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Archibald Campbell, 4th Earl Of Argyll

Archibald Campbell, 4th Earl of Argyll

Coordinates: 55°59′46.9″N 4°56′35.6″W / 55.996361°N 4.943222°W / 55.996361; -4.943222

In the grand, often brutal, tapestry of Scottish history, certain figures merely exist, while others carve out their niche with a particular blend of ambition, circumstance, and sheer endurance. Archibald Campbell, the 4th Earl of Argyll, often distinguished by the rather evocative moniker "Archibald the Red," falls firmly into the latter category. Born around 1507 in the ancient lands of Argyll, Scotland, his life spanned a tumultuous period of shifting allegiances, religious upheaval, and constant power struggles that defined 16th-century Scotland. His tenure as Earl of Argyll commenced in October 1529, following in the footsteps of his father, Colin Campbell, 3rd Earl of Argyll, and concluded with his death in 1558. He was succeeded in the earldom by his son, also named Archibald Campbell, 5th Earl of Argyll, ensuring the family's continuing, and rather relentless, prominence.

A quintessential Scottish nobleman and politician, Archibald's life was a testament to the intricate dance between feudal loyalty and personal ambition. His primary residence, Castle Campbell, stood as a stark symbol of his family's enduring power within the Campbell noble family. His familial connections were extensive, through his parents, Colin Campbell, 3rd Earl of Argyll and Lady Jean Gordon, and his three marriages to Lady Helen Hamilton, Lady Margaret Graham, and Catherine Maclean, which produced a number of influential children, including the future Archibald Campbell, 5th Earl of Argyll and Colin Campbell, 6th Earl of Argyll, along with his daughters Janet Campbell, Lady of Tyrconnell, Margaret Campbell, and Jeanette Campbell, Lady of Duart, and Agnes Campbell. He passed from this rather exhausting existence in 1558 at Dulnynn, Argyll, Scotland, leaving behind a legacy deeply intertwined with the very fabric of Scottish governance and society.

Biography

Archibald Campbell, the fourth of his name to bear the title Earl of Argyll, inherited his formidable position and the accompanying responsibilities in October of 1529, upon the death of his father, Colin Campbell, 3rd Earl of Argyll. His mother was Lady Jean Gordon, daughter of the equally distinguished Alexander Gordon, 3rd Earl of Huntly. Barely had the ink dried on his succession documents than he was thrust into the rather thankless task of commanding an expedition. Its purpose? To quell a burgeoning insurrection that had flared up across the southern reaches of the Scottish Isles.

In a rather unexpected turn of events, the primary chiefs involved in this uprising chose the path of voluntary submission, a rare display of pragmatism in an era defined by stubborn defiance. Among them was Alexander MacDonald of Dunnyveg, a key instigator of the rebellion. MacDonald, it seems, possessed a certain persuasive charm, managing to convince King James V of Scotland that his own loyalties were, in fact, firmly aligned with the Crown. More cunningly, MacDonald shifted the blame for the unrest, asserting that the disturbances were largely a consequence of the Earls of Argyll's self-serving use of their office as lieutenant over the Isles, exploiting it for personal gain. This accusation, whether entirely true or merely a politically expedient narrative, led to Archibald being summoned before the King. He was compelled to render a detailed account of the duties he had performed and the rentals he had collected from the Isles. The subsequent inquiry, presumably a rather uncomfortable affair, resulted in Archibald's temporary imprisonment. While he was eventually liberated, the experience came with a cost: he was stripped of his offices, a significant blow to his power and prestige. These offices would only be restored to him after the death of King James V, a testament to the enduring capriciousness of royal favour.

By 28 April 1542, a charter recorded Archibald Campbell in the more palatable, if less powerful, role of "master of the king's wine cellar." However, his influence was far from diminished. When Cardinal Beaton produced a document he claimed to be the last will of King James V – a will that, rather conveniently, appointed Beaton himself as governor of the Kingdom and guardian to the infant Mary, Queen of Scots, the daughter and sole heir of the recently deceased king – Archibald found his name listed among the Council of the Scottish Monarchy. This was a clear indication that even in relative disfavor, his standing remained considerable. Following Beaton's arrest on 20 January 1543, a move that undoubtedly pleased many, Archibald retreated to his own territories. There, he began to muster a formidable force, intending to challenge the authority of James Hamilton, Earl of Arran, who had been chosen by the Scottish Parliament as the legitimate governor.

