by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2017

Robert III, King of Scots and his wife Annabella Drummond as depicted on the 1562 Forman Armorial; Credit – Wikipedia

Anabella Drummond, born circa 1350 at Dunfermline Abbey in Dunfermline, Fife, Scotland, was the daughter of Sir John Drummond of Stobhall, 11th Thane of Lennox and Chief of Clan Drummond and Mary de Montfichet, daughter and co-heiress with her sisters of Sir William de Montfichet, of Stobhall, Cargill, and Auchterarder. Sir John’s sister Margaret Drummond was the second wife of David II, King of Scots.

Anabella had at least seven siblings:

• Dougal Drummond
• Sir Malcolm Drummond (circa 1351 – 1402), married Isabel Douglas, Countess of Mar, no issue, he was murdered by men from the Clan Stewart of Appin
• Margaret Drummond (born circa 1354), married Sir Colin Campbell of Lochow
• Sir John Drummond, 12th Thane of Lennox (1356 – 1428), married Elizabeth Sinclair
• Mary Drummond (born 1357)
• William Drummond, 1st Thane of Carnock (born 1358), married Elizabeth Airth
• Jean Drummond (born 1362)

In 1367, Anabella married John Stewart, Earl of Carrick (the future Robert III, King of Scots), the eldest son of Robert II, King of Scots and his first wife Elizabeth Mure. The couple had seven children:

• David, Duke of Rothesay (1378 – 1402), married (1) Marjory Douglas, daughter of Archibald Douglas, 3rd Earl of Douglas, no issue
• Elizabeth, married James Douglas, 1st Lord Dalkeith, had issue
• Mary, married (1) George Douglas, 1st Earl of Angus, had issue  (2) Sir James Kennedy the Younger, had issue (3) Sir William Graham of Kincardine, had issue (4) Sir William Edmonstone of Culloden and 1st Thane of Duntreath, had issue
• Egidia, unmarried, died young
• Margaret (died 1450 – 1456), married Archibald Douglas, 4th Earl of Douglas, had issue
• Robert (died young)
• James I, King of Scots (1394 – 1437), married Lady Joan Beaufort, daughter of John Beaufort, 1st Earl of Somerset and granddaughter of John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, had issue

In 1388, two years before he became king, Anabella’s husband had been kicked by a horse and became an invalid. Robert II, King of Scots died in 1390 and Anabella’s husband John Stewart, Earl of Carrick became King of Scots. John decided to use Robert as his regnal name. He thought John was an unlucky name as evidenced by John Balliol, King of Scots, King John of England and Kings Jean I and II of France. Anabella was crowned with her husband Robert III, King of Scots at Scone on August 14, 1390, by William Trail, Bishop of St. Andrews.

As time went by, Robert III’s disabilities worsened and he fell into a state of depression. Supposedly, Robert told Anabella that he should be buried in a dung heap with an epitaph that read, “Here lies the worst of kings and the most miserable of men.” Anabella knew she had to take matters into her own hands to protect the rights of her son David, the heir to the throne. In 1398, Anabella arranged a tournament in Edinburgh at which her eldest surviving son 19-year-old David was knighted.  Later that same year, he was created Duke of Rothesay and Lieutenant of the Realm. Prior to David gaining more power, his paternal uncle Robert Stewart, Duke of Albany had held the power as protector of the kingdom.

In 1400, King Henry IV of England invaded Scotland and was able to reach Edinburgh where he laid siege to the castle, but eventually had to retreat because of the lack of supplies. The Scots had seemed powerless to respond to the English invasion. Anabella, Queen of Scots died in October 1401 at Scone Palace and was buried at Dunfermline Abbey. With the loss of his mother’s protection and his father too incapacitated to protect him, David, Duke of Rothesay fell prey to his uncle Robert’s machinations. David was accused unjustifiably of appropriating and confiscating funds and was arrested in 1402. He was imprisoned at Falkland Palace and died on March 26, 1402, at the age of 22, probably of starvation.

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Works Cited

• “Anabella Drummond”. En.wikipedia.org. N.p., 2017. Web. 23 Apr. 2017.
• Ashley, Michael. British Kings & Queens. 1st ed. New York: Barnes & Noble Books, 1998. Print.
• “Clan Drummond”. En.wikipedia.org. N.p., 2017. Web. 23 Apr. 2017.
• “David Stewart, Duke Of Rothesay”. En.wikipedia.org. N.p., 2017. Web. 23 Apr. 2017.
• “Person Page”. Thepeerage.com. N.p., 2017. Web. 23 Apr. 2017.
• “Robert III Of Scotland”. En.wikipedia.org. N.p., 2017. Web. 23 Apr. 2017.
• Williamson, David. Brewer’s British Royalty. London: Cassell, 1996. Print.