Máel Coluim mac Donnchada, Malcolm III, King of Scots

Other Events and Attributes:

• FamilySearch ID: KN4J-P1M
• Initiatory (LDS): 1 Mar 1894

Notes:

Reign: 1058-1093
Colonial and Revolutionary Lineages of America (973 D2ah) Vol.2


Malcolm III (Gaelic: Máel Coluim; c. 26 March 1031-13 November 1093) w a s King of Scots from 1058 to 1093. He was later nicknamed "Canmore" ("c ea nn mòr", Gaelic for "Great Chief": "ceann" denotes "leader", "head" (o f s tate) and "mòr" denotes "pre-eminent", "great", and "big"). Malcolm' s lon g reign of 35 years preceded the beginning of the Scoto-Norman age.

Malcolm's kingdom did not extend over the full territory of modern Scotl a nd: the north and west of Scotland remained under Scandinavian, Norse-G ae l, and Gaelic rule, and the territories under the rule of the Kings o f Sc ots did not extend much beyond the limits established by Malcolm I I unti l the 12th century. Malcolm III fought a series of wars against th e Kingd om of England, which may have had as its objective the conquest o f the En glish earldom of Northumbria. These wars did not result in any s ignifican t advances southward. Malcolm's primary achievement was to cont inue a lin eage that ruled Scotland for many years, although his role a s founder o f a dynasty has more to do with the propaganda of his younges t son Davi d I and his descendants than with history.

Malcolm's second wife, St. Margaret of Scotland, is Scotland's only roy a l saint. Malcolm himself had no reputation for piety; with the notabl e ex ception of Dunfermline Abbey in Fife he is not definitely associate d wit h major religious establishments or ecclesiastical reforms.

«b»Background«/b»
Malcolm's father Duncan I became king in late 1034, on the death of Malc o lm II, Duncan's maternal grandfather and Malcolm's great-grandfather. A cc ording to John of Fordun, whose account is the original source of par t a t least of William Shakespeare's Macbeth, Malcolm's mother was a niec e o f Siward, Earl of Northumbria, but an earlier king-list gives her th e Gae lic name Suthen. Other sources claim that either a daughter or niec e woul d have been too young to fit the timeline, thus the likely relativ e woul d have been Siward's own sister Sybil, which may have translated i nto Gae lic as Suthen.

Duncan's reign was not successful and he was killed by Macbeth on 15 Aug u st 1040. Although Shakespeare's Macbeth presents Malcolm as a grown ma n a nd his father as an old one, it appears that Duncan was still young i n 10 40, and Malcolm and his brother Donalbane were children. Malcolm's f amil y did attempt to overthrow Macbeth in 1045, but Malcolm's grandfathe r Crí nán of Dunkeld was killed in the attempt.

Soon after the death of Duncan his two young sons were sent away for gre a ter safety exactly where is the subject of debate. According to one ver si on, Malcolm (then aged about nine) was sent to England, and his younge r b rother Donalbane was sent to the Isles. Based on Fordun's account, i t wa s assumed that Malcolm passed most of Macbeth's seventeen-year reig n in t he Kingdom of England at the court of Edward the Confessor. Today' s Briti sh Royal family can trace their family history back to Malcolm II I via hi s youngest daughter Mary.

According to an alternative version, Malcolm's mother took both sons in t o exile at the court of Thorfinn Sigurdsson, Earl of Orkney, an enem y o f Macbeth's family, and perhaps Duncan's kinsman by marriage.

An English invasion in 1054, with Siward, Earl of Northumbria in comman d , had as its goal the installation of one "Máel Coluim, son of the kin g o f the Cumbrians". This Máel Coluim has traditionally been identifie d wit h the later Malcolm III. This interpretation derives from the Chron icle a ttributed to the 14th-century chronicler of Scotland, John of Ford un, a s well as from earlier sources such as William of Malmesbury. The l atte r reported that Macbeth was killed in the battle by Siward, but it i s kno wn that Macbeth outlived Siward by two years. A. A. M. Duncan argue d in 2 002 that, using the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle entry as their source, l ater wr iters innocently misidentified "Máel Coluim" with the later Scott ish kin g of the same name. Duncan's argument has been supported by sever al subse quent historians specialising in the era, such as Richard Oram , Dauvit Br oun and Alex Woolf. It has also been suggested that Máel Colu im may hav e been a son of Owain Foel, British king of Strathclyde perhap s by a daug hter of Malcolm II, King of Scotland.

In 1057 various chroniclers report the death of Macbeth at Malcolm's han d , on 15 August 1057 at Lumphanan in Aberdeenshire. Macbeth was succeed e d by his stepson Lulach, who was crowned at Scone, probably on 8 Septem be r 1057. Lulach was killed by Malcolm, "by treachery", near Huntly on 2 3 A pril 1058. After this, Malcolm became king, perhaps being inaugurate d o n 25 April 1058, although only John of Fordun reports this.

