Thomas Boyd, Earl of Arran

rdf:langString Thomas Boyd, Earl of Arran

rdf:langString Boyd, Robert Boyd, Lord

rdf:langString Thomas Boyd, Earl of Arran (died c. 1473) was a Scottish nobleman. Thomas was the son of Robert, 1st Lord Boyd, who was a regent during the minority of King James III of Scotland. His father was able to have Thomas created Earl of Arran and Baron Kilmarnock in the Peerage of Scotland, and arrange for Thomas' marriage to Princess Mary Stewart of Scotland, sister of King James III and daughter of King James II of Scotland, in 1467. The marriage was unpopular, especially after Lord Boyd and his brother, Sir Alexander Boyd, were later convicted of treason for abducting young James III, contriving the marriage of Thomas to Princess Mary Stewart (which was considered as an unforgivable insult by King James III), and establishing the regency. While Thomas Boyd and his father were out of the country, negotiating the cession of Orkney to Scotland and King James III's marriage to Margaret of Denmark, the regency was overthrown, and they were attainted for high treason in 1469. However, Thomas fulfilled his mission, that of bringing the King's bride Margaret to Scotland, and then warned by his wife, he escaped with her back to Denmark. He is mentioned very eulogistically in one of the Paston Letters, but practically nothing is known of his subsequent history. He probably died at Antwerp between 1471 and 1473.