Máel Coluim of Moray (or 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 ''Toísech'' (chieftain). Mormaers were equivalent to English earls or Continental c ...

of Moray (1020–1029), and, as his name suggests, the son of a Máel Brigte. As with his predecessor Findláech mac Ruaidrí, 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 for instance tells us that Thorfinn Sigurdsson, Earl of Orkney 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. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...

. 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'' (abbr. AT, ga, Annála Tiarnaigh) are chronicles probably originating in Clonmacnoise, Ireland. The language is a mixture of Latin and Old and Middle Irish. Many of the pre-historic entries come from the 12th-centur ...

, which notes s.a. 1029, "''Mael Colaim mac Mael-Brighdi mac Ruaidrí,

rí Rí, or commonly ríg ( 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 Ruadrí, 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 s.a. 1085, may have been a son of this Máel Coluim, or perhaps of

Máel Coluim mac Donnchada Malcolm III ( mga, Máel Coluim mac Donnchada, label=Medieval Gaelic; gd, Maol Chaluim mac Dhonnchaidh; died 13 November 1093) was King of Scotland from 1058 to 1093. He was later nicknamed "Canmore" ("ceann mòr", Gaelic, literally "big head" ...

(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 Ulster

Book 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 {{Scotland-royal-stub