| Malcolm II | |
|---|---|
| King of Alba (Scotland) | |
| Reign | c. 25 March 1005[1]– 25 November 1034 |
| Predecessor | Kenneth III |
| Successor | Duncan I |
| Born | c. 954 |
| Died | (1034-11-25)25 November 1034 (aged 79/80) Glamis Castle,Scotland |
| Burial | |
| Issue | Bethóc Donada Olith, wife ofSigurd the Stout (possible) |
| House | Alpin |
| Father | Kenneth II of Scotland |
Máel Coluim mac Cinaeda (Modern Scottish Gaelic:Maol Chaluim mac Choinnich;anglicisedMalcolm II; c. 954 – 25 November 1034)[2] wasKing of Alba (Scotland) from 1005 until his death in 1034.[3] He was one of the longest-reigning Scottish Kings of that period.
He was a son of Cinaed mac Maíl Choluim orKing Kenneth II, andThe Prophecy of Berchán (which referred to him asForranach, "the Destroyer") says his mother was "a woman ofLeinster".[4] His mother may have been a daughter of aUí DúnlaingeKing of Leinster.[5]
To theIrish annals, which recorded his death, Malcolm wasardrí Alban,High King of Scotland, but his fellow Kings of the geographical area of modern Scotland included theKing of Strathclyde, who ruled much of the south-west, variousNorse–Gaels Kings on the western coast and theHebrides and his nearest and most dangerous rivals, thekings or "mormaers" of Moray.[6]
Since he did not have any surviving sons, Malcolm pursued a strategy of marrying his daughters into these regional dynasties, which helped create stability in his reign, and ensured that he became the grandfather of his successorDuncan I of Scotland, through his daughterBethóc, and according to some sources, ofMacbeth, King of Scotland, (about whomWilliam Shakespeare later wrote the playMacbeth), through his daughter Donada. Later Scandinavian saga tradition claims that the mother of EarlThorfinn the Mighty was a daughter of Malcolm, though the Malcolm in question may have beenMáel Coluim of Moray.
Malcolm II was the son ofKenneth II and grandson ofMalcolm I. Fourteenth century ScottishchroniclerJohn of Fordun writes that Malcolm defeated aNorwegian army "in almost the first days after his coronation", but this is not reported elsewhere. Fordun says that theBishopric of Mortlach (later moved toAberdeen) was founded in thanks for this victory over the Norwegians.[7]
Succession of Scottish kings at the time often involved murder, even patricide. The killer of Scottish KingConstantine III in 997 is credited as being "Kenneth, son of Malcolm". Since Kenneth II died in 995, this is considered an error, for eitherKenneth III, (grandson of Malcolm I), who succeeded Constantine and stood to benefit, but by John of Fordham, for Malcolm II himself.[8]
Whether Malcolm killed Constantine or not, he certainly killed Constantine's successor Kenneth III in 1005, during a battle atMonzievaird inStrathearn.[9]
The first reliable report of Malcolm II's reign is an attack in 1006 of territory under theNorthumbrianrulers of Bamburgh (the lands between theRiver Forth and theRiver Tees, roughly ancientBernicia), perhaps the customarycrech ríg (literally royal prey, a raid by a new King made to demonstrate prowess in war), which involved asiege of Durham. This resulted in a heavy defeat to theNorthumbrians, led byUhtred of Bamburgh, ruler of Bamburgh andealdorman of Northumbria, which is reported by theAnnals of Ulster.[10]
A second war against the Northumbrian English, probably in 1018, was more successful. TheBattle of Carham, by theRiver Tweed, was a victory for the Scots led by Malcolm II and the men of Strathclyde led by their king,Owain Foel (Owen the Bald). By this timeEiríkr Hákonarson had been appointed ealdorman in Northumbria by his brother-in-lawCnut the Great, with limited in practice to the south aroundYork, the formerkingdom of Deira.[11]
The twelfth-century tract known asDe obsessione Dunelmi (The siege of Durham, associated withSymeon of Durham) claims that Uhtred's brotherEadwulf Cudel surrenderedLothian to Malcolm II, possibly in the aftermath of the defeat at Carham. Some other lands betweenDunbar and the Tweed as other parts of Lothian may have been under Scots control before this time.[12]
Malcolm demonstrated a rare ability to survive among early Scottish Kings by reigning for 29 years.Brehon tradition provided that the successor to Malcolm was to be selected by him from among the descendants ofKing Aedh (Áed mac Cináeda),King of the Picts, with the consent of Malcolm's ministers and of the Church. Perhaps in an attempt to end the devastating feuds in the north of Scotland, and influenced by theNorman model, Malcolm ignored tradition and was determined to retain succession within his own line. Since Malcolm had no son of his own, he negotiated a series of dynastic marriages of his daughters to men who might otherwise be his rivals, while securing the loyalty of their relatives, the principal chiefs.[citation needed] The throne passed to his grandson through his eldest daughter.
