View source for Earl of Ross

{{Short description|Scottish title}}
{{For|the Irish peer|Ralph Gore, 1st Earl of Ross}}
{{Distinguish|Earl of Rosse}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2022}}
{{Use British English|date=July 2012}}
{{Infobox nobility title
| name              = Earldom of Ross 
| image             =  
| image_size        =  
| alt               =  
| caption           = ''Gules, three lions rampant argent''
| creation_date     = 12th century 
| creation          =  
| monarch           =  
| peerage           = [[Peerage of Scotland]] 
| baronetage        =  
| first_holder      = [[Fearchar, Earl of Ross|Ferquhard]] 
| last_holder       = [[Charles I of England|Charles]] 
| present_holder    =  
| heir_apparent     =  
| heir_presumptive  =  
| remainder_to      =  
| subsidiary_titles =  
| status            =  
| extinction_date   =  
| family_seat       =  
| former_seat       = [[Balnagown Castle]] 
| motto             =  
| footnotes         =  
}}
The '''Earl''' or '''Mormaer of Ross''' was the ruler of the province of [[Ross, Scotland|Ross]] in northern [[Scotland]], as well as chief of [[Clan Ross]].

==Origins and transfers==
In the early Middle Ages, [[Ross, Scotland|Ross]] was part of the vast [[earldom of Moray]]. It seems to have been made a separate earldom in the mid 12th century, when [[Malcolm MacHeth]] is found designated Earl of Ross. Malcolm had earlier been imprisoned at [[Roxburgh]] for rebelling against [[David I of Scotland|David I]], but when Malcolm's brother-in-law [[Somerled]] invaded Scotland, David was forced to relent and grant the earldom unto Malcolm.

The title was later granted by [[William the Lion]] to [[Floris III of Holland]] in 1161 upon Floris's marriage to William's sister [[Ada of Huntingdon]].{{citation needed|date=March 2020}} However, Floris held the title only in a nominal sense, as he took no active part in the governance of Ross. The title seems not to have been passed on, for in 1291 Floris's descendant is found complaining that he had been deprived of the earldom.

The true founder was the famous [[Fearchar, Earl of Ross|Ferquhard]], from the Irish Ó Beólláin (O'Beolain, Boland, Bolan) family. This Ferquhard was the son of the lay parson of the monastery of [[Applecross]], and was hence known as MacIntagart, meaning "son of the priest". In 1215 the newly crowned [[Alexander II of Scotland|Alexander II]] was forced to suppress a rebellion in Moray and Ross. Ferquhard sided with the king, and captured the rebel leaders, before beheading them and presenting their heads to Alexander. For this he was knighted. He was created Earl of Ross in the 1220s, probably in 1226.

The line of Ferquhard continued until the death of [[William, 5th Earl of Ross]], in 1372. William had two daughters, the eldest of which, [[Euphemia I, Countess of Ross|Euphemia]], married [[Walter Leslie|Sir Walter Leslie]], who then became ''jure uxoris'' Earl of Ross. The Leslies continued to hold the earldom until another heiress, also named [[Euphemia II, Countess of Ross|Euphemia]]. This Euphemia was a sickly girl, who suffered from a hunchback. Though she was nominally Countess of Ross, Ross's governance was carried out by her grandfather, the ruthless and ambitious [[Robert, Duke of Albany]]. Euphemia's uncle [[Donald of Islay, Lord of the Isles|Donald, Lord of the Isles]], had a superior claim by right of his wife, Mariota Leslie. He feared Albany would take not only Ross but more. So, in 1411, he invaded Ross with 10,000 men and won the [[Battle of Dingwall]] and the [[Battle of Harlaw]].<ref>Keith Norman Macdonald, M.D., in his book ''Macdonald Bards'', says the Earl of Mar’s men, who fought for Albany, were “cut to pieces”. The nearest contemporary record is found in the Irish Annals of Connacht where, under the year 1411, it is stated, “Mac Domnaill of Scotland won a great victory over the Galls of Scotland.” The 2011 article by Iain G. MacDonald, ''Donald of the Isles and the Earldom of Ross: West-Highland Perspectives on the Battle of Harlaw'', also records the victory. According to Donald Gregory, whose manuscripts are cited in the Highland Papers for May 1914, “Macdonald enjoyed the Earldom of Ross all his lifetime without any competition or trouble…but as long as the king was captive in England, the Duke of Albany the Regent used all his power to oppose him and impair his greatness, being vexed he lost the Battle of Harlaw.” (Highland Papers, vol. 1, at p. 34).</ref>

In 1415 Euphemia was persuaded or forced to resign the earldom in favor of Albany's son, John. However, the Albany Stewarts would meet their downfall when [[James I of Scotland|King James I]] returned to Scotland in 1424. Robert was believed to have murdered James's brother [[David Stewart, Duke of Rothesay|David]], who was King Robert III's heir. And he sought to capture James, the last living son. In addition, while James was in prison in London, Albany did nothing to try and free him. In revenge James had the entire family forfeited and executed (with the exception of [[James the Fat]] who escaped to Ireland). By then, the earldom had officially passed to Euphemia's grandson, Alexander of Islay (Alexander Macdonald), Lord of the Isles, who as Earl of Ross continued to hold it until his son, [[John of Islay, Earl of Ross|John]] forfeited it in the 1470s.

In 1481 [[James III of Scotland|James III]] granted the earldom unto his second son, also named [[James Stewart, Duke of Ross|James]]. James had already been made [[Earl of Ormond (Scotland)|Marquis of Ormond]] at his baptism. In 1487 his earldom was raised to a dukedom, and he was granted the additional titles Earl of Ardmenach and Lord of Ardmannoch, Brechin and Navarre. James entered the clergy, and thus never married or had issue. He died in 1503, and all his titles became extinct.

