Malcolm II of Scotland

Máel Coluim mac Cináeda (Modern Scottish Gaelic: Maol Chaluim mac Choinnich;

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 successor Duncan I of Scotland, through his daughter Bethóc, and according to some sources, of Macbeth, King of Scotland, (about whom William Shakespeare later wrote the play Macbeth), through his daughter Donalda.

Early years and path to the throne

Malcolm II was the son of

Whether Malcolm killed Constantine or not, he certainly killed Constantine's successor Kenneth III in 1005, during a battle at Monzievaird in Strathearn.^[9]

Raids into Bernicia

The first reliable report of Malcolm II's reign is of an invasion in 1006 of

The work De obsessione Dunelmi (The siege of Durham, associated with Symeon of Durham) claims that Uchtred's brother Eadwulf Cudel surrendered Lothian to Malcolm II, presumably in the aftermath of the defeat at Carham. This is likely to have been the lands between Dunbar and the Tweed as other parts of Lothian had been under Scots control before this time.^[12]

Relationships with neighbouring states

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 of King Aedh, 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 the Norman model, Malcolm ignored tradition and 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]}

Dynastic marriages of his daughters

Malcolm married Gunnora, daughter of the second Duke of Normandy, who bore him three daughters. No sons were confirmed born, or survived.^[13] First, Malcolm married his eldest daughter Bethóc to Crinan, Thane of The Isles, head of the house of Atholl and secular Abbot of Dunkeld. Then he married his youngest daughter, Olith, to Sigurd, Earl of Orkney. His middle daughter, Donada, was married to Finlay, Earl of Moray, Thane of Ross and Cromarty and a descendant of Loarn of Dalriada.^{[citation needed]}

• Bethóc ingen Maíl Coluim meic Cináeda, married
  Duncan I
  .
• Donalda, married Findláech of Moray, mother of Macbeth, King of Scotland
• Olith, married Sigurd Hlodvirsson, Earl of Orkney, mother of Thorfinn the Mighty^{[citation needed]}

This was risky business under the rules of succession of the Gael, but he thereby secured his rear and, taking advantage of the renewal of Viking attacks on England, marched south to fight the English. He defeated the Angles at Carham in 1018 and installed his grandson, Duncan, son of the Abbot of Dunkeld and his choice as Tanist, in Carlisle as King of Cumbria that same year. Duncan went on to become King Duncan I of Scotland^[14]

Sources of the Macbeth connection

14th century Scottish

The only other early reference to Malcolm as Macbeth's grandfather is Raphael Holinshed's 1577 Chronicle of Scotland, an inspiration to William 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".^{[citation needed]}

17th 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, the Thane of Angus and Glames and the son of Cruthneth".^[16]

Relationship with Cnut

The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle reports that Cnut The Great (Canute) led an army into Scotland on his return from a pilgrimage to Rome. The Chronicle dates this to 1031, but there are reasons to suppose that it should be dated to 1027.^[17] Contemporary Burgundian chronicler Rodulfus Glaber recounts the expedition soon afterwards, describing Malcolm as "powerful in resources and arms … very Christian in faith and deed."^[18] Rodulfus claims that peace was made between Malcolm and Cnut through the intervention of Richard, Duke of Normandy, brother of Cnut's wife Emma. Richard died circa 1027 and Rodulfus wrote close in time to the events.^[19]

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 as

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 as

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 was followed as king or earl by his brother Gillecomgan, husband of Gruoch, a granddaughter of King Kenneth 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 son Lulach might have been rivals for the throne. 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.^[28]

Relationship with Strathclyde

It has traditionally been supposed that King Owen the Bald of

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]

Death and posterity

Marianus Scotus gives the date of Malcolm's death as 25 November 1034. The king lists say that he died at Glamis 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 and Andrew of Wyntoun's accounts where Malcolm is killed fighting bandits, says that he died by violence, fighting "the parricides".^[33]

Marianus tells us that Malcolm's grandson

Tradition, dating from Fordun's time if not earlier, knew the Pictish stone now called "Glamis 2" as "King Malcolm's grave stone". The stone is a Class II stone, apparently formed by re-using a Bronze 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.^[35]

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.

Not a great deal is known of Malcolm's activities beyond the wars and killings. The Book of Deer records that Malcolm "gave a king's dues in Biffie and in Pett Meic-Gobraig, and two davochs" to the monastery of Old Deer.^[36] He was also probably not the founder of the Bishopric of Mortlach-Aberdeen.^[37]

Notes