John (Comyn) Comyn of Badenoch (abt. 1244 - 1302)

Born about 1244 in Scotland [uncertain]

Ancestors

Descendants

Died 1302 at about age 58 in Lochindorb, Scotland

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Biography

John (Comyn) Comyn of Badenoch is Notable.

John (Comyn) Comyn of Badenoch was born in Scotland.

Birth

John "the Black" Comyn (see research note 1) was the son of John the Red Comyn I, Knt., and justiciar of Galloway, and Eve, who was possibly the daughter of Walter Steward, Steward of Scotland.^[1][2][3][4] The marriage of John Comyn and Eve occurred around 1240, and produced the following issue:

• William, who was living in January 1260/91, but deceased before 2 June 1291;^[1][2][3][4]
• John the Black Comyn, the subject of this profile;^[1][3][4][5]
• Alexander;^[1][2][4]
• Mary;^[1][2][3]
• daughter, who married Geoffrey Mowbray, Knt.;^[1][2][3][4]
• daughter, who married Alexander of Argyll, Knt.;^{[1][2][3] [4]} and
• daughter, who married Andrew Moray, Knt.^{[1][2][3][4][6]}

John had half siblings from his father's second marriage, circa 1260, to Alice, daughter of William de Ros and Lucy FitzPiers:^[1][2]

• John, "le jeon";^[3][4][7]
• Robert;^[1][2][4][7] and
• Alice.^[1][2][7]

As William was the first son and heir, and likely born around 1242, John, as the second son may have been born around 1244. The birth order of the children is not known, however, so he may have been born at a later date, if one or more daughters followed William's birth.

Marriage

John married Alianora (or Eleanor), likely in the 1270s,^[8] daughter of John de Balliol and Devorguille of Galloway and sister of King John of Scotland who reigned from 17 November 1292 to 10 July 1296.^[3][4][9] John and Alianora's marriage produced the following issue:

• John Comyn "the Red II," who succeeded his father as Lord of Badenoch in 1302. He married Joan (or Jeanne), daughter of William de Valence, Lord of Pembroke and Joan de Munchensy. He was murdered by Robert Bruce in the church of the Minorite Friars in Dumfries on 10 February 1305/6 (see research note 2).^[4][9][10]

Notable Events

Although Sir John succeeded to his father's estates in Tynesdale following the death of his elder brother William, who had died without issue after January 1290/1, but before 2 June 1291,^[3][5] John was actively involved in the political affairs of Scotland well before his succession. In 1281, he attended the convention of Roxburgh, where the noble attendees determined that Margaret, daughter of Alexander III, would marry Erik, King of Norway.^[3][5][11] In 1284, following the death of Alexander's daughter, John was one of the Magnates Scotiae who agreed that Margaret, the Maid of Norway, would be heir presumptive to the throne of Scotland following the death of her grandfather, Alexander III (died, 1286).^[3][11] In the year of Alexander's death, John was named by parliament as one of six guardians of Scotland to handle the affairs of state, being one of three who was entrusted to the lands south of the Forth.^[3][5][11]

In 1289, John, his fellow regents, and the bishops of St. Andrews and Glasgow signed the treaty of Salisbury with the King of Norway regarding the marriage of the King's daughter, Margaret, to Edward of Caernarfon, son of Edward I. The Scots' aim was to gain stability and security through this union, while maintaining their independence as a sovereign nation.^[3][5][11] In March 1290, the treaty of Salisbury was confirmed at the parliament of Brigham by John and others in attendance.^[5] He and various nobles later signed an agreement on 19 August 1290 at Northampton with Edward I, which confirmed the above treaty.^[5] In this same year, four years after Alexander III's death, John received a gift from Edward for letters brought from the Bishop of St. Andrews announcing the arrival of Margaret, the Maid of Norway, in Orkney.^[3] Unfortunately, Margaret was not to leave Orkney, a Norwegian archipelago off the coast of Scotland, for she died between 26 and 29 September 1290, after a brief illness that occurred while on the island.^[11]

As a result of the Maid's untimely death, in 1291 John became one of the Competitors for the crown of Scotland and submitted to Edward I as liege lord of Scotland, whereby Edward would pass judgment as to the successor.^[9] John based his claim on his descent from Donald Bane (died 1097), younger brother of King Malcolm of Canmore, through his ancestor Hextilda, however, he withdrew his claim to the crown and became a supporter of his brother-in-law Balliol instead.^[3][9] In November of 1292, the Scottish auditors, with Edward I as arbitrator named John Balliol King of Scotland, bringing the seven years regency to a close.^[5][12]

When, after a turbulent reign, King Balliol abdicated the throne on 10 July 1296 to Edward I, John remained loyal to the Scottish cause, thus incurring the wrath of Scotland's Lord Paramount.^[5][9][12] Although John swore fealty to Edward on 10 July 1296, and was banished to live south of the river Trent, his family was allowed to join him.^[3][5] During William Wallace's rise and insurrection, however, Edward I soon released John in hope that he would wield his powerful influence against this over-zealous, Scottish loyalist. In June of 1297, John's estates were restored and he was given safe conduct to return to Scotland.^[5]

Death

John died circa 1302 at his castle of Lochindorb.^[5] The location of his burial is unknown.