The fourth creation was on 20 May 1565, for [[Henry, Lord Darnley]], who was also created Lord Ardmannoch. Shortly thereafter he was created [[Duke of Albany]]. After his murder at [[Kirk o' Field]], he was succeeded by his infant son [[James VI of Scotland|James]], whose accession as James VI a few months later returned the titles to the Crown.

Upon the investiture of [[Charles I of England|Charles Stuart]] as [[Duke of Albany]] on 2 December 1600, he was also granted the Marquisate of Ormonde, the Earldom of Ross, and the Lordship of Ardmannoch. Charles's elder brother [[Henry Frederick, Prince of Wales|Henry]] died unexpectedly in 1612, and he became [[Prince of Wales]] as heir apparent to the throne. He acceded as king in 1625, and the titles again reverted to the Crown.

Ross currently has no earl, but it is possible the title will one day be revived for a member of the royal family. There was speculation that the title might be revived for [[Prince Harry]]; it was not.<ref>{{cite web|title=Bookies say Prince Harry and Megan could become Earl and Countess of Dumbarton|url=https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/local-news/bookies-say-prince-harry-megan-11907101|website=Daily Record|date=24 January 2018 }}</ref>

==List of Earls of Ross==

===Early mormaers/earls of Ross===
[[File:Arms of the Earl of Ross.svg|thumb|right|150px|Arms of the Earls of Ross (ancient):'''''Gules, three lions rampant argent.''''']]
*[[MacHeths|Malcolm MacHeth]] (died 1168)
* ''With the crown''
*[[Fearchar, Earl of Ross|Ferquhar]] (died 1249)
*[[Uilleam I, Earl of Ross|William I]] (died 1274)
*[[Uilleam II, Earl of Ross|William II]] (died 1323)
*[[Hugh, Earl of Ross]] (died 1333) (from whom descend the chiefs of [[Clan Ross]]).
*[[Uilleam III, Earl of Ross|William]] (died 1372)
*[[Euphemia I, Countess of Ross|Euphemia I]] (died {{circa|1394}})
** Married [[Walter Leslie, Lord of Ross|Sir Walter Leslie]]
*[[Alexander Leslie, Earl of Ross|Alexander Leslie]] (died 1402)
*[[Euphemia II, Countess of Ross|Euphemia II]] (died {{circa|1424}}) (resigned c. 1415)
*[[John Stewart, 2nd Earl of Buchan|John Stewart]], (died 1424)
*[[Mariota, Countess of Ross|Mariota]] (died {{circa|1429}}) (sister of Alexander Leslie, Earl of Ross)
** m. [[Domhnall of Islay, Lord of the Isles|Donald, Lord of the Isles]]
*[[Alexander of Islay, Earl of Ross|Alexander of Islay]] (died 1448)
*[[John of Islay, Earl of Ross|John of Islay]] (died {{circa|1498}}) (forfeited 1476)

===Earls of Ross, creation of 1481===
*[[James Stewart, Duke of Ross|James Stewart]] (1476–1504)

===Earls of Ross, creation of 1565===
* [[Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley|Henry Stuart]] (1546–1567) (later [[Duke of Albany]] and King of Scotland)
* [[James VI of Scotland|James Stuart]] (1566–1625) (later King of Scotland and King of England)

===Earls of Ross, creation of 1600===
*[[Charles I of England|Charles Stuart]] (1600–1649) (became king in 1625)

== Family tree ==
{{Earls of Ross family tree|state=collapsed}}
{{Earl of Ormond family tree}}

==References==

<references />
* [[James Balfour Paul|Balfour Paul, Sir James]]. [https://archive.org/stream/scotspeeragefoun07paul#page/230/mode/2uphttps://archive.org/stream/scotspeeragefoun07paul#page/230/mode/2up ''The Scots Peerage'']. Edinburgh: David Douglas, 1909. 
* Grant, Alexander. "The Province of Ross and the Kingdom of Alba" in E.J. Cowan and R. Andrew McDonald (eds.) ''Alba: Celtic Scotland in the Medieval Era''. East Linton: Tuckwell Press, 2000. {{ISBN|1-86232-151-5}}.
* McDonald, R. Andrew. "Old and New in the Far North: Ferchar Maccintsacairt and the Early Earls of Ross" in Steve Boardman and Alasdair Ross (eds.) ''The Exercise of Power in Medieval Scotland, c.1200–1500''. Dublin: Four Courts, 2003. {{ISBN|1-85182-749-8}}.
* Roberts, John L. ''Lost Kingdoms: Celtic Scotland in the Middle Ages''. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 1997. {{ISBN|0-7486-0910-5}}.
* Brown, Peter, publisher, ''The Peerage of Scotland'', Edinburgh, 1834, p.&nbsp;212.

==External links==
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20050528143633/http://www.macdougall.org/clanforum/messages/2170.html Somerled & Earl of Ross]
*[http://www.greatclanross.org/htext4.html Malcolm Macbeth, the first Earl of Ross]
*[http://www.electricscotland.com/webclans/ntor/ross2.html Clan Ross]
*{{Rayment|external links=y|date=February 2012}}
* {{gutenberg|no=3652|name=History of the Mackenzies, with genealogies of the principal families of the name}}

{{Mormaer}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ross}}
[[Category:Clan Ross|Clan Ross]]
[[Category:Earls of Ross| ]]
[[Category:Earldoms in the Peerage of Scotland]]
[[Category:Extinct earldoms in the Peerage of Scotland]]
[[Category:British and Irish peerages which merged in the Crown]]
[[Category:Noble titles created in 1157]]
[[Category:Noble titles created in 1215]]
[[Category:Noble titles created in 1481]]
[[Category:Noble titles created in 1565]]
[[Category:Noble titles created in 1600]]