House of Stuart
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The Coat of Arms of King James I, the first British monarch of the House of Stuart |
The
House of Stuart or
Stewart (
Scots for Steward) was a
royal house of
Scotland and later
England, and the
Kingdom of Great Britain.
The House of Stuart ruled the separate
Kingdom of Scotland for 336 years, between
1371 and
1707. After the death of
Elizabeth I of England, the last monarch from the
House of Tudor, the House of Stuart also took over the thrones of the
Kingdom of England and the
Kingdom of Ireland, providing the head of all three
states between
1603 and 1707, under a
personal union. During this latter period, the Stuarts styled themselves "Kings/Queens of Great Britain" even though there was no political entity called Great Britain.
Queen Anne, the last monarch of the house of Stuart, and of the separate kingdoms of Scotland and England, was to be the first monarch of a politically united England and Scotland, ruling until her death in 1714. The Stuarts were then followed by the
House of Hanover. The House began with the hereditary
High Stewards of Scotland. Members of various
cadet and
illegitimate branches still survive today.
The earliest known member of the House of Stewart was Flaald I (Flaald the Seneschal), an
11th century Breton noble of
Norman descent who was a follower of the Lord of
Dol and
Combourg. Flaald and his immediate descendants held the hereditary and honorary post of Dapifer (food bearer) in the Lord of Dol's household. His grandson Flaald II was a supporter of
Henry I of England and made the crucial move from
Brittany to
Britain, which was where the future fortunes of the Stewarts lay.
Walter the Steward (died
1177), the grandson of Flaald II, was born in
Oswestry(
Shropshire). Along with his brother William, ancestor of the Fitzalan family (the
Earls of Arundel), he supported
Empress Matilda during the period known as
the Anarchy. Matilda was aided by her uncle,
David I of Scotland, and Walter followed David north in
1141, after Matilda had been usurped by
King Stephen. Walter was granted land in
Renfrewshire and the position of Lord High Steward.
Malcolm IV made the position hereditary and it was inherited by Walter's son, who took the surname Stewart.
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The Crown of Scotland |
The sixth High Steward of Scotland,
Walter Stewart (
1293-
1326), married
Marjorie, daughter of
Robert the Bruce, and also played an important part in the
Battle of Bannockburn currying further favour. Their son
Robert was heir to the
House of Bruce; he eventually inherited the Scottish throne when his uncle
David II of Scotland died childless in
1371.
In
1503,
James IV of Scotland attempted to secure peace with England by marrying
Henry VII's daughter,
Margaret Tudor. The birth of their son, later
James V, brought the House of Stewart into the line of descent of the
House of Tudor, and the English throne.
Margaret Tudor later married
Archibald Douglas, 6th Earl of Angus. Their daughter,
Margaret Douglas, married
Matthew Stewart, 4th Earl of Lennox a member of the noble dynasty
Stewart of Darnley. Like the Royal Stewarts, the Stewarts of Darnley were descended from
Alexander Stewart, 4th High Steward of Scotland. In
1565, Matthew Stewart's eldest son
Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley married his cousin
Mary. Darnley's father was
Matthew Stewart, 4th Earl of Lennox, a direct descendant of
James II and Mary's
heir presumptive, who had changed the spelling of his surname whilst at the English court. Therefore Darnley was also related to Mary on his father's side, and at the time of their marriage was himself second in line to the Scottish throne. Because of this connection, Mary's heirs remained part of the House of Stewart.
Dapifers of Dol
*Flaithri I (died c.
1080)
*Alan I (died ?)
*Alan II (died
1095)
*Flaithri II (died c.
1101-
1102)
*Alan III (died c.
1121)
High Stewards of Scotland
*
Walter the Steward, 1st High Steward of Scotland (died
1177)
*
Alan Stewart, 2nd High Steward of Scotland (died
1204)
*
Walter Stewart, 3rd High Steward of Scotland (died
1246)
*
Alexander Stewart, 4th High Steward of Scotland (died
1283)
*
James Stewart, 5th High Steward of Scotland (died
1309)
*
Walter Stewart, 6th High Steward of Scotland (died
1326)
*Robert Stewart, 7th High Steward of Scotland (became King
Robert II of Scotland)
Scottish Monarchs
*
Robert II (
1371-
1390)
*
Robert III (
1390-
1406)
*
James I (
1406-
1437)
*
James II (
1437-
1460)
*
James III (
1460-
1488)
*
James IV (
1488-
1513)
*
James V (
1513-
1542)
*
Mary, Queen of Scots (
1542-
1567)
*
James VI (
1567-
1625)
Scottish, English and Irish Monarchs
*
James VI of Scotland and I of England (
1603-
1625) -
Jacobean Age
*
Charles I of England and
Scotland (
1625-
1649) -
Carolean Age
*During the period between Charles I and Charles II, England was a
Republican Commonwealth, and then a
Protectorate under
Oliver Cromwell and
Richard Cromwell.
*
Charles II of England and
Scotland (
1660-
1685) -
Restoration Age
*
James II of England and VII of Scotland (
1685-
1688) (continued to claim the English and Scottish thrones after his deposition in 1688 until his death in 1701)
*
Mary II of England and
Scotland (
1689-
1694) - with
William III of England and II of
Scotland, of the
House of Orange-Nassau, a descendant of
Charles IBritish Monarchs
*
Anne of England and
Scotland (
1702-
1714) -
Augustan Age
Pretenders
*
James Francis Edward Stuart, the Old Pretender, claimed throne as James VIII of Scotland and III of England, (
1701-
1766)
*
Charles Edward Stuart, the Young Pretender, claimed throne as Charles III, known as Bonnie Prince Charlie, (
1766-
1788)
*
Henry Benedict Stuart, claimed throne as Henry IX, (
1788-
1807)
Impostors
*
Prince Michael of Albany*
Jacobitism, for further information on the House of Stuart and their decline
*The family trees of the Stuarts:
Scottish branch -
England and Scotland united*
List of British monarchs*
List of Monarchs of Scotland*Addington, Arthur C.
The Royal House of Stuart: The Descendants of King James VI of Scotland (James I of England). 3v. Charles Skilton, 1969-76.
*Cassavetti, Eileen.
The Lion & the Lilies: The Stuarts and France. Macdonald & Jane's, 1977.
