John III Comyn, Lord of Badenoch
| John III Comyn, Lord of Badenoch | |
|---|---|
| Died | 10 February 1306 Dumfries |
| Cause of death | stabbing |
| Title | Guardian of Scotland |
| Other names | Red Comyn |
| Nationality | Scottish |
| Spouse(s) | Joan de Valence |
| Issue | John IV |
| Parents | John II Comyn & Eleanor née Balliol Comyn |
John III 'Red' Comyn, Lord of Badenoch and Lord of Lochaber, also known simply as the Red Comyn (died 10 February 1306) was a Scottish nobleman who was an important figure in the Wars of Scottish Independence, and was Guardian of Scotland during the Second Interregnum 1296–1306. He is best known for having been stabbed to death by Robert the Bruce before the altar at the church of the Greyfriars at Dumfries.
His father, John II Comyn, Lord of Badenoch, known as the Black Comyn, was one of the Competitors for the Crown of Scotland, claiming his descent from King Donald III of Scotland. His mother was Eleanor Balliol, eldest daughter of John I de Balliol, father of King John Balliol. The Red Comyn might thus be said to have combined two lines of royal descent, Gaelic and Norman.
He had, moreover, links with the royal house of England: in the early 1290s he married Joan de Valence, daughter of William de Valence, 1st Earl of Pembroke, an uncle of Edward I.
On the eve of the Wars of Independence the Comyns were one of the dominant families of Scotland, with extensive land holdings in both the north and south of the country, and political influence and family connections with the crown. Of Norman-French origin, the family first made an appearance in Scotland during the reign of David I and made steady progress ever since. In the thirteenth century they acquired the lordship of Badenoch, with extensive landholdings also in Lochaber, as well as the earldom of Buchan. On the death of Alexander III, John Comyn's father was appointed to the panel of Guardians to await the arrival of the infant Maid of Norway, granddaughter of Alexander III. Her death in 1290 immersed the nation in crisis, finally solved in 1292 when John Balliol emerged as king, with the support of his Comyn kinsmen, a solution that was never accepted by the next best claimant, Robert Bruce of Annandale, grandfather of the future king. The Comyns were the principal supporters of King John even after he was deposed by Edward I in 1296. As such they were foremost among the enemies of the house of Bruce.
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