Sir James Douglas, 2nd Earl of Douglas and Mar (c. 1358 – 14 August 1388), was an influential and powerful magnate in the Kingdom of Scotland. He was son and heir of William Douglas, 1st Earl of Douglas and Margaret, Countess of Mar.
In 1385 he made war on the English with the assistance of a French contingent under John de Vienne. He allowed the English to advance to Edinburgh, wisely refusing battle, and contented himself with a destructive cou...
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Sir James Douglas, 2nd Earl of Douglas and Mar (c. 1358 – 14 August 1388), was an influential and powerful magnate in the Kingdom of Scotland. He was son and heir of William Douglas, 1st Earl of Douglas and Margaret, Countess of Mar.
In 1385 he made war on the English with the assistance of a French contingent under John de Vienne. He allowed the English to advance to Edinburgh, wisely refusing battle, and contented himself with a destructive counter-raid on Carlisle. Disputes soon arose between the allies, and the French returned home at the end of the year.
In 1388 Douglas captured Henry 'Hotspur' Percy's pennon in a skirmish near Newcastle. Percy sought revenge in the Battle of Otterburn in August of that year, although the Scots were victorious, and Hotspur and his brother were captured. James Douglas was killed in the fight. The battle, as narrated by Jean Froissart, forms the basis of the English and Scottish ballads The Ballad of Chevy Chase and The Battle of Otterburn.
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