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| Stone effigy of Alexander Stewart (The Wolf of Badenoch) at Dunkeld Cathedral, Scotland |
Alexander Stewart, Earl of Buchan 'Wolf of Badenoch'
Who was this knight?
The man…Alexander Stewart was third eldest son of King Robert II, earl of Buchan, lord of Badenoch, and Justiciar of the North. Closely associated with the northeast highlands, he also became known as Alisdair Mor mac an Righ (Alexander the Big, son of the king). As earl and Justiciar it was his role to dispense justice, often in a necessary high-handed fashion. Though he gained a reputation for cruelty in the south, he was highly respected within his jurisdiction.
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| Elgin Cathedral 'The Lantern of the North' |
His reputation was set over a dispute with the bishop of Elgin. Alexander’s wife, the countess of Ross remained childless, while his mistress, who he lived with at Lochindorb castle, provided him with several children. His eldest child was named after himself, later earl of Mar. The bishop refused to grant him a divorce so he could make his children legitimate. In revenge, he burnt Elgin Cathedral, along with half the town and monasteries. He was excommunicated, ordered by his brother, the king to do penance, and then forgiven.
The legend…
After Alexander's death in 1406 tales and rumours circulated about a visit to one of his bases, Ruthven Castle, by a tall man dressed in black who said he was there to play chess with the earl. After many hours playing, the unknown man called ‘checkmate’, rose from the table, when a terrible thunder and hail storm suddenly appeared. The storm cleared by the morning when the earl’s men were found outside the castle struck by lightening. The earl was found dead in the great hall with his boot nails removed, but with no mark on his body.
The storms returned during the funeral procession and only stopped when the earl’s coffin was carried at the rear. It was feared that the unknown chess player was the devil come to pay him for all the evil he had committed. Out of fear of further retribution, he was not buried locally but at far away Dunkeld Cathedral.
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| Dunkeld today |
The setting…
Dunkeld Cathedral
The current cathedral was built during King Robert 1’s reign, about 85 years before the earl’s internment. It was largely ruined during the Reformation (c. 1560). Despite the ruins, it now appears to be little more than a small parish church. Hence, its current appearance obscures the importance this cathedral once had. Strategically important since the Romans, St. Columba established the first church here. The first King of Scots, Kenneth macAlpin, made this his capital , and generously endowed the church.
What is Chivalry? What does the life of Alexander Stewart say about chivalry?
‘By whatever means necessary’ is not exactly a quote to describe chivalry, but it could be used to characterize the reality of the activity and behaviour of knights in the fourteenth century. For knights the reality was that whatever behaviour supported their ambition, or at least did not hinder it, was how they chose to act. Alexander Stewart was one of these knights. What he and knights like him through the centuries would do, was to shape the ideals of chivalry to suit their ambitions. Personal gain and success were what mattered most.
However, Alexander's story does tell us a few things. He was Justiciar of the North for the Crown. He had to enforce royal law on a highland culture that was unused to the customs of the south on a land that had their own traditions. Therefore, he had to adapt to their ways to enforce what passed for peace in those days. To authorities in the south, once they heard of alien methods in use by one of their own, judgement and opinion would quickly be made against him—that he had become wicked and even criminal. He was a knight, but was practicing methods outside the south’s accepted code of behaviour, which they would also regularly violate.
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| What most of us learn what chivalry is |
Chivalry was a tool used by the nobility to separate themselves from the rest of society through unique types of behaviour. In theory, breaking this code of behaviour was considered disloyalty to the order of knighthood, but also to the natural order of the world and would be punishable by death.
It is in this light we can view the story and the legend of Alexander Stewart. If we look beneath the surface of the legend it says much about chivalry and the norms of the time. By breaking the civilised or accepted order of accepted knightly behaviour and conforming to the little understood highland culture of the fourteenth century, he had committed a great evil. Because of his situation geographically and politically, he had been placed outside of normal punishment. Therefore, the only fitting result was a visit from the devil himself.
What does the Dunkeld Cathedral effigy say about chivalry?
There are various things to look for in knight’s effigies. Pose of body, clothing styles, armor and heraldic devices, animals, symbols of authority depicted in armor makes clear that he is a knight. A lion at his feet may simply mean that he is a member of the royal family. Was a knight really expected to protect the weak and the poor? If it meant those he legally had the duty to protect, then yes. Could it be that this was simply where this rule came from? Can we answer any of these questions by examining the artifact?
Scots were seen by outsiders as poorly equipped rabble, which this and other effigys can be seen to contradict. An arming act passed by the Scottish Parliament was nearly identical to one passed by the English Parliament. It stated that anyone owning more than £10 of property must possess fairly substantial minimum standard of armor. A knight could be struck by a sword in the chest and not be wounded. Additional information like this reveals values held and aspects of the economy.
Exhibit Questions and Strategies
Challenging accepted wisdomWhat does chivalry mean to you? What can knighthood mean to us when the knights we see are Sir Paul McCartney and Sir Sean Connery?
Nearly everyone has some idea of what chivalry is. It is still around us in popular culture and speech. If anything, the audience will be reminded of this and how relevant this concept is still in the 21st century?
How does modern literature accurately reflect chivalry in the 14th century? What is the difference between courtesy and chivalry? Describe how symbolism was important to medieval people and the respect the were shown after death displayed feelings towards the departed. The challenge of displaying the artefact
Could this be best achieved by moving the artefact to the exhibit location or placing the exhibit where the artefact is? Both are problematic. Could a duplicate model be constructed or could a 3D computer model be displayed? The latter seems most likely.
