John Stewart, 1st Earl of Atholl


John Stewart, 1st Earl of Atholl, also known as Sir John Stewart of Balveny, was a Scottish nobleman and ambassador.

Life

He was the oldest child of Joan Beaufort, widow of James I of Scotland, and her second husband Sir James Stewart, the Black Knight of Lorn.
He was created Earl of Atholl in around 1457, the first earl of the eighth creation of the title. He is believed to have had a hand in suppressing the rebellion of John Macdonald, 11th Earl of Ross, the last of the Lords of the Isles. According to legend, the Earl of Atholl had whisky, honey and oats added to Macdonald's water well, which so entranced or intoxicated him that Macdonald was easily captured. The mixture became a drink named Atholl Brose.
He became ambassador to England in 1484.
Stewart was buried in Dunkeld Cathedral in Perthshire.

Marriage and children

John Stewart married twice and had several children. However, the exact number, names, and the attribution of his children to their mothers is unclear.
His first wife was Lady Margaret Douglas, Fair Maid of Galloway, daughter of Archibald Douglas, 5th Earl of Douglas and Lady Eupheme Graham. Margaret had been married already to William Douglas, 8th Earl of Douglas, and to James Douglas, 9th Earl of Douglas which marriage was annulled by the Pope. She married John Stewart about 1459 or 1460. She died between 1473 and 1475. and they had three daughters:
Sometime before April 1475, he married as his second wife, Lady Eleanor Sinclair, daughter of William Sinclair, 3rd Earl of Orkney and Marjory Sutherland. They had two sons and nine daughters: