Robert Cockburn

Robert Cockburn
Bishop of Dunkeld
Coat of arms of Robert Cockburn
Church	Roman Catholic Church
See	Diocese of Dunkeld
In office	1524–1526
Predecessor	Gavin Douglas
Successor	George Crichton
Orders
Consecration	Translated from Ross 27 April 1514
Personal details
Born	15th century
Died	Dunkeld (?), 1526
Previous post	Bishop of Ross (1507–1524) Parson of Dunbar

Robert Cockburn (died 1526) was a 16th-century Scottish diplomat and cleric.

Robert Cockburn was the third son of William Cockburn of Skirling and Cessford and Marion daughter of Lord Crichton of Sanquhar.

Cockburn was a university graduate, and appears for the first time in 1501 when he was presented to James IV of Scotland for the position of parson of Dunbar, being styled "Master Robert Cockburn, dean of Rouen". Cockburn was later praised for his skill in the Latin language.

He became Bishop of Ross in 1507, by which time he was holding the position of Chancellor of the diocese of Dunkeld. He had received crown nomination to the bishopric on either March or May, and was provided to the see on 9 July. Cockburn was a chaplain to Louis XII of France and acted as a diplomat for James IV of Scotland. On 10 July 1507, Louis asked Cockburn to request 4,000 Scottish troops to assist in the defence of the French possession, the Duchy of Milan. In October James replied that he would send military support if warned in advance, and Cockburn was instructed to discuss another project. This was probably the Scottish king's plans for a crusade. Cockburn carried similar messages in 1512, in the crisis that culminated for Scotland in the Battle of Flodden

Robert spent most of 1515 in France as an ambassador for the government of King James V of Scotland (still a minor). In May 1517 he was sent to France with Patrick Paniter to re-negotiate the Auld Alliance. This negotiation lead to Treaty of Rouen. In 1524, he was in England as one of three ambassadors sent by the Scottish government to agree a truce. It was in that year, on 27 April, that Robert was translated to the bishopric of Dunkeld.