Robert was the eldest son of John Maxwell, 4th Lord Maxwell (killed at the
Battle of Flodden, 9 September 1513) and Agnes Stewart, the daughter of Sir Alexander Stewart of Garlies. After the battle of Flodden, Robert returned as heir to his father on 4 November 1513. Around this time, he was also bestowed as
Regent of
Arran, the largest island in the Firth of Clyde, making the 5th Lord Maxwell essentially
Monarch of the Island. Although others would achieve highly respected noble titles in the distinguished line of the House of Maxwell, none would match that of 5th Lord Maxwell's success. Not much is known about his reign as
Regent other than he didn't spend much time on the Island. At the time of Flodden, Maxwell was admiral of a fleet which was proposed to go to France, but which on the voyage was driven back and only arrived at
Kirkcudbright on the day after the battle. Maxwell immediately afterwards seized
Lochmaben and, on 26 November, he was appointed captain and keeper of
Thrieve. On the forfeiture of
Alexander Home, 3rd Lord Home in 1516, Maxwell acquired part of his lands and, in the following year, was made
warden of the west marches. After the return to Scotland of
Archibald Douglas, 6th Earl of Angus, husband of the dowager queen
Margaret Tudor, Maxwell became one of the queen's party. He was concerned in the removal of the young king
James V from
Stirling to
Edinburgh on 26 July 1524, and on 18 August was made
Lord Provost of Edinburgh. Maxwell took part in the scheme for the king's nominal assumption of the government in November, with the advice of the King's mother. He was then appointed as one of the council to assist her in the government. The queen's divorce from Angus changed the attitude of Maxwell, as well as other nobles, towards her. Upon the king attaining his majority of fourteen years on 21 June 1526, Maxwell became one of the council appointed to assist Angus in the guardianship of the king and the management of affairs. He was in company with the king at the
Battle of Melrose on 25 July, when an unsuccessful attempt was made by
Walter Scott of Branxholme and Buccleuch to get possession of him. The same year he was appointed steward of Kirkcudbright and keeper of Thrieve. Upon the escape of the king from
Falkland Palace to
Stirling in July 1528, Maxwell separated himself from the party of Angus and was chosen a member of the new council. Having accompanied the king to Edinburgh, he was again made lord provost of the city and, on 26 August, frustrated an attempt by Angus to take possession of it. Maxwell was one of the jurors in the trial of Angus, and upon his forfeiture received a portion of his lands. Like most of the southern nobles, Maxwell gave his indirect countenance to the border raiders, as well as engaging in raids on his own account. In 1528 he had been compelled by Angus to make compensation to the English for burning
Netherby, and this probably was the reason for his hostility to Angus. In the following year, when the king determined to make a progress southwards to punish raiders, it was deemed advisable to place Maxwell and other sympathisers with them in ward in
Edinburgh Castle, but after the king's return, they were released on giving pledges for their allegiance. The execution of
John Armstrong, who was partly under his protection, was especially distasteful to Maxwell, but he afterwards became reconciled to the king, and on 17 November 1533 was appointed an extraordinary lord of session. During an excursion into England in 1536, he burned
Penrith. The same year he was appointed one of the ruling
regents during the absence of King James on his matrimonial expedition to France. After the death of the king's first wife,
Madeleine of Valois, Maxwell was sent in December 1537 with other ambassadors to conclude a treaty of marriage with the recently widowed
Mary of Guise. Maxwell acted as the king's proxy, bringing a diamond spousing ring which cost 300 crowns for the marriage ceremony at the
Château de Châteaudun on 9 May 1538. Maxwell was, for a time, keeper of
Hermitage Castle, and in February 1540 was paid £100
Scots for making repairs at Hermitage. Maxwell, as
high admiral, commanded an
expedition to the Orkney Islands in 1540. He joined the army which assembled on the
Borough Muir of Edinburgh in October 1542 and, having in vain urged that battle should be given to the English, after its disbandment he took the principal part in raising a force for a new expedition. In command of ten thousand men, he proceeded to the western borders but, just before the encounter with the English at the
Battle of Solway Moss, a warrant was produced by
Oliver Sinclair, authorising him to assume the chief command. In the confusion, little resistance was made to the English, and Maxwell was captured, perhaps deliberately. Along with other captive nobles, he was sent to London -
Eustace Chapuys wrote that Maxwell and 23 Scottish gentlemen were brought to the
Tower of London on 20 December, and the next day were released to be billeted in houses of London gentry. The death of James V in December somewhat changed Henry VIII's policy. The captive nobles were permitted to return to Scotland upon paying a ransom and entering into a bond to aid the English king, by force if necessary, in his scheme for a marriage of
Prince Edward with the young queen,
Mary Stuart. Maxwell was at Carlisle in March 1543 and was able to write to the King's widow, queen
Mary of Guise, to arrange the passage of her French servants who took messages on to the
Duke of Suffolk at Newcastle. Suffolk was told that Guise was favourable to the marriage plan.
Cardinal Beaton, who opposed the marriage to the heir of a Protestant country, was detained. Maxwell showed his hostility to Beaton by proposing, and getting passed, an act that all should have liberty to read the Bible in the Scots and English tongues. Along with
Hugh Somerville, 5th Lord Somerville, he was one of the chief agents of Angus in his intrigues with Henry VIII. On the last day of October 1543, Maxwell and Somerville were captured by
John Hamilton, the
Abbot of Paisley, while in Edinburgh carrying letters to
Gilbert Kennedy, 3rd Earl of Cassilis and
William Cunningham, 4th Earl of Glencairn. Maxwell was imprisoned in
Edinburgh Castle. Upon obtaining his liberty, Maxwell joined
Matthew Stewart, 4th Earl of Lennox in
Glasgow Castle, and was taken prisoner at its capture during the
battle of Glasgow, 1 April 1544. He was released on 3 May 1544, on the approach of the English fleet to
Leith roads, in case his friends or followers should ally with the English. Having now excited the suspicions of Henry as to his fidelity, he was taken prisoner and sent to the
Tower of London. Thereupon he offered to serve under the
Earl of Hertford, with a red cross on his armour as a symbol of his devotion to England. However, in August 1545 he remained imprisoned at
Pontefract Castle, and only in October 1545 was he allowed to return to Scotland, on delivering
Caerlaverock Castle into English keeping. Early in November, his castles were captured by Beaton and he was conveyed a prisoner to
Dumfries; but, having affirmed that he had only made terms with Henry in fear of his life, on 12 January 1546 Maxwell received a remission, and was at the same time made chief justice of
Annandale. On 3 June 1546, he was appointed warden of the west marches. He died on 9 July of the same year. ==Family==