Robert Boyd, 1st Lord Boyd

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Robert Boyd (d. c. 1469) Lord Boyd, was a Scottish statesman.

A son of Sir Thomas Boyd (d. 1439), Robert Boyd belonged to an old and distinguished family, one member of which, Sir Robert Boyd, had fought with Wallace and Robert Bruce. Created Lord Boyd in 1454, he was one of the regents during the minority of James III in 1460. He conspired with his brother, Sir Alexander Boyd, and obtained possession of the King's person in 1466 and was made by Act of Parliament sole governor of the realm.

He negotiated the marriage between James and Margaret of Norway in 1469 and secured the cession of the Orkney Islands by Norway. He was appointed Great Chamberlain for life and Lord Justice General in 1467.

Conflict broke out between James and the Boyd family. Robert and his son Thomas Boyd, 1st Earl of Arran (with Mary, daughter of James) were out of the country involved in diplomacy when their regime was overthrown. Robert Boyd was found guilty of treason and fled to Alnwick, Northumberland, where he died. His brother and assistant, Sir Alexander Boyd, was beheaded on the 22nd of November 1469.

[edit] Reference

• This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain.

Peerage of Scotland
Preceded by New Creation	Lord Boyd 1454–1482	Succeeded by James Boyd