{{Infobox Monarca
|nome = João Stewart
|título = Duque de Albany
|nascimento = c. 1481
|morte = 2 de junho de 1536
|cidademorte = Mirefleur, Auvérnia, França
|sepultamento = Vic-le-Comte, França
|pai = Alexandre Stewart, 1o Duque de Albany
|mãe = Ana de la Tour d'Avergne
|casa real = Stewart
|esposa = Ana, Condessa de Auvérnia
}}
'''John Stewart''' (1481 &mdash; 2 de junho de 1536), segundo ou quarto Duque de Albany, foi conhecido na história política da Escócia como o '''Regente Albany'''. Era neto do rei Jaime II da Escócia (1430-1469), como filho de seu filho Alexander Stewart (1454-1485), Duque de Albany, e de sua segunda esposa. Cresceu nas propriedades da mãe na França. O pai morreu quando tinha quatro anos. Nela termina o ducado de Albany.

Quando o rei Henrique VIII, cuja irmã, Margarida Tudor, mãe de Jaime V, desejava desempenhar-se como Regente. Foi obrigada a se aafastar da regência, porém, porque escolheu casar-se por segunda vez. 

Assim, chamado de volta, foi nomeado Regente em 1515. Chegou a Dumbarton em 1515, entre grandes pompas. Logo se ocupou em extinguir a rebelião chefiada pelo novo marido de Margarida, ambicioso e pró-partido inglês, Archibald Douglas (1489-1557) sexto conde ou Earl of Angus, junto com  James Hamilton (1475-1529) primeiro conde ou Earl de Arran, e Lord Home. Margarida fugiu para a Inglaterra.

Albany renovou a aliança com a França, tendo dificuldades para reprimir crises internas provocadas pela rivalidade Angus-Arran. Criou a Corte de Sessões. Atacado pelo governo inglês, foi arrastado à guerra em 1522 e sofreu muitas derrotas. Em 1524 abandonou a Escócia. O Parlamento o convidou de novo,  e foi outra vez regente em julho para resistir à influência inglesa e de Margarida Tudor, a rainha viúva. Em agosto, se apoderou dela e de seus filhos em Stirling, e suprimiu a seguir a rebeldia dos Homes, Angus ( o segundo marido de Margarida) e James Hamilton, ou seja, o conde de Arran. Alexandre, terceiro lord Home, foi decapitado em outubro de 1516 e em 12 de novembro, Albany foi declarado herdeiro. 

Em Francisco I, Madalena de Valois, era prometida ao rei Jaime V.  Em 1521 teve que voltar de novo, atacado por Henrique VIII e por Wolsey, tendo uma reconciliação temporária com Margarida. Ajudou-a a se divorciar de Angus, partiu de novo para a França e viveu entre tumultos e guerras, mas sua regência se terminou ao assumir Jaime V em 30 de julho de 1523. 

'''John Stewart, Duke of Albany''' (Auvergne and Lauraguais in France.

==Life==
John was a son of Anne de la Tour d'Auvergne, daughter of Bertrand VI of Auvergne.  The ambitious though unsuccessful Alexander had fled Scotland to France in 1479, and married Anne.  He then returned to Scotland after reconciliation with his brother the king, but in 1483 fled to France a second time, being placed in Scotland under a sentence of death for treason.  John was born in France, although it is unclear whether this was during his father's first or second stay there, and grew up there with his French mother.

Alexander was killed in Paris accidentally in a tournament in 1485 when John was still an infant. He had earlier been married with Catherine Sinclair, daughter of the 3rd Earl of Orkney, but that marriage had been dissolved in 1478, however having produced half-brothers to John. Question of their illegitimacy caused uncertainty in succession, but the infant John was eventually recognized as duke after his father's death. He thus inherited Duchy of Albany and Earldom of March.

On 15 February 1487 his mother the Dowager Duchess Anne married, second time, Louis de Seyssel, comte de La Chambre, who became John's stepfather.

==Heir Presumptive==
Albany was his whole life the next heir of the agnates over all females of the Royal House of Stewart. The sons of the immediate royal family proved to be short-lived except Albany's first cousins James, Duke of Ross, James IV of Scotland and the latter's son the future James V of Scotland (who died in 1542, only five years after Albany).

Thus Albany was from 1504 onwards either the heir presumptive or the second-in-line to the throne of Kingdom of Scotland. After 1504, despite which minor was heir in front of him, Albany was always the closest heir who was not underage. During the minority of King James V of Scotland, Albany acted as regent intermittently between 1514 and 1524.

On 8 July 1505 the young Albany married his first cousin Anne, Countess of Auvergne and Lauraguais (eldest daughter and heiress of Albany's maternal uncle John III, Count of Auvergne who had died in 1501). Thus John started to enjoy the position and rights of Count of Auvergne and Lauraguais in France, until Anne's death in 1524. A manuscript detailing her estate with pictures of her castles still exists (see references).

Albany's mother Anne, Countess of La Chambre, died on 13 October 1512. (The stepfather, Louis de La Chambre, lived until 1517.)

==Regency of Scotland==
Albany was called to assume the regency (or guardianship) in Dowager Queen Margaret married again to the Scottish noble, Archibald Douglas, 6th Earl of Angus, who led his own faction in Scotland and was opposed by other factions. Albany utilized the Scottish nobility’s innate distrust of Margaret. After two years' uneasy situation, in 1516 Margaret had to flee to England (Albany besieged the queen at Stirling and got possession of the royal children) and Albany thus succeeded in making himself the sole regent.  The fragmentary and quarrelous politics of Scotland overthrew and also restored Albany's powers several times.

The earl of Angus made his peace with Albany later in 1516. Between 1517 to 1520 Albany sojourned in France, and did not exercise the regency on spot, but through his lieutenants. Queen Margaret sought to regain the regency, but in vain. Young king James was kept a virtual prisoner by Albany, and queen Margaret was allowed to see her son only once between 1516 and end of Albany's regency. Margaret started to try get a divorce from Angus, also through Albany secretly. Albany returned to Scotland in 1521 and Margaret now sided with him against her husband. Thus Albany was able to keep upper hand in regard to ambitious Angus. The regent took the government into his own hands. Albany put Angus under charges of high treason in December 1521, and later sent him practically a prisoner to France.

The 12-year-old James V's minority was proclaimed to end in Archbishop Beaton held the chief power.