6th Earl of Mar.
DONALD, EARL OF MAR, was knighted by Alexander III at Scone, 29 Sep. 1270. He had succeeded to the Earldom by 25 July 1281, when he swore at Roxburgh to observe the terms of the marriage contract between Princess Margaret and King Eric of Norway. He was one of the magnates who, after the death of King Alexander, acknowledged Margaret, dau. of the said Princess, as heir to the throne of Scotland, at Scone, 5 Feb. 1283/4; and of those who, in their own name and the name of the com- munity of the realm of Scotland, in a convention at Brigham, 17 Mar. 1289/90, confirmed the treaty of marriage between the said Margaret of Norway, then Queen of Scotland, and Edward, son of Edward I. After Queen Margaret's death in 1290 the Earl of Mar became a strong Supporter of Bruce's claims, and was one of the seven earls 10 whose action in1290 appears to have been the first step taken to appeal for a decision to the King of England as overlord. He swore fealty to Edward I as his overlord 13 June 1291. The Earl of Mar was one of the Scottish nobles summoned to accompany Edward to Gascony, Sep. 1294. 11 He was active in the Scottish revolt against England, and was taken prisoner at, or after, the battle of Dunbar, 27 Apr. 1296; but, on the submission of Baliol, he did homage at Montrose in July following, and on 31 July- 1 Aug. Edward visited him at his castle of Kudrummy. On 28 Aug. he did homage again at Benvick. On 23 June 1297, at Westminster, he took an oath to serve Edward against the King of France. The following month he sent a report to the King about the state of the magnates in the North, and the 23th of this month is the last date at which he is known to have been alive. He m. Helen, widow of Malcolm, Earl of Fife (who d. 1266), and dau. of Llewelyn, Prince of North Wales. She was living in Feb. 1294/5. He died probably soon after 25 July 1297
(Ryk Brown's Family Database: http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=ryk%5Fbrown&id=I1534)