Annabella was the daughter of John Drummond of Concraig, a landowner in the
earldom of Lennox, and his wife Mary Montifex, the daughter of William Montifex, a knight who had signed the
Declaration of Arbroath in 1320. The date of Annabella's birth is unknown. Based on the date of her marriage, it has been estimated in . She was traditionally born at
Dunfermline. Annabella may have served as a lady-in-waiting to
Joan of the Tower,
Queen of Scots, during Joan's residence in
England in . Annabella's father, John Drummond, married
Margaret Graham, Countess of Menteith, probably in early 1360, in a bid to secure influence in the
earldom of Menteith. Drummond died later that same year. Annabella's fortunes were preserved by the rise of her aunt,
Margaret Drummond, to favour at the court of
King David II, first as the king's mistress and then, after 1364, as
Queen of Scots. David granted Annabella the sum of £20 in 1365, at which time she was resident in
Stirling Castle, as a sign of his favour towards the
Drummond family.
Marriage On 13 March 1366,
Pope Urban V issued a
dispensation for Annabella to marry
John Stewart of Kyle, the eldest son of
Robert the Steward, who was heir to the
throne of Scotland as a grandson of
Robert the Bruce. Annabella and John were married by April 1367, likely with the support of the king. Later in 1367, John's father granted him the
earldom of Atholl in recognition of his marriage. In 1368, David II gifted the
earldom of Carrick to John and Annabella. The grant of Carrick may have represented compensation for David's divorce from Annabella's aunt Margaret, which had been finalized by March 1369, and thereby reduced the political significance of John's marriage to Annabella. After the death of David II in 1371, Annabella's father-in-law became
King of Scots as
Robert II. The birth of two daughters,
Margaret and
Elizabeth, to Annabella by 1373 provoked political tension in
Scotland. At the demand of Robert II, the
Parliament of Scotland passed an
entail of the succession, restricting the right of Annabella's daughters to inherit the throne in favor of their uncle,
Robert, Earl of Fife. Annabella gave birth to her first son,
David, in 1378, thereby resolving concerns over the succession. Annabella's three eldest daughters were all married to various members of the
Douglas family, as part of her husband's political alliances with
William, Earl of Douglas, and his son
James. Annabella's husband John became
regent of Scotland in 1384, on behalf of her father-in-law Robert II, who was declared incapable of exercising royal authority. Annabella's political influence was demonstrated in 1385, when her brother-in-law, Robert, Earl of Fife, was forced to surrender lands in
Strathearn in favor of her cousin John Logie, the son of her aunt Margaret Drummond. Annabella's husband suffered a severe injury when he was kicked by a horse, probably in 1388. Shortly afterwards, Annabella's brother-in-law, the Earl of Fife, succeeded her husband as regent for Robert II. Robert II died on 19 April 1390, after which Annabella's husband became
King of Scots, assuming the
regnal name of Robert III.
Queen of Scots Annabella was crowned as queen at
Scone Abbey by
John of Peebles,
Bishop of Dunkeld, on 15 August 1390. In March 1391, parliament granted Annabella an annual pension of 2,500
merks, a notably large sum, for the maintenance of her court and entourage. As queen, Annabella maintained a correspondence with
Richard II of England, writing two letters to him in 1394. An elaborately carved
baptismal font, given to the
Church of St Peters in , and decorated with the
arms of the king and queen, has been associated with Annabella. , decorated with the
Royal Arms of Scotland and those of the
Drummond family, to
Inverkeithing Parish Church. In April 1398, Annabella attended a
general council at
Scone Abbey alongside her husband, where the king and queen listened to a sermon preached by
Walter Trail,
Bishop of St. Andrews, about the state of affairs in Scotland. At this council, Annabella's eldest son David was elevated to the title of
Duke of Rothesay. Annabella was a crucial figure in her eldest son's rise to political prominence. Later in 1398, Annabella arranged a tournament in
Edinburgh, where David was knighted. By this time, Annabella's husband was facing severe criticism over his governance of Scotland. Probably with Annabella's implicit support, Robert III was removed from power in January 1399 and replaced by David, Duke of Rothesay, as regent of the kingdom. Annabella's brother,
Malcolm Drummond, Lord of Mar, was also a prominent supporter of her eldest son's regency. Robert III's apparent chronic illness likely contributed to his decision to surrender power. Annabella attended the general council that removed her husband from power, held at
Perth in January 1399, where she formally complained that her brother-in-law,
Robert, who had now become
Duke of Albany, was abusing his office of
Chamberlain of Scotland to prevent the payment of her annual pension. Annabella resided primarily in eastern Scotland, particularly at
Dunfermline, during her later years, where her youngest son,
James, was raised as a member of her household. Annabella died at
Scone in late 1401, She was buried at
Dunfermline Abbey. Prior to his own death in 1406, Robert III chose to be buried at
Paisley Abbey rather than alongside Annabella's body at Dunfermline.
Andrew of Wyntoun and
Walter Bower, who were both contemporaries of Annabella, were complimentary towards the queen. Bower, the author of the
Scotichronicon, concluded that Annabella's death was an important factor in the downfall of her eldest son, David, shortly afterwards. In his
Orygynale Cronykil of Scotland, Wyntoun described Annabella as "faire, honorabil, and pleasand; cunnand, curtays in her efferis; luvand, and large to strangeris." ==Issue==