by Alison Weir
He succeeded Constantine III as King of Scotland in 997. There is no record of his coronation.
He married a lady about whom no information exists, and had issue:
1 Beoedhe
Also known as Bodhe or Boite, he married a lady about whom no information exists, and had issue:
(i) Son (name not known)
He married a lady about whom no information exists, and fathered a son (name not known) who was murdered in infancy in 1033.
(ii) Gruoch ( see here, under King Macbeth, whom she married).
Beoedhe died before 1033.
2 Giric
A Mormaer, or ‘Subregulus’, he was killed on c.25 March, 1005, at the Battle of Monzievaird.
3 Gillacomgain
He lived to maturity, but nothing more is known of him.
KENNETH III
He was killed on c.25 March, 1005, at the Battle of Monzievaird (?).
His place of burial is not known.
He was succeeded by his cousin Malcolm.
Malcolm II
* * *
FATHER: Kenneth II ( see here).
MOTHER: a Princess of Leinster.
SIBLINGS: ( see here, under Kenneth II).
MALCOLM II
He was born in c.954. In his youth, he was styled Prince of Cumbria. He succeeded his cousin Malcolm, son of King Duff, as King of Strathclyde in c.990/1, and ruled Strathclyde until 995, when he was deposed. He was restored in 997, and succeeded Kenneth III as King of Scotland on 25 March, 1005. In c.1016, he became King of Lothian, thus becoming the first effective ruler of the whole of Scotland. There is no record of his coronation.
Malcolm II married a lady whose name is not recorded, said to have been an Irishwoman from Ossory, and had issue:
1 Bethoc
Known as the Lady of Atholl, she married Crinan the Thane, Mormaer of Atholl, Abthane of Dule, Steward of the Western Isles, and Lay Abbot of Dunkeld (c.975–killed 1045 in battle against Macbeth), son of Duncan, Mormaer of Atholl. The marriage took place before 1008, perhaps in 1000, and they had issue, through whom they were founders of the Royal House of Dunkeld:
(i) Duncan I ( see here).
(ii) Maldred
He was created Lord of Allerdale, and was appointed Regent of the Kingdom of Strathclyde in 1034. He was probably killed in battle in 1045.
Maldred married (no record exists of the date or the place):
Edith
She was the daughter of Uhtred, Earl of Northumbria, by Elgiva, daughter of Ethelred II, King of England.
Issue of marriage:
(a) Gospatrick
He was born in c.1040. He was created Earl of Northumbria before 1071, possibly in 1068, but was deprived of this earldom in 1072, when he was created Earl of Dunbar. He died on 15 December, but the year is unspecified, at Ubbanford (modern Norham), Scotland, and was buried in Norham Church; however, another tradition states that he became a monk at Durham Cathedral, where he died and was buried.
Gospatrick married an unknown lady, and had issue:
1 Dolfin, Earl of Cumberland (d. after 1092); he married an unknown lady and had issue.
2 Waltheof, 1st Baron of Allerdale, Abbot of Crowland (d.1138?); he married a lady called Sigrid, and had issue.
3 Gospatrick, 2nd Earl of Dunbar (killed at the Battle of the Standard, 1138); he married an unknown lady, and had issue.
4 Octreda; she married Waldeve, son of Gillemin.
5 Gunhilda; she married Orm, son of Ketil.
6 Matilda; she married Dolfin, son of Aylward.
7 Ethelreda; she married Duncan II.
(b) Maldred
He married a lady about whom no information exists, and had issue:
1 Robert.
2 Uhtred.
3 Ulkil (?).
(iii) Daughter (name not known)
She married a man about whom no information exists, and had issue:
1 Moddan, Earl of Caithness (killed 1040).
(iv) Daughter (name not known)
Nothing is known about her.
2 Donada (?)
She has also been described as the daughter of Kenneth II, and the details of her life appear here.
3 Daughter (name not known)
This may have been the daughter married to Sigurd, Jarl of Orkney, in c.1005/8; some sources identify her with Donada.
