Earl of Strathearn

{{Short description|Scottish noble title}} {{Use dmy dates|date=January 2024}} {{Infobox nobility title | name = Earldom of Strathearn | image = [[File:Coat of Arms of the Duke of Rothesay.svg|180px]] | image_size = | alt = | caption = Arms of [[William, Prince of Wales|Prince William, Duke of Rothesay and Earl of Strathern]] | creation_date = 12th century (ancient earls)<br />1562 (in the [[Peerage of Scotland]]) | creation = | monarch = | peerage = [[Peerage of Scotland]]; [[Peerage of the United Kingdom]] | baronetage = | first_holder = [[Máel Ísu I, Earl of Strathearn|Malise]] | last_holder = | present_holder = [[Prince William]] | heir_apparent = [[Prince George of Wales|Prince George]] | heir_presumptive = | remainder_to = | subsidiary_titles = | status = | extinction_date = | family_seat = | former_seat = | motto = | footnotes = }}

'''Earl''' or '''Mormaer of Strathearn''' is a title of Scottish nobility, referring to the region of [[Strathearn]] in southern [[Perthshire]]. Of unknown origin, the mormaers are attested for the first time in a document perhaps dating to 1115. The first known [[mormaer]], [[Máel Ísu I, Earl of Strathearn|Malise I]], is mentioned by [[Ailred of Rievaulx]] as leading native Scots in the company of [[David I of Scotland|King David]] at the [[Battle of the Standard]], 1138. The last ruler of the Strathearn line was [[Maol Íosa V, Earl of Strathearn|Malise]], also [[Earl of Caithness]] and of [[Earl of Orkney|Orkney]], who had his earldom forfeited by [[Edward Balliol|King Edward Balliol]]. Edward Balliol created his guardian, [[John de Warenne, 7th Earl of Surrey]], Earl of Strathearn in 1332, though this was in name only as the properties of the earldom were held by the Scots. In 1344 it was regranted by [[David II of Scotland|King David]] to [[Maurice de Moravia]], a royal favourite who had a vague claim to the earldom as Malise's nephew and also stepfather.

Strathearn has since been used as a peerage title for [[James Stewart, 1st Earl of Moray|James Stewart]], an illegitimate son of King [[James V of Scotland]], who was created [[Lord Abernethy and Strathearn]] and [[Earl of Moray]] in 1562. In 1631, [[William Graham, 7th Earl of Menteith]] was confirmed in this dignity as heir of line of [[Euphemia Stewart, Countess of Strathearn]] (died 1415), but was forced to settle for the less prestigious title of the [[Earl of Airth]] in 1633.

It has also been granted to members of the royal family in the titles of [[Duke of Cumberland and Strathearn]] (created 1766, extinct 1790), [[Duke of Kent and Strathearn]] (created 1799, extinct 1820) and [[Duke of Connaught and Strathearn]] (created 1874, extinct 1943).

On 29 April 2011, the title was recreated when Queen [[Elizabeth II]] conferred the title on [[Prince William of Wales]] in the peerage of the United Kingdom.<ref>{{cite press release|title=Titles announced for Prince William and Catherine Middleton |url=http://www.princeofwales.gov.uk/media/press-releases/titles-announced-prince-william-and-catherine-middleton |access-date=2 August 2013 |publisher=Clarence House |date=29 April 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131003083313/http://www.princeofwales.gov.uk/media/press-releases/titles-announced-prince-william-and-catherine-middleton |archive-date=3 October 2013 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Beckford|first=Martin |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/royal-wedding/8482962/Royal-wedding-Prince-William-and-Kate-Middleton-become-Duke-and-Duchess-of-Cambridge.html|title=Royal wedding: Prince William and Kate Middleton become Duke and Duchess of Cambridge|newspaper=The Telegraph|location=London|date=29 April 2011|access-date=1 August 2013|quote=Buckingham Palace said in a statement published at 8am on Friday: 'The Queen has today been pleased to confer a Dukedom on Prince William of Wales. 'His titles will be Duke of Cambridge, Earl of Strathearn and Baron Carrickfergus. 'Prince William thus becomes His Royal Highness The Duke of Cambridge and Miss Catherine Middleton on marriage will become Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cambridge.'}}</ref> As a result, on marriage his wife [[Catherine, Princess of Wales|Catherine]] became Countess of Strathearn.<ref>{{cite web|title=Media pack for the birth of the first child of The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge|url=http://www.princeofwales.gov.uk/sites/default/files/documents/MediaPackonbirth%202013.pdf|date=July 2013|publisher=Kensington Palace|access-date=8 August 2013|quote=On the occasion of his marriage, The Queen conferred a Dukedom on Prince William of Wales. The Duke received the titles of Duke of Cambridge, Earl of Strathearn and Baron Carrickfergus. As a result Miss Catherine Middleton became Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cambridge, Countess of Strathearn and Lady Carrickfergus.|archive-date=4 August 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130804202650/http://www.princeofwales.gov.uk/sites/default/files/documents/MediaPackonbirth%202013.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Rayner |first=Gordon |title=Duchess Kate: Princess of the United Kingdom (but you can call me mummy) |url=https://ottawacitizen.com/life/royals/Princess+United+Kingdom+call+mummy/8743781/story.html |date=2 August 2013 |newspaper=The Daily Telegraph |quote=Although she has never used the name, the Duchess is entitled to refer to herself as Princess William of Wales, as well as being Countess of Strathearn and Lady Carrickfergus. |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130820021850/http://www.ottawacitizen.com/life/royals/Princess+United+Kingdom+call+mummy/8743781/story.html |archive-date=20 August 2013 }}</ref> This was the title which William used when in Scotland until receiving the title of [[Duke of Rothesay]] in September 2022.<ref>{{cite web |title= Earl and Countess of Strathearn |url= https://twitter.com/KensingtonRoyal/status/1090179115733397504 |website= Official Twitter of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge |access-date= 8 May 2019}}</ref>

