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{{Use British English|date=December 2024}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2024}}
{{Short description|Title in British peerage}}
{{For|the steamship|TSS Duke of Albany}}
{{Distinguish|Duke of Alba}}
{{More citations needed|date=October 2018}}
{{Infobox nobility title
| name              = Dukedom of Albany 
| image             = [[File:Coat of Arms of Leopold, Duke of Albany.svg|180px]] 
| image_size        =  
| alt               =  
| caption           = [[Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany#Arms|Arms of Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany]]
| creation_date     = 24 May 1881 
| creation          = Sixth 
| monarch           = [[Queen Victoria]] 
| peerage           = [[Peerage of the United Kingdom]] 
| baronetage        =  
| first_holder      = [[Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany|Prince Leopold]] 
| last_holder       = [[Charles Edward, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha|Prince Charles Edward]] 
| present_holder    =  
| heir_apparent     =  
| heir_presumptive  =  
| remainder_to      = the 1st Duke's [[heirs male]] [[heirs of the body|of the body]] lawfully begotten 
| subsidiary_titles = [[Earl of Clarence]]<br />[[Baron Arklow]] 
| status            = Suspended under the [[Titles Deprivation Act 1917]] on 28 March 1919 
| extinction_date   =  
| family_seat       =  
| former_seat       =  
| motto             =  
| footnotes         =  
}}
[[File:Arms of Robert Stewart, Duke of Albany (1403).svg|right|thumb|170px|Arms of the Albany Stewarts]]
'''Duke of Albany''' is a [[peerage]] title that has occasionally been bestowed on younger sons in the [[Scotland|Scottish]] and later the British [[royal family]], particularly in the Houses of [[House of Stuart|Stuart]] and [[House of Hanover|Hanover]].

==History==
The Dukedom of Albany was first granted in 1398 by King [[Robert III of Scotland]] to his brother, [[Robert Stewart, Duke of Albany|Robert Stewart]], the title being in the [[Peerage of Scotland]]. "[[Alba]]ny" was a broad territorial term representing the parts of Scotland north of the [[River Forth]], roughly the former Kingdom of the [[Picts]]. The title (along with the [[Duke of Rothesay|Dukedom of Rothesay]]) was one of the first two dukedoms created in Scotland. It passed to Robert's son [[Murdoch Stewart, Duke of Albany|Murdoch Stewart]], and was forfeited in 1425 due to the [[attainder]] of Murdoch.

The title was again created in 1458 for [[Alexander Stewart, Duke of Albany|Alexander Stewart]] but was forfeited in 1483. His son [[John Stewart, Duke of Albany|John Stewart]] was restored to the second creation in 1515 but died without heirs in 1536. In 1541, Robert, the second son of [[James V of Scotland]], was styled Duke of Albany, but he died at less than a month old. The fourth creation, along with the Earldom of Ross and Lordship of Ardmannoch, was for [[Mary, Queen of Scots]]' king consort [[Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley|Lord Darnley]], whose son, later [[James VI and I|James VI of Scotland, I of England and Ireland]], inherited the titles on his death. That creation merged with the Scottish crown upon James's ascension. The title, along with the title of [[Duke of York]], with which it has since been traditionally coupled, was created for a fifth time in 1604 for [[Charles I of England|Charles]], son of [[James VI and I]]. Upon Charles's ascent to the throne in 1625, the title of Duke of Albany merged once again into the crown.

{{Anchor|Naming of New York and Albany}}
The title was next granted in 1660 to Charles I's son, [[James II of England|James]], by [[Charles II of England|Charles II]]. When James succeeded his elder brother to the throne in 1685, the titles again merged into the crown. The cities of [[New York City|New York]] and [[Albany, New York]] were thus both named after James, as he was the Duke of York and of Albany.  The pretender, [[Charles Edward Stuart]], gave the title Duchess of Albany to his illegitimate daughter [[Charlotte Stuart, Duchess of Albany|Charlotte]]; she died in 1789.

The title "[[Duke of York and Albany]]" was granted three times by the Hanoverian kings.

[[Image:Carl Eduard Sachsen Coburg und Gotha.jpg|thumb|200px|right|[[Charles Edward, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha|HRH Prince Charles Edward]], the last person to hold the title, was deprived thereof in 1919.]]

The title of "Albany" alone was granted for the fifth time, this time in the [[Peerage of the United Kingdom]], in 1881 to [[Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany|Prince Leopold]], the fourth son of [[Queen Victoria]].<ref name="eilers">{{cite book |last=Eilers |first=Marlene |title=Queen Victoria's Descendants |publisher=Rosvall Royal Books |place=Falkoping, Sweden |date=1997 | pages=106–108, 160–162, 164–165, 179–180 |ISBN=91-630-5964-9}}</ref> Prince Leopold's son, [[Charles Edward, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha|Prince Charles Edward]] (who had succeeded as reigning [[Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha]] in 1900), was deprived of the peerage in 1919 for bearing arms against the United Kingdom in [[World War I]].<ref name="eilers"/> His grandson, [[Ernst Leopold Prinz von Sachsen-Coburg und Gotha|Ernst Leopold]] (1935–1996), only son of Charles Edward's eldest son [[Johann Leopold, Hereditary Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha]] (1906–1972), sometimes used the title "Duke of Albany",<ref name="eilers"/> although the [[Titles Deprivation Act 1917]] stipulates that any successor of a suspended peer shall be restored to the peerage only by direction of the sovereign, the successor's petition for restoration having been submitted for and obtained a satisfactory review of the appropriate [[Privy Council]] committee.<ref name=titles>{{cite web |url=http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/Geo5/7-8/47 |title= Titles Deprivation Act 1917 |year= 1917 |publisher=The National Archives |access-date= 13 March 2019}}</ref>

