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"; c. 1032 – 17 March 1058) was

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 ...

(Scotland) between 15 August 1057 and 17 March 1058. Lulach was the son of

Gruoch of Scotland Gruoch ingen Boite () was a Scottish queen, the daughter of Boite mac Cináeda, son of Cináed II. The dates of her life are uncertain. She is most famous for being the wife and queen of MacBethad mac Findlaích (Macbeth), as well as the bas ...

, from her first marriage to Gille Coemgáin,

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 ...

, and thus the stepson of

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 ...

(Mac Bethad mac Findlaích). Through his mother, he was also the great-grandson of either

Kenneth II 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) on ...

Kenneth III Cináed mac Duib ( Modern Gaelic: ''Coinneach mac Dhuibh''; c. 966 – c. 25 March 1005), anglicised as Kenneth III, and nicknamed ''An Donn'' ("the Chief" or "the Brown"), was King of Alba (Scotland) from 997 to 1005. He was the son of Dub ( ...

. Following the death of Macbeth at the

Battle of Lumphanan The Battle of Lumphanan was fought on 15 August 1057, between Macbeth, King of Scots, and the future King Malcolm III. Macbeth would die from wounds sustained in the battle, which came after his defeat at the battle of Dunsinane in 1054. Accord ...

on 15 August 1057, the king's followers placed Lulach on the throne. He has the distinction of being the first king of

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 ...

of whom there are coronation details available: he was crowned, probably on 8 September 1057 at

Scone A scone ( or ) is a traditional British and Irish baked good, popular in the United Kingdom and Ireland. It is usually made of either wheat flour or oatmeal, with baking powder as a leavening agent, and baked on sheet pans. A scone is often ...

. Lulach appears to have been a weak king, as his nicknames suggest, and ruled only for a few months before being assassinated and usurped by

Malcolm III Malcolm III (; ; –13 November 1093) was List of Scottish monarchs, King of Alba from 1058 to 1093. He was later nicknamed "Canmore" (, , understood as "great chief"). Malcolm's long reign of 35 years preceded the beginning of the Scoto-Norma ...

. However, it is also plausible his nicknames are the results of negative propaganda, and were established as part of a smear campaign by Malcolm III. Lulach's son

Máel Snechtai Máel Snechtai mac Lulaich (died 1085) was the ruler of Moray, and the son of Lulach, King of Scotland. He is called on his death notice in the Annals of Ulster, "Máel Snechtai m. Lulaigh ri Muireb" (="Máel Snechtai, Lulach's son, King of Mora ...

was

, while

Óengus of Moray 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 ...

was the son of Lulach's daughter. He is believed to be buried on Saint Columba's Holy Island of

Iona Iona (; , sometimes simply ''Ì'') is an island in the Inner Hebrides, off the Ross of Mull on the western coast of Scotland. It is mainly known for Iona Abbey, though there are other buildings on the island. Iona Abbey was a centre of Gaeli ...

in or around the

monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of Monasticism, monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in Cenobitic monasticism, communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a ...

. The exact position of his grave is unknown.

Depictions in fiction

Lulach is an important secondary character in

Dorothy Dunnett Dorothy, Lady Dunnett (née Halliday, 25 August 1923 – 9 November 2001) was a Scottish novelist best known for her historical fiction. Dunnett is most famous for her six novel series set during the 16th century, which concern the fictiti ...

's historical novel '' King Hereafter'', where he is portrayed as a seer. In the novel, Dunnett used Lulach as a mouthpiece for researched information about the real Macbeth. Lulach is also one of the protagonists in

Jackie French Jacqueline Anne French (née Ffrench, born 29 November 1953), known professionally as Jackie French, is an Australian author who has written across several genres for both adults and children. Her most notable works include '' Rain Stones, ...

's children's novel ''Macbeth and Son'' and in Susan Fraser King's novel ''Lady MacBeth''. Lulach is also a character in David Greig's play ''Dunsinane'' where he is hunted by the English soldiers as a threat to peace in Malcolm's Scotland. Lulach McPritchett in

Modern Family ''Modern Family'' is an American television sitcom, created by Steven Levitan and Christopher Lloyd, that aired on ABC for 11 seasons from September 23, 2009, to April 8, 2020. The series follows the lives of three diverse but interrelated fa ...

, a Comedy series, is a Scottish warrior and ancestor of Jay Pritchett. Lulach - misnamed Luach - appears in the animated series

Gargoyles (TV series) ''Gargoyles'' (also known as ''Gargoyles: The Goliath Chronicles'' for season 3) is an animated television series co-produced by Disney Television Animation, Walt Disney Television Animation, Walt Disney Animation Japan for its first two season ...

as Macbeth and Gruoch's son, and, briefly, King of Scotland. Lulach appears in a 2024 adaptation of Shakespeare's play called ''Gruoch and Macbeth: A Screenplay'' by Graham J. Howard. Lulach appears in Val McDermid's ''Queen Macbeth''. He is apparently referenced by

Lady Macbeth Lady Macbeth is a leading character in William Shakespeare's tragedy ''Macbeth'' (). As the wife of the play's tragic hero, Macbeth (a Scottish nobleman), Lady Macbeth goads her husband into committing regicide, after which she becomes quee ...

(his mother's counterpart in the play

), in Act I Scene VII, where she says she has "given suck, and know / How tender 'tis to love the babe that milks me", in what would be a historical reference to Lulach.

References

External links

Lulach
at the official website of the

British monarchy The monarchy of the United Kingdom, commonly referred to as the British monarchy, is the form of government used by the United Kingdom by which a hereditary monarch reigns as the head of state, with their powers Constitutional monarchy, regula ...

, - {{Authority control 1058 deaths 11th-century Scottish monarchs Burials in Iona House of Moray 11th-century murdered monarchs Year of birth unknown Mormaers of Moray Gaelic monarchs in Scotland 11th-century mormaers Assassinated heads of state in Europe