The attempted divorce of James Hamilton, earl of Arran, Governor of Scotland

This article examines the little-known 1544 attempt by James Hamilton, earl of Arran and then Governor of Scotland (future duke of Châtelherault) to divorce his wife, Margaret Douglas, eldest daughter of James Douglas, earl of Morton. It is concluded that Arran's failed divorce does not provide an explanation for his ‘godly fit’ of 1543, and that his actions were not motivated by the desire for an heir. Rather, Arran sought to maintain his children's legitimacy whilst gaining the freedom to take a new wife. The article explores the possibility that in this context, Margaret Douglas's poor mental health may have been a motivating factor behind the divorce attempt. Taking the failed divorce attempt as a starting point, the article moves on to re-consider the subsequent relationship between Arran and his wife's kin. It is argued that the marriage of Margaret's youngest sister, Elizabeth, to James Douglas, the nephew of the earl of Angus and future regent Morton, placed Arran and his brother-in-law in a position of heightened competition. This rivalry over landed interests underscored and exacerbated political tensions between the two men, serving to fuel one of the most potent noble rivalries in sixteenth-century Scotland.