'''Archibald Douglas, 6th Earl of Angus''' ([[1490]] – January, [[1557]]) was a [[Scotland|Scottish]] nobleman active during the reigns of [[James V of Scotland|James V]] and [[Mary, Queen of Scots]]. He was the son of [[George Douglas, Master of Angus|George, Master of Angus]], who was killed at the [[Battle of Flodden]], and succeeded as [[Earl of Angus]] on the death of his grandfather, [[Archibald Douglas, 5th Earl of Angus|Archibald]].
===Marriage to Margaret Tudor===
In [[1509]], Douglas married Margaret, daughter of the [[Patrick Hepburn, 1st Earl of Bothwell|Earl of Bothwell]]. After her death in [[1513]], on [[August 6]], [[1514]] he married the [[queen dowager]] and [[regent]], [[Margaret Tudor]], widow of [[James IV of Scotland|James IV]] and elder sister of [[Henry VIII of England]]. The marriage stirred up the jealousy of the nobles and the opposition of the faction supporting [[France|French]] influence in Scotland. Civil war broke out, and Margaret lost the regency to [[John Stewart, 2nd Duke of Albany|John Stuart, Duke of Albany]].
Angus withdrew to his estates in [[Forfarshire]], while Albany besieged the queen at [[Stirling]] and got possession of the royal children; then he joined Margaret after her flight at [[Morpeth, Northumberland|Morpeth]], and on her departure for London returned and made his peace with Albany in [[1516]]. He met her once more at [[Berwick-upon-Tweed|Berwick]] in June [[1517]], when Margaret returned to Scotland on Albany's departure in vain hopes of regaining the regency.
Meanwhile, during Margaret's absence, Angus had formed a connexion with a daughter of the [[Laird of Traquair]]. Margaret avenged his neglect of her by refusing to support his claims for power and by secretly trying through Albany to get a divorce. In [[Edinburgh]] Angus held his own against the attempts of [[James Hamilton, 1st Earl of Arran|James Hamilton]], to dislodge him. But the return of Albany in [[1521]], with whom Margaret now sided against her husband, deprived him of power. The regent took the government into his own hands; Angus was charged with high treason in December, and in March [[1522]] was sent practically a prisoner to [[France]], whence he succeeded in escaping to London in [[1524]].
===Conquest of power===
He returned to Scotland in November with promises of support from [[Henry VIII of England|Henry VIII]], with whom he made a close alliance. Margaret, however, refused to have anything to do with her husband. On the 23rd, therefore, Angus forced his way into Edinburgh, but was fired upon by Margaret and retreated to [[Tantallon Castle]].
He now organized a large party of nobles against Margaret with the support of Henry VIII, and in February [[1525]] they entered Edinburgh and called a parliament. Angus was made a [[Parliament of Scotland#The Lords of the Articles|Lord of the Articles]], was included in the [[Council of regency]], bore the king's crown on the opening of the session, and with [[James Beaton|Archbishop Beaton]] held the chief power. In March he was appointed [[Lieutenant of the Marches]], and suppressed the disorder and anarchy on the border. In July the guardianship of the King was entrusted to him for a fixed period till the 1st of November, but he refused at its close to retire, and advancing to [[Linlithgow]] put to flight Margaret and his opponents.
He now with his followers engrossed all the power, succeeded in gaining over some of his antagonists, including Arran and the [[Duke of Hamilton|Hamiltons]], and filled the public offices with [[House of Douglas|Douglases]], he himself becoming [[Lord Chancellor of Scotland|Chancellor]]. ''None that time durst strive against a Douglas nor Douglas's man.''[''Lindsay of Pitscottie'' (1814), ii. 314.]
===Counsel of King James===
The young king [[James V of Scotland|James V]], now fourteen, was far from content under the tutelage of Angus, but he was closely guarded, and several attempts to effect his liberation were prevented, Angus completely defeating [[John Stewart, 3rd Earl of Lennox]], who had advanced towards Edinburgh with 10,000 men in August, and subsequently taking [[Stirling]]. His successes were consummated by a pacification with Beaton, and in [[1527]] and [[1528]] he was busy in restoring order through the country.
In the latter year, on the 11th of March, Margaret succeeded in obtaining her divorce from Angus, and about the end of the month she and her lover, [[Henry Stewart, 1st Lord Methven|Henry Stewart]], were besieged at Stirling. A few weeks later, however, James succeeded in escaping from Angus's custody, took refuge with Margaret and Arran at Stirling, and immediately proscribed Angus and all the Douglases, forbidding them to come within seven miles of his person.
