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2025 Week 29: Cousins #52Ancestorsin52Weeks

In genealogical terms 'cousins' do not just refer to your 'first cousins', those people who share a set of grandparents with you. It can be used to refer to your second, third, fourth etc cousins who share a common set of ancestors with you, be they great grandparents or 15 x great grandparents.

One of my paternal lines can be traced back to Robert the Bruce, King Robert I of Scotland and one of my maternal lines includes King James II of Scotland, so you can imagine there are a lot of important cousins to be found.

So let me introduce you to a very distant cousin. In genealogical terms he is my second cousin seventeen (!) times removed. Meet Alexander Stewart, Earl of Buchan aka The Wolf (or Beast) of Badenoch!

Our common ancestor is the famous Robert The Bruce, my 20 x great grandfather. Robert was Alexander's great grandfather. My line descends through King Robert's daughter Elizabeth, Alexander's line through her sister Marjorie. Marjorie married Sir Walter Stewart, the 6th High Steward of Scotland and their son Robert, became King Robert II of Scotland. Alexander , born around 1345, was their third surviving son and a Prince of Scotland. 

When his father became king in 1371, Alexander was made Lord of Badenoch. He was a powerful man, owning many Highland estates and was constantly trying to increase his power. His nickname was 'Alasdair Mor mac an Righ' - Great Alexander, the King's son. His elder brother, the Duke of Albany, was also a dark character and was thought by many to have murdered his own nephew. 

Alexander married Euphemia, Countess of Ross, a widow, and jointly held her lands, along with several estates and castles around Scotland. He was thus one of the most powerful landlords in the country. The couple had no children and Alexander blamed his wife for that, given that he had several 'natural' children with his mistress Mariota Athyn. In 1389 Euphemia appealed to the Church saying that her marriage was a sham because of Alexander's relationship with Mariota. He reacted badly as he did not want his marriage to dissolve or he would lose the lands he had gained through their marriage, and so he expelled Euphemia and installed Mariota in her place. For this deed, Alexander was promptly excommunicated by the Church. He threw the monk who brought him this news into his castle's water pit!

Though Alexander had started out from a position of respect, that all changed. He ruled his lands with bands of his men using brute force, joining them on raping and pillaging raids and murdering those who stood against him. Meanwhile the King's authority lessened due to his support of Alexander's methods and his eldest son John took over guardianship of the country. But even he was unable to stop Alexander and so in 1388, his brother Robert took over the as King. King Robert III immediately took away some of Alexander's positions such as his Lord Lieutenancy and the Sheriffdom of Inverness. Furthermore, he lost land as the Church eventually granted an annulment to Euphemia his wife and he had to give up the land he had jointly held with her.

But Alexander was not yet finished. He wanted revenge, especially against the Bishop who had sided with Euphemia. This led to the infamous deeds he is known for - the destruction of Forres and the burning of the monastery, church and cathedral at Elgin in 1390. The cathedral was the principal church of the area and said to have been one of the most beautiful medieval buildings in the country.

Alexander died at Ruthven Castle in 1404. According to legend, his death was a spooky one! During a thunderstorm a mysterious stranger dressed in black arrived at the castle and challenged Alexander to a game of chess. The next morning, Alexander and all his servants were found dead. It was rumoured that he had played chess with the Devil!

So, my 'cousin' Alexander had started out well, a Scottish prince, acquiring vast territories in the Highlands, holding various royal appointments and being well respected. However, his way of governing these lands and the brutish way he attempted to enforce law and order was his downfall. He died in 1405 and was buried in Dunkeld Cathedral in Perthshire. His tomb is one of the few Scottish royal monuments to have survived to this day.

Tomb of Alexander Stewart, the Wolf of Badenoch in Dunkeld Cathedral, courtesy of www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk

Would I have liked this cousin? I think not.


 



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