Not long after, a powerful coalition formed. The Earls of Argyll, Huntly, Moray, and Bothwell, bolstered by a significant number of barons, landed gentry, bishops, and abbots, convened at Perth. Their collective vow was to staunchly resist the governor's measures. When summoned by Arran to disperse, they, with a surprising display of strategic patience, did not offer immediate resistance. However, the political landscape shifted dramatically when news broke that King Henry VIII of England had successfully brokered a treaty for the marriage of the young Queen Mary to his son, Prince Edward Tudor. This potential English dominance over Scotland was anathema to many, and the Earls of Argyll, Huntly, Bothwell, and Lennox (the latter having a complicated relationship with both sides) swiftly marched from Stirling with a force numbering ten thousand men. Their objective was clear: compel the governor to surrender the infant Queen into their care. Having achieved this, they returned with Mary to Stirling, effectively seizing control of the young monarch and, by extension, the future of Scotland.

The summer of 1544 saw further turmoil. Matthew Stewart, 4th Earl of Lennox, whose allegiances had by now firmly swung towards King Henry VIII of England, launched a series of aggressive raids. With the support of eighteen ships and 800 men supplied by the English monarch, Lennox plundered the Isle of Arran and managed to seize control of the Isle of Bute and the strategically important Rothesay Castle. As his fleet navigated down the River Clyde, Lennox found his advance challenged by Archibald Campbell. The Earl, with a force of four thousand men, had fortified and occupied Dunoon Castle. After a swift consultation with his English officers, Lennox decided to engage. He launched an assault on Dunoon Castle, simultaneously putting the nearby village and church to the torch. Despite sustaining significant losses, Archibald's forces were eventually driven from the castle. Lennox then proceeded to lay waste to a considerable portion of Kintyre. However, his ultimate objective – regaining possession of his ancestral stronghold, Dumbarton Castle – eluded him. Frustrated, Lennox retreated to his ships and sailed for England around 28 May 1544. In the aftermath, with Lennox's estates forfeited due to his alliance with England, Archibald Campbell was rewarded handsomely, receiving the largest share of the confiscated lands. While Lennox continued his attempts to stir up discontent in the Isles, the practical, and rather ironic, consequence of his actions was merely an increase in the already considerable power of the Earl of Argyll. Such is the nature of unintended consequences in the game of thrones.

The infamous Battle of Pinkie, fought on 10 September 1547, saw Archibald Campbell once again at the forefront of Scottish military command. He led the right wing of the Scottish army, a contingent composed of four thousand west Highlanders, into what would ultimately be a devastating defeat for Scotland. In January 1548, he advanced to Dundee with the intention of capturing Broughty Castle, which had fallen into English hands. Yet, English negotiators, perhaps possessing a more subtle form of persuasion than mere force, managed to deter him. Despite rumors circulating that he favored England and had been, shall we say, 'bought off,' Archibald vehemently denied these allegations. Later, during the protracted siege of Haddington, he received a significant honour: he was made a "Knight of the Cockle" by King Henry II of France, a clear signal of continued Franco-Scottish alliance, and a distinction he shared with the Earls of Angus and Huntly.

In a letter dispatched from Dunstaffnage Castle on 12 August 1554, Argyll communicated directly with Mary of Guise, the Queen Regent of Scotland. He was responding to her instructions concerning the suppression of yet another rebellion in the ever-restless Western Isles. He confirmed his intention to proceed towards Mull where he planned to rendezvous with James McConnell and MacLaine. Furthermore, he noted that Salabous, the Captain of Dunbar, had already arrived with his soldiers, indicating a coordinated effort to bring the rebellious clans back into line.

Towards the latter part of his life, Archibald Campbell found himself increasingly drawn into the intellectual and spiritual ferment of his era. He came under the profound influence of the fiery reformer John Knox and the burgeoning Scottish Reformation. In 1556, Knox, on his journey to Geneva, famously sought refuge and stayed with the Earl at Castle Campbell, a testament to Argyll's growing commitment to the reformed faith. After a significant agreement among the barons in December 1557, which stipulated that reformed preachers could teach in private residences until public preaching was officially sanctioned by the government, Archibald took on the crucial role of protecting John Douglas, a Carmelite friar who had embraced the new doctrines. The established church, naturally, was not pleased. In an attempt to sway Archibald back to the traditional faith, John Hamilton, the Archbishop of St. Andrews, dispatched a lengthy and undoubtedly earnest letter. Archibald, however, was clearly not one to be easily swayed, and he penned a detailed and equally resolute answer, laying bare his convictions.

Archibald Campbell's eventful life concluded sometime between 21 August 1558 and 2 December 1558. His death occurred in Dulnynn, Scotland, and his final resting place was at Kilmun Parish Church in Cowal, Scotland. His legacy, as noted earlier, was immediately carried forward by his son, Archibald Campbell, who inherited the earldom and the intricate web of power that came with it.

