James STEWART

1 _UID 5602AE434E444A9DB2977CBD9623F200EF55

1 _UID A601AFFF97FC5944ADCE237F648BF87A03AC

The legacies of the Stewartus are well documentedinScottishhistory.Walter FitzAllan was the First High Steward ofScotlandassignedby KingDavid. The Stewart family went on to inherit thethrownofScotland bythe marriage of Walter Stewart the son of James5thHighSteward, toMarjory Bruce the daughter of Robert the BruceandIsabella ofMar.

The Stewartus have been over-looked for their loyalty tothepeopleofScotland. Todayus history teaches that the Stewartuswereonlybaronsthat were greedy and married into the Royal Lines inordertoobtaintheir power.

James the 5th High Steward was a fantastic example of hispatronagetohisbeloved country, Scotland. He was one of the sevenguardiansofScotlandthat had the right to appoint a King. The fight wasonbetweenJohnBalliol and Robert Bruce the Competitor for thethrown.Robert wastheclosest in line for the thrown because he was agrandsonofAlexanderwhere Balliol was a great grandson.

The Guardians of Scotland knew Robert by all rights should becrownedKing.King Edward chose John Balliol due to the allianceestablishedbetweenhimand Balliol. Sir William Wallace fought underthe bannerofBalliol.Balliol was forced to abdicate his thrown due tothegreatpressure theScots were putting on him as a traitor. Hedidabdicateand was killed.Wallace continued to fight for theBalliolclaim.

Silently, many men were flocking to Robert Bruceus defense.Oneofthesemen was James 5th High Steward. James had all thegenealogiessenttoattorneys in Europe to be examined by impartialparties.Theattorneysconcluded based on an example from the Bible thatRobertBrucetheCompetitor should inherit the Thrown of Scotland.WhenJameshadreceived the letters from the attorneys, he took afirmstand.Hisjudgement was the same as the attorneys.

James swore allegiance to Robert the Competitor onSeptember20,1286.Turbulence surrounded Scotland for the next 30years.Edwardbecameobsessed with Scotland. After his wife died, Edwardbecameatyrant andbarbarian. He poured out great cruelty upon theScots.Forthirteenyears Scotland had suffered greatly so the leadersofScotlandagreed tosurrender to Edward on July 9th, 1297. RobertBruce,Earl ofCarrick,grandson of the Competitor and James Stewart refusedtosurrenderorproduce hostages.

The battle at Stirling Bridge was a win for the Scots.Theyhadslaughteredthe English when they tried to cross to get toBerwick.TheEarl of Surreycame upon the Englishus defeat and retreatedbacktoFalkirk. James Stewartand Lennox along with their troopsremainedinthe woods watching Surrey.On September 11, 1297 afterwatchingSurreyusgroup for three days, Stewartand Lennox attacked them.The twoScotsmenand their troops beat Surrey andseized the laden wagonsofbooty.

James Stewart participated in the first full-scale raid inRoxburghinJulyof 1299. Once the Scots arrived at Roxburgh, the fortresswassoheavilyguarded that the Scots knew they would loose many meniftheyattempted tosiege it. Stewart and the other leaders told theirmentoretreat. Thiscaused the Scots to become very discouragedandilltempered.

The Constable of Roxburgh placed a spy in the camp of theScots.Thespyusaccounting is still in existence and kept in thePublicRecordOffice inLondon.

At the council, Sir David Graham demanded the land and goodsofSirWilliamWallace because he was leaving the Kingdom without theleaveorapproval ofthe Guardians. And Sir Malcolm, SirWilliamusbrother,answered thatneither his lands nor his goods should begivenaway, forthey wereprotected by the peace in which Wallace had lefttheKingdom.At this thetwo knights gave the lie to each other anddrewtheirdaggers. And sinceSir David Graham was of Sir JohnComynusfollowing,it was reported to theEarl of Buchan and John Comyn thatafight hadbroken out without theirknowing it: and John Comyn leapt attheEarl ofCarrick and seized him bythe throat and the Earl of Buchanturnedon theBishop of St. Andrews,declaring that treason and lese majestewerebeingplotted. Eventually theStewart and others came between themandquietedthem. At that moment aletter was brought from beyond theFirthofForth, telling how SirAlexander Comyn and Lachlan Macruariewereburningand devastating thedistrict they were in, attacking the peopleoftheScottish nation. So itwas ordained then that the Bishop ofSt.Andrewsshould have all thecastles in his hands as principle captainandtheEarl of Carrick and JohnComyn be with him joint-guardiansoftheKingdom. And that same Wednesday,after the letter had beenread,theyall left Peebles.

James Stewart had earlier stepped in the middle of KingEdwardandtheCompetitor to prevent a great blood shed upon theKingdomofScotland.This was at the Treaty of Birgham. James attendedthefirstsecession ofparliament in eighteen years in 1309. ManyotherScotsmenwere presentat this meeting. James Stewart remained loyalto TheBruceeven untilhis death, which was shortly after parliament in1309.

King Robert the Bruce loved James Stewart and proved thisbyallowinghisdaughter to marry Jamesu son Walter. Bruce mourned thelossof hisdearquiet friend. Stewart is not well known in the legacyoftheBrucebecause he was a quiet, tactful caring man. Stewart wasoppositeofTheBruce and Wallace but that is what kept the balance of theScotstowinagainst the greatest oppression they had eversuffered,thecruelbarbaric yet intelligent King Edward of England.

2 _PREF Y

1 _UID BCB956266B2ADC42AD2BD6C0358BB69119C0

1 REFN M4365

Comments