Archibald Douglas, Earl of Douglas and Wigtown, Lord of Galloway, Douglas and Bothwell (c. 1330 – c. 24 December 1400), called Archibald the Grim or Black Archibald, was a late medieval Scottish nobleman. Archibald was the bastard son of Sir James "the Black" Douglas, Robert I's trusted lieutenant, and an unknown mother. A first cousin of William 1st Earl of Douglas, he inherited the earldom of Douglas and its entailed estates as the third earl following the death without legitimate issue of James 2nd Earl of Douglas at the Battle of Otterburn. Early life He was probably not yet born when his father went on crusade and was killed at the Battle of Teba whilst fighting the Moors. According to Walter Bower, possibly an insult regarding his illegitimacy, "He was dark and ugly more like a coco [cook-boy] than a Noble." Jean le Bel in his chronicle describes Douglas, as an adult, as a large man capable of wielding a huge sword. It has been suggested that the young Archibald spent time with his cousin William at the court in exile of King David II at Château Gaillard in Normandy. It was only natural for them to take service with the French king. This was in keeping with the spirit of the Auld Alliance. The first definite mention of him was in 1342 when his name was included as an heir to the Douglas lands after his legitimate Douglas cousins. Battle of Poitiers Archibald's first major appearance in history is recorded in 1356 at the Battle of Poitiers where he was captured by the English. Archibald had accompanied his cousin, William, Lord (later Earl) of Douglas, to serve King John II of France in his wars against the Black Prince. Edward III of England had concluded truce negotiations with the Scots lasting from 25 March until Michaelmas, following the Burnt Candlemas of 2 February. During the truce, William Douglas had secured safe passage to travel to France, possibly to do penance for killing his cousin William Douglas of Liddesdale; amongst his entourage was the 26-year-old Archibald. Once in France, in the chivalric spirit of the age the Douglases joined the French army, to prevent their harnesses rusting through inactivity. The battle was a disastrous defeat for the French. It was suggested by Froissart that part of the blame lay with the Lord of Douglas for his suggestion to the French