No surprise to see a redhead named Douglas. That's a Scottish name and Scots have the highest occurrence of red hair in the world with the Irish a close second. Some (including me) carry a very distinctive gene for it that is easy to spot on DNA tests. We all aren't built like Bill, however.
Ah, yes. The powerful and influential Clan Douglas. As a fan of the royal history of England and Scotland, the Douglas family often played important roles. Most notably, Archibald Douglas, 6th Earl of Angus, married the dowager queen Margaret Tudor, widow of James IV and.sister to Henry VIII. Their daughter, Margaret Douglas, married Matthew Stewart, 4th Earl of Lennox. Their first surviving child Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley married Mary Queen of Scots to become the father of James VI and I. The first King of both England and Scotland.
Darnley's marriage to Mary was not a happy one, and eight months after producing the requisite heir, he was murdered. This was one of those typically Scottish complicated plots involving politics, clans and the monarchy. After surviving and fleeing an explosion that blew up the house where he was staying, he was strangled in an adjacent orchard. The assassins did at least cover the body with a cloak. That was a nice touch.
It's nice that they didn't "manscape" back then.
ReplyDeleteNo surprise to see a redhead named Douglas. That's a Scottish name and Scots have the highest occurrence of red hair in the world with the Irish a close second. Some (including me) carry a very distinctive gene for it that is easy to spot on DNA tests. We all aren't built like Bill, however.
ReplyDeleteAh, yes. The powerful and influential Clan Douglas. As a fan of the royal history of England and Scotland, the Douglas family often played important roles. Most notably, Archibald Douglas, 6th Earl of Angus, married the dowager queen Margaret Tudor, widow of James IV and.sister to Henry VIII. Their daughter, Margaret Douglas, married Matthew Stewart, 4th Earl of Lennox. Their first surviving child Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley married Mary Queen of Scots to become the father of James VI and I. The first King of both England and Scotland.
DeleteDarnley's marriage to Mary was not a happy one, and eight months after producing the requisite heir, he was murdered. This was one of those typically Scottish complicated plots involving politics, clans and the monarchy. After surviving and fleeing an explosion that blew up the house where he was staying, he was strangled in an adjacent orchard. The assassins did at least cover the body with a cloak. That was a nice touch.
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