==Dukes of Albany==
===First creation, 1398===
:''Other titles (1st Duke): [[Earl of Fife]] (1371), [[Earl of Buchan]] (1374–1406), [[Earl of Atholl]] (1403–1406)''
*[[Robert Stewart, Duke of Albany]] ({{circa|1340}}–1420), third son of '''[[Robert II of Scotland]]'''
:''Other titles (2nd Duke): [[Earl of Menteith]] (bef 1189), Earl of Fife (1371), Earl of Buchan (1374)''
*[[Murdoch Stewart, Duke of Albany]] (1362–1425), eldest son of the 1st Duke was attainted and his honours forfeit in 1425

===Second creation, 1458===
:''Other titles (1st Duke): [[Earl of March]] (1455), [[Earl of Mar]] and Earl of Garioch (1482)''
*[[Alexander Stewart, Duke of Albany]] ({{circa|lk=no|1454}}–1485), second son of '''[[James II of Scotland|James II]]''', forfeited his honours in 1479, was restored in 1482, then forfeited them again in 1483
:''Other titles (2nd Duke): [[Earl of March]] (1455)''
*[[John Stewart, Duke of Albany]] (1482–1536), only legitimate son of the 1st Duke, was restored to his father's dukedom and Earldom of March in 1515. The honours became extinct upon his death without issue

===''Only styled'', 1541===
{{Nobility table header|name=Duke}}
| '''Robert Stewart'''<br>[[House of Stuart]]<br>1541–1541
| no portrait
| 12 April 1541<br>[[Falkland Palace]], [[Falkland, Fife]]<br>son of [[James V of Scotland]] and [[Mary of Guise]]
| not married
| 20 April 1541<br>Falkland Palace, Falkland, Fife<br>aged 8 days
|-
|}

===Third creation, 1565===
{{Nobility table header|name=Duke}}
|-
| '''[[Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley|Henry Stuart]]'''<br>[[House of Stuart]]<br>1565–1567<br><small>''also: [[Earl of Ross]] and [[Lord Ardmannoch]] (1565)''</small>
| [[File:Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley.jpg|100px|Henry Stuart]]
| 19 November 1545<br>[[Dunfermline Palace]], [[Dunfermline]]<br>son of [[Matthew Stewart, 4th Earl of Lennox]] and [[Margaret Douglas|Lady Margaret Douglas]]
| [[Mary, Queen of Scots]]<br>29 July 1565<br>1 child
| 10 February 1567<br>[[Kirk o' Field]], [[Edinburgh]]<br>aged 21
|-
| '''[[James VI and I|James Stuart]]'''<br>[[House of Stuart]]<br>1567<br><small>''also: [[Earl of Ross]] and [[Lord Ardmannoch]] (1565)'';<br>''[[Duke of Rothesay]] (1398)''</small>
| [[File:JamesIEngland.jpg|100px|James Stuart]]
| 19 June 1566<br>[[Edinburgh Castle]], [[Edinburgh]]<br>son of [[Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley]] and [[Mary, Queen of Scots]]
| [[Anne of Denmark]]<br>23 November 1589<br>9 children
| 27 March 1625<br>[[De Vere Theobalds Estate]], [[Cheshunt]]<br>aged 58
|-
| colspan=5|''Prince James succeeded as '''James VI''' in 1567 upon his mother's abdication, and his titles merged with the crown.''
|-
|}

===Fourth creation, 1604===
{{Nobility table header|name=Duke}}
|-
| '''[[Charles I of England|Charles Stuart]]'''<br>[[House of Stuart]]<br>1600–1625<ref>[[Gregg, Pauline]] (1981), ''King Charles I'', London: Dent</ref><br><small>''also: [[Marquess of Ormond (Scotland)|Marquess of Ormond]], [[Earl of Ross]], Lord Ardmannoch (1600–1625);<br>[[Duke of York]] (1605–1625);<br>[[Prince of Wales]] (1616), [[Duke of Cornwall]] (1337) and [[Duke of Rothesay]] (1398)''</small>
| [[Image:Charles I (1625).jpg|100px|Charles Stuart]]
| 19 November 1600<br>[[Dunfermline Palace]], [[Dunfermline]]<br>son of [[James VI and I]] and [[Anne of Denmark]]
| [[Henrietta Maria of France]]<br>13 June 1625<br>9 children
| 30 January 1649<br>[[Whitehall Palace]], [[London]]<br>aged 48
|-
| colspan=5|''Prince Charles succeeded as '''Charles I''' in 1625 upon [[James VI and I|his father]]'s death, and his titles merged with the crown.''
|-
|}

