Welcome back to This Day in Scottish History. I'm your host, Colin MacDonald. Today, we travel back to the turbulent early 17th century, to February 6, 1615, when Patrick Stewart, the 2nd Earl of Orkney, met his grim fate on the executioner's block in Edinburgh. His crime? Treason—though his downfall was as much the result of his own tyranny as it was of his son's ill-fated rebellion in Orkney.

To understand Patrick Stewart’s execution, we must first unravel the tangled web of power, ambition, and rebellion that led to this moment. Patrick Stewart was the illegitimate grandson of King James V of Scotland, through his father, Robert Stewart, 1st Earl of Orkney. His lineage gave him noble status, but his rule over the northern isles of Orkney and Shetland was marked by oppression, cruelty, and a heavy-handed grip on power.

Patrick inherited the Earldom of Orkney from his father in 1593. Unlike his father, who had managed to keep the peace in Orkney, Patrick ruled with an iron fist. He saw himself as a king in his own right, far removed from the control of Edinburgh. He levied heavy taxes, seized lands, and imposed forced labor on the islanders, building himself a grand palace in Kirkwall. This brutality earned him few allies among the people, and many viewed him as a tyrant.

His authoritarian rule did not go unnoticed by King James VI of Scotland (who had also become James I of England in 1603). James, always wary of challenges to his authority, saw Patrick as a potential threat. The king eventually had him arrested in 1609 and imprisoned in Edinburgh Castle. However, the final blow to Patrick Stewart’s fate would come not from his own misdeeds, but from the reckless actions of his son, Robert.

While Patrick languished in prison, his son, Robert Stewart, launched a rebellion in 1614, attempting to seize control of Orkney in his father’s name. Robert and his followers took Kirkwall Castle and besieged the Bishop’s Palace. However, the uprising was short-lived. The King’s forces, led by the powerful Earl of Caithness, quickly crushed the rebellion. Robert was captured, and his father, still imprisoned in Edinburgh, was now directly implicated in the treason.

With the rebellion crushed and both father and son in the hands of the crown, King James wasted no time. Robert Stewart was swiftly tried and executed in January 1615. His father, Patrick, was next. Though Patrick had not directly participated in the rebellion, the mere association with his son’s uprising sealed his fate. After a brief trial, Patrick Stewart was convicted of treason and sentenced to death.

On February 6, 1615, Patrick Stewart, 2nd Earl of Orkney, was led to the scaffold in Edinburgh. With the shadow of the axe looming over him, his once-mighty ambitions had crumbled into dust. The executioner did his work, and with a single stroke, the line of the Stewart Earls of Orkney came to a brutal end.

Patrick Stewart's legacy remains one of tyranny, ambition, and downfall. His grand palace in Kirkwall, built with the forced labor of his subjects, still stands as a reminder of his rule. The Orkney people, who had suffered under his oppression, no doubt felt a sense of justice in his demise.

As we reflect on the events of February 6, 1615, we see how power, when wielded with cruelty and arrogance, often leads to ruin. Patrick Stewart sought to rule Orkney like a king, but in the end, he found himself at the mercy of a greater power—King James and the relentless hand of royal justice.

Thank you for joining us on this journey through history. Tune in tomorrow for another episode of This Day in Scottish History. I'm Colin MacDonald—Haste Ye Back!

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