Joan Beaufort (Queen of Scotland)
To go to the ancestor chart on which this person is listed, go
HERE
Joan Beaufort, the then Countess of Wes was born at Of, Westminster, Middlesex, England about 1406. She met her future husband while he was held captive at the English Court. He obviously won the affections of Joan. This is part of a story James tells in his famous poem, "The Kingis Quair" In this poem, King James I recounts the romance that began when he resolved to write a poem. After invoking the muses, he describes his state of doubt misery and uncertainty, gives an account of the cheif events of his life, his capture at sea and his imprisonment. He then says that he walks to the window and he hears the cheerful song of the nightingale and presently sees a lady with whon he falls in love at first sight:
And therewith kest I down myn eye ageyne,
Quhare as I saw, walking under the toure,
Full secretly new cummyn hir to pleyne,
The fairest or the freschest yonge floure
That ever I sawe, me thoght, before that houre,
For quhich sodayn abate, anon astert
The blude of all my body to my hert.
The poem consists of 197 stanzas of seven lines each, relating invocations of classical godesses, with whose encouragement he is in the end successful in his suit.
The lady was Joan Beaufort.
The high rank, great beauty and accomplishments of the lady readily secured the necessary sanction from the Scottish council and they were married February 2, 1424 at the church of St Mary Overy in Southwark. The marriage lessened the heavy obligations of Scotland in freeing their king. Three hundred of the principal nobles, barons and
gentry of Scotland met them at Durham, twenty eight becoming hostages for the national faith.
After the assasination of her husband, Joan took revenge on his murderers and took charge of the six year old James II at Edinburgh Castle. However, as was often to be the case, the barons found the Queen-mother a constitutional threat and upon
marrying James Stewart, "The Black Knight of Lorn" for protection, she and her new husband were arrested and held until she had signed over her royal powers and income, surrendering the child to Sir Alexander Livingston.
She was gradually abandoned by James Stewart since her status had been broken and when he was compelled to flee Scotland, Joan ended her days, possibly cruelly, at DunbarCastle, Dunbar, EasLoth, Scotland, dying on July 15, 1445.
Siblings
1)Henry Beaufort, Earl of Somerset (1401-1418)
2)John Beaufort, K.G., Duke of Somerset (1403-1444): Married Margaret Beauchamp.
3)Margaret Beaufort
4)Edmund Beaufort, K.G., Duke of Somerset (1406-22 May 22, 1455): Married Eleanor Beauchamp. He died at St. Albans in battle.
Children
1)Margaret Stewart (1425-1445): Married Louis XI, King of France.
2)Alexander Stewart (1430- infancy)
3)James II (1430-1460): James became King of Scots. Born at Holyrood, Edinburgh on October 16, 1430, he succeeded to the throne on his father's murder, but was not of age to direct his own policy until the time ( July 3, 1449) of his marriage to Mary of Gueldres, the niece of Duke Phillip of Burgundy. Until then, the country was ruled by those who could gain control of the young king; most prominent amoung these where the two families of Crichton (See Crichton on this chart)and Livingstone (See Livingstones on this chart), whose rivalry caused much disorder.
Territorially the most powerful family in the kingdom were the Black Douglases (See Douglas on this chart) who held much of southern Scotland. During the disorders of the king's minority, William, 6th Earl of Douglas, had been executed for alleged treason in 1440; but his estates had not been forfeited and the power of the family quickly revived. When James himself took up his father's task of strengthening the authority of the crown, he attacked William, 8th Earl of Douglas, in 1450, but there was a temporary reconciliation. There were, however, renewed disputes, and in 1452 the earl was murdered by James himself, dispite having been granted safe-conduct. The survivors if the family were for a time in rebellion; and after another temporary reconciliation, James, the 9th Earl of Douglas was expelled in 1455 and all his lands were annexed by the crown. The king also annexed in the same year the earldom of Moray which had come by marriage into the hands of Archibald, a brother of the 8th earl of Douglas. This deprived Archibald's wife, Elizabeth Dunbar, and her5 subsequent husbands of the earldom. The Douglases were a grave threat to the power of the crown, but James was high-handed in dealing with them. His son was James III, king of Scots.
4)Joan (janet) Princess of Scotland
5)Sir James Stewart (Jr.) (????-1498 )
6)John Stewart
Spouse
Parents