«b»Malcolm and Ingibiorg«/b»
If Orderic Vitalis is to be relied upon, one of Malcolm's earliest actio n s as king may have been to travel south to the court of Edward the Conf es sor in 1059 to arrange a marriage with Edward's kinswoman Margaret, wh o h ad arrived in England two years before from Hungary. If he did visi t th e English court, he was the first reigning king of Scots to do so i n mor e than eighty years. If a marriage agreement was made in 1059, it w as no t kept, and this may explain the Scots invasion of Northumbria in 1 061 wh en Lindisfarne was plundered. Equally, Malcolm's raids in Northumb ria ma y have been related to the disputed "Kingdom of the Cumbrians", re establi shed by Earl Siward in 1054, which was under Malcolm's control b y 1070.

The Orkneyinga saga reports that Malcolm married the widow of Thorfinn S i gurdsson, Ingibiorg, a daughter of Finn Arnesson. Although Ingibiorg i s g enerally assumed to have died shortly before 1070, it is possible tha t sh e died much earlier, around 1058. The Orkneyinga Saga records that M alcol m and Ingibiorg had a son, Duncan II (Donnchad mac Maíl Coluim), wh o wa s later king. Some Medieval commentators, following William of Malme sbury , claimed that Duncan was illegitimate, but this claim is propagand a refl ecting the need of Malcolm's descendants by Margaret to undermin e the cla ims of Duncan's descendants, the Meic Uilleim. Malcolm's son Do mnall, who se death is reported in 1085, is not mentioned by the author o f the Orkne yinga Saga. He is assumed to have been born to Ingibiorg.

Malcolm's marriage to Ingibiorg secured him peace in the north and wes t . The Heimskringla tells that her father Finn had been an adviser to Ha ra ld Hardraade and, after falling out with Harald, was then made an Ear l b y Sweyn Estridsson, King of Denmark, which may have been another reco mmen dation for the match. Malcolm enjoyed a peaceful relationship with t he Ea rldom of Orkney, ruled jointly by his stepsons, Paul and Erlend Tho rfinns son. The Orkneyinga Saga reports strife with Norway but this is pr obabl y misplaced as it associates this with Magnus Barefoot, who becam e king o f Norway only in 1093, the year of Malcolm's death.

«b»Malcolm and Margaret«/b»
Although he had given sanctuary to Tostig Godwinson when the Northumbria n s drove him out, Malcolm was not directly involved in the ill-fated inv as ion of England by Harald Hardraade and Tostig in 1066, which ended i n def eat and death at the battle of Stamford Bridge. In 1068, he grante d asylu m to a group of English exiles fleeing from William of Normandy , among th em Agatha, widow of Edward the Confessor's nephew Edward the E xile, and h er children: Edgar Ætheling and his sisters Margaret and Cris tina. They w ere accompanied by Gospatric, Earl of Northumbria. The exile s were disapp ointed, however, if they had expected immediate assistanc e from the Scots .

In 1069 the exiles returned to England, to join a spreading revolt in t h e north. Even though Gospatric and Siward's son Waltheof submitted by t h e end of the year, the arrival of a Danish army under Sweyn Estridsso n se emed to ensure that William's position remained weak. Malcolm decide d o n war, and took his army south into Cumbria and across the Pennines , wast ing Teesdale and Cleveland then marching north, loaded with loot , to Wear mouth. There Malcolm met Edgar and his family, who were invite d to retur n with him, but did not. As Sweyn had by now been bought off w ith a larg e Danegeld, Malcolm took his army home. In reprisal, William s ent Gospatr ic to raid Scotland through Cumbria. In return, the Scots fle et raided th e Northumbrian coast where Gospatric's possessions were conc entrated. Lat e in the year, perhaps shipwrecked on their way to a Europe an exile, Edga r and his family again arrived in Scotland, this time to r emain. By the e nd of 1070, Malcolm had married Edgar's sister Margaret o f Wessex, the fu ture Saint Margaret of Scotland.

The naming of their children represented a break with the traditional Sc o ts regal names such as Malcolm, Cináed and Áed. The point of naming Mar ga ret's sons Edward after her father Edward the Exile, Edmund for her gr and father Edmund Ironside, Ethelred for her great-grandfather Ethelred t he U nready and Edgar for her great-great-grandfather Edgar and her broth er, b riefly the elected king, Edgar Ætheling was unlikely to be missed i n Engl and, where William of Normandy's grasp on power was far from secur e. Whet her the adoption of the classical Alexander for the future Alexan der I o f Scotland (either for Pope Alexander II or for Alexander the Gre at) an d the biblical David for the future David I of Scotland represente d a rec ognition that William of Normandy would not be easily removed, o r was du e to the repetition of Anglo-Saxon royal name another Edmund ha d precede d Edgar is not known. Margaret also gave Malcolm two daughters , Edith, wh o married Henry I of England, and Mary, who married Eustace I II of Boulog ne.

