General Notes

Alias:<ALIA> Born as John Stewart //
REFN: 2557AN
Alias:<ALIA> John /Stewart/
REFN: P2558
born John Stewart
Named John, Earl o f Carrick, but assumed the name Robert. Legitimized by
his
parents' marriage .
Robert III Stewart (called John at birth), b. 1337, legitimated
(dispensat ion) 1347, d. 4 Apr 1406, Earl of Carrick 22 June 1368, King of
Scotland 1390 -1406; m. in or before 1367 (dispensation 13 Mar 1365/6),
Annabella, d. 1401, daughter of Sir John Drummond and Mary (perhaps
Montefichet), of Stobhall. [ Magna Charta Sureties]
Robertt III..., after having ruled Scotland in the name of his father,
Robert II, from 1384 to 1388, physically disabled by a kick f rom a horse,
he was never the real ruler of Scotland during the years of his kingship.
The eldest son of Robert the Steward and Elizabeth Mure, he was
le gitimized by their marriage several years after his birth. In 1362-3 he
joine d his father in a futile revolt against King David II, who both
imprisoned hi m and created him Earl of Carrick in 1368. (He had been
created Earl of Athol l in 1367.) Robert II became king in 1371; in 1384,
because of his advanced a ge, he turned over the government to Carrick.
After his injury in 1388, howev er, Carrick was supplanted by his brother
Robert, Earl of Fife.
On his acces sion, probably on April 19, 1390, he changed his name to
Robert III from John to avoid reminding others of John De Balliol, King
of Scotland from 1292 to 1296, who was not favourably remembered. Fife,
created Duke of Albany in 1398 , continued to govern throughout this
reign, except for three years (1398-140 2) when Robert III's eldest son,
David Duke of Rothesay, took his place. The dissolute Rothesay died in
March 1402 while imprisoned in Albany's castle of Falkland, Fife. Perhaps
in an attempt to save his remaining son, James (after ward James I King of
Scotland) from death at Albany's hands, Robert III sent the boy to
France, but James was captured by English sailors, a shock to the aging
king. [Encylclopedia Britannica]
Robert III (c. 1340- April 4, 1406), king of Scotland, was the eldest son
of King Robert II by his mistress, Eliza beth Mure, and was legitimised
when his parents were formally married about 1 349. They had previously
been married in 1336, but this ceremony had been cri ticized as being
uncanonical.
In 1368 he was created Earl of Carrick, and he took some part in the
government of the kingdom until about 1387, when he wa s disabled by the
kick of a horse. It was probably in consequence of this acc ident that his
brother Robert, Earl of Fife, and not the crown prince himself , was made
guardian of the kingdom in 1389; but the latter succeeded to the t hrone
on his father's death in May 1390.
At this time he changed his baptism al name of John, which was unpopular
owing to its connexion with John De Bali ol, for that of Robert, being
crowned at Scone in August 1390 as King Robert III. Although he probably
attended several parliaments the new king was only the nominal ruler of
Scotland, the real power being in the hands of his broth er, the Earl of
Fife.
In 1399, however, owing to the king's "sickness of the body," his elder
son, David, Duke of Rothesay, was appointed lieutenant of t he kingdom;
but this event was followed by an English invasion of Scotland, b y
serious differences between Rothesay and his uncle, Robert, now Duke of
A lbany, and finally in March 1402 by Rothesay's mysterious death at
Falkland P alace.
Early in 1406 the king's only surviving son, afterwards King James I, w as
captured by the English; and in 1406 Robert died, probably at Rothesay,
and was buried at Paisley. Robert III married Annabella Drummond (c.
1350-140 2), daughter of Sir John Drummond of Stobhall, and by her, in
addition to the two sons already mentioned, had four daughters (Margaret,
Mary, Egidia, and Elizabeth). He also had an illegitimate son, James
Stewart of Kilbride.