===Alliance with and exile in England===
Angus, having fortified himself in [[Tantallon Castle|Tantallon]], was attainted and his lands confiscated. Repeated attempts of James to subdue the fortress failed, and on one occasion Angus captured the royal artillery, but at length it was given up as a condition of the truce between England and Scotland, and in May [[1529]] Angus took refuge with Henry, obtained a pension and took an oath of allegiance, Henry engaging to make his restoration a condition of peace.
Angus had been chiefly guided in his intrigues with England by his brother, [[Sir George Douglas of Pittendriech, Master of Angus]] (died [[1552]]), a far cleverer diplomat than himself. His life and lands were also declared forfeit, as were those of his uncle, [[Archibald Douglas of Kilspindie]] (died [[1535]]), who had been a friend of James and was known by the nickname of ''Greysteel.'' These took refuge in exile.
James avenged himself on such Douglases as lay within his power. Angus's third sister [[Janet, Lady Glamis]], was summoned to answer the charge of communicating with her brothers, and on her failure to appear her estates were forfeited. In [[1537]] she was tried for conspiring against the king's life. She was found guilty and burnt on the [[Royal Mile|Castle Hill, Edinburgh]] on [[July 17]], [[1537]]. Her innocence has been generally assumed, but [[Patrick Fraser Tytler|Tytler]] (''History of Scotland'', iv. pp. 433, 434) considered her guilty.
Angus remained in England till [[1542]], joining in the attacks upon his countrymen on the border, while James refused all demands from Henry VIII for his restoration, and kept firm to his policy of suppressing and extirpating the Douglas faction.
===Return to Scotland===
On James V's death in [[1542]] Angus returned to Scotland, with instructions from Henry to accomplish the marriage between [[Mary I of Scotland|Mary Stuart]] and [[Edward VI of England|Edward VI]]. His forfeiture was rescinded, his estates restored, and he was made a [[privy councillor]] and [[lieutenant-general]].
In [[1543]] he negotiated the treaty of peace and marriage, and the same year he himself married Margaret, daughter of [[Robert, Lord Maxwell]]. Shortly afterwards strife between Angus and the regent Arran broke out, and in April [[1544]] Angus was taken prisoner.
===Break with England===
The same year [[Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset|Lord Hertford]]'s marauding expedition, which did not spare the lands of Angus, made him join the anti-English party. He entered into a bond with Arran and others to maintain their allegiance to Mary, and gave his support to the mission sent to France to offer the latter's hand. In July [[1544]] he was appointed lieutenant of the south of Scotland, and distinguished himself on [[February 27]], [[1545]] in the victory over the English at [[Battle of Ancrum Moor|Ancrum Moor]].
He still corresponded with Henry VIII, but nevertheless signed in [[1546]] the act cancelling the marriage and peace treaty, and on the 10th of September commanded the van in the great defeat of [[Battle of Pinkie|Pinkie]], when he again won fame. In [[1548]] the attempt by [[Matthew Stewart, 4th Earl of Lennox|Lennox]] and [[Thomas Wharton, 1st Baron Wharton|Wharton]] to capture him and punish him for his duplicity failed, Angus escaping after his defeat to Edinburgh by sea, and Wharton being driven back to Carlisle.
===Death===
Under the regency of [[Mary of Lorraine]] his restless and ambitious character and the number of his retainers gave cause for frequent alarms to the government. On [[August 31]], [[1547]] he resigned his earldom, obtaining a regrant ''sibi et suis haeredibus masculis et suis assignatis quibuscumque''.
His career was a long struggle for power and for the interests of his family, to which national considerations were completely subordinate. He died in January [[1557]]. By Margaret Tudor he had [[Margaret Douglas|Margaret]], his only surviving legitimate child, who married the [[Matthew, 4th Earl of Lennox|Earl of Lennox]], and was mother of [[Lord Darnley]]. He was succeeded by his nephew David, son of Sir George Douglas of Pittendriech.
==References==
*{{1911}}
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{{succession box|title=[[Lord Chancellor of Scotland]]|before=[[James Beaton]]|after=[[Gavin Dunbar (archbishop)|Gavin Dunbar]]|years=1526–1528}}
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{{succession box | title=[[Earl of Angus]] | before=[[Archibald Douglas, 5th Earl of Angus|Archibald Douglas]] | after=[[David Douglas, 7th Earl of Angus|David Douglas]] | years=1514–1557}}
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[[Category:Earls in the Peerage of Scotland|Angus, Archibald Douglas, 6th Earl of]]
[[Category:1490 births|Angus, Archibald Douglas, 6th Earl of]]
[[Category:1556 deaths|Angus, Archibald Douglas, 6th Earl of]]
[[ru:Дуглас, Арчибальд, 6-й граф Ангус]]