In 1072, with the Harrying of the North completed and his position aga i n secure, William of Normandy came north with an army and a fleet. Malc ol m met William at Abernethy and, in the words of the Anglo-Saxon Chroni cl e "became his man" and handed over his eldest son Duncan as a hostag e an d arranged peace between William and Edgar. Accepting the overlordsh ip o f the king of the English was no novelty, as previous kings had don e so w ithout result. The same was true of Malcolm; his agreement with th e Engli sh king was followed by further raids into Northumbria, which le d to furt her trouble in the earldom and the killing of Bishop William Wa lcher at G ateshead. In 1080, William sent his son Robert Curthose nort h with an arm y while his brother Odo punished the Northumbrians. Malcol m again made pe ace, and this time kept it for over a decade.

Malcolm faced little recorded internal opposition, with the exceptio n o f Lulach's son Máel Snechtai. In an unusual entry, for the Anglo-Saxo n Ch ronicle contains little on Scotland, it says that in 1078:

Malcholom [Máel Coluim] seized the mother of Mælslæhtan [Máel Snechtai ] . .. and all his treasures, and his cattle; and he himself escaped wit h dif ficulty.

Whatever provoked this strife, Máel Snechtai survived until 1085.

«b»Malcolm and William Rufus«/b»
When William Rufus became king of England after his father's death, Malc o lm did not intervene in the rebellions by supporters of Robert Curthos e w hich followed. In 1091, William Rufus confiscated Edgar Ætheling's la nd s in England, and Edgar fled north to Scotland. In May, Malcolm marche d s outh, not to raid and take slaves and plunder, but to besiege Newcast le , built by Robert Curthose in 1080. This appears to have been an attem p t to advance the frontier south from the River Tweed to the River Tees . T he threat was enough to bring the English king back from Normandy, wh er e he had been fighting Robert Curthose. In September, learning of Will ia m Rufus's approaching army, Malcolm withdrew north and the English fol low ed. Unlike in 1072, Malcolm was prepared to fight, but a peace was ar rang ed by Edgar Ætheling and Robert Curthose whereby Malcolm again ackno wledg ed the overlordship of the English king.

In 1092, the peace began to break down. Based on the idea that the Sco t s controlled much of modern Cumbria, it had been supposed that Willia m Ru fus's new castle at Carlisle and his settlement of English peasant s in th e surrounds was the cause. It is unlikely that Malcolm controlle d Cumbria , and the dispute instead concerned the estates granted to Malc olm by Wil liam Rufus's father in 1072 for his maintenance when visitin g England. Ma lcolm sent messengers to discuss the question and William R ufus agreed t o a meeting. Malcolm travelled south to Gloucester, stoppin g at Wilton Ab bey to visit his daughter Edith and sister-in-law Cristina . Malcolm arriv ed there on 24 August 1093 to find that William Rufus ref used to negotiat e, insisting that the dispute be judged by the English b arons. This Malco lm refused to accept, and returned immediately to Scotl and.

It does not appear that William Rufus intended to provoke a war, but , a s the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle reports, war came:

For this reason therefore they parted with great dissatisfaction, and t h e King Malcolm returned to Scotland. And soon after he came home, he ga th ered his army, and came harrowing into England with more hostility tha n b ehoved him ....
Malcolm was accompanied by Edward, his eldest son by Margaret and probab l e heir-designate (or tánaiste), and by Edgar. Even by the standards o f th e time, the ravaging of Northumbria by the Scots was seen as harsh.

«b»Death«/b»
While marching north again, Malcolm was ambushed by Robert de Mowbray, E a rl of Northumbria, whose lands he had devastated, near Alnwick on 13 No ve mber 1093. There he was killed by Arkil Morel, steward of Bamburgh Cas tle . The conflict became known as the Battle of Alnwick. Edward was mort all y wounded in the same fight. Margaret, it is said, died soon after re ceiv ing the news of their deaths from Edgar. The Annals of Ulster say:

Mael Coluim son of Donnchad, over-king of Scotland, and Edward his son , w ere killed by the French [i.e. Normans] in Inber Alda in England. Hi s que en, Margaret, moreover, died of sorrow for him within nine days.

Malcolm's body was taken to Tynemouth Priory for burial. The king's bo d y was sent north for reburial, in the reign of his son Alexander, at Du nf ermline Abbey, or possibly Iona.

On 19 June 1250, following the canonisation of Malcolm's wife Margare t b y Pope Innocent IV, Margaret's remains were disinterred and placed i n a r eliquary. Tradition has it that as the reliquary was carried to th e hig h altar of Dunfermline Abbey, past Malcolm's grave, it became too h eavy t o move. As a result, Malcolm's remains were also disinterred, an d burie d next to Margaret beside the altar.

