Walter Leslie

Last updated

Arms of Sir Walter Leslie from the Armorial de Gelre. Sir Walter's crest, a Saracen's head, is testament to his crusader image. WalterLeslieArms.JPG
Arms of Sir Walter Leslie from the Armorial de Gelre . Sir Walter's crest, a Saracen's head, is testament to his crusader image.

Sir Walter Leslie (died 1382) was a 14th-century Scottish nobleman and crusader, one of the foremost knights of his time.

Contents

Family

Leslie was a younger son, probably the third son, of Sir Andrew Leslie of Leslie Castle sixth in line from Bartholomew, founder of the name Leslie [1] in Aberdeenshire, by his wife Mary Abernethy, daughter and coheiress of Sir Alexander Abernethy.

Life

Along with his elder brother Norman, he obtained safe conduct through England on his way to Prussia to participate in a crusade against the pagans of that region. He had returned by 1356. He is then said to have gone to France, to aid the French in their wars with the English. He must have gone there more than once, for he was present at the Battle of Pontvallain in 1370, where he proved instrumental in the English defeat, and was rewarded by King Charles with a yearly pension of two hundred gold francs.

He was present in Scotland in 1363, when King David granted him a pension of forty pounds sterling. Later that year, David obtained from Edward III of England a safe passage for Walter and Norman to travel to the Holy Land. They traveled via Italy; they appear as witnesses to a deal signed by the authorities of Florence with the notorious "White Band", a group of English mercenaries who had fought in the Hundred Years' War and were then plying their trade in Italy. Walter and Norman eventually joined the crusade of Peter King of Cyprus, as the latter attacked the Egyptian city of Alexandria. The city was captured, but King Peter was unable to hold it, and abandoned the city after looting it.

Walter returned to Scotland in 1366, and was warmly welcomed by King David. The king was fascinated by the cult of the crusader, and Walter's previous exploits had already made him one of the royal favorites. As a reward for his latest exploits, David gave him permission to marry Euphemia, the daughter and heiress of the Earl of Ross, whom David coerced into allowing the marriage. The marriage took place on 13 September of the same year. After this, he appears to have remained in Scotland for a time, taking a prominent part in public affairs and frequently witnessing royal charters.

When King David died in 1371, Walter may have been worried that the new king, Robert Stewart, who was an ally of the Earl of Ross, may have rescinded the patronage. However, the new king did not, and when Ross died in 1372, Euphemia inherited the title, and Walter became jure uxoris earl or lord of Ross.

Death and legacy

Walter died at Perth on 27 February 1382. He left two children, Alexander (the future Earl of Ross) and Mariota, who would marry Donald Lord of the Isles. Although Alexander did eventually inherit the earldom, de facto control of Ross passed into the hands of the Earl of Buchan, aka the "Wolf of Badenoch", who was Countess Euphemia's second husband before she divorced him in 1392.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert II of Scotland</span> King of Scots from 1371 to 1390

Robert II was King of Scotland from 1371 to his death in 1390. The son of Walter Stewart, 6th High Steward of Scotland and Marjorie, daughter of King Robert I, he was the first monarch of the House of Stewart. Upon the death of his uncle, King David II, Robert succeeded to the throne.

Battle of Harlaw 1411 Scottish clan battle

The Battle of Harlaw was a Scottish clan battle fought on 24 July 1411 just north of Inverurie in Aberdeenshire. It was one of a series of battles fought during the Middle Ages between the barons of northeast Scotland against those from the west coast.

Alexander Stewart, Earl of Buchan Earl of Buchan

Alexander Stewart, Earl of Buchan, Alasdair Mór mac an Rígh, and called the Wolf of Badenoch, was the third surviving son of King Robert II of Scotland and youngest by his first wife, Elizabeth Mure of Rowallan. He was the first Earl of Buchan since John Comyn, from 1382 until his death. Alexander married the widowed Euphemia I, Countess of Ross, but they had no children. He did have a large family by his longtime mistress, Mairead inghean Eachainn. Alexander was Justiciar of Scotia for a time, but not an effective one. He held large territories in the north of Scotland before eventually losing a large part of them. Alexander is remembered for his destruction of the royal burgh of Elgin and its cathedral. His nickname was earned due to his notorious cruelty and rapacity, but there is no proof that it was used during his lifetime.

The Earl or Mormaer of Ross was the ruler of the province of Ross in northern Scotland.

William II, Earl of Ross Earl of Ross

William II, Earl of Ross was ruler of the province of Ross in northern Scotland, and a prominent figure in the Wars of Scottish Independence.

