RUTHVEN OF FORTEVIOT, ARCHIBALD [SSNE 5514]
- Surname
- RUTHVEN OF FORTEVIOT
- First name
- ARCHIBALD, ARCHIBALDUS
- Title/rank
- COLONEL
- Nationality
- SCOT
- Region
- FORTEVIOT, PERTH AND KINROSS
Text source
Archibald Ruthven of Forteviot was the son of Patrick, 3rd lord Ruthven, and his wife Janet Douglas. His brother William became Lord Treasurer of Scotland in 1571. Archibald served in Sweden between 1573-1575 and remained there as a prisoner until he died in captivity in 1578. He had been recommended for the service of king Johan III by the Scottish Regent, the Earl of Mar, in 1572. He arrived in Sweden in 1572 with an escort of 11 men and 3 extra horses. Johan commissioned him to return to Scotland to enlist 2000 men, but Ruthven appeared with closer to 4000, twice the amount. All the men were under the command of Charles de Mornay, a Frenchman who had been in Swedish service for some time. Complications arose over the pay of the officers (as more had arrived than originally requested) which led to the execution of Hugh Cahun [SSNE 778], a fellow Scot. Cahun was accused of embezzling the troops' wages and he in turn accused Ruthven and Gilbert Balfour [SSNE 1703] of an alleged plot to kill Johan III. The force then sailed to Livonia where they became involved in an infamous internal feud with the German cavalry in their army resulting in 1500 dead. Ruthven was sent to jail in irons where he was again accused of plotting to kill the king. He died in prison despite numerous petitions on his behalf. A note, probably in Ruthven's hand survives from 1573 begging Johan III for more provisions as the ones sent had been exhausted. Other letters survive showing Ruthven's defence against the accusations against him as well as a refutation of the same.Swedish Riksarkiv, Strödda Historiska Handlingar, vol. 13 B. Letters 1573; National Archives of Scotland, RH2/2/15 transcript(uncollated) of the Hopetoun MS in the British Museum, p.260, articles disproving the allegations of King John of Sweden to the Regent of Scotland against Sir Archibald Ruthven of Forteviot; G. Arteus, Till Militärstatens Förhistoria: Krig, professionalisering och social förändring under Vasasönernas regering (Stockholm, 1986), p.161; J. Berg and B. Lagercrantz, The Scots in Sweden (Stockholm, 1962), pp.14-17; T. Fischer, The Scots in Sweden (Edinburgh, 1907), pp.54-60.
Service record
- SWEDEN, REVAL, ESTONIA
- Arrived 1573-01-11, as COLONEL
- Departed 1576-01-10, as COLONEL
- Capacity OFFICER, purpose MILITARY