«b»Issue«/b»
Malcolm and Ingibiorg had three sons:

1.) Duncan II of Scotland, succeeded his father as King of Scotland

2.) Donald, died ca.1094

3.) Malcolm, died ca.1085

Malcolm and Margaret had eight children, six sons and two daughters:

1.) Edward, killed 1093

2.) Edmund of Scotland

3.) Ethelred, abbot of Dunkeld

4.) King Edgar of Scotland

5.) King Alexander I of Scotland

6.) King David I of Scotland

7.) Edith of Scotland, also called Matilda, married King Henry I of Engl a nd

8.) Mary of Scotland, married Eustace III of Boulogne

«b»Depictions in fiction«/b»
Malcolm appears in William Shakespeare's Macbeth as Malcolm. He is the s o n of King Duncan and heir to the throne. He first appears in the secon d s cene where he is talking to a sergeant, with Duncan. The sergeant tel ls t hem how the battle was won thanks to Macbeth. Then Ross comes and Du nca n decides that Macbeth should take the title of Thane of Cawdor. The n h e later appears in Act 1.4 talking about the execution of the forme r Than e of Cawdor. Macbeth then enters and they congratulate him on hi s victory . He later appears in Macbeth's castle as a guest. When his fat her is kil led he is suspected of the murder so he escapes to England. H e later make s an appearance in Act 4.3, where he talks to Macduff abou t Macbeth and w hat to do. They both decide to start a war against him. I n Act 5.4 he i s seen in Dunsinane getting ready for war. He orders the t roops to hide b ehind branches and slowly advance towards the castle. I n Act 5.8 he watch es the battle against Macbeth and Macduff with Siwar d and Ross. When even tually Macbeth is killed, Malcolm takes over as kin g.

The married life of Malcolm III and Margaret has been the subject of thr e e historical novels: A Goodly Pearl (1905) by Mary H. Debenham, and Mal co lm Canmore's Pearl (1907) by Agnes Grant Hay, and Sing, Morning Star b y J ane Oliver (1949). They focus on court life in Dunfermline, and the M arga ret helping introduce Anglo-Saxon culture in Scotland. The latter tw o nov els cover events to 1093, ending with Malcolm's death.

Canmore appears in the third and fourth episodes of the four-part seri e s "City of Stone" in Disney's Gargoyles, as an antagonist of Macbeth. A ft er witnessing his father Duncan's death, the young Canmore swears reve ng e on both Macbeth and his gargoyle ally, Demona. After reaching adulth ood , he overthrows Macbeth with English allies. Canmore is also the ance sto r of the Hunters, a family of vigilantes who hunt Demona through th e cent uries. Canmore was voiced in the series by J.D. Daniels as a boy a nd Nei l Dickson as an adult.

In The Tragedy of Macbeth Part II, Malcolm appears as the anti-hero of t h is 2009-written (by Noah Lukeman), and historically very inaccurate, su cc essor-play. Malcom, who has succeeded from MacBeth, and ruled well fo r te n years, is led by the witches down MacBeth's path to perdition kill ing h is brother Donalbain as well as MacDuff before finally being kille d by Fl eance (supposedly the ancestor of Stuart king James).

Máel married Ingibiorg Finnsdottir in 1058 in Atholl, Perthshire, Scotland. Ingibiorg was born in 1021 in Osterøyni, Hordaland, Kongeriket Norge; died in 1066 in Orkney Islands, Scotland. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

1. Donald Canmore was born in 1063 in Perth, Perthshire, Scotland; died in 1085 in Perth, Perthshire, Scotland.

Máel married Margaret "The Saint" Ætheling, Queen of Scotland in 1068 in Dunfermline, Fifeshire, Scotland. Margaret (daughter of Edward "the Exile" Wessex, Prince of England and Agatha von Brunswick) was born in 1043 in England; died on 16 Nov 1093 in Edinburgh Castle, Edinburghshire, Scotland; was buried in Dunfermline, Fifeshire, Scotland. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

1. Edward mac Máel Coluim, Prince of Scotland was born about 1068 in Scotland; died on 16 Nov 1093 in Edwards Isle, Scotland.
2. Edmund mac Máel Coluim, Bishop of Dunkeld was born in 1070 in Scotland; died in 1097 in Montacute, Somersetshire, England; was buried in Montacute, Somersetshire, England.
3. Ethelred "Ethelred the UnReady" mac Máel Coluim, Prince of Scotland was born about 1072 in Scotland; died in 1097 in Scotland; was buried in Scotland.
4. Étgar "Probus" mac Máel Coluim, King of Alba was born about 1074 in Scotland; died on 8 Jan 1107 in Edinburgh Castle, Edinburghshire, Scotland; was buried in Dunfermline, Fifeshire, Scotland.
5. Alaxandair "The Fierce" mac Máel Coluim, I King of the Scots was born about 1078 in Scotland; died on 23 Apr 1124 in Stirling, Stirlingshire, Scotland; was buried on 25 Apr 1124 in Dunfermline, Fifeshire, Scotland.
6. Matilda "Atheling" Dunkeld, Queen consort of England was born in 1080 in Dunfermline, Fifeshire, Scotland; died on 1 May 1118 in Westminster, Middlesex, England; was buried in Jun 1118 in Westminster, Middlesex, England.
7. Dabid "The Saint" mac Máel Coluim, David I King of the Scots was born in 1084 in Edinburgh, Edinburghshire, Scotland; died on 24 May 1153 in Carlisle, Cumbria, England; was buried in Dunfermline, Fifeshire, Scotland.
8. Mary Dunkeld, Contess of Boulogne was born in 1082 in Scotland; died on 31 May 1116 in England; was buried in Bermondsey, Surrey, England.

