Annabella of Scotland
Annabella of Scotland ( – 1509), was a Scottish princess, a member of the House of Stewart and by her two marriages Countess of Geneva and Countess of Huntly. Both of her marriages were annulled, the first without being consummated and the second on grounds of consanguinity. Life. Early years. Presumably named after her paternal grandmother, Annabella was the eighth child and sixth daughter of King James I and Joan Beaufort. Her sisters were Margaret, Isabella, Eleanor, Mary and Joan, and her brothers were James II of Scotland and his twin brother Alexander, who died in infancy. First marriage . On 14 December 1444 was signed the marriage contract between Annabella and Louis, Count of Geneva, son of Louis, Duke of Savoy at Stirling Castle. Both bride and groom were about 8-years-old. The following year, Annabella went to Savoy to be educated there. The cortege of the princess, accompanied by the ambassadors of her father-in-law, arrived in Savoy in September 1445, after an eventful journey of 86 days. Many expenses were incurred for her reception, despite the fact that she was neither the heiress to the Kingdom of Scotland, nor the future Duchess of Savoy. However , the official wedding was never celebrated. King Charles VII of France, wasn't in favor of this alliance and sent several embassies to prevent it. The marriage contract was thus broken during negotiations at Gannat in 1458, in the presence of the French King and the representatives of the Duke of Savoy and the King of Scotland. The Duke had to pay 25,000 écus in damages to the Scottish royal family. Second marriage. Annabella returned to Scotland and married Lord George Gordon, son and heir of the 1st Earl of Huntly before 10 March 1460. After the death of her  father-in-law on 15 July 1470, her husband became in the 2nd Earl, and Annabella the Countess of Huntly. However, shortly after the 2nd Earl instituted proceedings to have his marriage with Annabella annulled on the grounds that she was related in the third and fourth degrees of consanguinity with his first wife, Elizabeth Dunbar, 8th Countess of Murray; the marriage was finally dissolved by sentence pronounced on 24 July 1471. Issue. Annabella had children with her second husband the 2nd Earl of Huntly; two children are definitely attributed to her: However, there are other children of the 2nd  Earl of Huntly whose maternity remained disputed; they could be children of either Annabella or the 2nd Earl's third and last wife (and previously mistress) Lady Elizabeth Hay: