John Douglas, Lord of Balvenie

According to Boece, Balvenie, along with his brothers, attacked the town of Stirling and paraded the supposed letter of safe conduct tied to the tail of a horse.

[2] In the years between the murder of the eighth earl, and 1455, there followed an intermittent war between the Crown and the Douglases, with King James attempting to dislodge the brothers from their position of power.

[4] On 1 May 1455, at the Battle of Arkinholm, near Langholm, Balvenie and his elder brothers, Archibald Douglas, Earl of Moray, and Ormond were trapped by forces loyal to the crown and were defeated.

[5] In an attempt to foment further rebellion by John of Islay against the Scottish crown, the brothers ratified the Treaty of Ardtornish-Westminster, on behalf of the English with the Lord of the Isles.

For his part in these negotiations, the Scottish council of regency, put a price upon Balvenie's head of 1,200 Merks (the equivalent of £45,000 in the present day).