Other Events and Attributes:

• FamilySearch ID: K8D7-F5D
• Initiatory (LDS): 1 Jun 1933, SLAKE

Notes:

Reign: 1034-1040

He was the first general ruler of Scotland, and Marmoar of Moray. He w a s slain by MacBeth.


Donnchad mac Crinain (Modern Gaelic: Donnchadh mac Crìonain;[2] anglicis e d as Duncan I, and nicknamed An t-Ilgarach, "the Diseased" or "the Sick "; [3] ca. 1001 – 14 August 1040)[1] was king of Scotland (Alba) from 103 4 t o 1040. He is the historical basis of the "King Duncan" in Shakespear e' s play Macbeth.

He was son of Crínán, hereditary lay abbot of Dunkeld, and Bethoc, daugh t er of king Malcolm II of Scotland (Máel Coluim mac Cináeda).

Unlike the "King Duncan" of Shakespeare's Macbeth, the historical Dunc a n appears to have been a young man. He followed his grandfather Malcol m a s king after the latter's death on 25 November 1034, without apparen t opp osition. He may have been Malcolm's acknowledged successor or tánai se a s the succession appears to have been uneventful.[4] Earlier histori es, f ollowing John of Fordun, supposed that Duncan had been king of Stra thclyd e in his grandfather's lifetime, between 1018 and 1034, ruling th e forme r Kingdom of Strathclyde as an appanage. Modern historians discou nt thi s idea.[5]

An earlier source, a variant of the Chronicle of the Kings of Alba (CK-I ) , gives Duncan's wife the Gaelic name Suthen.[6] Whatever his wife's na m e may have been, Duncan had at least two sons. The eldest, Malcolm II I (M áel Coluim mac Donnchada) was king from 1058 to 1093, the second Don ald I II (Domnall Bán, or "Donalbane") was king afterwards. Máel Muire, E arl o f Atholl is a possible third son of Duncan, although this is uncert ain.[7 ]

The early period of Duncan's reign was apparently uneventful, perhap s a c onsequence of his youth. Macbeth (Mac Bethad mac Findláich) is reco rded a s having been his dux, today rendered as "duke" and meaning nothin g mor e than the rank between prince and marquess, but then still havin g the Ro man meaning of "war leader". In context — "dukes of Francia" ha d half a c entury before replaced the Carolingian kings of the Franks an d in Englan d the over-mighty Godwin of Wessex was called a dux — this su ggests tha t Macbeth may have been the power behind the throne.[8]

In 1039, Duncan led a large Scots army south to besiege Durham, but th e e xpedition ended in disaster. Duncan survived, but the following yea r he l ed an army north into Moray, Macbeth's domain, apparently on a pun itive e xpedition against Moray.[9] There he was killed in action, at Bot hganowan , now Pitgaveny, near Elgin, by the men of Moray led by Macbeth , probabl y on 14 August 1040.[10] He is thought to have been buried at E lgin[11] b efore later relocated to the Isle of Iona.

Donnchad married Suthen in 1030 in Scotland. Suthen was born about 1014 in Northumberland, England; died in 1040 in Isle of Iona, Argyllshire, Scotland. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• FamilySearch ID: KN4J-P1M
• Initiatory (LDS): 4 Jan 1940, LOGAN

Other Events and Attributes:

• FamilySearch ID: LZS9-ZC2
• Initiatory (LDS): 19 Jan 1926, SLAKE

Notes:

Crínán of Dunkeld, Crínán the Thane, Crínán Abbot of Dunkeld
BORN - Date and place of birth are not known, likely before 980 near Dun k eld; his parentage is also NOT KNOWN.
MARRIED- 1000 - Bethóc of Scotland, daughter of Máel Coluim (Malcolm) I I , king of Scotland.
DIED - 1045 - Slain fighting King Macbeth, in support of his grandson Ma l colm III, who was not yet king.

Crínán of Dunkeld (died 1045) was the lay abbot of the diocese of Dunkel d , and perhaps the Mormaer of Atholl. Crínán was progenitor of the Hous e o f Dunkeld, the dynasty which would rule Scotland until the later 13t h cen tury. He was the son-in-law of one king (Malcolm II), the father o f anoth er (Duncan I), and grandfather of a 3rd (Malcolm III).

