Findláech mac Ruaidrí (died 1020), son of Ruaidrí mac Donald, was the minor "king", locally called "Mormaer", 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' ...

, in the north of modern-day

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 ...

, from some point before 1014 until his death in 1020. Findláech's son Macbethad mac Findláech (Mac Bethad), was made famous as the protagonist of

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

's play ''

Macbeth ''The Tragedy of Macbeth'', often shortened to ''Macbeth'' (), is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, estimated to have been first performed in 1606. It dramatises the physically violent and damaging psychological effects of political ambiti ...

''. 14th century Scottish

chronicler A chronicle (, from Greek ''chroniká'', from , ''chrónos'' – "time") is a historical account of events arranged in chronological order, as in a timeline. Typically, equal weight is given for historically important events and local events, ...

and poet Andrew of Wyntoun claims that Findlaech fathered Mac Bethad with

Malcolm II of Scotland Máel Coluim mac Cinaeda (; anglicised Malcolm II; c. 954 – 25 November 1034) was King of Alba (Scotland) from 1005 until his death in 1034. He was one of the longest-reigning Scottish Kings of that period. He was a son of Cinaed mac Maíl ...

's second daughter Donalda, as one of several dynastic marriages Malcolm II used to consolidate his own kingship, but there is no other confirmation of this.

Life and Death

Modern historians speculate that Findláech was ruling before 1014 because 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 ...

describes Jarl Siguðr of Orkney fighting a battle with Scots, led by a ''Jarl Finnlekr'', (Norse for Findláech). Irish princess Eithne had made a

banner A banner can be a flag or another piece of cloth bearing a symbol, logo, slogan or another message. A flag whose design is the same as the shield in a coat of arms (but usually in a square or rectangular shape) is called a banner of arms. Also, ...

with a

raven A raven is any of several large-bodied passerine bird species in the genus '' Corvus''. These species do not form a single taxonomic group within the genus. There is no consistent distinction between crows and ravens; the two names are assigne ...

on it for Siguðr, and the saga records that Siguðr "later" brought the banner to the

Battle of Clontarf The Battle of Clontarf () took place on 23 April 1014 at Clontarf, near Dublin, on the east coast of Ireland. It pitted an army led by Brian Boru, High King of Ireland, against a Norse- Irish alliance comprising the forces of Sigtrygg Silkbea ...

, in 1014, where he was killed, placing Findláech as ruler of Moray before 1014. 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 Ruaidhrí Ó Luin� ...

'' describe Findláech's death as ''s.a.'' 1020 ''Finnloech m. Ruaidhri, ri Alban, a suis occisus est''. "Ri Alban" translates as

King of Alba The monarch of Scotland was the head of state of the Kingdom of Scotland. According to tradition, Kenneth I MacAlpin () was the founder and first King of the Kingdom of Scotland (although he never held the title historically, being King of th ...

, however, the smaller geographical areas within what is now Scotland each had their own local "kings". The 12th century Scottish King Lists only record

, (Máel Coluim mac Cináeda), as King of Alba at the time, having directly succeeded his father,

Kenneth II of Scotland Cináed mac Maíl Coluim (, anglicised Kenneth II, and nicknamed , "The Fratricidal"; 932–995) was King of Alba (Scotland) from 971 to 995. The son of Malcolm I (Máel Coluim mac Domnaill), he succeeded King Cuilén (Cuilén mac Iduilb) o ...

, (Cináed mac Duib). The same Irish annals describe Malcolm as "ard ri Alban", meaning High King of Alba. 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 ...

'' describe Findláech as

Mormaer of Moray The title Earl of Moray, or Mormaer of Moray (pronounced "Murry"), was originally held by the rulers of the Province of Moray, which existed from the 10th century with varying degrees of independence from the Kingdom of Alba to the south. Until ...

, mormaer being the local word for king. The Annals of Ulster also state that Findláech was killed by his own people. Succession by family violence, including patricide, was common in Scotland at the time. The

tell us that the "sons of Máel Brigte" were responsible. Although the actual killer is not known, two of Brigte's sons, Máel Coluim mac Máil Brigti and Gille Coemgáin, both benefited from the killing by succeeding to the throne. Findlaech's son Macbeth eventually succeeded to the throne of Moray in 1032, likely by killing Gille Coemgain, and eventually to the throne of

Alba ''Alba'' ( , ) is the Scottish Gaelic name for Scotland. It is also, in English-language historiography, used to refer to the polity of Picts and Scots united in the ninth century as the Kingdom of Alba, until it developed into the Kingd ...

, when his soldiers killed

Duncan I of Scotland Donnchad mac Crinain (; anglicised as Duncan I, and nicknamed An t-Ilgarach, "the Diseased" or "the Sick"; – 14 August 1040)Broun, "Duncan I (d. 1040)". was king of Scotland (''Alba'') from 1034 to 1040. He is the historical basis of the " ...

, a verified grandson of Malcom II, but by his eldest daughter Bethóc.

References

Bibliography

* Anderson, Alan Orr, ''Early Sources of Scottish History: AD 500-1286'', 2 vols., (Edinburgh, 1922) * *

External links

Annals of Ulster

Book of Deer
{{DEFAULTSORT:Moray, Findlaech of 1020 deaths Findleach People from Moray 11th-century Scottish monarchs Year of birth unknown Orkneyinga saga characters Mormaers of Moray 11th-century mormaers