Máel Coluim mac Máil Brigti was King or
Mormaer
In early medieval Scotland, a mormaer was the Gaelic name for a regional or provincial ruler, theoretically second only to the King of Scots, and the senior of a '' ToÃsech'' (chieftain). Mormaers were equivalent to English earls or Continenta ...
of
Moray
Moray ( ; or ) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland. It lies in the north-east of the country, with a coastline on the Moray Firth, and borders the council areas of Aberdeenshire and Highland. Its council is based in Elgin, the area' ...
(1020–1029), and, as his name suggests, the son of a
Máel Brigte (a different person from
Máel Brigte the Bucktooth, who died in 892). As with his predecessor
Findláech mac RuaidrÃ, sources call him "King of Scotland."
Rather confusingly for some of our sources and for some historians, Máel Coluim held the kingship contemporaneously with another Máel Coluim,
Máel Coluim II (mac Cináeda) of Scotland. The
Orkneyinga Saga
The ''Orkneyinga saga'' (Old Norse: ; ; also called the ''History of the Earls of Orkney'' and ''Jarls' Saga'') is a narrative of the history of the Orkney and Shetland islands and their relationship with other local polities, particularly No ...
for instance tells us that
Thorfinn Sigurdsson, Earl of Orkney
Thorfinn Sigurdsson (1009? – 1058?), also known as Thorfinn the Mighty (Old Norse: ''Þorfinnr inn riki''), was an 11th-century Earl of Orkney, Jarl of Orkney. He was the youngest of five sons of Jarl Sigurd Hlodvirsson and the only one re ...
was the son of the daughter of Máel Coluim, king of
Scotland
Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...
. Some historians have argued that this was Máel Coluim mac Cináeda of Scotland, but Hudson has suggested that Máel Coluim mac Máil Brigti is the more likely candidate (p. 135).
His death date derives from the
Annals of Tigernach
The ''Annals of Tigernach'' (Abbreviation, abbr. AT, ) are chronicles probably originating in Clonmacnoise, Ireland. The language is a mixture of Latin language, Latin and Old Irish, Old and Middle Irish.
Many of the pre-historic entries come f ...
, which notes s.a. 1029, "''Mael Colaim mac Mael-Brighdi mac RuaidrÃ,
rÃ
RÃ, or commonly rÃg (genitive), is an ancient Gaelic word meaning 'king'. It is used in historical texts referring to the Irish and Scottish kings, and those of similar rank. While the Modern Irish word is exactly the same, in modern Scottis ...
Alban mortuus est'' (="Máel Coluim, son of
Máel Brigte, son of
RuadrÃ, King of Scotland, dies")." As can be seen, if it were not for the ''mac Mael-Brighdi'', we could easily assume we were being given an inaccurate date for the death of King Máel Coluim II.
Máel Coluim mac Máil Brigti seems to have been succeeded by his brother
Gille Coemgáin.
Domnall mac Máil Coluim, "son of the King of Scotland", whose death is reported by the
Annals of Ulster
The ''Annals of Ulster'' () are annals of History of Ireland, medieval Ireland. The entries span the years from 431 AD to 1540 AD. The entries up to 1489 AD were compiled in the late 15th century by the scribe Ruaidhrà Ó Luinà ...
s.a. 1085, may have been a son of this Máel Coluim, or perhaps of
Máel Coluim mac Donnchada (Malcolm III).
Bibliography
* Anderson, Alan Orr, ''Early Sources of Scottish History: AD 500-1286'', 2 Vols, (Edinburgh, 1922)
* Hudson, Benjamin T., ''Kings of Celtic Scotland'', (Westport, 1994)
External links
Annals of UlsterBook of Deer
1029 deaths
Mael Coluim
People from Moray
11th-century Scottish monarchs
10th-century Scottish people
Year of birth unknown
Mormaers of Moray
11th-century mormaers
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