| Notes |
- BIOGRAPHY
John was born about 1337 as John Stewart of Kyle, the son of Robert II, king of Scots, and Elizabeth Mure. About 1366 he married Annabella Drummond, daughter of Sir John Drummond, of Stobhall, and Mary Montfichet. They had six children of whom their son James, a future King of Scots, and three daughters would have progeny. By a mistress he also had a son John who would have progeny.
In 1388 John was kicked by a horse and received an injury which left him lame for life. When his father Robert II died in April 1390 he was succeeded by John, a semi-invalid who was already over fifty. John took the name Robert III as his own name appeared to have been an unlucky one for kings.
Between Robert III's accession and his coronation occurred one of the most notorious outrages ever committed against royal authority. On 17 June 1390 the king's brother Alexander, 'The Wolf of Badenoch', in a feud with the bishop of Moray, burned the cathedral and the town of Elgin with the parish church and the Maison Dieu hospital. Robert III and his councillors made Alexander submit and promise reparations to the bishop.
Robert III acknowledged his incapacity by delegating his authority to his next brother Robert, earl of Fife, who possessed both ability and ambition. However, while they acted together against their brother Alexander there was rivalry between the king and his brother Fife. After a period Robert III ousted Fife, but under his personal rule law and order deteriorated sharply. As a result, he appointed his son and heir David as his deputy. Despite a successful beginning, David made powerful enemies, including his own brother-in-law Archibald Douglas, 4th earl of Douglas, 1.duc de Touraine. David was captured by his brother-in-law and his uncle, the latter imprisoning him in Falkland Castle where he died, according to a parliamentary enquiry, 'through Divine providence and not otherwise'. However, it seems more likely that he was killed on his uncle's orders.
In 1406 Robert III sent James, his 12-year-old son and heir, to France in order to keep him safe from his uncle. However, his ship was captured by English pirates and James spent the next 18 years in captivity. The news of James' capture was too much for Robert III who died on 4 April that year. He had once said, 'bury me in the midden, and write: Here lies the worst of kings and the most wretched of men'.
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Abt 1337 - 1406 (~ 69 years)
Siblings
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