John Douglas, Lord of Balvenie

John Douglas, Lord of Balvenie (or Balveny, Balvany) (c. 1433–1463) was the youngest of the five formidable Black Douglas brothers, who clashed with King James II of Scotland.

Balvenie was the son of James Douglas, 7th Earl of Douglas and his wife, Beatrice Sinclair, daughter to Henry II Sinclair, Earl of Orkney. Of him there is not much on record prior to 1445 when his father resigned the lands of Balvenie, Boharm, and Botriphnie to him. He is also mentioned as an heir of entail to his brother William Douglas, 8th Earl of Douglas in 1451 In 1448, in retaliation for English raids upon the towns of Dumfries, by Richard Neville, 5th Earl of Salisbury, and Dunbar by Henry Percy, 2nd Earl of Northumberland, Balvenie is said to have "ravaged Cumberland and laid the town of Alnwick in ashes." Northumberland, having had his lands plundered gave chase to Balvenie. Balvenie meanwhile had regrouped with his brother, Hugh Douglas, Earl of Ormonde, and on 23 October, met Northumberland at Gretna, the following engagement was a decisive victory for the Douglas brothers known as the Battle of Sark. Northumberland managed to escape, but his son Lord Poynings was captured.

In 1452 Balvenie's eldest brother, the Earl of Douglas was murdered by King James II with his own hands. Douglas had arrived at Stirling Castle with a Safe conduct issued by the King. According to Boece, Balvenie, along with his brothers, attacked the town of Stirling and paraded the supposed letter of safe conduct tied to the tail of a horse.

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