, theywouldmaintain theircastles against James, nowKing of Scots, and 'liveunderthe soleallegiance of the good and graciousprince the King ofEngland.' 'As soon as this infamous transactiontranspired, the great bodyofthebarons, who had hitherto been unfriendlyto the King, ralliedroundthethrone, and enabled James to defeat the plotsof theconspiratorsagainstthe independence of the kingdom. Angus wascompelledto resign hisofficeof Lord Jurticiar on the south side of theForth, hisStewardryofKirkcudbright, his Sheriffdom of Lanark, and hiscommand ofthestrongcastle of Thrieve. His principal accomplices were atthesametimedeprived of their dignities and offices. In no longtime,theconspiracyagainst the royal authority was renewed, and the EarlofAngusand LordGray were the principal instigators of the newrebellion,whichled tothe overthrow and death of their unfortunatesovereign. Anguswasone ofthe commanders of the insurgent forces at thebattleofSaunchieburn, inwhich the royal army was defeated, and Jameswasmurderedin his fightfrom the field. 'King James IV, at that time ayouth of sixteen years of age,hadbeeninduced to take part in therebellion against his father, but ashegrewolder he felt deep remorse forhaving allowed himself to be madethetoolof a selfish and unprincipledfaction, and graduallywithdrewhiscountenance from its leaders. It wasprobably the coldnesswith whichhewas now treated that induced Angus, theold intriguer andtraitor tohiscountry, to enter into a plot with HenryVII of Englandagainsthisyouthful sovereign, and ultimately to withdrawfor a seaoninEngland.Some knowledge of his treason had probably reachedthe King,foron thereturn of the Earl to Scotland he was committed aprisoner inhisowncastle of Tantallon, and, as the price of his pardon,wascompelledtoexchange the lordship of Liddesdale and the strongfortressofHermitage,in the first instance, for the lordship ofKilmarnock; butafew monthslater, Liddesdale and its stronghold werebestowed in feeandheritage onthe Earl of Bothwell, and Bothwell Castle,resigned bythatnobleman, wasgiven to Angus in exchange for Kilmarnock.Thistransferencewas aconsiderable diminution of the greatness and powerofthe Douglasfamily. 'The displeasure of the King was increased by theslaughter ofSpensofKilspindie, a favourite courtier, who about this timewas killedinacasual encounter with Angus. The incident, which isthusrelatedbyGodscroft, illustrates both the character of thefierceandstalwartnoble and of the stormy and violent times: -- 'The Kingon a time was discoursing at table of the personages ofmen,andby allmen's confession the prerogative was adjudgeed to theEarlofAngus. Acourtier that was by, one Spens of Kilspindie, ... castinaword ofdoubting and disparaging: 'It is true,' said he, 'if allbegoodthat isup-come,' meaning, if his action and valour wereanswerabletohispersonage. This spoken openly, and coming to theEarl'sears,offended himhighly. It fell out after this, as the Earl wasridingfromDouglas toTantallon, that he sent all his company the nearestway,andhe himself wasthe only of his sevants, having each of them a hawkonhisfist, in hope ofbetter sport, took the way of BorthwicktowardsFala,where lighting at thebrook at the west end of the town,theybathedtheir hawks. In the meantimethis Spens happened to come thatway,whomthe Earl espying said 'Is notthis such a one, that made questionofmymanhood? I will go to himand give him a trial of it, that wemayknowwhich of us is the better man.''No, my lord,' said his servant,'itis adisparagement for you to meddlewith him.' ... 'I see,' saidtheEarl,'he hath one with im; it shall be thypart to grapple withhim,whilst Ideal with his master.' So fastening theirhawks they rodeafterhim.'What reason had you,' said the Earl fo him, 'tospeakcontemptouslyofme at such a time?' When the other wouldhaveexcused the matter, hetoldhim that he would not serve the turn. 'Thouarta big fellow and soam I;one of us must pay for it.' The otheranswered,'If it may be, nomatter;there is never an earl in Scotland but Iwilldefend myself fromhim aswell as I can.' ... So, alighting fromtheirhorses, they foughtacertain space; but at last the Earl of AnguscutSpens'thighboneasunder, so that he fell to the ground and diedsoonafter. 'Advancing years seem to have moderated the fiery andfiercetemperofBell-the-Cat, and from this time onward he appears to haveactedthepartof a dutiful and peaceful subject. James, with whom he nowstoodinhighfavour, conferred on him the office of Chancellor in 1493,whichheheldfor five years. He accompanied the King tohisunjustifiableanddisastrous invasion of England in 1513,andearnestlyremonstratedagainst the rash and imprudent resolution ofJamesto waitthe attack ofthe English at Flodden. The King was so enragedattheremonstrance ofthe old warrior that he scornfully replied, 'Angus,ifyouare afraid youmay go hom.' The Earl burst into tears at thisinsultandhastened todepart, saying mournfully, 'If my past life does notfreemefrom anysuspicion of cowardice, I do not knw what can ; as longasmybody wascapable of exertion, I never spared it in defence ofmycountryor mysovereign's honour. But now, since my age renders my bodyofno useinbattle, and my counsel is despised, I leave my two sonsandthevassalsof Douglas in the field; may Angus's forebodingsbeunfounded.'The earlquitted the camp that night; but his two sons,George,Master ofAngus,and Sir William Douglas of Glenbervie, with twohundredgentlemenof thename of Douglas, remained, and fell in battle.'Earl Archibald, broken-hearted by the calamities of hishouseandhiscountry, retired into the Abbey of St. Mains in Galloway,wherehediedtwelve months after the battle of Flodden, in the sixty-firstyearofhisage. The historian of the family bestows the mostglowingeulogiumsonthe 'Great Earl,' as a man every way accomplished bothformind andbody.'He was of stature tall, and strong made,' he says;'hiscountenancewasfull of majesty; wise and eloquent of speech; uprightandsquare inhisactions; sober and moderate in his desires; valiantandcourageous; amanof action and understanding; liberal also, lovingandkind tohisfriends, which made him to be beloved, reverenced,andrespected ofallmen.' Master David, however, is obliged to admit that'Onefault hehad,that he was too much given to women; otherwise therewaslittleornothing amiss.' The Great Historic Families of Scotland, JamesTaylor
2 _PREF Y
1 _UID AC21E97E11F5A743B0C49EE0CEE16F0A3EBA
1 REFN M17000
Thomas
Schäfer
