Colbán of Buchan is the second
mormaer
In early Middle Ages, medieval Kingdom of Scotland, Scotland, a mormaer was the Scottish Gaelic, Gaelic name for a regional or provincial ruler, theoretically second only to the Kings of Scots, King of Scots, and the senior of a ''Toísech'' (chi ...
of
Buchan
Buchan is an area of north-east Scotland, historically one of the original provinces of the Kingdom of Alba. It is now one of the six committee areas and administrative areas of Aberdeenshire Council, Scotland. These areas were created by th ...
to be known by name as Mormaer.
Colbán was not the son of his predecessor
Gartnait. It is possible that Colbán came from another Buchan family, or even, as some have suggested,
Fife
Fife (, ; gd, Fìobha, ; sco, Fife) is a council area, historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area of Scotland. It is situated between the Firth of Tay and the Firth of Forth, with inland boundaries with Perth and Kinross (i ...
. He perhaps obtained Buchan by marrying the daughter of Gartnait, whose name is recorded as Éva. He had a son named Magnus, and another called Merleswain, who became known as
Merleswain of Kennoway. Colbán was in the Scottish army that invaded England with King
William I of Scotland
William the Lion, sometimes styled William I and also known by the nickname Garbh, "the Rough"''Uilleam Garbh''; e.g. Annals of Ulster, s.a. 1214.6; Annals of Loch Cé, s.a. 1213.10. ( 1142 – 4 December 1214), reigned as King of Scots from 11 ...
in 1174.
Bibliography
* Roberts, John L., ''Lost Kingdoms: Celtic Scotland in the Middle Ages'', (Edinburgh, 1997), pp. 49–50
* Young, Alan, "Buchan in the 13th century" in Alexander Grant & Keith J. Stringer (eds.) ''Medieval Scotland: Crown, Lordship and Community Essays Presented to G.W.S Barrow'', (Edinburgh, 1993)
External links
Gaelic Notes on the Book of Deer
{{DEFAULTSORT:Buchan, Colban, Earl of,
Nobility from Aberdeenshire
12th-century mormaers
Mormaers of Buchan