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Fleance (or Fléance) is a figure in legendary Scottish history. He was depicted by 16th-century historians as the son of Lord Banquo, Thane of Lochaber, and the ancestor of the kings of the House of Stuart. Fleance is best known as a character in William Shakespeare's play ''Macbeth'', in which the Three Witches prophesy that Banquo's descendants shall be kings. Some screen adaptations of the story expand on Fleance's role by showing his return to the kingdom after Macbeth's death. Shakespeare's play is adapted from Holinshed's ''Chronicles'', a history of the British Isles written during the late sixteenth century. In Holinshed, Fleance escapes Macbeth and flees to Wales, where he fathers a son who later becomes the first hereditary steward to the King of Scotland. In real life, 'Steward' eventually became the name 'Stewart' (later changed to French 'Stuart'), and Walter Stewart married Princess Marjorie, daughter of Robert the Bruce. Their son, Robert II, began the Stewart/Stuart line of kings in Scotland. James VI and I, son of Mary, Queen of Scots, was the ninth Stewart/Stuart monarch (eighth king) of Scotland and the first of the six Stuart monarchs of England and Ireland. James VI & I was the reigning monarch when William Shakespeare is believed to have written and first produced Macbeth, which may have been in the new king's honour. ==History== Fleance and his father Banquo are both fictional characters presented as historical fact by Hector Boece, whose ''Scotorum Historiae'' (1526–27) was a source for Raphael Holinshed's ''Chronicles'',〔Bevington, p.714.〕 a history of the British Isles popular in Shakespeare's time. In the ''Chronicles'', Fleance—in fear of Macbeth—flees to Wales and marries Nesta verch Gruffydd, daughter of Gruffydd ap Llywelyn, the last native Prince of Wales. They have a son named Walter who makes his way back to Scotland and is appointed Royal Steward. According to legend, he fathered the Stuart monarchs of England and Scotland.〔Shakespeare and Brooke, p. 68.〕 The Stuarts used their connection with Fleance and his marriage to the Welsh princess to claim a genealogical link with the legendary King Arthur. This, they hoped, would strengthen the legitimacy of their throne.〔Ferguson, pp. 122-23〕 In 1722, however, Richard Hay, a Scottish historian, presented strong evidence that not only was James not a descendant of Fleance, but also that both Fleance and Banquo never even existed. Most modern scholars now agree that Fleance is not a real historical figure.〔Paul, pp. 150-152〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Fleance」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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