Research Notes

1. According to Geoffrey Barrow in, The Community of the Realm of Scotland, John's sobriquet, "the Black," is inaccurate and is based upon an entry in The Orygynale Cronykil of Scotland.^[13][14] While John's father and son are referred to as "the Red" Comyns I and II, Barrow stated that "contemporary evidence" proved that John "the Black" Comyn was instead called "the Red" Comyn. "The Red," according to Barrow, was typically attached to the head of the senior branch of the Comyns of Badenoch.^[9][14] As to "contemporary evidence," none was provided.

2. Although Cawley named an additional son, William, he did not cite this claim.^[4] Richardson and Balfour Paul both stated, however, that John "the Black" Comyn and Eve had only one son, John.^[3][9]

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10} Richardson, Douglas. Royal Ancestry: A Study in Colonial and Medieval Families, 5 vols, ed. Kimball G. Everingham (Salt Lake City: The author, 2013), Vol II, p. 206, ROOS 6.
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 2.8 2.9} Richardson, Douglas. Magna Carta Ancestry: A Study in Colonial and Medieval Families, 4 vols, ed. Kimball G. Everingham, 2nd edition (Salt Lake City: The author, 2011), Vol. I, pp. 475, 476, CLARELL 3, (WebLink Google Books).
3. ↑ ^{3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 3.10 3.11 3.12 3.13 3.14 3.15 3.16 3.17} Balfour Paul, James. The Scots Peerage: Founded on Wood's Ed. of Sir Robert Douglas's Peerage of Scotland; Containing an Historical and Genealogical Account of the Nobility of that Kingdom (Edinburgh: D. Douglas, 1904), Vol. I, pp. 507, 508, (WebLink Internet Archive).
4. ↑ ^{4.00 4.01 4.02 4.03 4.04 4.05 4.06 4.07 4.08 4.09 4.10 4.11} Cawley, Charles. Foundation for Medieval Genealogy: Untitled Nobility, John "the Black" Comyn, (FMG Website: 9 May 2022), (WebLink Foundation for Medieval Genealogy.
5. ↑ ^{5.00 5.01 5.02 5.03 5.04 5.05 5.06 5.07 5.08 5.09 5.10 5.11} Tout, Thomas Frederick. Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900/John Comyn (London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900), Vol. 11, p. 459, (WebLink Wikisource).
6. ↑ Balfour Paul, James. The Scots Peerage: Founded on Wood's Ed. of Sir Robert Douglas's Peerage of Scotland; Containing an Historical and Genealogical Account of the Nobility of that Kingdom (Edinburgh: D. Douglas, 1905), Vol. II, p. 126, (WebLink Internet Archive).
7. ↑ ^{7.0 7.1 7.2} Bain, Joseph. Calendar of Documents Relating to Scotland Preserved in Her Majesty's Public Record Office, London (Edinburgh: H. M. General Register House, 1881), Vol. II, pp. lv, lvi, (WebLink Internet Archive).
8. ↑ Alan Young. Robert The Bruce's Rivals: The Comyns, 1212-1314 (East Lothian: Tuckwell Press Ltd., 1997), p. 72.
9. ↑ ^{9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 9.5 9.6} Richardson, Douglas. Royal Ancestry: A Study in Colonial and Medieval Families, 5 vols, ed. Kimball G. Everingham (Salt Lake City: The author, 2013), Vol I, p. 232, BALLIOL 7.
10. ↑ Balfour Paul, James. The Scots Peerage: Founded on Wood's Ed. of Sir Robert Douglas's Peerage of Scotland; Containing an Historical and Genealogical Account of the Nobility of that Kingdom (Edinburgh: D. Douglas, 1904), Vol. I, p. 509, (WebLink Internet Archive).
11. ↑ ^{11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 11.4} Reid, Norman. (1982). Margaret, "Maid of Norway" and Scottish Queenship. University of Reading. Reading Medieval Studies, 8, 75-96. Retrieved from https://www.reading.ac.uk/gcms/-/media/project/functions/research/graduate-centre-for-medieval-studies/documents/rms198204-n-reid-margaret-maid-of-norway-and-scottish-queenship.pdf.
12. ↑ ^{12.0 12.1} Dunbar, Archibald Hamilton. Scottish Kings; A Revised Chronology of Scottish History, 1005-1625 (Edinburgh: D. Douglas, 1899), p. 116, (WebLink Internet Archive).
13. ↑ Andrew of Wyntoun. The Orygynale Cronykil of Scotland. In David Laing (Ed.). (Edinburgh: Edmonston and Douglas, 1872-79), Vol. II, pp. 311, 312, (WebLink Internet Archive).
14. ↑ ^{14.0 14.1} Barrow, Geoffrey, W. S. Robert Bruce & the Community of the Realm of Scotland (Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 1988), p. 336, n. 46.