Alexander I of Scotland
Alexander I | |
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Margaret of Wessex |
Alexander I (
Life
Alexander was the fifth (some sources say fourth) son of Malcolm III and his wife Margaret of Wessex, grandniece of Edward the Confessor. Alexander was named after Pope Alexander II.
He was the younger brother of King
On the death of Edgar in 1107, Alexander succeeded to the Scottish crown but, in accordance with Edgar's instructions, their brother David was granted an appanage in southern Scotland. Edgar's will granted David the lands of the former kingdom of Strathclyde or Cumbria, and this was apparently agreed in advance by Edgar, Alexander, David and their brother-in-law Henry I of England. In 1113, perhaps at Henry's instigation, and with the support of his Anglo-Norman allies, David demanded and received, additional lands in Lothian along the Upper Tweed and Teviot. David did not receive the title of king, but of "prince of the Cumbrians", and his lands remained under Alexander's final authority.[3]
The dispute over Tweeddale and Teviotdale does not appear to have damaged relations between Alexander and David, although it was unpopular in some quarters. A
It's bad what Malcolm's son has done,
dividing us from Alexander;
he causes, like each king's son before,
the plunder of stable Alba.[4]
The dispute over the eastern marches does not appear to have caused lasting trouble between Alexander and Henry of England. In 1114, he joined Henry on campaign in Wales against Gruffudd ap Cynan of Gwynedd.[5] Alexander's marriage with Henry's illegitimate daughter Sybilla of Normandy may have occurred as early as 1107, or as late as 1114.[6]
William of Malmesbury's account attacks Sybilla, but the evidence argues that Alexander and Sybilla were a devoted but childless couple and Sybilla was of noteworthy piety.[7] Sybilla died in unrecorded circumstances at Eilean nam Ban (Kenmore on Loch Tay) in July 1122 and was buried at Dunfermline Abbey. Alexander did not remarry and Walter Bower wrote that he planned an Augustinian Priory at the Eilean nam Ban dedicated to Sybilla's memory, and he may have taken steps to have her venerated.[8]
Alexander had at least one illegitimate child, Máel Coluim mac Alaxandair, who was later involved in a revolt against David I in the 1130s. He was imprisoned at Roxburgh for many years afterwards, perhaps until his death sometime after 1157.[9]
Alexander was, like his brothers Edgar and David, a notably pious king. He was responsible for foundations at
His mother's chaplain and
For all his religiosity, Alexander was not remembered as a man of peace. John of Fordun says of him:
Now the king was a lettered and godly man; very humble and amiable towards the clerics and regulars, but terrible beyond measure to the rest of his subjects; a man of large heart, exerting himself in all things beyond his strength.[12]
He manifested the terrible aspect of his character in his reprisals in the
Alexander died in April 1124 at his court at Stirling; his brother David, probably the acknowledged heir since the death of Sybilla, succeeded him.[15]
Fictional portrayals
Alexander was depicted in a fantasy novel,[16] Pater Nostras Canis Dirus: The Garrison Effect (2010). Alexander is depicted as troubled by his lack of direct heirs, having no child with his wife Sybilla of Normandy. He points out that his father-in-law Henry I of England is asking them for a grandson.[16]
References
- ^ This nickname however is not attested for another three centuries, in the work of Andrew of Wyntoun.
- ^ a b Barrow, p. 154.
- ^ Oram, pp. 60–63.
- ^ Oram, p. 66 citing Clancy, The Triumph Tree.
- ^ Oram, p. 65.
- Maud of Huntingdon.
- ^ Duncan, p. 65; Oram, p. 71.
- ^ Oram, p. 71.
- ^ Oram, p. 77. The identity of this person may be still in question, see Meic Uilleim and MacHeths.
- ^ "History", Dunfermline Abbey
- ^ Barrow, p. 156.
- ^ Fordun, V, xxviii (Skene's edition).
- ^ Wyntoun, cxxvii.
- ^ MacDonald, pp. 23–24, deals with this affair.
- ^ Oram, pp.71–72.
- ^ a b Saint Andrews, Brodrick (2010), p. 99-104
Sources
- ISBN 978-0-7486-1803-3.
- Archibald Alexander McBeth Duncan (2002). The kingship of the Scots, 842-1292: succession and independence. Edinburgh University Press. ISBN 978-0-7486-1626-8.
- ISBN 978-0-7524-2825-3.
- Russell Andrew McDonald (2003). Outlaws of medieval Scotland: challenges to the Canmore kings, 1058-1266. Tuckwell Press, Ltd. ISBN 978-1-86232-236-3.
- Saint Andrews, Sawyer; Brodrick, John F (2010). Pater Nostras Canis Dirus: The Garrison Effect. AuthorHouse. ISBN 978-1-4520-9356-7.
Further reading
- Chambers, Robert; Thomson, Thomas Napier (1857). . A Biographical Dictionary of Eminent Scotsmen. Vol. 1. Glasgow: Blackie and Son. pp. 46–47 – via Wikisource.
- Alexander I at the official website of the British monarchy