Máel Coluim II mac Donnchaidh Mac Duibh (Malcolm II, son of Duncan, Macduff) | |
|---|---|
 The Mormaer of Fife as depicted at the inauguration of Alexander III in a late-medieval manuscript of Walter Bower'sScotichronicon | |
| Born | Early 13th century |
| Died | 1266 |
| Other names | Maol-Choluim or Malcolm II of Fife |
| Title | Mormaer ("Earl") of Fife |
| Term | 1228–1266 |
| Predecessor | Máel Coluim I |
| Successor | Colbán |
| Spouse | Elen ferch Llywelyn |
| Children | Colbán; unknown son stylledMacDuibh ("Macduff") |
| Parent(s) | Donnchadh (Duncan), son ofDonnchadh II, Earl of Fife |
| Relatives | Máel Coluim I (uncle) |
Máel Coluim II (orMaol Choluim II, usually anglicized asMalcolm II),[1] was a 13th-centuryMormaer of Fife who ruled the mormaerdom or earldom ofFife between 1228 and 1266. He was the nephew ofMáel Coluim I, the previousmormaer, and the son of Máel Coluim I's brother Donnchadh, son ofDonnchadh II.[2]
He is one of the Scottish magnates whose name occurred as a guarantor in theTreaty of York on 25 September 1237.[3] He participated in the famous inauguration of KingAlexander III of Scotland atScone on 13 July 1249, where the mormaers of Fife had a traditional senior role in the coronation.[4] He played a role during the minority of Alexander III of Scotland, being appointed one of the guardians of the king on 20 September 1255.[5]
He appears to have had a close relationship withHenry III of England, both during the minority and after, and in Scotland may have been allied withAlan Durward.[4] He was fined inNorthumberland on 24 April 1256, for not appearing before royal justices on the first day of their session, as presumably ordered.[5] He disappears from the records after thecoup against the minority administration in 1256–57,[4] but reappears a few years later when he is recorded swearing an oath to Henry to promise to maintain the position of the young king and queen when the latter, Henry III's daughterMargaret, went to England in 1260.[3]
Máel Coluim II died in 1266.[6] He is traditionally said to have married Elen, daughter ofLlwyelyn the Great in 1230,[7] who after Máel Coluim's death married theMormaer of Mar,Domhnall.[5] However, genealogical inconsistencies indicate that the daughter of Llwyelyn he married was actually Susanna, fl. 1228, and that his widow Elen who married Domhall after 1266 was an entirely different person.[7] He had two sons who are known to us. The elder wasColbán, to whom the mormaerdom passed after Máel Coluim's death.[8] Chieftaincy ofClann Meic Duibh went to another son, whose name, however, is unknown as he was only referred to by his titleMacDuibh.[9] Máel Coluim appears from later records to have granted lands to this younger son, which were later dispossessed byWilliam Wishart,Bishop of St Andrews, later backed by KingJohn de Balliol, against whomMacDuibh appealed to KingEdward I of England.[10] MacDuibh died leading the men of Fife in theBattle of Falkirk alongsideWilliam Wallace.
| Preceded by | Mormaer of Fife 1228–1266 | Succeeded by |