Douglas, James, 9th earl of Douglas

Douglas, James, 9th earl of Douglas, 1426–88, Scottish nobleman, last earl of Douglas. Following the murder of his brother William, the 8th earl, by James II, he led a rebellion against the king in 1452 but was defeated. He soon entered into a conspiracy with the English, and in 1455 he was again defeated by James. Douglas escaped to England, but in 1484 was captured while on a raid in Scotland and was imprisoned the rest of his life. His lands, which had been confiscated, were granted to another branch of the family, headed by the earls of Angus.

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

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