Douglas, Archibald Douglas, 3rd earl of

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Douglas, Archibald Douglas, 3rd earl of [S] (d. 1400), known as ‘the Grim’. Douglas rose to prominence as a supporter of David II in a period when the steward and the 1st earl of Douglas were in rebellion (1363). David made him constable of Edinburgh castle (1361), warden of the west marches (1364), and lord of Galloway (1369). He bought the earldom of Wigtown (1372), received Bothwell by marriage, and inherited the earldom of Douglas (1388), creating the Douglas power that dominated Scotland until 1455. He was praised by contemporary chroniclers, particularly for endowment of collegiate churches at Lincluden and Bothwell. From 1399 he supported Robert III's heir, the duke of Rothesay, as governor of Scotland, his death significantly weakening the duke's position. Furthermore, by buying his daughter's marriage to Rothesay (1400), he antagonized the earl of Dunbar, whose daughter was already espoused to the duke. Dunbar persuaded Henry IV to invade in retaliation.

Roland Tanner

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