Archibald Douglas, 6th Earl of Angus

1489–1557

Archibald Douglas, 6th Earl of Angus, was a powerful Scottish nobleman who married Margaret Tudor, widow of James IV, in 1514. Their turbulent marriage drew him into struggles over the regency and control of the young James V. Angus and his Douglas relatives dominated the king for several years, but James escaped their custody in 1528 and drove them into exile. Angus returned after the king’s death and remained influential until his own death in 1557.

Historical fiction about the early Tudor and Stewart courts usually presents Angus as an ambitious magnate whose private marriage had national consequences. He appears in novels and sagas dealing with Margaret Tudor, James V and the rivalry between Scotland’s great families, including works by writers such as Nigel Tranter. Fiction tends to stress his shifting alliances and coercive control of the young king, while also showing the limited choices available to a nobleman navigating Anglo-Scottish politics.

Alison Weir’s The Princess of Scotland is set in the Princess of Scotland is an e-short and companion piece to Katheryn Howard: The Tainted Queen. The compelling fifth novel in the Six Tudor Queens series by bestselling author and historian Alison Weir.