==Ancient Earls of Strathearn== [[File:Blason Comtes de Strathern.svg|thumb|200px|Arms of House of Malise, Earls of Strathearn]] [[File:Prince William of Wales RAF.jpg|thumb|200px|[[William, Prince of Wales|Prince William, Duke of Rothesay]] (pictured in 2010)]] [[File:Royal Standard of the Duke of Rothesay.svg|thumb|Standard of the Duke of Rothesay]] *[[John de Warenne, 7th Earl of Surrey]] *[[Máel Ísu I, Earl of Strathearn|Malise I]] ([[floruit|fl.]] 1138) *[[Ferteth, Earl of Strathearn|Ferteth]] (fl. 1160) *[[Gille Brigte, Earl of Strathearn|Gille-Brigte]] or Gilbert (1171–1223) *[[Robert, Earl of Strathearn|Robert]] (1223–1245) *[[Maol Íosa II, Earl of Strathearn|Malise II]] (1245–1271) *[[Maol Íosa III, Earl of Strathearn|Malise III]] (1271–1317), buried beside the high altar of [[Inchaffray Abbey]] *[[Maol Íosa IV, Earl of Strathearn|Malise IV]] (1317–1329), captured his father *[[Maol Íosa V, Earl of Strathearn|Malise V]] (1330–1334) (d. 1350 as [[Earl of Caithness]])

==Earls of Strathearn, Moray line beginning 1344== *[[Maurice de Moravia, Earl of Strathearn]] (d.1346)

==Earls of Strathearn, Stewart/Graham line beginning 1357== *[[Robert II of Scotland|Robert Stewart, Earl of Strathearn]] (1316–1390) (passed to son after becoming King Robert II in 1371) *[[David Stewart, Earl of Strathearn]] (1355–1386) *[[Euphemia Stewart, Countess of Strathearn]] (d.1415) **m. Patrick Graham *[[Malise Graham, Earl of Strathearn]] (1410–after 1427), deprived of the peerage before 1427 *[[Walter Stewart, Earl of Atholl|Walter Stewart, Earl of Strathearn]] (died 1437)

==Earls of Strathearn, Mountbatten-Windsor line beginning 2011== {{Update|date=September 2022}} *[[William, Prince of Wales|Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, Earl of Strathearn, Baron Carrickfergus]] (born 1982)<ref name="gazette2011">{{London Gazette |issue=59798 |date=1 June 2011 |page=10297}}</ref>

==See also== *[[Duke of Connaught and Strathearn]] *[[Duke of Cumberland and Strathearn]] *[[Duke of Kent and Strathearn]]

==References== {{reflist}}

==Bibliography== * Neville, Cynthia J., ''Native Lordship in Medieval Scotland: the Earldoms of Strathearn and Lennox, c. 1140–1365'', Dublin: Four Courts Press, 2005 {{ISBN|1-85182-890-7}} **--do.--''The Earls of Strathearn from the twelfth to the mid fourteenth century, with an edition of their written acts''. 2 vols. 1983. PhD thesis, University of Aberdeen. (http://digitool.abdn.ac.uk:80/webclient/Deliv...&pid=130786{{Dead link|date=August 2019 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }})

{{DEFAULTSORT:Strathearn}} [[Category:Earls or mormaers of Strathearn| ]] [[Category:Extinct earldoms in the Peerage of Scotland]] [[Category:Perth and Kinross]] [[Category:Forfeited earldoms in the Peerage of Scotland]] [[Category:Earldoms in the Peerage of the United Kingdom]] [[Category:Noble titles created in 1344]] [[Category:Noble titles created in 1357]] [[Category:Noble titles created in 2011]]