Dub mac Maíl Coluim (
Modern Gaelic: ''Dubh mac Mhaoil Chaluim'', ), sometimes anglicised as Duff MacMalcolm, called ''Dén'', "the Vehement" and, "the Black" (born c. 928 – died 967) was
king of Alba
The monarch of Scotland was the head of state of the Kingdom of Scotland. According to tradition, the first King of Scots was Kenneth I MacAlpin (), who founded the state in 843. Historically, the Kingdom of Scotland is thought to have grown ...
. He was son of
Malcolm I and succeeded to the throne when
Indulf
Ildulb mac Causantín, anglicised as Indulf or Indulph, nicknamed An Ionsaighthigh, "the Aggressor" (died 962) was king of Alba from 954 to 962. He was the son of Constantine II of Scotland, Constantine II; his mother may have been a daughter of ...
was killed in 962.
While later chroniclers such as
John of Fordun supplied a great deal of information on Dub's life and reign, and Hector Boece in his 'The history and chronicles of Scotland' tell tales of
witchcraft
Witchcraft traditionally means the use of magic or supernatural powers to harm others. A practitioner is a witch. In medieval and early modern Europe, where the term originated, accused witches were usually women who were believed to have ...
and treason, almost all of them are rejected by modern historians. There are very few sources for the reign of Dub, of which the
Chronicle of the Kings of Alba
The ''Chronicle of the Kings of Alba'', or ''Scottish Chronicle'', is a short written chronicle of the Kings of Alba, covering the period from the time of Kenneth MacAlpin (Cináed mac Ailpín) (d. 858) until the reign of Kenneth II (Cináed mac ...
and a single entry in the
Annals of Ulster are the closest to contemporary.
The Chronicle records that during Dub's reign bishop Fothach, most likely bishop of
St Andrews or of
Dunkeld
Dunkeld (, sco, Dunkell, from gd, Dùn Chailleann, "fort of the Caledonians") is a town in Perth and Kinross, Scotland. The location of a historic cathedral, it lies on the north bank of the River Tay, opposite Birnam. Dunkeld lies close to t ...
, died. The remaining report is of a battle between Dub and
Cuilén
Cuilén (also ''Culén, Cuilean'', anglicized Colin; died 971) was an early King of Alba (Scotland).
He was a son of Illulb mac Custantín, King of Alba, after whom he is known by the patronymic mac Illuilb (also ''mac Iduilb'', ''mac Ilduilb' ...
, son of king Ildulb. Dub won the battle, fought "upon the ridge of Crup", in which Duchad, abbot of Dunkeld, sometimes supposed to be an ancestor of
Crínán of Dunkeld
Crínán of Dunkeld (died 1045) was the hereditary abbot of the monastery of Dunkeld, and perhaps the Mormaer of Atholl. Crínán was progenitor of the House of Dunkeld, the dynasty which would rule Scotland until the later 13th century. He was ...
, and
Dubdon, the
mormaer of Atholl, died.
The various accounts differ on what happened afterwards. The Chronicle claims that Dub was driven out of the kingdom. The
Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...
material interpolated in
Andrew of Wyntoun's ''Orygynale Cronykl'' states that he was murdered at
Forres
Forres (; gd, Farrais) is a town and former royal burgh in the north of Scotland on the Moray coast, approximately northeast of Inverness and west of Elgin. Forres has been a winner of the Scotland in Bloom award on several occasions. There a ...
, and links this to an eclipse of the sun which can be dated to 20 July 966. The Annals of Ulster report only: "Dub mac Maíl Coluim, king of Alba, was killed by the Scots themselves"; the usual way of reporting a death in internal strife, and place the death in 967. It has been suggested that
Sueno's Stone
Sueno's Stone is a Picto-Scottish Class III standing stone on the north-easterly edge of Forres in Moray and is the largest surviving Pictish style cross-slab stone of its type in Scotland, standing in height. It is situated on a raised bank o ...
, near Forres, may be a monument to Dub, erected by his brother
Kenneth II
Cináed mac Maíl Coluim ( gd, Coinneach mac Mhaoil Chaluim, label=Scottish Gaelic language, Modern Scottish Gaelic, Anglicisation, anglicised Kenneth II, and nicknamed , "The Fratricide, Fratricidal"; died 995) was Kingdom of Scotland, King of Sc ...
(Cináed mac Maíl Coluim). It is presumed that Dub was killed or driven out by Cuilén, who became king after Dub's death, or by his supporters.
It is related that his body was hidden under the bridge of
Kinloss, and the sun did not shine till it was found and buried. An eclipse on 10 July 967 may have originated or confirmed this story.
Dub left at least one son,
Kenneth III (Cináed mac Dub).
Although his descendants did not compete successfully for the kingship of Alba after Cináed was killed in 1005, they did hold the
mormaerdom of Fife. The MacDuib (or
MacDuff) held the mormaerdom, and later earldom, until 1371.
Notes
References
* Duncan, A.A.M., ''The Kingship of the Scots 842–1292: Succession and Independence.'' Edinburgh University Press, Edinburgh, 2002.
* Smyth, Alfred P., ''Warlords and Holy Men: Scotland AD 80–1000.'' Edinburgh UP, Edinburgh, 1984.
External links
Annals of Ulster, part 1, at CELT
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dub, King of Scotland
920s births
Year of birth uncertain
967 deaths
10th-century murdered monarchs
Burials in Iona
10th-century Scottish monarchs
Scottish murder victims
House of Alpin