William fitz Duncan

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William fitz Duncan (a modern

In 1094, his father King Duncan II was killed by Mormaer Máel Petair of Mearns, supporting the claims of King Domnall (Donald) III Bán. It is probable that his mother Ethelreda took the infant William and fled Scotland to the safety of Allerdale in Cumberland where her brother Waltheof of Allerdale was lord. William, an only child, grew up there among his cousins. A decade or so later, he ventured to the court of his half-uncle.

Under the reign of his half-uncle Alexander I, it is highly likely that William was regarded as a viable tánaiste (i.e. "designated heir"),^{[citation needed]} but Henry I of England supported David. When David succeeded, William, as the legitimate king under the rules of primogeniture was certainly bought off by David, probably being made tánaiste.^{[citation needed]} William repeatedly leads the lists of witnesses appearing in Scottish royal charters in the reigns of Alexander I and David I.

A 13th century northern English source claims that William was Mormaer of Moray. As this source had no reason to deceive, it is highly likely that William was made the

William was a great warrior. His uncle, King David, frequently tasked William with leading his armies in battle.[1] He frequently led Scottish armies. In the campaign of 1138, he led an army of Gaels that defeated a Norman English army at the Battle of Clitheroe, raising the hopes for the success of the royal army, hopes which failed to materialize at the Battle of the Standard.

William had several marriages. His first marriage was over, presumably through death, by the year 1137, when he married Alice, daughter of