James Stewart, Duke of Ross

{{Infobox Christian leader

| name = James Stewart

| title = Archbishop of St Andrews

| church = Roman Catholic Church

| archdiocese = St Andrews

| appointed = 20 September 1497

| ended = January 1504

| predecessor = William Scheves

| successor = Alexander Stewart

| other_post = Commendator of Dunfermline (1500–1504)

| birth_date = March 1476

| death_date = January 1504 (aged 28)

| parents = James III of Scotland
Margaret of Denmark

}}File:Stained glass window with arms of James Stewart, Duke of Ross, Great Hall, Stirling Castle.jpg]]

James Stewart, Duke of Ross (March 1476 – January 1504) was a Scottish prince, and the second son of King James III of Scotland[https://www.oxfordreference.com/display/10.1093/oi/authority.20110803100429453 Oxford Reference website, 1st duke of Ross, James Stewart] and his wife, Margaret of Denmark.[https://www.stewartsociety.org/history-of-the-stewarts.cfm?section=famous-stewarts&subcatid=17&histid=155 The Stewart Society website, History of the Stewarts, King James III of Scotland] James was heir presumptive to his brother until his death, and was Archbishop of St Andrews and Lord Chancellor of Scotland.

Life

He was made Marquess of Ormond at his baptism. He was created Earl of Ross[https://tudortimes.co.uk/people/scottish-peers/dukes-marquis Tudor Times website, Scottish Peers Chapter 2: Dukes & Marquises] in 1481 after that title was forfeited to the crown by John, Lord of the Isles.

Of his father's three sons, James of Ross was the favourite. James III tried to marry him to Edward IV's daughter, Catherine of York. This increasing preference shown to James of Ross was a factor in the rebellion of his elder brother (the future James IV) against their father; and later, as king, James IV was suspicious of his brother's loyalty.

Nonetheless, when the elder James succeeded to the crown in 1488, he raised James of Ross's title to Duke of Ross.

Around May 1497, his brother the King nominated James of Ross (then 21 years old) to be Archbishop of St Andrews. King James thought that would keep James of Ross from rebelling against him. At that time, James of Ross was a minor, and so the revenues of the archbishopric would be controlled by King James.Norman Macdougall James IV (Edinburgh, 1989)

James of Ross also became Lord Chancellor of Scotland in 1502.[https://www.stewartsociety.org/history-of-the-stewarts.cfm?section=family-lines&subcatid=43&histid=306 The Stewart Society website, James Stewart, Duke of Ross]

Name

He was one of three brothers, his two brothers being King James IV of Scotland and John Stewart, Earl of Mar. It may seem surprising that there were two brothers both called James, but in late medieval Scotland it was not uncommon to have two brothers, or occasionally even three, with the same Christian name.Black The Surnames of Scotland

Arms

The arms of James of Ross were: Quarterly 1st and 4th: Royal Arms of Scotland, 2nd: Gules, three lions rampant argent (Ross) 3rd: Or, three piles gules (Brechin).{{cite book|last1=Johnston|first1=George Harvey|title=The heraldry of the Stewarts, with notes on all the males of the family, descriptions of the arms, plates and pedigrees|date=1906|publisher=Edinburgh W. & A.K. Johnston|page=27|url=https://archive.org/stream/heraldryofstewar00johnuoft#page/n35/mode/2up/|access-date=9 October 2017}}