MALCOLM II
He died on 25 November, 1034, at Glamis Castle, Angus, mortally wounded by his kinsmen, and was buried on the Isle of Iona. He was the last sovereign of the House of MacAlpine.
He was succeeded by his grandson Duncan.
PART TWO
The House of Dunkeld
Duncan I
* * *
FATHER: Crinan, Lay Abbot of Dunkeld ( see here, under Malcolm II).
MOTHER: Bethoc, daughter of Malcolm II.
SIBLINGS: ( see here, under Malcolm II).
DUNCAN I
Known as the Gracious, he was born in c.1001, and became King of Strathclyde in 1018. He succeeded his grandfather, Malcolm II, as King of Scotland on 25 November, 1034, thus becoming the first sovereign of the House of Dunkeld, named after his father’s abbacy. There is no record of his coronation.
Duncan I married, in c.1030 (although no record exists as to where):
Sybilla
She was either the daughter of Bjorn Bearsson and sister of Siward Digera, Earl of Northumbria, or the daughter of Siward by Elfleda, daughter of Ealdred, Earl of Northumbria.
Issue of marriage:
1 Malcolm III ( see here).
2 Donald III ( see here).
3 Maelmuire
He was born in c.1035.
Maelmuire married a lady about whom no information exists, and had issue:
(i) Madach
Also known as Matad, he was created Earl of Atholl before 1115 (or later, before 1136?). He died between 1139 and 1159, perhaps in 1152.
Madach married Margaret, daughter of Haakon Paulsson, and had issue:
(a) Malcolm, Earl of Atholl (d.1186/98); he married firstly an unknown lady, and had issue, and secondly, Hextilda, daughter of Huctred of Tynedale by Bethoc, daughter of Donald III.
(b) Harold, Jarl of Orkney, Earl of Caithness (d.1206); he married Afrika, sister of Duncan, Earl of Fife, and had issue. He married secondly Gormlath or Hvarlod, daughter of Malcolm MacHeth, 1st Earl of Ross.
Madach married secondly, in c.1133 (although no record exists as to where):
Margaret
She was the daughter of Haco, Jarl of Orkney. After the death of Madach, she married secondly Erland Ugni, Jarl of Orkney (killed 1156).
4 Daughter (name not known) (?)
Her existence is doubtful. She is said to have married one Bertolf or Bartholemew (d.1121?), and had issue.
DUNCAN I
He was either murdered by Macbeth, or killed in battle against him, on 14 August, 1040, at Bothganowan (now Pitgaveny), near Elgin, or at Burghead. He was buried on the Isle of Iona.
He was succeeded by his cousin Macbeth.
King Macbeth
* * *
FATHER: Finlay MacRory, Mormaer of Moray.
MOTHER: Donada, daughter either of Kenneth II or Malcolm II.
SIBLINGS: ( see here, under Kenneth II).
KING MACBETH
He was born in c.1005, and became Mormaer of Moray around 1029/32. He succeeded Duncan I as King of Scotland on 14 August, 1040. No record exists of his coronation.
Macbeth married, after 1032 (although no record exists as to where):
Gruoch
She was the daughter of Beoedhe, son of Kenneth III. She was born in c.1015. She married firstly Gillacomgain, Mormaer of Moray (burned alive in 1032), and had issue:
(a) King Lulach ( see here).
There was no issue of her marriage to Macbeth.
KING MACBETH
He was killed on 15 August, 1057, at the Battle of Lumphanan, Aberdeenshire, by the future Malcolm III, son of Duncan I, and was buried on the Isle of Iona.
/> He was succeeded by his stepson Lulach.
King Lulach
* * *
FATHER: Gillacomgain, Mormaer of Moray.
MOTHER: Gruoch ( see here, under Macbeth).
SIBLINGS: King Lulach did not have any siblings.
KING LULACH
Known as ‘the Simple’, he was born around c.1029/32. He succeeded his stepfather Macbeth as King of Scotland on 15 August, 1057, and was crowned that same month on the Coronation Stone at Scone Abbey, Perthshire. This is the first recorded instance of the coronation of a King of Scotland.
