Alexander Leslie, Earl of Ross

Alexander Leslie, Earl of Ross († 1402) was the son of Euphemia I, Countess of Ross and her husband, the far-travelled Walter Leslie, Lord of Ross. Alexander was evidently born somewhere between 1367, the year following that of his mother's marriage to Walter Leslie, and 1382, the year of his father's death. Therefore when his father died in 1382 he could have been no more than a mere adolescent or teenager.

Later in 1382, Alexander's mother, the newly-widowed Euphemia, was married to Alexander Stewart (the "Wolf of Badenoch"), son of King Robert II of Scotland. The marriage significantly undermined the prospect of the young Alexander's inheritance. The marriage of 1382, supported by King Robert, saw the transfer of control of the mormaerdom or earldom of Ross and the associated barony of Kingedward to the east (the northern half of the defunct earldom of Buchan) from Euphemia's hand's into the hands of Alexander Stewart. Two days after the transfer, Alexander was made earl of Buchan by his father. Alexander received control of the earldom of Ross in liferent (i.e. for his lifetime), and any heirs to the marriage were entitled to inherit the lordships of Skye, Lewis and the thanages of Dingwall, Deskford and Glendowachy and other lands in other parts of Scotland which had been part of Euphemia's property. [Stephen Boardman, "The Early Stewart Kings: Robert II and Robert III, 1371-1406", (Edinburgh, 1996), pp. 77-83.]

Thus the young Alexander Leslie, even if he were to obtain the earldom eventually upon Stewart's death, was faced with a likelihood of being left with an earldom stripped of a large chunk of its most important assets. These actions by King Robert alienated the powerful Leslie-Lindsay kindred, a Lowland family who had entered the higher ranks of Scottish politics as favourites of King David II of Scotland. King Robert had also deprived this family of the exercise of the Justiciarship of Scotia. Later in 1382 (November), King Robert's chamberlain, son-in-law and favourite, John Lyon, thane (toiseach) of Glamis, was murdered by James Lindsay, lord of Crawford, head of the Leslie-Lindsay kindred and claimant to the lordship of Buchan. In 1384, Lindsay-Leslie and Douglas disaffection contributed to the "coup" by the king's son, John Stewart, earl of Carrick, who became Guardian (1384-88). ["loc cit".]

The Leslie-Lindsay kindred sought to protect Alexander Leslie's rights in Ross. However, this was difficult while Buchan remained in such a powerful position in the north. The guardianships of Carrick and then of Carrick's brother Robert Stewart, earl of Fife and Menteith (1388-93) were both supported by the Leslie-Lindsay kindred and both aimed against Buchan's power. Moreover, Buchan's nominal wife, Euphemia, herself came into the Leslie-Lindsay camp. In 1389, Euphemia, the countess of Ross, complained to the pope that her marriage to Buchan was meaningless, as the latter was in fact more often with his mistress, Mairead inghean Eachann. Pope Clement V annulled the marriage in late 1392, and ordered the restoration of her lands. With the firm support of the Fife guardianship, Euphemia and her son were able to re-establish their power in Ross. By the year 1394, Buchan's power in Ross seems to have disappeared and Countess Euphemia was once again granting charters from Dingwall Castle. ["Ibid", pp. 171, 79-80.]

He succeeded his mother to the earldom of Ross perhaps in the later part of 1394. The key point perhaps is the date of his mother's death. The date is not known, but fell somewhere between late 1394 and 1398. In the November of the latter year, he had granted some lands to his relative (either cousin or uncle) ["Ibid", p. 179.] George Leslie of Rothes in exchange for the 200 merks he apparently needed to take the control of the earldom out of the crown's hands. [James Balfour Paul, "The Scots Peerage", Vol. VII, (Edinburgh, 1910), p. 241.] He controlled the barony of Fitkill in Fife until in 1399, when he resigned this too (via King Robert III) to Rothes. [Boardman, 'The Early Stewart Kings", p. 224.] Very little is otherwise known about his activities as earl.

He had married Robert Stewart, Duke of Albany's daughter Isobel [ Rogers, Charles, LL.D., "Genealogical Memoirs of the family of Sir Walter Scott, Bt.," with his "Memorials of the Halibirtons", London, 1877: xxx] [ Mackenzie, Agnes Mure, MA, D.Litt., "The Rise of the Stewarts", London, 1935: 108] sometime before 1398. They had only one child, Euphemia, who took the veil. She bequeathed her enormous estates not to her father's sister, but to her "mother's" full brother, Albany's second son, whom his father made Earl of Buchan in 1408. [ Mackenzie, Agnes Mure, MA, D.Litt., "The Rise of the Stewarts", London, 1935: 108]

According to the "Cronicle of the Earlis of Ross" (c. 9), Alexander Leslie, Earl of Ross, died at Dingwall on May 8, 1402. His widow remarried Sir Walter de Haliburton, Knt. [ Rogers, Charles, LL.D., "Genealogical Memoirs of the family of Sir Walter Scott, Bt.," with his "Memorials of the Halibirtons", London, 1877: xxx]

Notes

References

* Boardman, Stephen, "The Early Stewart Kings: Robert II and Robert III, 1371-1406", (Edinburgh, 1996)
* Paul, James Balfour, "The Scots Peerage", Vol. VII, (Edinburgh, 1910)