James Hamilton, 3rd Earl of Arran (1537–1609) was a Scottish nobleman and soldier who opposed the French-dominated regency during the Scottish Reformation. He was the eldest son of James Hamilton, Duke of Châtellerault, sometime regent of Scotland. He was of royal descent, and at times was third or fourth in succession to the Scottish crown; several royal marriages were proposed for him, but he ultimately never married. He went to France with Mary, Queen of Scots, where he commanded the Scots Guards. After returning to Scotland, he became a leader of the Protestant party against Mary and her French supporters. However, he went insane in 1562 and was confined for the rest of his life.John Durkan, "James, Third Earl of Arran, the Hidden Years", The Scottish Historical Review, Vol. LXV, 2, no. 180 (October 1986).
Family James Hamilton may have been born in 1537 or 1538,James Balfour Paul, Scots Peerage 4 (Edinburgh, 1907), p. 368.Joseph Bain, Calendar State Papers Scotland, 1 (Edinburgh, 1898), p. 362] another source suggests a date in 1532.Calendar State Papers Scotland, vol. 10 (Edinburgh, 1936), p. 31, says he was 57 in 1589. His place of birth probably was Hamilton, Lanarkshire. He was the eldest son of James Hamilton, 2nd Earl of Arran and his wife Margaret Douglas. His father was created Duke of Châtellerault in France in 1548. His father also was the grandson of Mary, eldest daughter of James II and was at this time, after King James V, the most senior male descendant of James II and, so heir presumptive for much of King James V's reign.James Balfour Paul, Scots Peerage, 4 (Edinburgh: David Douglas, 1907), p. 341.
James's mother, Margaret Douglas, was the daughter of James Douglas, 3rd Earl of Morton. She descended from James IV through an illegitimate daughter, and Joan, daughter of James I.
James listed among his brothersHe heads the list of his brothers as the eldest son: James (1537–1609) Gavin, died young John (1540–1604), became the 1st Marquess of Hamilton David (died 1611)Chatellherault's will, NAS ECC8/8/4 Claud Hamilton, 1st Lord Paisley (1546–1621), from whom descend the earls, marquesses, and dukes of Abercorn
James's sistersBarbara, married in 1553 James Fleming, 4th Lord Fleming,James Balfour Paul, Scots Peerage 4 (Edinburgh, 1907), p. 370. Jean, married Hugh Montgomerie, 3rd Earl of Eglinton in 1555.James Balfour Paul, Scots Peerage 4 (Edinburgh, 1907), p. 370. Anne (c. 1535 – before April 1574), married George Gordon, 5th Earl of Huntly Margaret, married Sir Alexander, eldest son of George Gordon, 4th Earl of Huntly
In 1542, James and his father were displaced in the royal succession by the birth of James V's daughter, Mary (the future Mary, Queen of Scots) - until James V died only six days later. James's father became regent for the baby queen.
Regent Arran's marriage plans The Regent proposed various royal marriages for his son, who was second in line for the crown.
In March 1543, James V's widow, Mary of Guise told the English ambassador Ralph Sadler that the Regent "mindeth to marry" her daughter Queen Mary to his son, something she was anxious to avoid.Arthur Clifford, Sadler State Papers, vol. 1 (Edinburgh, 1809), p. 86. In December 1543, French envoys heard that the Regent wanted to marry James to Henry VIII's daughter Lady Elizabeth (later Elizabeth I).Carol Edington, Court and Culture in Renaissance Scotland (University of Massachusetts, 1994), p. 58.Gladys Dickinson, Two Missions of de la Brosse (Edinburgh: SHS, 1942), pp. 40–41. This may have been offered by Henry himself as a price of the Regent's allegiance, but nothing came of the proposal either. Henry wanted to marry the baby queen to his son Edward. The Regent was a Protestant, and initially supported this policy, despite widespread opposition in Scotland.David M. Head, "Henry VIII's Scottish Policy", Scottish Historical Review, 61:171 (April 1982), p. 23.
