Everything about Alexander Leslie Earl Of Ross totally explained
Alexander Leslie, Earl of Ross (†
1402) was the son of
Euphemia I, Countess of Ross and her husband, the far-travelled
Walter Leslie, Lord of Ross. Alexander was evidently born somewhere between
1367, the year following that of his mother's marriage to Walter Leslie, and
1382, the year of his father's death. Therefore when his father died in 1382 he could have been no more than a mere adolescent or teenager.
Later in 1382, Alexander's mother, the newly-widowed Euphemia, was married to
Alexander Stewart (the "Wolf of Badenoch"), son of King
Robert II of Scotland. The marriage significantly undermined the prospect of the young Alexander's inheritance. The marriage of 1382, supported by King Robert, saw the transfer of control of the
mormaerdom or
earldom of Ross and the associated barony of
Kingedward to the east (the northern half of the defunct
earldom of Buchan) from Euphemia's hand's into the hands of Alexander Stewart. Two days after the transfer, Alexander was made earl of Buchan by his father. Alexander received control of the earldom of
Ross in
liferent (for example for his lifetime), and any heirs to the marriage were entitled to inherit the lordships of
Skye,
Lewis and the thanages of
Dingwall,
Deskford and
Glendowachy and other lands in other parts of Scotland which had been part of Euphemia's property.
Thus the young Alexander Leslie, even if he were to obtain the earldom eventually upon Stewart's death, was faced with a likelihood of being left with an earldom stripped of a large chunk of its most important assets. These actions by King Robert alienated the powerful Leslie-Lindsay kindred, a Lowland family who had entered the higher ranks of Scottish politics as
favourites of King
David II of Scotland. King Robert had also deprived this family of the exercise of the
Justiciarship of Scotia. Later in 1382 (November), King Robert's chamberlain, son-in-law and favourite, John Lyon, thane (toiseach) of
Glamis, was murdered by
James Lindsay, lord of
Crawford, head of the Leslie-Lindsay kindred and claimant to the lordship of Buchan. In
1384, Lindsay-Leslie and Douglas disaffection contributed to the
coup by the king's son,
John Stewart,
earl of Carrick, who became Guardian (1384-88).
The Leslie-Lindsay kindred sought to protect Alexander Leslie's rights in Ross. However, this was difficult while Buchan remained in such a powerful position in the north. The guardianships of Carrick and then of Carrick's brother
Robert Stewart, earl of Fife and Menteith (1388-93) were both supported by the Leslie-Lindsay kindred and both aimed against Buchan's power. Moreover, Buchan's nominal wife, Euphemia, herself came into the Leslie-Lindsay camp. In
1389, Euphemia, the countess of Ross, complained to the pope that her marriage to Buchan was meaningless, as the latter was in fact more often with his mistress,
Mairead inghean Eachann.
Pope Clement V annulled the marriage in late 1392, and ordered the restoration of her lands. With the firm support of the Fife guardianship, Euphemia and her son were able to re-establish their power in Ross. By the year 1394, Buchan's power in Ross seems to have disappeared and Countess Euphemia was once again granting charters from
Dingwall Castle.
He succeeded his mother to the earldom of Ross perhaps in the later part of
1394. The key point perhaps is the date of his mother's death. The date isn't known, but fell somewhere between late 1394 and 1398. In the November of the latter year, he'd granted some lands to his relative (either cousin or uncle) George Leslie of Rothes in exchange for the 200 merks he apparently needed to take the control of the earldom out of the crown's hands. He controlled the barony of Fitkill in Fife until in
1399, when he resigned this too (via
King Robert III) to Rothes. Very little is otherwise known about his activities as earl.
He had married
Robert Stewart, Duke of Albany's daughter Isobel sometime before 1398. They had only one child,
Euphemia, who took the veil. She bequeathed her enormous estates not to her father's sister, but to her
mother's full brother, Albany's second son, whom his father made Earl of Buchan in 1408.
According to the
Cronicle of the Earlis of Ross (c. 9), Alexander Leslie, Earl of Ross, died at Dingwall on
May 8, 1402. His widow remarried Sir
Walter de Haliburton, Knt.Further Information
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