John Stewart, Earl of Mar

John Stewart ( - 1479) was a Scottish prince. The third surviving son of King James II and his wife, Mary of Guelders, he held the title of Earl of Mar. John died under mysterious circumstances in Edinburgh, probably on the orders of his eldest brother, King James III.

Life John was born at Stirling Castle, probably in 1457. He was the fourth son of James II of Scotland. John received the title of Earl of Mar before 23 June 1459, after a dispute between the king's lawyers and Thomas, Lord Erskine, over possession of the earldom. James II was killed by an exploding cannon in 1460, after which John's eldest brother, James III, became King of Scots.

Little is known about John's life; the historian Gordon Donaldson called him "no more than a name". In 1463 his household was transferred from Stirling to Falkland Palace. John's potential marriage was discussed by the Scottish parliament in 1466. John was tutored at Doune Castle in adolescence, and received control over his estates in 1471. John played a minor role in politics as an adult, attending meetings of parliament in 1476 and 1479. He frequently spent time in Aberdeen, owning a town house in the burgh, and was apparently involved in local disputes. John obtained royal letters in 1476 commanding the residents of Aberdeen to support him in his "feuds".

John fell under the suspicion of his brother, James III, after attending parliament in Edinburgh in March 1479. John was arrested later that year, and may have been imprisoned at Craigmillar Castle on the king's orders. John's imprisonment may have been related to the downfall of his elder brother, Alexander, Duke of Albany, earlier that same year. Two contemporary chronicles claimed that John was arrested for witchcraft, having been associated with several supposed witches. John was convicted in a trial at Craigmillar, and then taken to a house in the Canongate of Edinburgh, presumably to serve his sentence. However, he died at this house soon afterwards, possibly in December 1479. According to John Lesley and other later historians, John was killed in his bathtub, traditionally while receiving the contemporary medical treatment of bloodletting.

John never married, and left no known issue.

Ancestry