James Graham, 1st Marquess of Montrose (1612-1650) (Scottish nobleman and soldier who supported the king as the English Civil War developed.) 5

I am finishing C. V. Wedgewood's book about the active part of the English Civil War, "The King's War, 1641-1647" (1958) (part two of "The Great Rebellion"), and she tells the remarkable tale of Montrose. She later wrote a book about him. Riding into Scotland alone in the middle 1640's armed only with the king's commission, Montrose raised a small force primarily of Highlanders, and helped by a small force of rebels who came over from Ireland, by brilliant tactics and strategy, made himself master of Scotland against overwhelming odds routing the Presbyterian Covenanters, who were fighting the king, at every turn.

Unfortunately for Montrose, the king's fortunes collapsed after his defeat by Fairfax and the New Model Army at Naseby, in June, 1645, and the Highlanders got tired and went home. Montrose was finally defeated by overwhelming force at Philiphaugh in September, 1645.

He fled the country but came back in the middle of 1649 to avenge the execution of the king. He was able to do little, betrayed to the Presbyterian government and hanged, drawn and quartered in Edinburgh. Shortly thereafter, the Presbyterians in Scotland switched sides and took the field against Cromwell and the New Model Army. Montrose's head was taken off the spike, and his arms and legs were recalled from the various towns where they were sent as his punishment, the torso was dug up from beneath the gallows, and all the parts were reverently buried in St. Giles Church in the capital in a rich casket. I suppose that everybody felt better then.