Janet Stewart, Lady Fleming
Lady Fleming
Portrait of Lady Janet Stewart by George Jamesone
Full name	Janet Stewart
Born	17 July 1502
Died	20 February 1562(1562-02-20) (aged 59)
Noble family	House of Stuart
Spouse(s)	Malcolm Fleming, 3rd Lord Fleming
Issue	Johanna Janet Margaret Fleming, Countess of Atholl James Fleming, 4th Lord Fleming Elizabeth John Fleming, 5th Lord Fleming Agnes Mary Fleming Bridget Fleming Henri d'Angoulême
Father	James IV of Scotland
Mother	Agnes Ramsay

Janet Stewart, Lady Fleming (17 July 1502 – 20 February 1562), calledla Belle Écossaise (French for 'the BeautifulScotswoman'), was a Scottish courtier. She was anillegitimate daughter of KingJames IV of Scotland who served asgoverness to herhalf-nieceMary, Queen of Scots. Janet was briefly amistress of KingHenry II of France, by whom she had alegitimated son:Henri d'Angoulême.^[1] Her daughter,Mary Fleming, was one of the young queen's "Four Marys".

Janet Stewart (also referred to as Jane, Jenny, and other variants) was the fifth illegitimate child of theStewart kingJames IV to reach adulthood. Her half-brothers includedJames Stewart, 1st Earl of Moray;Alexander Stewart,Lord Chancellor of Scotland; andJames V,King of Scots, her father's only surviving legitimate child.

Her mother—the fourthroyal mistress of James IV to bear his offspring—wasAgnes (secondarily known as Isabel), daughter ofJames Stewart, 1st Earl of Buchan (who bore the nickname "Hearty James").^[2] Janet's parents were distantly related (precisely, half second cousins once removed) by a common ancestor:Joan Beaufort, Queen of Scots.

Janet Stewart marriedMalcolm Fleming, 3rd Lord Fleming, despite being related within a forbidden degree ofaffinity. They had eight children:

1. Lady Jean Fleming (born 1520), who married William D. Stark, and had a son, Sir William of Auchenstarry Stark (born 1540).
2. Johanna (born 1525)
3. Janet (born 1527), who was first married to John, Master of Livingston, killed at thebattle of Pinkie 1547, eldest son ofAlexander Livingston, 5th Lord Livingston, and a brother ofMary Livingston, one of Queen Mary's "Four Marys"
4. Margaret Fleming (born by 1532), who married Robert Graham,Master of Montrose, by whom she had a son,John Graham, 3rd Earl of Montrose; then was remarried to Thomas Erskine,Master of Erskine (younger brother of theJohn Erskine, 6th Lord Erskine), but had noissue; and thirdly, marriedJohn Stewart, 4th Earl of Atholl, by whom she had a sonJohn Stewart, 5th Earl of Atholl, and three daughters. Margaret Fleming was said to be awitch possessing the power to cast spells.^[3]
5. James Fleming, 4th Lord Fleming (bornc. 1534), who marriedBarbara Hamilton, his daughterJean Fleming (1554–1609) marriedJohn Maitland ofThirlestane, the younger brother ofWilliam Maitland of Lethington, the husband of his sister Mary Fleming. His grandson wasJohn Maitland, 1st Earl of Lauderdale.
6. Elizabeth (born 1530)
7. John Fleming, 5th Lord Fleming, (born c. 1535).
8. Agnes (born 1535), who marriedWilliam Livingstone, 6th Lord Livingston
9. Mary Fleming (born 1543), was one of the "Four Marys" the ladies in waiting toMary, Queen of Scots, who marriedWilliam Maitland of Lethington

Lord Fleming was killed at theBattle of Pinkie in 1547. The following year, presumably due to her unofficial membership in the royalStewart family, thewidow Fleming wasappointed governess ornurse to her infant half-nieceMary, Queen of Scots (her new mistress having been fathered by her late half-brother). Her own daughter,Mary Fleming, also joined the queen'shousehold as alady-in-waiting.

In August 1548, mother and daughter accompanied the young queen toFrance. They waited aboard ship on theClyde atDumbarton Castle for a time. Lady Fleming askedCaptain Villegaignon if the queen could go back ashore to rest.^[4] Villegaignon swore she would go to France or drown on the way.^[5]

Giovanni Ferrerio wrote toRobert Reid,Bishop of Orkney, concerned about Lady Fleming's lack of French or Latin. As she was only fluent inScots, he doubted her ability to communicate to French doctors any symptoms of illness seen in Mary. He hoped Reid would speak to Mary of Guise to secure the appointment of a Scottish physician, William Bog.^[6]

At theroyal court of France, Lady Fleming soon attracted the attentions of KingHenry II and became his lover. Their affair resulted in pregnancy, and—either before or after bearing the French monarch an illegitimate son—Janet was sent back to Scotland and replaced as governess to Mary byFrançoise de Paroy. Her boy, calledHenri de Valois-Angoulême (1551–June, 1586), was "the chief and most highly favored natural son of the King". He was legitimized and went on to become the "GrandPrior of France, Governor ofProvence, and Admiral of theLevantine Sea."^[7]

In November 1549 the English prisonerJames Wilford was exchanged for the release of her son James, Lord Fleming, who had been captured during the war of theRough Wooing.^[8] In October 1552, Janet's situation in Scotland was described byMary of Guise in a letter written to her brother, theCardinal of Lorraine. There had been talk of marrying Janet off toHenri Cleutin, Guise's military advisor. Although one of Janet's daughters had informed Mary of Guise that her mother did not wish to leave Scotland, Guise knew that Janet had discussed leaving Scotland with the Governor,Regent Arran, and wanted to see Henry II that winter. Guise told the Cardinal to reassureCatherine de' Medici, thequeen of France, that Janet would not be leaving Scotland.^[9]

Janet was one of the ladies who kept vigil over the body of Mary of Guise atEdinburgh Castle in June 1560. The ladies were not at first given mourning clothes, and Janet quoted in Latin a phrase from theBook of Joel to the English diplomatThomas Randolph, "Scindite corda vestra, non vestimenta," Rend your heart, not your garments.^[10] Afterwards, Janet applied to thePrivy Council for permission to leave Scotland with her son "Lord Hary de Valoys" on 22 August 1560. Henri took part in theSt. Bartholomew's Day massacre and was killed in aduel in 1586.^[11]

• Riddell, John (1843).Stewartiana atGoogle Books. Edinburgh.
• Weir, Alison (2004).Mary, Queen of Scots, and the Murder of Lord Darnley atGoogle Books. New York: Random House Trade Paperbacks.

• 1502 births
• 1563 deaths
• Court of James V of Scotland
• Scottish governesses
• House of Stuart
• House of Valois-Angoulême
• Illegitimate children of James IV of Scotland
• Mistresses of Henry II of France
• Ladies of Parliament
• Scottish ladies-in-waiting
• Scottish people of Danish descent
• Governesses to the Scottish court
• 16th-century Scottish educators
• 16th-century Scottish women
• Court of Mary, Queen of Scots
• Daughters of kings

• Articles with short description
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• Use dmy dates from April 2022