Buchan, Alexander Stewart, 1st earl of

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Buchan, Alexander Stewart, 1st earl of [S] (d. c.1406). Lord of Badenoch. The fourth son of Robert II, he was made a justiciar in northern Scotland (1372), in which post he earned his nickname of ‘Wolf of Badenoch’. He became earl of Buchan in 1382 as a result of his marriage to Euphemia, countess of Ross. He was associated with bands of caterans, and was sacked from his justiciarship in 1388. Buchan had been extorting large sums from the bishop of Moray since 1370, in return for protection. In 1389 Moray excommunicated him, and from 1390 took protection from the sheriff of Inverness. In 1390, on Robert II's death, Buchan and his caterans burned Forres, and then Elgin burgh and cathedral, in reprisals for Moray's actions. His royal connections saved him from harsh criticism, but his and his bastard son's northern power proved problematic for the crown well into the 15th cent.

Roland Tanner

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