===Fifth creation, 1660===
{{Nobility table header|name=Duke}}
| '''[[James II of England|James Stuart]]'''<br>[[House of Stuart]]<br>1633 or 1644 – 1685<ref>Callow, John, The Making of King James II: The Formative Years of a King, Sutton Publishing, Ltd, Stroud, Gloucestershire, 2000. Page</ref><br><small>''also: [[Duke of York]] (1633/1644), [[Earl of Ulster]] (1659)''</small>
| [[Image:James II & VII.jpg|100px|James Stuart]]
| 14 October 1633<br>[[St. James's Palace]], [[London]]<br>son of [[Charles I of England]] and [[Henrietta Maria of France]]
| [[Anne Hyde]]<br>3 September 1660<br>8 children<br><br>[[Mary of Modena]]<br>21 November 1673<br>7 children
| 16 September 1701<br>[[Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye]], [[Paris]]<br>aged 67
|-
| colspan=5|''Prince James succeeded as '''James II''' in 1685 upon [[Charles II of England|his brother]]'s death, and his titles merged with the crown.''
|-
|}

===Sixth creation, 1881===
{{Nobility table header|name=Duke}}
| '''[[Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany|Prince Leopold]]'''<br>[[House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha]]<br>1882–1884<br><small>''also: [[Earl of Clarence]] and [[Baron Arklow]] (1881)''</small>
| [[File:Leopoldalbany.jpg|100px|Prince Arthur]]
| 7 April 1853<br>[[Buckingham Palace]], [[London]]<br>son of [[Queen Victoria]] and [[Albert, Prince Consort|Prince Albert]]
| [[Princess Helena of Waldeck and Pyrmont]]<br>27 April 1882<br>2 children
| 28 March 1884<br>Villa Nevada, [[Cannes]]<br>aged 30
|-
| '''[[Charles Edward, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha|Prince Charles Edward]]'''<br>[[House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha]]<br>1884–1919<br><small>''also: Earl of Clarence and Baron Arklow (1881)''</small>
| [[File:Carl Eduard Sachsen Coburg und Gotha.jpg|100px|Prince Arthur]]
| 19 July 1884<br>[[Claremont (country house)|Claremont]], [[Esher]]<br>son of [[Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany]] and [[Princess Helena of Waldeck and Pyrmont]]
| [[Princess Victoria Adelaide of Schleswig-Holstein]]<br>11 October 1905<br>5 children
| 6 March 1954<br>[[Coburg]]<br>aged 69
|-
|colspan=5|''The [[Titles Deprivation Act 1917]] suspended the title on 28 March 1919.''
|-
|}
[[Johann Leopold, Hereditary Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha]],
[[Ernst Leopold Prinz von Sachsen-Coburg und Gotha]],
and [[Hubertus Prinz von Sachsen-Coburg und Gotha]] have in succession been the heirs entitled to petition for restoration of this title but have not done so.<ref>Debrett's Peerage and Baronetage, 1995 edition, "The Royal Family", "Duke of Albany (Duke 1881,suspended 1917)", pp 129-30.</ref>

==Family trees==
{{Dukes of York and Albany family tree}}
{{Royal dukes family tree}}

==Dukes of Albany in fiction==
* Thomas Norton and Thomas Sackville's play ''[[Gorboduc (play)|Gorboduc]]'' includes Fergus, the Duke of Albany, who tries to claim the British throne after Gorboduc's death through his royal descent.
*[[William Shakespeare]]'s ''[[King Lear]]'', set in no particular century, includes as a major character the Duke of Albany, who is husband to Lear's daughter Goneril.
*In the 2001 film ''[[Kate & Leopold]]'', [[Hugh Jackman]] plays "Leopold Mountbatten, Duke of Albany," who holds the title in 1876, making him a fictional analogue of [[Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany]], who held the title at that time. However, the surname [[Mountbatten family|Mountbatten]] is an anachronism, as the equivalent family at the time would have been called [[Battenberg family|Battenberg]].

==See also==
*[[Duchess of Albany (disambiguation)#people|Duchess of Albany]]
*[[Duke of York]]
*[[Duke of York and Albany]]
*[[Alba]]
*[[Albany (disambiguation)]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{Dukes of Albany|*}}
{{British royal titles}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Albany, Duke Of}}
[[Category:Dukes of Albany| ]]
[[Category:Extinct dukedoms in the Peerage of Scotland]]
[[Category:1398 establishments in Scotland]]
[[Category:1425 disestablishments in Scotland]]
[[Category:1458 establishments in Scotland]]
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[[Category:1482 establishments in Scotland]]
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[[Category:1541 establishments in Scotland]]
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[[Category:1881 establishments in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:1919 disestablishments in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:British and Irish peerages which merged in the Crown]]
[[Category:Noble titles created in 1398]]
[[Category:Noble titles created in 1458]]
[[Category:Noble titles created in 1565]]
[[Category:Noble titles created in 1604]]
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[[Category:Noble titles created in 1881]]