A son and heir to the throne of Scotland was born on this day of 21 January in 1264 to Margaret, the eldest daughter of Henry III and Eleanor of Provence. Named after his father Alexander III, he was supposed to be a future Alexander IV, but he died in his 20th year, 2 years before his father. The news of his birth reached Henry at Rochester, where he had stopped on his way from France to make war against the Montfortian rebels. The messenger was his daughter’s cook, Robert de Huntingefeld, and the king granted him £10 worth of lands for bearing the glad tidings. The subsequent war and disorders meant that Robert waited 6 years to receive his reward.
Scottish heir
