Master of Angus William Douglas was the eldest son of
William Douglas, 10th Earl of Angus and his wife, Elizabeth Oliphant, eldest daughter of
Laurence Oliphant, 4th Lord Oliphant. His younger brothers were
James Douglas, 1st Lord Mordington and Sir Francis Douglas of Sandilands. Shortly before Douglas was born,
his grandfather inherited the
earldom of Angus and Lordship of Douglas from a distant cousin; in 1591, his father in turn succeeded to the titles as 10th Earl, and the boy adopted the
style of "Master of Angus" or "Lord Douglas". The 10th Earl was a notable convert from state-sanctioned
Presbyterianism to
Catholicism, and the family were not trusted by the
Kirk due to his religious position. The prestigious public duties he had inherited, holding the first seat and vote in the
King's Council and
parliament, leading the vanguard of the Scots army, and bearing the
Crown of Scotland, also brought him into conflict with the
Duke of Lennox, who had been granted a conflicting
precedence and ceremonial role. The scandal of the
Spanish Blanks in 1593–1595 made Angus a rebel, and although he eventually recovered his position, and succeeded in defending his inheritance, he chose to go into exile in
Paris in 1608 to obtain
freedom of conscience. All this had an effect on Douglas' childhood; he was separated from his father during the Earl's periods of
house arrest, and in 1596 the Douglas inheritance was briefly conferred on him in his father's place. The next year, when his father was restored to favour, the Master of Angus sent away to live with his Protestant cousin and
godfather, the
Earl of Morton, though he soon returned home after breaking his leg in an accident. In 1601, at the very young age of twelve, the Master of Angus was married to Margaret Hamilton, daughter of
Claud Hamilton, 1st Lord Paisley – a match that was designed as a Catholic alliance, and also gained the protection of the bride's powerful kinsman,
Lord Fyvie.
Earl of Angus Douglas succeeded his father as
Earl of Angus in 1611; his father had made arrangements to ensure that his inheritance was largely free of the debts that had previously burdened it. However, he was immediately embroiled in legal dispute with his tenants the
Kers of Ferniehirst over rights to hold courts in the
Bailiary of
Jedforest. This dispute resulted in a severe outbreak of violence in the
Borders, and the case was presented to the
Privy Council. The Lords of Session found in favour of Angus, although his brother James was remanded at
Blackness Castle for threatening one of the Kers. Angus maintained his right to hold courts, and the Kers had to post
£10,000 Scots as security to keep the peace. Not of a healthy constitution and unhappy with the religious climate at home, Angus was given leave by
James VI of Scotland, to travel to Europe, which he did in 1616, returning by 1620; and again in 1623, he was given an 11-year leave of absence to travel to the continent, leaving his estates to be run by his brother Lord Mordington, and his cousin
William Douglas, 7th Earl of Morton. Whilst in France, he corresponded with Marc Antonio Scoto d'
Agazzano and Italian nobleman from
Piacenza, who claimed ancient kinship with Angus (cf. The legend of
Sholto Douglas). Angus did not stay on the continent for the full 11 years, but returned to Britain following the death of King James in 1625. The new king,
Charles I, stopped charges of
Papistry levelled against the Earl and restored to him his father's honours in 1631. Douglas married again, following the death of his first wife, to Mary Gordon, daughter of
George Gordon, 1st Marquess of Huntly. During the King's visit to Scotland for his coronation in that realm in 1633, Angus was created
Marquess of Douglas, Earl of Angus, Lord of Abernethy and Jedburgh Forest at
Dalkeith. He bore the crown during the coronation.
Marquess of Douglas Until 1638 Douglas spent the most part of his time at Douglas Castle, not much intervening in national affairs, apart from being appointed a King's commissioner to deal with an outbreak of violence along the
Marches. In 1644, Douglas signed the
National Covenant at Douglas Kirk, but by 1645 he had switched sides to join
James Graham, 1st Marquess of Montrose, following the
Battle of Kilsyth. Montrose made him his lieutenant for
Clydesdale, and Douglas raised his countryside to join with Montrose's army just before his great defeat at the
Battle of Philiphaugh. Douglas was able to escape following the debacle, but was captured in April the following year, and imprisoned in
Edinburgh Castle. For the first months of his captivity he was allowed to be accompanied by his Marchioness, but by July 1646, he was being held under close ward. He was released in 1647 following the payment of a large fine. In 1651,
Charles II offered Douglas the leadership of a regiment in the army he was raising to invade England, Douglas declined however. Following
Cromwell's Act of Grace, Douglas was further forced to pay of the huge fine of £1000 sterling for himself, and a further £1000 each for his two sons,
Archibald, Lord Douglas and
William, 1st Earl of Selkirk.It is possible that in light of this that Douglas' fine was reduced to £333.
Death Douglas died at Douglas Castle, on 19 February 1660 and was buried in front of the altar of St. Brides's Kirk,
Douglas, South Lanarkshire. The Marquess of Douglas was succeeded by his grandson,
James Douglas, 2nd Marquess of Douglas. ==Marriage and issue==