Stuart, Francis, Earl of Botwell

Francis Stewart was the son of Lord John Stewart, the illegitimate son of King James V , and sister of James Hepburn, Earl of Botwell , lover and third husband of Queen Mary Stuart . In 1581 , Francis received the title of Earl of Botwell and became Lord Admiral of Scotland. During this period, Francis Stewart was very close to King James VI, even the presence of a love relationship between them was suspected. The heir to the traditions of the Hepburn house, Earl Botwell continued to support the ousted Queen Mary Stuart, and after her execution in 1587 , invited Jacob VI to declare war on England . Despite the king’s refusal, the energetic Earl of Botwell independently organized anti-English performances in the Scottish border, for which he was arrested.

Since the late 1580s. Francis Stewart went into opposition to King James VI and became one of the leaders of the Protestant party . The count himself was not particularly religious, and, according to contemporaries, surpassed any three other Scottish nobles in his fearlessness and ability to cruel antics. He was well educated, knew Latin , French and Italian . Francis Stewart's Palace in Crete, Lothian , is an outstanding Scottish Renaissance monument.

Francis Stewart's escapades against the king became one of the main political events of the last decade of the 16th century in Scotland. His actions lacked perseverance and determination, however, apparently, Earl Botwell really believed that with his raids he could achieve a change in the policy of James VI.

Already in 1589 , during the uprising of the "northern counts" , Francis Stewart tried to raise the nobility of the border regions against the king, but was soon forced to lay down his arms. In 1591 , during the campaign of Jacob VI against the witches, Botwell was accused of witchcraft against the king and imprisoned. The Count was quite easy to escape from prison and escape from the pursuit of the royal troops. On December 27, 1591, Francis Stewart unexpectedly burst into Holyrood Palace, where Jacob VI was located, and only by a miracle the king managed to escape capture. For these actions, the count's possessions were confiscated, which did not prevent him in 1592 from making another attempt to capture the king, this time in Falkland . In 1593 , once again entering the Holyrood Palace, Botwell snatched the promise of pardon from Jacob VI. However, this promise was not realized. The last act of the struggle of Francis Stewart with the king was an attack by the troops of the count of the royal forces in Leyte , as a result of which Jacob VI escaped under the shelter of Edinburgh Castle .

Botwell’s adventures found widespread support in Scottish society, especially among the Presbyterian clergy, dissatisfied with the gentleness of the king’s treatment of the Catholic "northern counts" (see George Gordon, 1st Marquis of Huntley ). Bothwell was also favored by the English Queen Elizabeth I.

However, in April 1595 , Earl Botwell was forced to leave Scotland and emigrate to France . Francis Stewart died in 1612 in Naples .

December 1, 1577 married Margaret Douglas (? - 1640 ), daughter of David Douglas (c. 1515 - 1558 ), 7th Earl of Angus, and Margaret Hamilton (? - 1574 ). Children:

• Francis Stewart (1584–1641), Lord Stewart, Bothwell and Commander of Kelso Abbey
• John Stewart (? - 1656) - last commander of the abbey of Koldingheim and 1st Baron of Koldingheim
• Frederick Stewart (born 1594 )
• Henry (Harry) Stewart (b. 1594 )
• Elizabeth Stewart (b. 1590 ), husband - master James Cranston
• Helen Stewart, wife of John MacFarlane
• Jane Stewart, husband - Robert Elliot of
• Margaret Stewart, wife of Allan Katcart, 5th Lord Cathcart