General Notes

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REFN: P2357
John Comyn, Earl of Buchan (died 1308) was a Scottish nobleman and an impo
rtant opponent of King Robert I of Scotland in the civil war that parallel
ed the War of Scottish Independence. He should not be confused with the be
tter known John III Comyn, Lord of Badenoch, who was his cousin, and who w
as killed by Bruce in Dumfries in 1306. Buchan was the representati
ve of a family that had long dominated the politics of Scotland. His ultim
ate defeat by Bruce entailed a significant-and lasting-shift in the balan
ce of power, especially in the north of Scotland, the Comyn heartland.
The Comyns of Buchan
The Comyns, a family of Norman origin, first made their appearance in Scot
land during the reign of David I. In 1136 William Cumin, who had former
ly been in the service of Henry I of England, became Chancellor of Scotlan
d. William Cumin was part of a new class of foreigners whose power and sta
tus in Scotland was entirely dependent on their service to the king, and w
ere to be used by David and his successors in extending royal authori
ty to the semi-independent fringes of the kingdom. The Comyns first gran
ts of land were in the south of Scotland; but in 1212 they made their mo
st significant advance when William Comyn, Justiciar of Scotia, married Ma
rjorie, the only child and heir of Fergus, the "earl" or mormaer of Bucha
n, a lordship encompassing a large area in the north-east of Scotland. Wh
en their son Alexander succeeded them, the Comyns became the first fami
ly of Norman origin to acquire comital status in Scotland, gaining more th
an a head start on the Bruces, also of Norman-French origin, who did not a
cquire the earldom of Carrick until the later thirteenth century. Willi
am also advanced Comyn power by acquiring for his son, Walter Comyn, the s
outhern section of the old earldom of Moray, the Lordship of Badenoch, whi
ch also included the more westerly district of Lochaber. By the midd
le of the thirteenth century Comyn power thus extended from the shor
es of Aberdeenshire westwards all the way to Loch Linnhe. The family w
as a force of growing importance through the successive reigns of Alexand
er II and Alexander III; but they might be said to have reached the heigh
ts of their power and influence during the reign of John Balliol.
In 1290 Margaret, the Maid of Norway, the last descendant of the Canmore d
ynasty died, leaving the Scottish throne with no clear successor. In the e
nd thirteen Competitors came forward, the most important of whom were Robe
rt Bruce of Annandale, grandfather of the future king, and John Balliol. A
lthough John Comyn, Lord of Badenoch, sometimes known as the Black Comy
n, was one of the minor competitors, the weight of the family was behind t
he claim of Balliol, Badenoch's brother-in-law. Following the intervenati
on of Edward I, Balliol finally emerged in 1292 as the strongest claima
nt in terms of feudal law, though the Bruce family was not reconciled to t
his outcome. Ever since the death of Alexander III in 1286 the Lord of Ann
andale had shown himself prepared, if necessary, to resort to violen
ce in pursuit of his claim. But any successful future bid for the crown co
uld only proceed with the co-operaation, or by the destruction, of the hou
se of Comyn. By 1292 the great division which was to dominate Scottish pol
itics on and off for over fifty years had taken definite shape.
John Comyn became third earl of Buchan following the death of his fathe
r, Alexander, in 1289. Some thirty years of age at the time he was quick
ly thrust to the front in the great political contests of the day. He w
as prominent in John Balliol's administration, emerging as Constable of Sc
otland by 1293. He was one of those summoned by Edward I, in his capaci
ty as the Feudal overlord of Scotland, to serve in the wars in France. Th
is was clearly no welcome development; and when King John effectively cav
ed in to the deman