King Lulach married (no record exists of the date or place):
Finnghuala (?)
She was the daughter of Sinill, Mormaer of Angus. Her dates are not recorded.
Issue of marriage:
1 Malsnechtai
He was perhaps created Mormaer of Moray at some stage, although he certainly became a monk later on. He died in 1085.
2 Daughter (name not known)
She married Aedh, Mormaer of Moray, and had issue:
1 Gruaidh; she married William, Lord of Egremont ( see here, under Duncan II.)
2 Angus, King of Moray (d.1130); he married and had issue.
KING LULACH
He was killed on 17 March, 1058, at Essie in Strathbogie by his distant cousin and successor, Malcolm III. He was buried on the Isle of Iona.
He was succeeded by Malcolm, son of Duncan I.
Malcolm III
* * *
FATHER: Duncan I ( see here).
MOTHER: Sybilla of Northumbria ( see here, under Duncan I).
SIBLINGS: ( see here, under Duncan I).
MALCOLM III
Known as ‘Canmore’ (or ‘Bighead’), he was born in c.1031, and became King of Strathclyde and Prince of Cumbria in 1034. He succeeded Lulach as King of Scotland on 17 March, 1058, and was crowned on 25 April, 1058, at Scone Abbey, Perthshire.
Malcolm III married firstly, in c.1059 or c.1066 (although no record exists as to where):
Ingibiorg
She was the daughter of Finn Arnasson of Vrjar, Jarl of Halland, by Bergljot, daughter of Halfdan Sigurdsson. She married firstly Thorfinn II, Earl of Caithness and Jarl of Orkney (1009–1056/65?), before 1038, and had issue:
1 Paul, Jarl of Orkney (d.1099); he married an unnamed daughter of Haakon Ivarsson, and had issue.
2 Erlend, Jarl of Orkney (d.1099); he married Thora, daughter of Somerled Uspaksson, and had issue.
Ingibiorg died before 1070.
Issue of marriage:
1 Duncan II ( see here).
2 Malcolm
He died in c.1094.
3 Donald
He died in 1085.
Malcolm III married secondly, in c.1069, at Dunfermline Abbey, Fife:
St Margaret
She was the daughter of Edward the Atheling, son of Edmund II, King of England, by Agatha of Hungary, and she was born in c.1045/6 in Hungary. She died on 16 November, 1093, at Edinburgh Castle, and was buried in Dunfermline Abbey, Fife. Her remains were later translated to the Escorial in Madrid, Spain, her head being buried in the Jesuit College at Douai, France. She was canonised as a saint in 1250.
Issue of marriage:
1 Edward
He died on 16 November, 1093, at Edwardsisle, near Jedburgh, of wounds received at the Battle of Alnwick.
2 King Edmund ( see here).
3 King Edgar ( see here).
4 Alexander I ( see here).
5 Edith, later called Matilda
( see here, under Henry I of England, whom she married).
6 David I ( see here).
7 Ethelred
He became Lay Abbot of Dunkeld. He was also styled Earl of Fife, probably posthumously, and probably before 1107 (although the date is uncertain). He died before c.1097, and was buried in Kilremont Church.
8 Duncan
Nothing is known of him. He may have become confused with Duncan II, Malcolm’s son by Ingibiorg.
9 Mary
She married Eustace III, Count of Boulogne, in c.1101/2, and had issue:
1 Unnamed son (d. young).
2 Matilda; she married Stephen, King of England.
Mary died on 31 May, 1115/16, and was buried in the Abbey of St Saviour, Bermondsey, London.
MALCOLM III
He was killed on 13 November, 1093, in a battle near Alnwick, Northumberland, and was buried at Tynemouth. His remains were later removed to Dunfermline Abbey, Fife, and, later still, to the Escorial, Madrid, Spain.
He was succeeded by his brother Donald, a usurper.
Donald III
* * *
FATHER: Duncan I ( see here).
MOTHER: Sybilla of Northumbria ( see here, under Duncan I).