Then in 1543 the Regent became Catholic and joined the pro-French faction of Cardinal David Beaton. Henry responded with the "Rough Wooing", nine years of war to make Scotland accept the English marriage. In October 1544, James was taken to St Andrews Castle, where he was Cardinal Beaton's guest and a pledge for the alliance of the Regent and the Cardinal.Robert Kerr Hannay, "The Earl of Arran and Queen Mary", Scottish Historical Review, 18 (Glasgow, 1921), p. 260: Accounts of the Treasurer of Scotland, vol. 8, p. 319.
The Regent still wanted to marry Mary to James. His half-brother, John, Abbot of Paisley, met with Lord Somerville and the Earl of Angus on 28 October 1545, to get their support. Somerville's son John wrote to Mary of Guise that they would not be persuaded.Annie I. Cameron, Scottish Correspondence of Mary of Lorraine (Edinburgh: SHS, 1927), pp. 147-148. Alexander Crichton of Brunstane and a diplomat in France, Johannes Sturm, also sent warnings of this marriage proposal to England. Sturm realised the marriage would hinder Anglo-French peace treaty negotiations.Letters & Papers, Henry VIII, 20:2 (London, 1907), nos. 622, 927. James remained in the Cardinal's custody. In February 1546 he was sent a book of Latin exercises and a copy of Aesop's Fables.Robert Kerr Hannay, "The Earl of Arran and Queen Mary", Scottish Historical Review, 18 (Glasgow, 1921), p. 260: Accounts of the Treasurer of Scotland, vol. 8, p. 440.
In 1546, a Protestant band seized St Andrews Castle and murdered the Cardinal. James was held prisoner and hostage. The Regent besieged St Andrews; the Protestants offered to give James to Henry VIII, in return for the help of an English fleet. Henry VIII was willing, but never actually sent the fleet.State Papers Henry VIII, vol. 5 (London, 1836), 560–561, 565, 572, 576 On 14 August 1546, the Parliament of Scotland excluded James from the royal succession (he was then third) for the duration of his captivity.Letters & Papers Henry VIII, 21:1, (London, 1908), no. 1456. Despite Henry's promises, the castle was finally taken with the help of French ships.Elizabeth Bonner, 'The Recovery of St Andrews Castle in 1547', English Historical Review (June 1996), pp. 578–598.
Regent Arran now agreed to the marriage of Mary to the Dauphin Francis, son and heir of King Henry II of France, confirmed by the Treaty of Haddington. For arranging the marriage of Mary and Francis, the Regent was made Duke of Châtellerault, and James succeeded him as Earl of Arran. He would not inherit the French title because his father forfeited it in 1559.
In France Queen Mary was sent to France in August 1548. James Hamilton went with her or shortly earlier in July.Marcus Merriman, The Rough Wooings (Tuckwell, East Linton, 2000), p. 309. Though only a boy of 16 or younger, he was appointed captain of the royal Garde Écossaise (Scots Guard), and in 1557 distinguished himself in the defence of St. Quentin.Calendar State Papers Spanish, vol. 9 (London, 1912), p. 269.
James was admired in France. In 1549, the Emblemata, a collection of illustrated Latin proverbs and mottos compiled by Italian jurist Andrea Alciato appeared in a new French edition.Alciati (1549), web presentation by Glasgow University, The Emblemes D'Alciat was dedicated to him.Michael Bath, 'Alciato and the Earl of Arran', Emblematica. An Interdisciplinary Journal for Emblem Studies, 13 (2003), pp. 39-52. One of Arran's personal devices was a heart pierced with an arrow pointing down.Joseph Bain, Calendar State Papers Scotland, 1 (Edinburgh, 1898), p. 286 no. 614
On 24 January 1553, the French royal armourer Bénédict Claye received an order for a suit of armour for James, to be delivered before 8 April 1553. The armour was decorated with engraved and gilded borders, and included a morion, a bourguignon, and accessories.Cathérine Grodecki, Documents du Minutier Central des Notaires de Paris: Histoire de l'Art au XVIe siècle, 1540-1600, 2 (Archives Nationales Paris, 1986), p. 279 no. 959.
