Francis Stewart, 5th Earl Bothwell, c.1563-1612: Lordship and politics in Jacobean Scotland

Abstract

Francis Stewart, fifth earl Bothwell, was the grandson of king James V, nephew of Mary, queen of Scots and cousin of James VI. In the late 1570's, he acquired the earldom of Bothwell and, with it, a national and local position to rival his royal heritage. The first four Hepburn earls Bothwell had established a strong position for themselves in Lothian and on the border, partly through astute political manoeuvring and partly through the misfortunes of others - most notably the earls of Dunbar and Douglas and the dukes of Albany. The fourth earl Bothwell (the uncle of Francis Stewart and husband of Mary, queen of Scots) had jeopardised the family estates through political exile and debt. It was left to Francis Stewart to recover position and influence - which he did through a variety of means.

The fifth earl Bothwell had enviable family connections which he utilised to the full: as well as the Stewarts and Hepburns, Bothwell was closely related to the Douglases and Hamiltons, making him one of the most powerful forces in southern Scotland. He was well educated, at St Andrews and on the continent, and understood a range of languages. In terms of religious allegiance, Francis Stewart was a noted protestant as his father, John, and uncle, James (regent Moray), had been before him. Francis Stewart was also wealthy: he had received royal grants from an early age and, in the late 1570's, he pursued an astute marriage to a wealthy widow - Margaret Douglas (the daughter of the seventh earl of Angus, and widow of sir Walter Scott of Buccleuch). Also a patron of the arts and a willing huntsman, earl Bothwell had numerous qualities which endeared him to his cousin, James VI. James entrusted Francis Stewart with a number of offices and positions: he was variously sheriff of Lothian and Berwickshire; great admiral of the realm; assistant governor (during the king's absence in Denmark); ambassador to England; master of the king's horse; and keeper of Liddesdale. These roles closely mirrored the earl's areas of interest at home and abroad. In some areas he was particularly active, in others, less so. The political functions Bothwell carried out greatly influenced his position at court and his place within local and national politics. James VI surrounded himself with men and women who, in the normal course of events, did not always agree on policy or procedure. Francis Stewart was one of the most vociferous opponents of John Maitland (chancellor 1587-95) and other of the king's most trusted servants. Such personal and political conflicts were, largely, resolved in the earl's favour prior to 1590. Following the king's return from Denmark in that year, however, Bothwell was faced with accusations of witchcraft and forfeiture. This resulted in military opposition to the king as well as plots for James's deposition and murder. Unsuccessful and disgraced, Francis Stewart went into continental exile in 1595, where he remained until his death in 1612.

Francis Stewart, fifth and last earl Bothwell, is often viewed as part of `the lunatic fringe' of British politics in the years immediately prior to the Union of the Crowns in 1603. He was, in reality, much more than that. His relationship with the emergent kirk of Scotland was complex and wide-ranging. In addition to being commendator (lay abbot) of Kelso and Coldingham, he was patron of over fifty parish churches. His patronage and support of all shades of ecclesiastical opinion meant that he had the backing of a number of interesting parties when his political career faltered. The backing which Bothwell gained from other prominent political figures within and outwith Scotland during his years of disgrace also reflected a wide cross-section of interests and political opinion. Even while in disgrace, he remained a potent political threat. Although, ultimately, all support for the earl was fertile, it meant that James VI was rarely as secure on his Scottish throne as he would have wished and that the king constantly had to be aware a faction of his nobility who backed Bothwell from afar and were not scared to invoke his memory to further their own political ends. The political career of the fifth earl Bothwell demonstrates the complexity of Jacobean Scotland and various contradictions of public and private policy. A close ally of James VI throughout the 1580's, Francis Stewart became, in the end, the greatest threat to the king's ultimate ambition of the English succession. He was, however, at no point a lone, isolated voice - his background and heritage and his political and religious supporters ensured that he spoke or acted for a significant proportion of the Scottish community - even when they did not always approve of his methods.