Dub mac Maíl Coluim (
Modern Gaelic: ''Dubh mac Mhaoil Chaluim'', ), ''Dub mac Maíl Coluim'' is the
Mediaeval Gaelic form. The modern form, ''Dubh'', has the sense of "dark" or "black". Sometimes
anglicised
Anglicisation or anglicization is a form of cultural assimilation whereby something non-English becomes assimilated into or influenced by the culture of England. It can be sociocultural, in which a non-English place adopts the English language ...
as Duff MacMalcolm, this form was used in older histories, but is not commonly used today called ''Dén'', "the Vehement"
Duan Albanach, and "the Black" a direct translation of his name to modern English is Black Malcolmson (c. 928–967) was
king of Alba. He was son of
Malcolm I and succeeded to the throne when
Indulf 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 is the use of Magic (supernatural), magic by a person called a witch. Traditionally, "witchcraft" means the use of magic to inflict supernatural harm or misfortune on others, and this remains the most common and widespread meanin ...
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'' 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
St Andrews (; ; , pronounced ʰʲɪʎˈrˠiː.ɪɲ is a town on the east coast of Fife in Scotland, southeast of Dundee and northeast of Edinburgh. St Andrews had a recorded population of 16,800 , making it Fife's fourth-largest settleme ...
or of
Dunkeld, died. The remaining report is of a battle between Dub and
Cuilén, son of king Ildulb.
Dub won the battle, fought "upon the ridge of Crup", in which Dunchad (Duncan), abbot of Dunkeld, sometimes supposed to be an ancestor of
Crínán of Dunkeld, 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 languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...
material interpolated in
Andrew of Wyntoun's ''Orygynale Cronykl'' states that he was murdered at
Forres, 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 Picts, Picto-Scottish pictish stone, 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 situat ...
, near Forres, may be a monument to Dub, erected by his brother
Kenneth II (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 Kenneth was killed in 1005, Dub is likely an ancestor of the MacDuib (
MacDuff) family who held the mormaerdom, and later
earldom of Fife, until 1371.
References
Sources
* 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 University Press, Edinburgh, 1984.
External links
Annals of Ulster, part 1, at CELT
Dubh or Duff
at the official website of the British monarchy
{{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