Macduff of Fife (died 22 July 1298) played a small but significant role in the

Wars of Scottish Independence The Wars of Scottish Independence were a series of military campaigns fought between the Kingdom of Scotland and the Kingdom of England in the late 13th and early 14th centuries. The First War (1296–1328) began with the English invasion of ...

. He administered the earldom of Fife during the earl's minority. He was involved in a legal dispute during the reign of

John Balliol John Balliol ( – late 1314), known derisively as ''Toom Tabard'' (meaning "empty coat" – coat of arms), was King of Scots from 1292 to 1296. Little is known of his early life. After the death of Margaret, Maid of Norway, Scotland entered an ...

which had wider constitutional implications. He took part in the Scottish rising of early 1297, but was captured by the

Earl of Strathearn Earl or Mormaer of Strathearn is a title of Scottish nobility, referring to the region of Strathearn in southern Perthshire. Of unknown origin, the mormaers are attested for the first time in a document perhaps dating to 1115. The first known mor ...

, who refused to hand him over to the English. He was killed leading the common soldiers from the earldom of Fife at the

Battle of Falkirk The Battle of Falkirk (''Blàr na h-Eaglaise Brice'' in Gaelic), on 22 July 1298, was one of the major battles in the First War of Scottish Independence. Led by King Edward I of England, the English army defeated the Scots, led by William Wal ...

References

*Traquair, Peter ''Freedom's Sword'' * Scottish deaths at the Battle of Falkirk 1298 deaths People from Fife Year of birth unknown {{Scotland-bio-stub