- Alexander of Scotland
Alexander of Scotland, Prince of Scotland, (
21 January 1264 -17 January 1284 ) was the son ofAlexander III of Scotland and hisQueen Consort Margaret of England , and heir to the throne of Scotland. He was the grandson ofHenry III of England andAlexander II of Scotland .Alexander was born at
Jedburgh . He married Margaret of Flanders (d. 1331), daughter ofGuy of Dampierre ,Count of Flanders , on14 November 1282 atRoxburgh . No children were born of this union.He died at
Lindores Abbey in 1284, and was buried atDunfermline Abbey . His death created a succession crisis, as his younger brother David of Scotland (1273-1281) had died at the age of 8, three years earlier, and his widowed father had no other legitimate sons. This caused Alexander's father to induce the Estates to recognize as his heir-presumptive,Margaret, Maid of Norway , Alexander's niece by his sister Margaret, and to contract a second marriage toYolande de Dreux on1 November 1285 , though only a stillborn child would result of this union.The far reaching effects, of Alexander's death, on
Scotland can not be underestimated. Had he lived and inherited the throne,John Balliol would not have been appointed asKing of Scotland byEdward I of England , bringingScotland under the control ofEngland , and resulting in the eventual war between the two countries.
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