Although the identity of Malcolm's wives and queens are unknown, he did have at least one and probably three daughters. Malcolm married his eldest daughterBethóc toCrínán of Dunkeld, head of what became thehouse of Atholl orDunkeld dynasty and laterAbbot of Dunkeld. Malcolm may have had another daughter, possibly named Donada, who marriedFinlay, ruler of Moray, father ofMacbeth, later King of Scotland.[5] Later Scandinavian saga tradition claims that the mother of EarlThorfinn the Mighty was a daughter of Malcolm, though the Malcolm in question may have beenMáel Coluim of Moray.
Fourteenth century Scottishchronicler and poetAndrew of Wyntoun suggests that "a third daughter" of Malcolm marriedFindláech of Moray, (Findláech mac Ruaidrí), father ofMacbeth, King of Scotland, (Macbethad mac Findláech), which would make Malcolm to be Macbeth's grandfather.[13]
The only other early reference to Malcolm as Macbeth's grandfather isRaphael Holinshed's 1577Chronicle of Scotland, an inspiration toWilliam Shakespeare, which names "Doada" as a daughter of Malcolm II King of Scotland, and adds that she married "Sinell the thane of Glammis, by whom she had issue one Makbeth".[14]
Seventeenth century historian Frederic Van Bossen only lists two daughters, one whom he calls "Beatrice, who married Albanacht the son of Crinan", and the other as "Daboada, who was the mother of Macbeth, and the wife of Finell, theThane of Angus and Glames and the son of Cruthneth".[15]
TheAnglo-Saxon Chronicle reports thatCnut The Great (Canute) led an army into Scotland on his return from apilgrimage toRome. TheChronicle dates this to 1031, but there are reasons to suppose that it should be dated to 1027.[16] ContemporaryBurgundian chroniclerRodulfus Glaber recounts the expedition soon afterward, describing Malcolm as "powerful in resources and arms ... very Christian in faith and deed."[17] Rodulfus claims that peace was made between Malcolm and Cnut through the intervention ofRichard,Duke of Normandy, brother of Cnut's wifeEmma. Richard died circa 1027 and Rodulfus wrote close in time to the events.[18]
Cnut came away only with a promise of peace and friendship, rather than the guarantee of aid on land and sea that previous kings such asEdgar and others had obtained. Contemporary sources say that Malcolm was accompanied by one or two other kings, certainly future King Mac Bethad, and perhapsEchmarcach mac Ragnaill,King of Mann and the Isles, and ofGalloway.[19] TheAnglo-Saxon Chronicle remarks of the submission "but he [Malcolm] adhered to that for only a little while".[20] Cnut was soon occupied inNorway against Olaf Haraldsson and appears to have had no further involvement with Scotland.[citation needed]
Modern historian Duncan speculates that the quarrel between Cnut and Malcolm may have had its roots in Cnut's pilgrimage to Rome, and the coronation ofHoly Roman EmperorConrad II, where Cnut andRudolph III,King of Burgundy had the place of honour. If Malcolm were present, and the repeated mentions of his piety in the annals make it quite possible that he made a pilgrimage to Rome, then the coronation could have allowed Malcolm to publicly snub Cnut's claims to overlordship.[21]
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Malcolm may also have married a daughter named Donada toFindláech of Moray (Findláech Mac Ruaidrí) andMacbeth, King of Scotland is presumed to be their son. Scandinavian saga tradition also claims that the mother of EarlThorfinn the Mighty of Orkney was a daughter of Malcolm. However, as modern historian Duncan tells it, even if Malcolm exercised some control over Moray, the annals record several events pointing to a struggle for power in the north. Irish sources record that in 1020, Bethad mac Findláech's, (later known asMacbeth, King of Scotland), fatherFindláech mac Ruaidrí was killed by the sons of his brotherMáel Brigte, and that[22]Máel Coluim mac Máil Brigti (Máel Coluim of Moray) took control of Moray. His death is reported in 1029.[23]
Despite the accounts of the Irish annals, English and Scandinavian writers describe Mac Bethad as the rightful king of Moray, during descriptions of his meeting with Cnut in 1027, before the death of Malcolm mac Máil Brigti. Malcolm mac Máil Brigti was followed as king or earl by his brotherGillecomgain (Gille Coemgáin of Moray), husband ofGruoch, a granddaughter of KingKenneth III. It has been supposed that Mac Bethad was responsible for the killing of Gille Coemgáin in 1032, but if Mac Bethad had a cause for feud in the killing of his father in 1020, Malcolm too had reason to see Gille Coemgáin dead. Not only had Gillecomgan's ancestors killed many of Malcolm's kin, but Gillecomgan and his sonLulach might have been rivals for the throne, through the claim of Gruoch. Malcolm had no living sons, and the threat to his plans for the succession was obvious. As a result, the following year Gruoch's brother or nephew, who might have eventually become king, was killed by Malcolm.[24] Mac Bethad married Grouch after the death of Gillecomgain, presumably to retain power over Moray.
