James Stewart, 1st Earl of Moray

James Stewart, 1st Earl of Moray, was an illegitimate half-brother of Mary, Queen of Scots, and a leading Protestant nobleman. He served Mary but later rebelled, and after her deposition he became regent for the infant James VI.

Moray defeated Mary’s supporters at Langside and governed during the ensuing civil war. He was assassinated at Linlithgow in 1570, often described as the first head of government killed by a firearm in a planned political attack.