William Douglas, 8th Earl of Douglas

William Douglas, 8th Earl of Douglas, 2nd Earl of Avondale (1425 – 22 February 1452) was a Scottish nobleman. He was the eldest son of James Douglas, 7th Earl of Douglas and Beatrice Sinclair.

The power of the Black Douglases, lost after the execution of the 6th Earl, was restored by the 8th Earl, who recovered the lordships of Wigtown, Galloway and Bothwell by marriage (by papal dispensation) to his cousin, Margaret Douglas, Fair Maid of Galloway (daughter of the 5th Earl). He was soon high in favour with James II, and procured the disgrace of Sir William Crichton, presumed murderer of his kinsman the 6th Earl, by an alliance with his rival, Sir Alexander Livingston of Callendar.

James II raided the Douglas lands during his absence on a pilgrimage to Rome. Despite this, their relations seemed outwardly friendly. However, in 1452 the king sent one of Douglas's friends, Sir William Lauder of Haltoun, with an invitation to Douglas to come to Stirling Castle under a safe-conduct, in itself, however, a proof of strained relations. There James demanded the dissolution of a league into which Douglas had entered with Alexander Lindsay, the 'Tiger' earl of Crawford, and John of Islay. Upon Douglas's refusal the king murdered him with his own hands, stabbing him 26 times, and his body was thrown out a window.

Dying without issue, his titles passed to his brother James.

Douglas in fiction

Douglas is the central character in Black Douglas, a novel by Nigel Tranter, which is speculative about a few issues e.g. claiming that he had a dysfunctional marriage.

References

•  This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed (1911). Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. 
• thepeerage.com
• John Prebble The Lion in the North

Peerage of Scotland
Preceded by James Douglas	Earl of Douglas 1443–1452	Succeeded by James Douglas
Preceded by James Douglas	Earl of Avondale 1443–1452	Succeeded by James Douglas