It has traditionally been supposed that kingOwen the Bald (Owain Foel) ofStrathclyde died at thebattle of Carham and that the kingdom passed into the hands of the Scots afterwards. This rests on some very weak evidence. It is far from certain that Owen died at Carham, and it is reasonably certain that there were kings of Strathclyde as late as 1054, whenEdward the Confessor sentEarl Siward to install "Malcolm son of the king of the Cumbrians". The confusion is old, probably inspired byWilliam of Malmesbury and embellished by John of Fordun, but there is no firm evidence that the kingdom of Strathclyde was a part of the kingdom of the Scots, rather than a loosely subjected kingdom, before the time of Malcolm II of Scotland's great-grandsonMalcolm III.[25]
By the 1030s Malcolm's sons, if he had any, were dead. The only evidence that he did have a son or sons is in Rodulfus Glaber's chronicle where Cnut is said to have stood as godfather to "a son of Malcolm".[26] His grandson Thorfinn would have been unlikely to be accepted as king by the Scots, and he chose the sons of his other daughter,Bethóc, who was married toCrínán,lay abbot ofDunkeld, and perhapsMormaer of Atholl. It may be no more than coincidence, but in 1027 the Irish annals had reported the burning of Dunkeld, although no mention is made of the circumstances.[27] Malcolm's chosen heir, and the firsttánaise ríg certainly known in Scotland, wasDuncan.[28]
If Macbeth was Malcolm II's grandson, then when Macbeth's soldiers killed Duncan I, before Macbeth took the throne, Malcolm II would have had one grandson kill another to succeed the first as king.[citation needed]
Marianus Scotus gives the date of Malcolm's death as 25 November 1034. The king lists say that he died atGlamis Castle, variously describing him as a "most glorious" or "most victorious" king. The Annals of Tigernach report, "Malcolm mac Cináeda, king of Scotland, the honour of all the west of Europe, died".The Prophecy of Berchán, perhaps the inspiration for John of Fordun andAndrew of Wyntoun's accounts where Malcolm is killed fighting bandits, says that he died by violence, fighting "the parricides".[29]
Marianus tells us that Malcolm's grandsonDuncan I became king and ruled for five years and nine months. Given that Duncan's subsequent death in 1040 is described as being "at an immature age" in the Annals of Tigernach, he must have been a very young man in 1034. Modern historian Duncan speculates that the absence of any effective opposition to Duncan's youthful kingship suggests that Malcolm had thoroughly dealt with any succession issues before he died.[30]
Tradition, dating from Fordun's time if not earlier, knew thePictish stone now called "Glamis 2" as "King Malcolm's grave stone". The stone is a Class II stone, apparently formed by re-using aBronze Age standing stone. Its dating is uncertain, with dates from the 8th century onwards having been proposed. While an earlier date is favoured, an association with accounts of Malcolm's has been proposed on the basis of the iconography of the carvings.[31]
Malcolm's putative pilgrimage to Rome, and other long-distance journeys, while not confirmed, were far from unusual. Thorfinn Sigurdsson, Cnut and Mac Bethad all travelled widely.Dyfnwal of Strathclyde died on a pilgrimage to Rome in 975 as did Máel Ruanaid uá Máele Doraid, king of theCenél Conaill, in 1025.[citation needed]
Not a great deal is known of Malcolm's activities beyond the wars and killings. TheBook of Deer records that Malcolm "gave a king's dues in Biffie and in Pett Meic-Gobraig, and two davochs" to the monastery ofOld Deer.[32] He was also probably not the founder of the Bishopric of Mortlach-Aberdeen.[33]
Malcolm II of Scotland Born: c. 980 Died: 25 November 1034 | ||
| Regnal titles | ||
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| Preceded by | King of Alba 1005–1034 | Succeeded by |
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