Alexander of Scotland, Prince of Scotland (21 January 1264 – 17 January 1284) was the son of
Alexander III of Scotland and his
Queen Consort Margaret of England, and heir to the throne of Scotland. He was the grandson of
Henry III of England and
Alexander II of Scotland.
Alexander was born at
Jedburgh. He married Margaret of Flanders (died 1331), daughter of
Guy of Dampierre,
Count of Flanders, on 14 November 1282 at
Roxburgh. No children were born of this union.
He died at
Lindores Abbey in 1284, and was buried at
Dunfermline Abbey. His death created a succession crisis, as his younger brother David of Scotland (1273–1281) had died at the age of 8, three years earlier, and his widowed father had no other legitimate sons. This caused Alexander's father to induce the
Estates to recognize as his heir-presumptive,
Margaret, Maid of Norway, Alexander's niece by his sister
Margaret, and to contract a second marriage to
Yolande de Dreux on 1 November 1285, though only a stillborn child would result of this union.
The far reaching effects of Alexander's death on
Scotland cannot be underestimated. Had he lived and inherited the throne,
John Balliol would not have been appointed as
King of Scotland by
Edward I of England, bringing
Scotland under the control of
England, and resulting in the eventual war between the two countries.