BLACK DOUGLAS

James Douglas Good Sir James Douglas (1286-25 August 1330), Lord of Douglas from 1298 onwards was the son of the Scottish rebel William "Le Hardi" Douglas, who fought with Wallace against King Edward.  It had been such a shock to the English King that a nobleman of Scotland would fight alongside someone like Wallace, that he regarded William as a traitor to noblemen everywhere.  This meant that even though King Edward had his father, William Douglas, killed; he would remember the name for years to come.  In 1304 the young James was taken by Bishop Lamberton to seek the return of his lands from King Edward, but upon hearing the boys name he cast him out as the son of "that traitor Douglas".  This was to prove a huge mistake!

Guerrilla War
Having been unable to retrieve his land through peaceful means, James Douglas sought to claim them through rebellion.  News had reached him that Robert Bruce, Earl of Carrick, had slain his rival, John Comyn, and was heading to Scone to crown himself King.  James went north and accompanied Robert to his coronation as King of the Scots.  James would serve his new king as a fierce guerrilla fighter in Selkirk Forest, where the English troops called him "The Black Douglas" and feared him.  On 19 March 1307 James led his force to his own former home, the Douglas Castle.  Here he fell upon the English troops, slaughtering them all before burning all the supplies and poisoning the wells.  This attack became known as the "Douglas Larder" and showed the unmerciful approach James would take to those who invaded his lands.

Bannockburn
On the eve of Scotland's greatest battle, Bannockburn 23-24 June 1314,  it was only fitting that Scotland’s greatest warrior was honoured.  James Douglas, now a veteran campaigner, became a Knight Banneret, who could now fly his own flag on the battlefield.  He would fight on the left wing of the Scots army, and was happy to watch over the young Walter Stewart, who though technically in command, was too young to help direct a battle.  The Scots won the day and, filled with confidence; James Douglas took sixty Scottish light horsemen and pursued the whole English army to their camp at Dunbar Castle.  Scotland was now free; James could take back his father's lands and exact retribution upon those who had taken them from him.

Aftermath
James Douglas would invade England many times over the rest of his life, both as a battlefield commander and as guerrilla campaigner.  News that "The Black Douglas" was abroad would terrify the English citizenry.  It is said that the new "Custos Marchiarum"(Warden of the Marches) would take a pack of empty horses with him on his ventures south and would return with them carrying English gold.  However, this state of affairs couldn't last forever, in 1329 King Robert died.  James Douglas took his King's heart to the holy land for burial in the Holy Sepulchre, Jerusalem.  It did not arrive.  James received an invitation from King Alfonso XI of Spain to fight the Moors in Andalusia, so near the town of Teba, Douglas launched his last attack. He was slain trying to rescue Sir William Sinclair and his body was returned to St Bride's chapel, Douglas for him to be buried in the land he had spent so long fighting to regain.

 

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