Family

Archibald Campbell, like many noblemen of his time, navigated the complex world of dynastic alliances and personal attachments through three distinct marriages, each contributing to the extensive network of the Campbell family.

His first marriage was to Lady Helen Hamilton, a daughter of James Hamilton, 1st Earl of Arran and Janet Bethune. Lady Helen passed away in or before 1541, but not before bearing him two children who would continue the family line:

  • Archibald Campbell, 5th Earl of Argyll, who would succeed his father in the earldom.
  • Lady Janet Campbell, who forged another important alliance by marrying Calvagh O'Donnell, Lord of Tyrconnell. It is worth noting that popular accounts often confuse the identities of Calvagh O'Donnell's wives, but historical records confirm Janet as the first known wife, a sister of the 5th Earl, and thus a daughter of the 4th Earl. This alliance, likely formed as early as the 1540s, underscored the strategic importance of such marital bonds in consolidating power across the Gaelic world.

Archibald's second foray into matrimony occurred on 21 April 1541, at the picturesque Priory of Inchmahome. His bride was Lady Margaret Graham, daughter of William Graham, 3rd Earl of Menteith and Margaret Moubray. This union produced a further three legitimate children, solidifying the Campbell network:

His third marriage, to Catherine Maclean, took place on 12 March 1546. Catherine was the daughter of Hector Mor Maclean, 8th of Duart and Mary MacDonald. This marriage, too, was a strategic move, reinforcing ties with the Maclean clan. In 1561, after Archibald's death, Catherine found herself in a situation that highlights the practicalities of noble life, pledging a gold chain with Thomas Wallace, a tailor in Stirling, for a loan of 120 merks.

Beyond his legitimate offspring, Archibald Campbell also fathered two children outside of marriage, a common occurrence in an era where such liaisons were often tolerated, if not openly acknowledged, within the noble class:

  • Mary Campbell, who married Sir James Stewart of Ardmaleish, the son of Ninian Stewart of Ardmaleish and Elizabeth Blair.
  • Agnes Campbell, born illegitimately to Janet Gordon, who was herself a daughter of Alexander Gordon, 3rd Earl of Huntly.

Notes

  • ^ a b Henderson 1886, p. 313.
  • ^ Henderson 1886, pp. 313, 314.
  • ^ a b c d e Henderson 1886, p. 314.
  • ^ Annie I. Cameron, Scottish Correspondence of Mary of Lorraine (Edinburgh, 1927), pp. 388-9.
  • ^ Dawson 2004.
  • ^ a b Lundy 2011 cites Cokayne 2000, p. 201 and Mosley 2003, p. 607
  • ^ Many popular accounts of the family of Calvagh O'Donnell (c. 1515-1566) confuse the identities of his wives and their relationships to the Earls of Argyll. Calvagh's first known wife, however, was definitely a sister of the 5th Earl, and therefore a daughter of the 4th Earl. "Calendar of the State Papers Relating to Ireland of the Reign(s) of Henry VIII., Edward VI., Mary and Elizabeth", originally published in 1860, Vol. 1, page 159. Accessed 17 Dec. 2017 here through Google Books. This relationship is referenced in correspondence of the English government in 1555 and 1560, although the marriage could have occurred as early as the 1540s, when Manus O'Donnell, Calvagh's father, entered into an alliance with the 4th Earl. "The Dictionary of National Biography", ed. by Leslie Stephen & Sir Sidney Lee, published 1895, page 441. Accessed 14 Dec. 2017 here through Google Books. The only known source for her given name occurs centuries later in the O'Donnell family archives. "Burke's Genealogical and Heraldic History of Peerage, Baronetage, and Knightage", published 1885, Vol. 47, page 1012. Accessed here through Google Books 14 Dec. 2017. By 30 May 1561, Calvagh had remarried to Catherine Maclean, widow of the 4th Earl, who is frequently referred to as the Countess or former Countess of Argyll in English government correspondence. "Calendar of the State Papers Relating to Ireland of the Reign(s) of Henry VIII., Edward VI., Mary and Elizabeth", originally published 1860, Vol. 1, page 591. Accessed here through Google Books 17 Dec. 2107.
  • ^ a b Lundy 2011 cites Mosley 2003, p. 607
  • ^ a b Lundy 2011 cites Mosley 1999, p. 104
  • ^ Michael Pearce, 'Maskerye Claythis for James VI and Anna of Denmark', Medieval English Theatre 43 (Cambridge: D. S. Brewer, 2022), pp. 110-111.
  • ^ Robert Renwick, Extracts from the records of the Burgh of Stirling , 1 (Glasgow, 1887), p. 79
  • ^ Lundy 2011 cites Cokayne 2000a, p. 222