Crínán married Bethóc, daughter of Máel Coluim mac Cináeda (King of Scot s , reigned 1005–1034) in the year 1000. Together they had 3 possibly 4 c hi ldren.
- Duncan (Donnchad mac Crinain) born about 1001, King Duncan I of Alba , r eigned from 1034 to 1040.
- Maldred of Allerdale, married Ealdgyth, daughter of Uhtred the Bold (g r anddaughter of King Æthelred the Unready) and was ancestor of the Earl s o f Dunbar.
- A daughter, whose name is not known, who was the mother of Moddan, Ea r l of Caithness.

Crinán's father in law, King Malcolm II, had no son, therefore, the stro n gest hereditary claim to the Scottish throne descended through Bethóc , an d Crinán's eldest son, Donnchad, became King of Scots in 1034. Som e sourc es indicate that Máel Coluim designated Donnchad as his successo r under t he rules of tanistry because there were other possible claimant s to the t hrone.

Crínán's second son, Maldred of Allerdale, held the title of Lord of Cum b ria. It is said that from him, the Earls of Dunbar, for example Patric k D unbar, 9th Earl of Dunbar, descend in unbroken male line.

Crínán was killed in battle in 1045 at Dunkeld.
Sir Iain Moncreiffe argued he belonged to a Scottish sept of the Irish C e nél Conaill royal dynasty.

Crínán as Lay Abbot of Dunkeld
The monastery of Saint Columba was founded on the north bank of the Riv e r Tay in the 6th century or early 7th century following the expeditio n o f Columba into the land of the Picts. Probably originally constructe d a s a simple group of wattle huts, the monastery - or at least its chur c h - was rebuilt in the 9th century by Kenneth I of Scotland (reigned 84 3– 858). Caustantín of the Picts brought Scotland's share of the relics o f C olumba from Iona to Dunkeld at the same time others were taken to Kel ls i n Ireland, to protect them from Viking raids. Dunkeld became the pri me bi shopric in eastern Scotland until supplanted in importance by St An drew s since the 10th century.

While the title of Hereditary Lay Abbot was a feudal position that was o f ten exercised in name only, Crínán does seem to have acted as Abbot i n ch arge of the monastery in his time. He was thus a man of high positio n i n both clerical and secular society.

The magnificent semi-ruined Dunkeld Cathedral, built in stages between 1 2 60 and 1501, stands today on the grounds once occupied by the monaster y . The Cathedral contains the only surviving remains of the previous mon as tic society: a course of red stone visible in the east choir wall tha t ma y be re-used from an earlier building, and two stone 9th century-10t h cen tury cross-slabs in the Cathedral Museum.

Lay Abbot of Dunkeld, Governor of the Scots Islands [Ref: Weis AR7 170:1 9 ]
Heriditary Abbott of Dunkeld, or the Kindred of St. Columba [Ref: Roya l H ighness: Ancestors of the Royal Child by Sir Ian Moncreiffe, 1982, Ha mis h Hamilton, London Pg 20] note: "or the kindred of" = ? Either was o r was n't... Curt

In what was probably a shrewd political move, Malcolm II married his dau g hter Bethoc to a representative of the other major center of politica l po wer in Scotland, the church. Considering the close ties between ruli ng dy nasties and the offices of major abbacies throughout Ireland and Sc otland , it is also possible that Crinan was descended from a king of th e Scots , which would completely legitimize his son's rule. [Ref: The Gen ealogy o f the Early Medieval Scottish Kings, Edinburgh by Michael R. Dav idson 199 5, Holland House, Edinburgh, Scotland]

Malcolm's elder daughter Bethoc married Crínán 'the Thane', lay abbo t o f Dunkeld. At this period, when Celtic Monasticism was in decline, la y ab bots appear to have been as accepted a part of the ecclesiastical st ructu re as they became centuries later on the eve of the Reformation. Cr ínán w as a great nobleman, as his title implies, and he possessed the ad ded pre stige of belonging to the kindred of St. Columba. It was from hi s abbac y of Dunkeld that the new royal House took its name, for Crínán a nd Betho c were the parents of King Duncan I...Meanwhile, Macbeth consoli dated hi s triumph by defeating and slaying Duncan's father, Crinan, i n a battle a t Dunkeld in 1045. [Ref: The Kings and Queens of Scotland] n ote: sorry , I sourced this early-on before I realized one also has to li st author , publisher, date, etc.-we get too soon old & too late smart.. . Curt

Macbeth...probably a grandson of Malcolm II...asserted his claim to th e t hrone against Duncan I, whom he killed near Elgin. In 1045 he kille d Crin an, Duncan's father in battle, but in 1057 he was himself killed b y Dunca n's son, Malcolm Canmore (Malcolm III). [Ref: A Dictionary of Bri tish His tory by J.P. Kenyon, 1983 Stein and Day, Scarborough House, Bria rcliff Ma nor, NY]

