Archibald Douglas 5th earl of Angus

Archibald Douglas, 5th earl of Angus 1449-1514, Scottish nobleman. He was a member of the faction that allied with Edward IV of England in opposition to the influence of Robert Cochrane, favorite of James III . He won the nickname Bell-the-Cat by personally capturing Cochrane in 1482. He supported Alexander Stuart , duke of Albany, in his abortive attempt (1484) to seize the throne, but he retained his position and estates. In 1488 he was a leader in the rebellion that replaced James III with James IV, and he served the latter as lord chancellor from 1493 to 1498. In 1513, Angus is recorded as having advised James of the near certainty of defeat at Flodden Field. His two sons were killed in that battle, and he was succeeded by his grandson.

Angus, Archibald Douglas, 5th earl of [S] (c.1449–1513). Son and heir of George, 4th earl of Angus [S] (d. 1463), father of the poet Gavin Douglas, and the great political maverick of late 15th- and early 16th-cent. Scotland. Angus was involved in the seizure of James III at Lauder bridge (July 1482)—hence the much later nickname ‘Bell-the-Cat’—his English treasons spanned more than a decade, and he rebelled against James III in 1488. Yet Angus was a friend of James IV, providing the king with his first mistress, Marion Boyd, the earl's niece, in 1492; he subsequently shared another mistress, Janet Kennedy, with the king; and he was chancellor from 1492 to 1497. Losing royal trust, Angus was warded (imprisoned) in Dumbarton and on Bute from 1501 to 1509. He opposed war with England in 1513, and missed Flodden (though two of his sons perished there), dying at Whithorn late in 1513.

Norman Macdougall

Angus, Archibald Douglas, 5th earl of [S] (c.1449–1513). Son and heir of George, 4th earl of Angus [S] (d. 1463), and the great political maverick of late 15th and early 16th‐cent. Scotland. Angus was involved in the seizure of James III at Lauder bridge July 1482)—hence the much later nickname ‘Bell‐the‐Cat’—and he rebelled against James III in 1488. Yet Angus was a friend of James IV, providing the king with his first mistress, Marion Boyd, the earl's niece, in 1492; and he was chancellor from 1492 to 1497. Losing royal trust, Angus was warded (imprisoned) from 1501 to 1509. He opposed war with England in 1513, and missed Flodden, dying at Whithorn late in 1513.