James Graham, 1st Marquess of Montrose

James Graham, 1st Marquess of Montrose (1612 – 21 May 1650) was a Scottish nobleman, poet, and soldier who also served as viceroy and captain general of Scotland. He first sided with the Covenanters during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, but later switched his allegiance to King Charles I as the English Civil War unfolded. He fought for the king in Scotland from 1644 to 1646, and again in 1650. He is commonly known as the Great Montrose.

After losing the Battle of Carbisdale, Montrose was captured, tried by the Scottish Parliament, and sentenced to death by hanging, followed by beheading and quartering. Following the Restoration, Charles II spent £802 on a lavish funeral for him in 1661. Over time, Montrose’s reputation shifted from traitor or martyr to a romantic hero, inspiring works by Walter Scott and John Buchan. His surprise victories are remembered in military history for their tactical brilliance.

Background and family

Montrose was the youngest of six children and the only son of John Graham, 4th Earl of Montrose, and Lady Margaret Ruthven. His exact birth date and place are unknown, but it was likely in mid-October. His maternal grandparents were William Ruthven, 1st Earl of Gowrie, and Dorothea Stewart, daughter of Henry Stewart, 1st Lord Methven and his second wife Janet Stewart, daughter of John Stewart, 2nd Earl of Atholl.

At age twelve, Montrose studied at the college of Glasgow under William Forrett, who later tutored his sons. There he read Xenophon, Seneca, and Tasso in translation. According to biographer John Buchan, his favorite book was a “splendid folio of the first edition” of Walter Raleigh’s The History of the World. He became the 5th Earl of Montrose upon his father’s death in 1626 and later studied at Saint Salvator’s College at the University of St Andrews.

At seventeen, he married Magdalene Carnegie, the youngest of six daughters of David Carnegie (later Earl of Southesk). They had four sons, including James Graham, 2nd Marquess of Montrose. Montrose traveled widely through France, Italy, and the German principalities. He had a famous love affair with Princess Louise Hollandine, daughter of the Elector Palatine and sister of Prince Rupert of the Rhine.

Covenanter to royalist

In 1638, after King Charles I tried to impose an Episcopalian version of the Book of Common Prayer on Scotland, resistance spread, leading to the Bishops’ Wars. Montrose joined the resistance and was for a time one of its most energetic champions. He had nothing puritanical about him, but shared the ill feeling aroused by the political authority Charles had given to bishops. He signed the National Covenant and served in Alexander Leslie’s army sent to suppress opposition around Aberdeen and the Gordons’ country.

Though often cited as commander of that expedition, the Aberdeen Council letter books state that the troops entered Aberdeen “under the conduct of General Leslie,” who remained in charge until 12 April. Montrose entered Aberdeen three times. On the second occasion, the Marquess of Huntly entered under a safe conduct but ended up accompanying Montrose to Edinburgh. Some supporters claimed Huntly was a prisoner and the pass was breached, but historian Cowan states Huntly went voluntarily, noting that by claiming he was forced, Huntly eased his own situation and spared Montrose embarrassment.

Spalding also supports that Huntly went willingly. Montrose was a leader of the delegation that met at Muchalls Castle to parley with Adam Bellenden, Bishop of Aberdeen, over the 1638 confrontation. With the Earl Marischal, he led 9,000 men across the Causey Mounth through Portlethen Moss to attack Royalists at the Battle of the Brig of Dee. These events helped persuade Charles I to grant major concessions to the Covenanters.

In July 1639, after the Treaty of Berwick, Montrose was among the Covenanting leaders who visited Charles. His change of mind, leading him to support the king, came from his wish to remove the bishops without making Presbyterians masters of the state. He held a layman’s view: he wanted an ideal society where clergy stuck to spiritual duties and the king upheld law and order.

In the Scottish parliament that met in September, Montrose found himself opposed by Archibald Campbell, 1st Marquess of Argyll, who had taken leadership of the Presbyterian and national party and the burgesses. Montrose wanted to use the king’s authority to defeat Argyll and offered Charles the support of many nobles. He failed because Charles would not abandon the bishops, and no significant Scottish party could form unless Presbyterianism was established as the ecclesiastical power.

Rather than give way, Charles prepared to invade Scotland in 1640. Montrose was forced into a double game. In August 1640, he signed the Bond of Cumbernauld as a protest against the ambition of Argyll. But he still took his place among Scotland’s defenders, and that same month showed his gallantry in action at the forcing of a position.