Research note: Supposed father: Since the abbacy of Dunkeld appears to h a ve been hereditary in Crínán's family (his grandson Æthelred held the t it le), it has sometimes been suggested that Crínán may have been the so n o f this earlier abbot of Dunkeld whose death is known form both the Ir is h and Scottish sources [e.g., AU; ESSH 1: 471, 473, 577; KKES 252]. Wh il e the relationship is not impossible (assuming that Crínán's father di e d when he was an infant), there is no known evidence to support it, an d i t cannot be accepted without further evidence [Ref: Henry Projec t
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THE IRVINGS OF BONSHAW HISTORY. According to ancient family traditions ( w hich are largely supported by known historical fact; and which are fir s t recorded in the very short family history, “The Original of the Fami l y of the Irvines or Erinvines”, written in 1678 by Dr. Christopher Irvi ne , M.D., Historiographer Royal of Scotland) the Irvings of Bonshaw ar e des cended from DUNCAN, known in the family as 'Duncan of Eskdale', a y ounge r brother of Crinan, the husband of Princess Beatrix and father o f King D uncan I of Scotland. The paternal grandfather of Duncan of Eskda le and Cr inan was DUNCAN, hereditary Abthane of Dule and lay abbot of Du nkeld. Th e latter Duncan is now believed to have been a direct descendan t of NIAL L OF THE NINE HOSTAGES, who was high King of Ireland early in t he 5th cen tury A.D and progenitor of the oldest recorded families in Eur ope that ar e still extant in an unbroken male line. The Duncan, as Abtha ne of Dule-a n ancient title connected with St. Adamnan’s abbey of Dull , and dating fr om nearly 200 years before the union of the Scottish an d Pictish crowns i n 843 A.D.-was of more consequence than any one of th e seven Pictish ‘Mor maers’, being second only to the king himself in pow er and importance. H e appears to have been appointed Governor of Strathc lyde when that regio n was conquered by the Saxons and given to Malcol m I of Alban (the earl y name of Scotland) in 946. His residence in Strat hclyde is supposed to h ave been the old fort of Eryvine, or Orewyn, wher e the town of Irvine no w stands, so we refer to him the ‘1st of Eryvine’ . Both Duncan and his ne ighbour Dubdon, Mormaer of Athole, were killed a t the battle of Duncrub c . 965 A.D., while leading their forces agains t a strong rebel army of the ir fellow countrymen.* DUNCAN, 1st of ERYVIN E, was succeeded by his eldes t son and heir, also DUNCAN, about whom w e know little except that he als o seems to have succeeded Dubdon as Morm aer of Athole, as he is called ‘L ord of Athole’. At the battle of Luncar ty (of uncertain date), where th e Danes were routed, Duncan commanded th e left wing of the Scottish force s, under King Kenneth III. This Dunca n is the progenitor of the oldest re corded families in Great Britain; th e noble family of Dunbar is certainl y descended from him, and traditiona lly so are the noble families of Irvi ng and Home, all in the male line ; not to mention the Royal Family and nu merous other families by femal e descent. DUNCAN, 2ND OF ERYVINE, was succ eeded by his eldest son, CRIN AN, who married Princess Beatrix (or Bethoc ) daughter and heiress of Kin g Malcolm II of Scotland, and by her was fat her of Duncan I, who reigne d as King of Scotland for six years. Crinan wa s the progenitor in the ma le line of all the kings of Scotland down to Al exander III (died 1286) , and in the female line of all the sovereigns o f Scotland down to the p resent day, with the sole exception of Macbeth, w ho murdered his son, Ki ng Duncan, in 1040, and reigned for the next seven teen years. Traditio n tells us that Crinan maintained a residence at Eryv ine, but that he wa s the last of his family to do so, the fortress bein g used solely for mi litary purposes thereafter. He was killed by Macbeth’ s forces in 1045, w hile trying to avenge his son’s death and grandson’s d eposition.

Crínán married Bethóc Máel Coluim in 1000. Bethóc (daughter of Máel Coluim mac Choinnich, King Malcolm II of Scotland and Mrs Maol Chaluim) was born about 984 in Atholl, Perthshire, Scotland; died in 1045. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• FamilySearch ID: LZ61-F76
• Initiatory (LDS): 15 Mar 1894

Other Events and Attributes:

• FamilySearch ID: L1ZF-GQ7
• Initiatory (LDS): 27 Jan 1998, SLAKE

Duncan married Mrs Duncan, Lady of Mormaer about 974. Duncan was born about 951 in Atholl, Perthshire, Scotland; died about 990. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

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• Initiatory (LDS): SUBMITTED
• FamilySearch ID: L8RR-45M

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• FamilySearch ID: LZ19-924
• Initiatory (LDS): 10 Jun 1938, SLAKE

Notes:

Malcolm (Máel Coluim mac Cináeda) was the son of Kenneth II, King of Alb a . He was born about 954, the name of his mother is not known, she wa s a P rincess of Leinster.

About 983 (or before) Malcolm married an Irishwoman from Ossory, whose n a me was not recorded. They are believed to have had 3 daughters:
- Bethoc b 894 married Crínán of Dunkeld , Abbot of Dunkeld; became moth e r of Duncan I
- Donalda married Finlay MacRory, King of Moray; became mother of MacBeth
- Olith, youngest daughter, married Sigurd, Earl of Orkney

Malcolm succeeded his cousin Malcolm as King of Strathclyde in 990/991 . K enneth III was killed in battle against Malcolm on March 25, 1005 an d Mal colm ascending the throne becoming Malcolm II, King of Alba / Kin g of Sco ts.

