Joan BEAUFORT Queen Consort of Scotland [7413] 1753
- Born: 27 December 1407, Westminster, , , England 1753
- Marriage (1): James I King of Scotland [7414] on 2 February 1424 in Priory Church, St. Mary Overie, Southwark, Surrey, London, England 1751
- Marriage (2): Sir James STEWART The Black Knight of Lorn [7426] on 21 September 1439 in , , , Scotland 1752
- Died: 15 July 1445, Dunbar, Haddingtonshire, Scotland at age 37 1753
- Buried: 15 July 1445, Perth, , Perthshire, Scotland 1753
FamilySearch ID: M72D-PDF. Find a Grave ID: 9401207.
General Notes:
Joan Beaufort (c. 1404 \endash 15 July 1445) was the Queen of Scotland from 1424 to 1437 as the spouse of King James I of Scotland. During part of the minority of her son James II (from 1437 to 1439), she served as the regent of Scotland.
Background and early life
Joan Beaufort was a daughter of John Beaufort, 1st Earl of Somerset, a legitimized son of John of Gaunt by his mistress (and later third wife) Katherine Swynford. Joan's mother was Margaret Holland, the granddaughter of Joan of Kent (wife of Edward the Black Prince) from her earlier marriage to Thomas Holland, 1st Earl of Kent. Joan was also a half-niece of King Henry IV of England, first cousin once removed of Richard II, and great-granddaughter of Edward III. Her uncle, Henry Beaufort, was a cardinal and Chancellor of England.
King James I of Scotland met Joan during his time as a prisoner in England, and knew her from at least 1420. She is said to have been the inspiration for King James's famous long poem, The Kingis Quair, written during his captivity, after he saw her from his window in the garden. The marriage was at least partially political, as their marriage was part of the agreement for his release from captivity. From an English perspective an alliance with the Beauforts was meant to establish Scotland's alliance with the English, rather than the French. Negotiations resulted in Joan's dowry of 10,000 marks being subtracted from James's substantial ransom.
Queen of Scotland
On 12 February 1424, Joan Beaufort and King James were wed at St Mary Overie Church in Southwark. They were feasted at Winchester Palace that year by her uncle, Cardinal Henry Beaufort. She accompanied her husband on his return from captivity in England to Scotland, and was crowned alongside her husband at Scone Abbey. As queen, she often pleaded with the king for those who might be executed.
The royal couple had eight children, including the future James II, and Margaret of Scotland, future spouse of Louis XI of France.
- Margaret Stewart, Princess of Scotland (1424\endash 1445) married Prince Louis, Dauphin of Viennois (later King Louis XI of France)
- Isabella Stewart, Princess of Scotland (1426\endash 1494) married Francis I, Duke of Brittany
- Mary Stewart, Countess of Buchan (c. 1428 \endash 1465) married Wolfart VI van Borsselen
- Joan of Scotland, Countess of Morton (c. 1428\endash 1486) married James Douglas, 1st Earl of Morton
- Alexander Stewart, Duke of Rothesay (born and died 1430); twin of James
- James II of Scotland (1430\endash 1460)
- Annabella Stewart, Princess of Scotland (c. 1436 \endash 1509) married and divorced 1. Louis of Savoy, and then married and divorced 2. George Gordon, 2nd Earl of Huntly
- Eleanor Stewart, Princess of Scotland (1433\endash 1484) married Sigismund, Archduke of Austria
Regency
James I was assassinated in Perth on 21 February 1437. Joan had also been a target of assassination along with her husband, but managed to survive her injuries. She successfully directed her husband's supporters to attack his assassin Walter Stewart, Earl of Atholl, but was forced to give up power three months later. The prospect of being ruled by an English woman was unpopular in Scotland. The Earl of Douglas was thus appointed to power, though Joan remained in charge of her son.
Near the end of July 1439, she married James Stewart, the Black Knight of Lorne after obtaining a papal dispensation for both consanguinity and affinity.
Children with James Stewart, the Black Knight of Lorne:
- John Stewart, 1st Earl of Atholl (c. 1440 \endash 1512)
- James Stewart, 1st Earl of Buchan (1442\endash 1499)
- Andrew Stewart, Bishop of Moray (c. 1443 \endash 1501)
James Stwart was an ally of the latest Earl of Douglas, and plotted with him to overthrow Alexander Livingston, governor of Stirling Castle, during the minority of James II. Livingston arrested Joan in August 1439 and forced her to relinquish custody of the young king. In 1445, the conflict between the Douglas/Livingston faction and the queen's supporters resumed, and she was under siege at Dunbar Castle by the Earl of Douglas when she died on 15 July 1445. She was buried in the Carthusian Priory at Perth.
