Robert Maxwell, 5th Lord Maxwell (1493-9 July 1546) was a Scottish noble and patriarch of Clan Maxwell. He commanded the Scots at the disastrous Battle of Solway Moss in 1542.
Biography[]
Robert Maxwell, 5th Lord Maxwell was the eldest son of John Maxwell, 4th Lord Maxwell, who was slain at the Battle of Flodden in 1513. Robert succeeded his father after his death, and he became Warden of the West Marches. In 1526, he sided with Archibald Douglas, 6th Earl of Angus when their two armies defeated Clan Scott and Clan Eliott at Melrose, and he burned Penrith during a 1536 invasion of England. In 1540, as High Admiral, he commanded an expedition to the Orkney Islands. In 1542, he commanded the Scottish army at the Battle of Solway Moss, during which he was captured. He was made to support King Henry VIII of England's plans to have his son (the future Edward VI of England) marry Mary, Queen of Scots, but he was captured in battle with Regent Arran at Glasgow in 1544. From 1544 to 1545, he was imprisoned by King Henry after Henry doubted his fidelity, but he was later released. In 1546, he became Chief Justice of Annandale and Warden of the West Marches, and he died that same year.