| Edgar | |
|---|---|
 Seal of King Edgar, styles EdgarBasileus ("sovereign") of the Scots | |
| King of Alba (Scotland) | |
| Reign | 1097–1107 |
| Predecessor | Donald III |
| Successor | Alexander I |
| Born | c. 1074 |
| Died | (1107-01-08)8 January 1107 Edinburgh |
| Burial | |
| House | Dunkeld |
| Father | Malcolm III of Scotland |
| Mother | Margaret of Wessex |
Edgar orÉtgar mac Maíl Choluim (Modern Gaelic:Eagar mac Mhaoil Chaluim), nicknamedProbus, "the Valiant"[1] (c. 1074 – 8 January 1107), wasKing of Alba (Scotland) from 1097 to 1107. He was the fourth son ofMalcolm III andMargaret of Wessex but the first to be considered eligible for the throne after the death of his father.
Edgar claimed the kingship in early 1095, following the murder of his half-brotherDuncan II in late 1094 byMáel Petair of Mearns, a supporter of Edgar's uncleDonald III. His older brotherEdmund sided with Donald, presumably in return for anappanage and acknowledgement as the heir of the aged and son-less Donald.[2]
Edgar received limited support fromWilliam II of England as Duncan had before him; however, the English king was occupied with a revolt led byRobert de Mowbray,Earl of Northumbria, who appears to have had the support of Donald and Edmund. Rufus campaigned in northern England for much of 1095, and during this time Edgar gained control only ofLothian. Acharter issued atDurham at this time names him "... son of Máel Coluim King of Scots ... possessing the whole land of Lothian and the kingship of the Scots by the gift of my lord William, king of the English, and by paternal heritage".[3]
Edgar's claims had the support of his brothersAlexander andDavid –Ethelred wasAbbot of Dunkeld, and Edmund was divided from his siblings by his support of Donald – and his uncleEdgar Ætheling as these witnessed the charter at Durham.[4]
William Rufus spent 1096 inNormandy which he bought from his brotherRobert Curthose, and it was not until 1097 that Edgar received further support which led to the defeat of Donald and Edmund in a hard-fought campaign led by Edgar Ætheling.[5]
AlthoughGeoffrey Gaimar claimed that Edgar owed feudal service to William Rufus, it is clear from Rufus's agreement to pay Edgar 40 or 60 shillings a day maintenance when in attendance at the English court that this is untrue. In any event, he did attend the court on a few occasions. On 29 May 1099, for example, Edgar served as sword-bearer at the great feast to inaugurateWestminster Hall. After William Rufus's death, however, Edgar ceased to appear at the English court. He was not present at the coronation ofHenry I.[6]
The inheritance of the Scottish crown was notprimogeniture as Duncan II had a legitimate son and heir in the person ofWilliam fitz Duncan.[7] With Donald and Edmund removed, however, Edgar was uncontested king of Scots, and his reign incurred no major crises. Compared with his rise to power, Edgar's reign is obscure. One notable act was his gift of acamel (or perhaps anelephant), presumably a "souvenir" of theFirst Crusade, to his fellow GaelMuirchertach Ua Briain,High King of Ireland.[8]
In 1098, Edgar signed a treaty withMagnus Barefoot,King of Norway, setting the boundary between Scots andNorwegian claims in the west. By ceding claims to theHebrides andKintyre to Magnus, Edgar acknowledged the practical realities of the existing situation.[9] Edgar's religious foundations included apriory atColdingham in 1098, associated with theConvent ofDurham. AtDunfermline Abbey he sought support fromAnselm of Canterbury with his mother's foundation from which the monks ofCanterbury may have been expelled by Domnall Bán.[10]
Edgar died inEdinburgh on 8 January 1107 and was buried atDunfermline Abbey. Unmarried and childless, he acknowledged his brother Alexander as his successor. Edgar's will also granted David anappanage in "Cumbria" (the lands of the formerKingdom of Strathclyde), and perhaps also in southern parts ofLothian.[11] David would later be known asPrince of the Cumbrians.
There is a contradictory account of his death, recorded byOrderic Vitalis (12th century). According to this account, Edgar was killed by his uncle Donald III, while Donald III was killed by Alexander I.[12] This account reports: "On the death ofMalcolm [III],king of the Scots, great divisions rose among them, in reference to the succession to the crown. Edgar, the king's eldest son, assumed it as his lawful right, but Donald, King Malcolm's brother, having usurped authority, opposed him with great cruelty, and at length, the brave youth [Edgar] was murdered by his uncle. Alexander [I], however, his brother, slew Donald, and ascended the throne; being thus the avenger as well as the successor of his brother..."[13]
Benjamin Hudson dismisses the story as "completely false". But its existence points to the circulation of "incorrect" tales about the monarchs of the late 11th century.[14] Verses ofThe Prophecy of Berchán allude to the murder of another Scottish king: "Alas a king will take sovereignty for four nights and one month; I think it is grievous that theGaels will boast, woe to him who celebrates him. ... A son of the woman of the English... I think it is wretched, that his brother will kill him."[15] The English woman is obviouslySaint Margaret, the consort of Malcolm III. But none of her children, male or female, are known to have been killed by one of their own siblings. The confusion probably derives from the murder of their half-siblingDuncan II of Scotland, son of Malcolm III and his first wifeIngibiorg Finnsdottir.[16] A note in theAnnals of Ulster claims that Duncan II was murdered by his brothers Donmall [Donald] and Edmund. As Duncan had no brothers by these names, the text probably points to his uncle Donald III and half-brotherEdmund of Scotland, though later texts identify a noble by the name ofMáel Petair of Mearns as the actual murderer.[17]
Edgar, King of Scotland Born: c. 1074 Died: 8 January 1107 | ||
| Regnal titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | King of Alba 1097–1107 | Succeeded by |
