Lord James Douglas

Lord James Douglas (1617-1645) was a Scottish nobleman and soldier.

He was born at Douglas Castle, Douglas, South Lanarkshire, the son of William Douglas, 1st Marquess of Douglas, and his wife Margaret Hamilton, a daughter of Claud Hamilton, 1st Lord Paisley.

Douglas was sent at an early age to the court of Louis XIII, where he was served the King as a Page, where he steadily moved through the levels of the Maison du Roi.

Thirty Years War

At the age of twenty, he was appointed colonel of the "Scots Regiment", the first of three brothers to do so.

The Scots Regiment, was raised as it's name suggests in Scotland in 1625 ,and had fought in Sweden, it returned to Scotland as the "Royal regiment of Foot" in 1633. In 1635, the regiment was bound to King Louis, "in all service except against the King of Great Britain". Originally it was commanded by Sir John Hepburn, who was killed at the siege of Saverne in 1636; it was then taken over by his nephew, Sir John Hepburn who was killed in action the following year. Douglas was appointed the new Colonel, and the name of the corps was altered to the "Régiment de Douglas", and numbered some 1200 Scotsmen. The regiment fought with distinction, under Douglas, until he was killed in a skirmish near Douai in 1645, in attempt to take the city from the Habsburgs.

Douglas' body was returned to Paris and buried at the Abbey of Saint-Germain-des-Prés, beside other members of his family, including William Douglas, 11th Earl of Angus, his grandfather. A fine memorial was erected to his memory in the Chapelle de Sainte-Thérèse, within the Abbey Church.

Douglas was succeeded as Colonel by his elder brother, Archibald Douglas, Earl of Angus. The "Régiment de Douglas" returned to British service in 1662, and by 1812 it took its more famous name: The Royal Scots.

References

* [http://www.regiments.org/regiments/uk/inf/001RScot.htm#titles Regiments.org] Timelines and Colonels of the Royal Scots
*Maxwell, Sir Herbert. "A History of the House of Douglas". London 1902
*Balfour Paul, Sir James. "Scots Peerage Vol I". Edinburgh 1907