Douglas, Archibald, 4th earl of Douglas

Douglas, Archibald, 4th earl of Douglas, 1369–1424, Scottish nobleman, called Tyneman [loser]; 2d son of Archibald Douglas, 3d earl of Douglas. In 1390 he married Margaret Stuart, daughter of Robert III. He held Edinburgh against the English when Henry IV invaded in 1400. In 1402 Douglas was tried and acquitted of the murder of David Stuart, duke of Rothesay, heir apparent to the throne. Later that year Douglas led a Scottish army against the English and was taken prisoner by Sir Henry Percy at Homildon Hill. He was then induced to join the Percy conspiracy against Henry IV, but at the battle of Shrewsbury (1403) he was taken prisoner by Henry and held until ransomed in 1408. From 1412 to 1422, Douglas continued his border warfare against England and was a member of several delegations of Scottish nobles who tried, unsuccessfully, to ransom their young king, James I, from the English. In 1423 he and his Scottish contingent joined the French against the English. He was made lieutenant general of the French army and duke of Touraine. In 1424 the allies were defeated at Verneuil, and Douglas was slain.

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2024, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.

See more Encyclopedia articles on: British and Irish History: Biographies