Malcolm raided into Northumbria circa 1016 and was defeated by Uhtred t h e Bold at Durham, however, the same year he defeated a force of Englis h a nd Vikings at Carham, to became King of Lothian. With the acquisitio n o f the Kingdom of Lothian, Malcolm became the first effective ruler o f th e whole of Scotland. Scottish rule was extended into Lothian and Nor thumb rian lands down to Berwick.

King Cnut King of England secured the southern part of Northumbria for E n gland in 1032, settling the border between Scotland and northern Englan d .

Having no sons, it is believed that Malcolm tried to insure that his gra n dson Duncan I, son of Bethoc, would inherit the throne by eliminating o th er possible successors. This includes having the grandson of Kenneth I I I murdered.
Malcolm II died on 25 November, 1034 at Glamis Castle, Angus, mortally w o unded by his kinsmen in battle. He was buried on the Isle of Iona. Malc ol m II was the last sovereign of the House of MacAlpine. He was succeede d b y his grandson Duncan as he had intended. Duncan II was in turn kille d an d succeeded by MacBeth, believed to also be the grandson of Malcol m II th rough his middle daughter Donalda .
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http://www.robertson.org/OOTC_Battle_of_Duncrub.html
BATTLE OF DUNCRUB - 965
by James E. Fargo, FSA Scot
Everyone is familiar with William Shakespeare’s play "Macbeth" in whic h t he two protagonists fight for the Scottish throne. Not so clearly kno wn i s that this rivalry began several generations before the events desc ribe d in the play. Our King Duncan was not the kindly old man portraye d but l ived up to what became his clan’s war cry "Fierce When Roused". M acbeth , from the royal house of Moray, had a better claim to the thron e on Kin g Malcolm II death, based on celtic tanistry whereas Malcolm ha d adopte d the English feudal system of primogeniture for his own royal l ine.

In 962 the kingship of Alba (Scotland) was contested between two rival b r anches of the MacAlpin dynasty after the death of King Malcolm I. The t w o princes ruled jointly until a falling out between them led to a batt l e upon a ridge called Duncrub (Dorsum Crup) about seven miles west of P er th in Atholl in 965. King Dub (or Duff) of Cumbria, a prince of the ro ya l house of Alpin, was the son of King Malcolm I. Duff led an army agai ns t Prince Cuilen and his army of Moray men. It was the custom then to a ppo int the heir to the Scots throne, to the sub-kingship of Cumbria as t he p rovince had been given by King Edgar of England in return for homag e fo r that province and to defend it from invading Danes.

Although Duff’s army was victorious at Duncrub, Duncan, hereditary lay a b bot of Duncalden (Dunkeld) and Dubdon the mormaer of Atholl were kille d . At this time in Scotland’s history it was common for senior churchme n t o lead the armed forces of their church estates into combat. This abb ot D uncan (b.920-d.965) was the father of Duncan of Atholl (b.949-d.990 ) wh o became the mormaer of Atholl upon Dubdon’s death in this battle. T his D uncan of Atholl became the father of Crinan (born c.976 and kille d in 104 5) and two younger sons. The second son, Grim (thane of Strathea rn and ba ille of Dull) was killed in 1010 at the battle of Mortlach. Th e younges t son became an ancestor of the Irvine clan according to Burke’ s Peerage.

On King Duff’s death in 967, Prince Cuilen of Moray assumed the kingsh i p until he was killed in 971 during a battle in Lothian with the son o f K ing Dyfnwal of Strathclyde, an ally of Duff’s brother Kenneth. This b roth er, as King Kenneth II assumed the throne and reigned from 971-995 . Kenne th finally killed Cuilen’s brother Olaf in 977 ending the royal h ouse o f Moray’s competition for the throne for that generation. Kennet h II wa s succeeded by his nephew (son of King Dub/Duff) as Kenneth III ( King o f Scots from 997-1005). On the death of Kenneth III, King Malcol m II (so n of Kenneth II) ruled as King of Scots from 1005 to his death i n 1034. M alcolm II made his grandson Duncan the King of Cumbria until h e became Ki ng of the Scots upon Malcolm’s death

Pinkerton, John "An Enquiry Into the History of Scotland Preceding the R e ign of Malcom III, or the Year 1056" Vol. I, 1789, pp 78-99.
Wolff, Alex "From Pictland to Alba 789-1070" 2007, pp 201-202.

Máel married Mrs Maol Chaluim in 983 in Atholl, Perthshire, Scotland. Maol was born in 962 in Scotland; died in 988 in Scotland. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• FamilySearch ID: L5TT-LG3
• Initiatory (LDS): 22 Jul 2011, SGEOR