Óengus of Moray (''Oenghus mac inghine Lulaich, ri Moréb'') was the last king of Moray of the native line, ruling Moray in what is now northeastern Scotland from an unknown date until his death in 1130. Óengus is known to have been the son of the daughter of King

Lulach of Scotland Lulach mac Gille Coemgáin ( Modern Gaelic: ''Lughlagh mac Gille Chomghain'', known in English simply as Lulach, and nicknamed Tairbith, "the Unfortunate" and Fatuus, "the Simple-minded" or "the Foolish"; before 1033 – 17 March 1058) was King of ...

. This was perhaps how he attained the kingship of the ''Men of Moray''. Óengus' last known predecessor was Máel Snechtai (d. 1085). If Óengus ruled during this whole period, then he would have been the one who incurred the wrath of King

Alexander I Alexander I may refer to: * Alexander I of Macedon, king of Macedon 495–454 BC * Alexander I of Epirus (370–331 BC), king of Epirus * Pope Alexander I (died 115), early bishop of Rome * Pope Alexander I of Alexandria (died 320s), patriarch of ...

when the Moravians (people of Moray) murdered Ladhmunn, his nephew and son of Domnall, the son of King Malcolm III by Ingibjorg. Orderic Vitalis wrote that in the year 1130, Óengus with Máel Coluim mac Alaxandair invaded Gaelic

Scotia Scotia is a Latin placename derived from ''Scoti'', a Latin name for the Gaels, first attested in the late 3rd century.Duffy, Seán. ''Medieval Ireland: An Encyclopedia''. Routledge, 2005. p.698 The Romans referred to Ireland as "Scotia" around ...

with 5000 warriors. The Moravians were met by King

David David (; , "beloved one") (traditional spelling), , ''Dāwūd''; grc-koi, Δαυΐδ, Dauíd; la, Davidus, David; gez , ዳዊት, ''Dawit''; xcl, Դաւիթ, ''Dawitʿ''; cu, Давíдъ, ''Davidŭ''; possibly meaning "beloved one". w ...

's general, an old Anglo-Saxon noble named Edward Siwardsson, causing the

Battle of Stracathro The Battle of Stracathro, also known as the Battle of Inchbare, took place on 16 April 1130 about north of Brechin, Scotland, near the River North Esk. Óengus of Moray and Máel Coluim mac Alaxandair invaded Scotland with 5,000 warriors acco ...

. The '' Anglo-Saxon Chronicle'' reported "a great slaughter" . The '' Annals of Ulster'' tells that 4000 Moravians were killed, and only 1000

Gaels The Gaels ( ; ga, Na Gaeil ; gd, Na Gàidheil ; gv, Ny Gaeil ) are an ethnolinguistic group native to Ireland, Scotland and the Isle of Man in the British Isles. They are associated with the Gaelic languages: a branch of the Celtic langu ...

. The ''

Annals of Innisfallen Annals ( la, annāles, from , "year") are a concise historical record in which events are arranged chronologically, year by year, although the term is also used loosely for any historical record. Scope The nature of the distinction between ann ...

'' makes clear that what Orderic Vitalis wrote regarding the battle having taken place in

indicates that it was an invasion. Edward defeated the Moravians and Óengus was killed. The Scoti then invaded Moray, which, as Orderic Vitalis put it, "lacked a defender and lord."Anderson, ''Scottish Annals'', pp. 166-7 After Óengus' defeat, Moray was probably granted to

William fitz Duncan William fitz Duncan (a modern anglicisation of the Old French Guillaume fils de Duncan and the Middle Irish Uilleam mac Donnchada) was a Scottish prince, the son of King Duncan II of Scotland by his wife Ethelreda of Dunbar. He was a territoria ...

. After his death in 1147, it was to some extent colonized by King David's French, Flemish and English followers, although in the longer term, most of these became Gaelicized.

References

Bibliography

* Anderson, Alan Orr, ''Early Sources of Scottish History: AD 500-1286'', 2 Vols, (Edinburgh, 1922) * Anderson, Alan Orr, ''Scottish Annals from English Chroniclers: AD 500-1286'', (London, 1908), republished, Marjorie Anderson (ed.) (Stamford, 1991) * Roberts, John L., ''Lost Kingdoms: Celtic Scotland in the Middle Ages'', (Edinburgh, 1997)

External links

''Anglo-Saxon Chronicle''

{{DEFAULTSORT:Moray, Oengus of 1130 deaths Oengus 12th-century mormaers Year of birth unknown Mormaers of Moray