James Hamilton, 1st Duke of Hamilton

The Duke of Hamilton
James, Duke of Hamilton by Daniel Mytens.
Born	19 June 1606 Hamilton Palace, Lanarkshire, Scotland
Died	executed 9 March 1649(1649-03-09) (aged 42) Old Palace Yard, Palace of Westminster, London
Spouse(s)	Lady Mary Feilding
Children	Anne, Duchess of Hamilton Lady Susannah, Countess of Cassillis Four children died in infancy
Parent(s)	James, Marquis of Hamilton Lady Ann Cunningham

James Hamilton, 1st Duke of Hamilton KG PC (19 June 1606 – 9 March 1649) was a Scottish nobleman and influential political and military leader during the Thirty Years' War and the Wars of the Three Kingdoms.

James was born in 1606 at Hamilton Palace in Lanarkshire, the son of James, Marquis of Hamilton, and the Lady Ann Cunningham, daughter of James, Earl of Glencairn. Following the death of his insane great-uncle James, Earl of Arran in 1609, the infant was styled Earl of Arran.

The young Earl of Arran's close ancestor was the Princess Mary, daughter to James II of Scotland and Mary of Gueldres. After the death in 1612 of Henry Frederick, Prince of Wales, James became third in line to the throne of Scotland, after Charles, Duke of Rothesay, and his sister Elizabeth.

James VI's first visit to Scotland since the Union of the Crowns occurred in early 1617, whilst in Scotland, he was apparently charmed by the Marquis, and invited him to court in London. The Marquis duly arrived in London in August of that year, with his eleven-year-old son. Although like most Noblemen's sons of the time he had a private tutor, James Bale, Arran's time spent at court in the ensuing years did not consist of much formal education. To remedy this, Arran was sent to Exeter College, Oxford; he matriculated on 14 December 1621.