William Maxwell, 5th Earl of Nithsdale

William Maxwell ( * 1676, † March 20, 1744 in Rome), 5th Earl of Nithsdale, 14th Lord Maxwell, 9th Lord Herries of Terregles, was a Scottish nobleman.

Life

His father was Robert Maxwell, 4th Earl of Nithsdale; his mother was Lucy Douglas, a daughter of William Douglas, 1st Marquess of Douglas. The title of his father he took over de jure with the latter's death in 1683, de facto this title but were only confirmed on May 26, 1696 and on May 19, 1698.

During the First Jakobitenaufstandes he stood on side of James Stuart, the " Old Pretender ". In November 1715 he was captured at Preston and taken to the Tower of London. There he was found guilty on January 19, 1716 for high treason; February 9, was set at the maximum sentence of the death penalty. With this ruling at the same time all the titles and honors were stripped of all lands fell to the Crown. With the help of his wife on February 23, 1716 he managed to escape; as servants of the Venetian ambassador, the two were able to sell to France. Even if he still the Jacobite form of the Order of the Thistle was awarded on December 31, 1716, the rest of his life was spent in poverty.

By his marriage, closed on March 2, 1699 in Paris by Winifred Herbert, a daughter of William Herbert, 1st Marquess of Powis, he had a daughter; Anne and a son; William. This led to his father's title in 1716 illegally, until it was banned by the royal decree on February 12, 1741 under threat of penalty.