SIBLINGS: ( see here, under Duncan I).
DONALD III
Known as ‘Donaldbane’, he was born in c.1033, and was probably created Mormaer or Earl of Gowrie in c.1060. He usurped the throne of Scotland on 13 November, 1093, upon the death of his brother, Malcolm III, but was deposed by Malcolm’s son Duncan II in May, 1094. When Duncan II died on 12 November, 1094, Donald III was restored to the throne as joint monarch with his nephew King Edmund, Donald ruling north of the Forth/Clyde line, and Edmund ruling south of it. Both Donald and Edmund were deposed in favour of King Edgar in October, 1097. No record exists of Donald ever being crowned.
Donald III married a lady about whom no information exists, and had issue:
1 Bethoc
She married Huctred of Tynedale, and had issue:
1 Hextilda; she married firstly Richard Comyn, and had issue. She married secondly Malcolm, 2nd Earl of Atholl (d.1186/98).
DONALD III
He was deposed in October, 1097, and imprisoned. He died in 1099 in prison at Rescobie, Forfarshire, and was buried in Dunkeld Abbey. His remains were later removed to the Isle of Iona.
He was succeeded by King Edgar.
Duncan II
* * *
FATHER: Malcolm III ( see here).
MOTHER: Ingibiorg of Halland ( see here, under Malcolm III).
SIBLINGS: ( see here, under Malcolm III).
DUNCAN II
He was born in c.1060. He proclaimed himself King of Scotland after deposing his uncle, Donald III, in May, 1094. There is no record of his coronation.
Duncan II married, in c.1090/94 (although no record exists as to where):
Ethelreda or Octreda
She was the daughter of Gospatrick, Earl of Northumbria and Dunbar, a great-grandson of Malcolm II. She was buried in Dunfermline Abbey, Fife.
Issue of marriage:
1 William
He adopted the surname FitzDuncan, and is said to have been created Earl of Moray. He became Lord of Skipton and Craven, in right of his wife, in 1138 (?). He died in c.1154.
William had the following illegitimate issue:
1 Donald
William married, in 1138 (?) (although no record exists as to where):
Alice
She was the daughter of William le Meschin, Lord of Copeland, by Cecilia de Rumely, Lady of Skipton. She married firstly a man called William. She married secondly Alexander FitzGerold. She succeeded her mother as Lady of Skipton and Craven.
Issue of marriage:
(i) William
He adopted the surname MacWilliam, and was called Lord of Egremont. He was drowned at Bolton Wharf after 1155.
William married firstly (no record exists of the date or place):
Gruaidh
She was the daughter of Aedh, Mormaer of Moray, by a daughter of King Lulach.
Issue of marriage:
(a) Donald MacWilliam
He was killed on 31 July, 1187, on Mangarnia Moor, Speyside. Donald married an unknown lady, and had issue:
(i) Godfrey MacWilliam (executed in 1213 at Kincardine).
(ii) Donald MacWilliam (killed on 15 June, 1215, in Morayshire).
(iii) Unnamed daughter; she married a man surnamed MacEwen, and had issue.
He was created Lord of Airton, Yorks. He married and had issue, but no details are available. He died before 1208.
William married secondly (no record exists of the date or place):
Octreda
She was the daughter of Alan, Lord of Allerdale.
(ii) Cecilia
She married William le Gros, 3rd Earl of Aumale (d.1179), and had issue.
(iii) Amabel
She married Reginald de Lucy (d.1179), and had issue, although no details are available.
(iv) Alice
She married firstly Gilbert Pipard, and secondly Robert de Courtenay. She died in 1215.
DUNCAN II
He was killed on 12 November, 1094, at the Battle of Monthechin (Mondynes), Kincardineshire, and was buried in Dunfermline Abbey, Fife.
He was succeeded by the man he had deposed, Donald III.
King Edmund
* * *
FATHER: Malcolm III ( see here).
MOTHER: St Margaret ( see here, under Malcolm III).
SIBLINGS: ( see here, under Malcolm III).
KING EDMUND