It was on this day in 1650 that James Graham, 1st Marquess of Montrose, known as "the Great Montrose", was hanged and ritually dismembered for treason at the Mercat Cross in Edinburgh. Despite being one of the King's most loyal supporters, his refusal to compromise his principles had led to his repeatedly falling in and out of favour with those in power; both before and after his death.
Throughout a period of civil war and religious strife, while most of the nobility were busy trying to pick the winning side (or the one which promised the most personal power), Graham's sole objective seems to have been trying to bring a measure of stability and peace to his nation. He had been among the signatories of the National Covenant in 1638, driven by his desire to rid Scotland of the corruption of the Bishops to whom Charles I had granted political power. In fact, Graham had very specific beliefs regarding the division of power, which included the Church keeping its nose out of politics, and the King ceasing to meddle in religious matters.
Charles was a little more pragmatic than his Marquess, and at one point was forced to disavow and exile him in order to win the support of more powerful Earls. Graham's unfaltering loyalty did not however go unrewarded by his King, and he was later returned to favour while Charles I was engaged in battle in England, and made Lord Lieutenant and Captain-General of Scotland, giving him virtually unlimited power. Unfortunately, within months of being appointed to this position, he was forced to lead his small army to aid Charles, who had been defeated at Naseby. Graham never made it to his King's side: his forces were ambushed and scattered en route, and he was forced to flee to Norway in 1646.
He returned to Scotland in 1650 after Charles I's execution, intending to avenge his King's death and restore his son (Charles II) to power. He landed in the North, but failed to win the support of the Highland clans to his cause. Pursued by Parliamentarian forces, he took shelter at Ardvreck Castle, under the "sworn protection" of Neil MacLeod -- who promptly betrayed him and turned him over to the authorities. He was taken in chains to Edinburgh, declared a traitor, and sentenced to be hung, drawn and quartered.
The symbolic dispersal of a traitor's limbs throughout the kingdom that he had betrayed was a long-standing tradition in Britain, simultaneously heaping ignominy on the traitor, and providing a clear warning to all as to the consequences of treason. Graham's head was fixed to the highest point of the Tolbooth prison in the centre of Edinburgh, and each of his arms and legs sent to Inverness, St. Andrews, Stirling and Aberdeen, to be displayed above their city gates.
That Graham's execution was a matter of politics rather than principle was obvious to all, and eleven years later, although what remained of his head was still mounted on the Tolbooth, the political climate had changed. The Restoration of the monarchy and coronation of Charles II saw the Great Montrose restored to popular favour, and naturally this meant that the cruel and unjust sentence handed down to him had to be reversed.
This, naturally, posed something of a problem. While Graham's head was easy enough (if a little unpleasant) to find, the limbs had apparently recalled their vocation and wandered off. His legs and left arm (or, at least, a trio of limbs indistinguishable from the originals) were eventually found and returned, but his right arm had already been stolen by his supporters and spirited away (though it was later found and reunited with the rest). The torso had been returned to his family after the execution but, as he had died a traitor, had only been permitted burial in an unmarked and unconsecrated grave. This too was traced without much difficulty, but his heart had been removed from it, encased in a steel box formed from the blade of his sword, and taken to France (where it remained until it was lost during the French Revolution).
Having assembled as much of the Marquess' scattered body as could be found, his patchwork corpse was carried through Edinburgh at the head of a procession where "colours were flying, drums beating, trumpets sounding, muskets cracking, and cannon roaring from the castle". With great ceremony, they were placed in a magnificant tomb in St. Giles' Cathedral, beneath a sculpture of Graham lying at peaceful rest, as he might have done had he remained intact.
While the Great Montrose ultimately had his honour restored, we're fairly sure that he would have been happier without the unpleasantness in the interim. However, he would doubtless have taken some comfort in knowing that while you can't always be on the right side of the battle, if you stick to your principles you can still end up on the right side of history.