WilliamIII, 5th Earl of Ross was a fourteenth-century Scottish nobleman. He was the fifth O’Beolan earl of Ross, descending from the founder of the line, Fearchar of Ross.

Euphemia I, also called Euphemia of Ross and Euphemia Ross, and sometimes incorrectly styled Euphemia Leslie and Euphemia Stewart, was a Countess of Ross in her own right.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clan Leslie</span> Lowland Scottish clan

Clan Leslie is a Lowland Scottish clan. The progenitor of the Clan, Bartolf, was a nobleman from Hungary, who came to Scotland in 1067. He built a castle at Lesselyn, from which the clan name derives.

Alexander Leslie, Earl of Ross was a Scottish nobleman. Born between 1367 and 1382, he was the son of Walter Leslie, Lord of Ross and Euphemia I, Countess of Ross. In around 1394 he became Earl of Ross and sometime before 1398 he married Isabel Stewart, daughter of Robert Stewart, Duke of Albany. They had one child, Euphemia. He died at Dingwall, Scotland on 8 May 1402.

Mariota, Countess of Ross was the daughter of Euphemia I, Countess of Ross and her husband, the crusading war-hero Walter Leslie, Lord of Ross. Upon the death of her brother, Alexander Leslie, Earl of Ross, she became the heir-presumptive of her niece Euphemia II, Countess of Ross although her husband Domhnall of Islay, Lord of the Isles pressed Mariota's superior claim to the earldom.

Mairead inghean Eachainn, also known as Mairead nic Eachainn, was a consort of Alexander Stewart, Earl of Buchan. She was the daughter of a man named Eachann, and probably the mother of several children, including Alexander's like-named son, Alexander Stewart, Earl of Mar.

David Stewart, Prince of Scotland, was a 14th-century Scottish magnate. He was the eldest son of the second marriage of King Robert II with Euphemia de Ross. King Robert, on 26 March 1371, the day of his coronation, created him Earl of Strathearn, and on the following day his son David performed homage to his father as of Earl of Strathearn.

Sir David fitz Walter of Cadzow or David fitz Walter fitz Gilbert de Hameldone, 2nd Laird of Cadzow was a Scottish nobleman.

Alexander de Kylwos – written alternatively as Frylquhous, Kylquos, and a variety of other forms – was a Scottish churchman and prelate active in the second half of the 14th century. He is known to have held senior positions in three bishoprics, and senior offices in two, before being elected and appointed Bishop of Ross in 1371. Though his episcopate is relatively obscure, he seems to have spent almost all of it inside or around his province, was closely associated with William III and Euphemia I, successive rulers of Ross, and was an associate of the famous Alexander Bur, Bishop of Moray, during the latter's struggle with Alexander Stewart, the son of the King later known by the nickname "Wolf of Badenoch".

Walter de Coventre was a 14th-century Scottish ecclesiastic. There is no direct evidence of his birthdate, his family, or his family's origin, although he may have come from the region around Abernethy, where a family with the name de Coventre is known to have lived. Walter appeared in the records for the first time in the 1330s, as a student at the University of Paris. From there he went on to the University of Orléans, initially as a student before becoming a lecturer there. He studied the arts, civil law and canon law, and was awarded many university degrees, including two doctorates. His studies were paid for, at least partially, by his benefices in Scotland. Despite holding perhaps more than five benefices at one stage, he did not return to Scotland until the late 1350s.

Elcho Priory was a medieval Cistercian priory in Perthshire, Scotland, dedicated to the Virgin Mary.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alexander Lindsay of Glenesk</span> 14th century noble

Sir Alexander Lindsay of Glenesk was a Scottish knight banneret. Active in jousting and as a crusader he was in favour with the Scottish kings David II and Robert II.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andrew de Leslie</span>

Sir Andrew de Leslie, Lord of Leslie was a 13th-14th century Scottish noble. He was a signatory of the Declaration of Arbroath in 1320. He died c. 1324.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Patrick Lyon, 1st Earl of Kinghorne</span>

Patrick Lyon, 1st Earl of Kinghorne was a Scottish landowner.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Lindsay of Crawford (died 1395/6)</span> Scottish nobleman (died 1395/6)

Sir James Lindsay, 9th Lord of Crawford was a Scottish nobleman.

References

Specific
  1. Family of Leslie by Col Leslie, KH. Vol.1, Published Edmonston and Douglas, 1869 pgs 18&19