John of Gaunt III's rule was becoming unpopular due to high taxation and his affair with Alice Perrers, political opinion closely associated the Duke of Lancaster with the failing government of the 1370s. Furthermore, while King Edward and the Prince of Wales were popular heroes due to their successes on the battlefield, John of Gaunt had not won equivalent military renown that could have bolstered his reputation. Although he fought in the Battle of Nájera (1367), for example, his later military projects proved unsuccessful. When Edward III died in 1377 and John's ten-year-old nephew succeeded as Richard II of England, John's influence strengthened.
Agnes Dunbar (mistress) of King David II around 1369, as payments to her began then. A payment of 1000 merks, a very large sum at that time, was arranged for her a month before the king died suddenly in February 1371, which indicates that he had been very likely planning to marry her. On 21 November 1372 she married Sir James Douglas of Dalkeith. Their son was James Douglas, 1st Lord Dalkeith. Their great-grandson was James Douglas, 1st Earl of Morton. S. Boardman, "The Early Stewart Kings of Scotland" Agnes Dunbar (mistress) Agnes Dunbar (fl. late 14th century) was a mistress of King