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The House of Stuart or '''Stewart''' ( Scots for Steward) was a Royal House of Scotland and later England , and Great Britain . The House of Stuart ruled the Kingdom Of Scotland for 336 years, between 1371 and 1707 . After the death of Elizabeth I Of England , the last monarch from the House Of Tudor , the House of Stuart also took over the thrones of the Kingdom Of England and the Kingdom Of Ireland , providing the head of all three State s between 1603 and 1707, under a Personal Union . It was followed by the House Of Hanover . The House began with the hereditary High Stewards Of Scotland . Members of various Cadet and Illegitimate branches still survive today. History The earliest known member of the House of Stewart was Flaald I (Flaald the Seneschal), an 11th Century Breton noble of Norman Descent who was a follower of the Lord of Dol and Combourg . Flaald and his immediate descendants held the hereditary and honorary post of Dapifer (food bearer) in the Lord of Dol's household. His grandson Flaald II was a supporter of Henry I Of England and made the crucial move from Brittany to Britain , which was where the future fortunes of the Stewarts lay. Walter the Steward (died 1177 ), the grandson of Flaald II, was born in Oswestry ( Shropshire ). Along with his brother William, ancestor of the Fitzalan family (the Earls Of Arundel ), he supported Empress Matilda during the period known as The Anarchy . Matilda was aided by her uncle, David I Of Scotland , and Walter followed David north in 1141 , after Matilda had been usurped by King Stephen . Walter was granted land in Renfrewshire and the position of Lord High Steward. Malcolm IV made the position hereditary and it was inherited by Walter's son, who took the surname Stewart. The sixth High Steward of Scotland, Walter Stewart ( 1293 - 1326 ), married Marjorie , daughter of Robert The Bruce , and also played an important part in the Battle Of Bannockburn currying further favour. Their son Robert was heir to the House Of Bruce ; he eventually inherited the Scottish throne when his uncle David II Of Scotland died childless in 1371 . In 1503 , James IV Of Scotland attempted to secure peace with England by marrying Henry VII 's daughter, Margaret Tudor . The birth of their son, later James V , brought the House of Stewart into the line of descent of the House Of Tudor , and the English throne. Margaret Tudor later married Archibald Douglas, 6th Earl Of Angus . Their daughter, Margaret Douglas , married Matthew Stewart, 4th Earl Of Lennox a member of the noble dynasty Stewart Of Darnley . Like the Royal Stewarts, the Stewarts of Darnley were descended from Alexander Stewart, 4th High Steward Of Scotland . In 1565 , Matthew Stewart's eldest son Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley married his cousin Mary . Darnley's father was Matthew Stewart, 4th Earl Of Lennox , a direct descendant of James II and Mary's Heir Presumptive , who had changed the spelling of his surname whilst at the English court. Therefore Darnley was also related to Mary on his father's side, and at the time of their marriage was himself second in line to the Scottish throne. Because of this connection, Mary's heirs remained part of the House of Stewart. Heads of the House of Stewart Dapifers of Dol
High Stewards of Scotland
Scottish Monarchs
Scottish, English and Irish Monarchs
British Monarchs
Pretenders
Imposters See also
Further reading
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