Montpensier marriage plan In April 1548, Henry II offered Françoise, daughter of the Duke of Montpensier, as a bride for Arran.Marcus Merriman, The Rough Wooings (Tuckwell, 2000), pp. 301–302. John Lesley, Bishop of Ross, was involved in negotiations for the marriage in October 1554, and there was discussion about which daughter of the Duke of Montpensier had been intended.Marguerite Wood, Balcarres Papers, 2 (Edinburgh: SHS, 1925), pp. 256–258.
After Mary was betrothed to the Dauphin, a number of ladies of the court were suggested as brides for James. One was Mademoiselle de Bouillon, daughter of Henry II and his mistress Diane de Poitiers, in May 1557.Alexandre Labanoff, Lettres de Marie Stuart, vol. 1 (London: Dolman, 1844), pp. 42–43: Retha Warnicke, Mary Queen of Scots (Routledge, 2006), p. 47. She has also been identified as Antoinette de Bouillon (died 1591), a granddaughter of Guillemette de Sarrebruck and Diane de Poitiers.Rosalind K. Marshall, Queen Mary's Women (John Donald, 2006), pp. 69–70. Other suggested brides included Claude de Rieux, Louise de Rieux (who married René, Marquis of Elbeuf), and Jeane de Savoie. But James did not marry.John Durkan, "James, Third Earl of Arran, the Hidden Years", The Scottish Historical Review, Vol. LXV, 2, no. 180 (October 1986), p. 159.
Queen Elizabeth James' father gave up the Regency of Scotland in 1554, and thereafter followed a pro-English policy. It has been suggested that James was imprisoned in France as a Protestant in 1557–1558.John Durkan, "James, Third Earl of Arran, the Hidden Years", The Scottish Historical Review, Vol. LXV, 2, no. 180 (October 1986), p. 160. In 1558, Châtellerault proposed the marriage of James to Queen Elizabeth I to cement an Anglo-Scottish alliance. This proposal was supported by John Knox, the leading Protestant cleric in Scotland, and by John Jewel, Bishop of Salisbury. The marriage project gained the support of the Protestant Lords of the Congregation.Gordon Donaldson, All the Queen's Men: Power and Politics in Mary Stewart's Scotland (London: Batsford, 1983), p. 36.Joseph Bain, Calendar State Papers Scotland, vol. 1 (Edinburgh, 1898), pp. 215, 216. Bishop Jewel remained in favour of the marriage as late as June 1560, and Elizabeth's own opinion is not known.Hastings Robinson, The Zurich Letters 1558–1579 (Parker Society, Cambridge, 1842), pp. 82–83.
In 1559, Châtellerault and James openly declared themselves Protestants. James returned to Scotland escorted by English diplomat Thomas Randolph and was met by Ralph Sadler in Scotland. Both of these diplomats considered themselves his friends, and in their official correspondence during the conflicts of the Scottish Reformation, they noted signs of mental instability. On 8 December 1560, Elizabeth declared her rejection of his marriage proposal to the Scottish ambassadors William Maitland, the Earl of Morton and the Earl of Glencairn.Conyers Read, Mr. Secretary Cecil And Queen Elizabeth (New York, 1961), p. 219: Simon Adams, Household Accounts of Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester (Cambridge, 1995), p. 146 note. A later chronicler, David Hume of Godscroft, believed the marriage proposal was "so unprobable, and such a proposition as Morton knew would not be very acceptable to her," but it was mooted by the Parliament of Scotland.David Reid, Hume of Godscroft's History of the House of Angus, vol. 1 (Edinburgh: STS, 2005), pp. 135–136.Acts of the Parliaments of Scotland, vol. 2 (Edinburgh, 1814), pp. 605–606, Commission for the marriage, August 1560: HMC 11th Report & Appendix, part VI, Hamilton Manuscripts (London, 1887), p. 43.
Journey of Monsieur de Beaufort