Argyll, Archibald Campbell, 5th earl of

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Argyll, Archibald Campbell, 5th earl of [S] (1532–73). A committed protestant whose political allegiances frequently changed and, at times, seemed inconsistent with his religious convictions. Signing the first ‘Common Band’ of the protestant nobles as Lord Lorne (1557), Argyll succeeded his father in 1558. However, he did not formally join the lords of the Congregation until May 1559. During the personal reign of Mary, queen of Scots, Argyll was a favoured privy counsellor until charged with treason on 5 December 1565, for his part in Moray's rebellion against Darnley. Having been reconciled with Mary in the spring of 1566, Argyll was later appointed lieutenant of her forces, losing at Langside in 1568. Abandoning the Marian cause to support James VI, he was made a privy counsellor by Mar in September 1571. On 17 January 1573, Argyll was appointed chancellor by Morton, an office he held until his death nine months later.

Pamela E. Ritchie