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Circa 1404 - 1445
Joan Beaufort was the daughter of John Beaufort, 1st Earl of Somerset, and Margaret Holland, daughter of Thomas Holland, 2nd Earl of Kent, who was the son of Joan "the Fair Maid of Kent" (the mother of Richard II of England) she was also the niece of the first Lancastrian king King Henry IV of England.
King Robert III of Scotland had attempted to send his younger son James Stewart to France to guard him against the machinations of his uncle, Robert, Duke of Albany, but the twelve-year-old James was captured by English ships just off Flamborough Head. When King Robert died soon after on 4th April 1406 James succeeded to the Scottish throne as James I. While the young King grew to manhood in English captivity, his ambitious and self-serving uncle was appointed Regent and Governor of Scotland in his absence and exhibited no haste in securing his nephew's release.
James received an education and travelled with the English court, where he learned much about government and administration, which he later put into practice when he returned to his native Scotland. Joan met James I during his English captivity, the couple had known each other from at least 1420. James fell in love with Joan, she is said to have been the inspiration for his famous long poem, The Kingis Quair, written after he saw her from his window in the garden. James negotiated a release from captivity the previous year, the English favoured his alliance with the Beauforts which it was hoped would continue Scotland's alliance with the England, rather than their traditional ally France. Joan's dowry of 10,000 merks was subtracted from the substantial ransom of 60,000merks the Scots had to pay for the return of their king. James and Joan were married on 12 February 1424 at St Mary Overie Church in Southwark. The newly weds attended festivities at Winchester Palace hosted by Joan's uncle, the powerful Cardinal Henry Beaufort. They then started their journey north to Scotland.
Joan was crowned queen of Scotland on 2 or 21, May at Scone Abbey by Henry de Wardlaw, Bishop of Saint Andrews. James, unlike his father, possessed a strong and resolute character and was determined to crush the threat posed by the power of the Albany Stewarts and promptly confiscated their estates. Murdoch Stewart and his two sons were executed on Castle Hill, at Stirling. In 1429, Alexander Macdonald, Lord of the Isles, was captured after burning and pillaging the Scottish Highlands. Dressed as a penitent, he was compelled to appear before the high altar in Holyrood Abbey. In a pre-staged scene, Joan pleaded with her husband for his life. This allowed James to save face while exercising mercy.
Birth Notes:
Palace of Westminster,
Death Notes:
Dunbar Castle,
Burial Notes:
Monastry Of The Chapelhouse
Noted events in her life were:
1. Biographical Information:,. 1752 Grand daughter of Prince John of Gaunt (Duke of Lancaster) Plantagenet.
2. Clan: House of Lancaster,,. 1752
3. Title Of Nobility: Countess of Westmoreland, in 1407,. 1752
4. Title Of Nobility: Queen Consort of Scotland, between 1424 and 1437, in , , , Scotland. 1752
5. Coronation: on 12 February 1424, in St. Mary, Overy, Southwark, Surrey, London, England. 1752
6. Biographical Information: Surived an assassination attempt, on 21 February 1437, in , , Perthshire, Scotland. 1752 The assassination attempt killed her husband, James I, King of Scotland.
7. Biographical Information: Imprisoned in Stirling Castle, on 3 August 1439, in Stirling, , Stirlingshire, Scotland. 1752
Joan married James I King of Scotland [7414] [MRIN: 5650], son of Robert III King of Scotland [7422] and Annabella DRUMMOND Queen of Scotland [7423], on 2 February 1424 in Priory Church, St. Mary Overie, Southwark, Surrey, London, England.1751 (James I King of Scotland [7414] was born on 30 December 1394 in Dunfermline, , Fife, Scotland 1753, christened on 30 December 1394 in Stirling, , Stirlingshire, Scotland,1753 died on 21 February 1437 in Perth, , Perthshire, Scotland 1753 and was buried on 25 February 1437 in Perth, , Perthshire, Scotland 1753.)
Joan next married Sir James STEWART The Black Knight of Lorn [7426] [MRIN: 5653] on 21 September 1439 in , , , Scotland.1752 (Sir James STEWART The Black Knight of Lorn [7426] was born in 1383 in Innermeath, Argyll, Scotland,1752 died on 17 August 1451 at Sea, Scotland 1752 and was buried at Sea, Scotland 1752.)
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