Morggán of Mar is the first

Mormaer In early medieval Scotland, a mormaer was the Gaelic name for a regional or provincial ruler, theoretically second only to the King of Scots, and the senior of a '' Toísech'' (chieftain). Mormaers were equivalent to English earls or Continenta ...

Earl of Mar There are currently two earldoms of Mar in the Peerage of Scotland, and the title has been created seven times. The first creation of the earldom is currently held by Margaret of Mar, 31st Countess of Mar, who is also clan chief of Clan Mar. Th ...

to appear in history as "more than a characterless name in a witness-list.".Oram, "The Earls and Earldom of Mar", p. 47 He is often known as ''Morgrund'' or ''Morgan''. His father was Gille Chlerig. It is possible that Morggán participated in the so-called

Revolt of the Earls The Revolt of the Earls in 1075 was a rebellion of three earls against William I of England (William the Conqueror). It was the last serious act of resistance against William in the Norman Conquest. Cause The revolt was caused by the king's re ...

, a protest by some of the native Scottish nobility during King Máel Coluim IV's trip to France as a vassal of King

Henry II of England Henry II () was King of England 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 the ...

. It is also possible that he became estranged from the French-speaking king

William I William I may refer to: Kings * William the Conqueror (–1087), also known as William I, King of England * William I of Sicily (died 1166) * William I of Scotland (died 1214), known as William the Lion * William I of the Netherlands and Luxembour ...

, because Morggán's name does not appear in royal acts of the latter king's reign. He married Agnes, a patroness of churches. Agnes was probably related to the ''de Warenne'' family - the family who married

Ada de Warenne Ada de Warenne (or Adeline de Varenne) ( 1120 – 1178) was the Anglo-Norman wife of Henry of Scotland, Earl of Northumbria and Earl of Huntingdon. She was the daughter of William de Warenne, 2nd Earl of Surrey by Elizabeth of Vermandois, a ...

Henry of Scotland Henry of Scotland (''Eanric mac Dabíd'', 1114 – 12 June 1152) was heir apparent to the Kingdom of Alba. He was also the 3rd Earl of Northumbria and the 3rd Earl of Huntingdon. He was the son of King David I of Scotland and his wife, Maud, 2 ...

- and who was mother of Kings

Malcolm IV Malcolm IV (; ), nicknamed Virgo, "the Maiden" (between 23 April and 24 May 1141 – 9 December 1165) was King of Scotland from 1153 until his death. He was the eldest son of Henry of Scotland, 3rd Earl of Huntingdon, Henry, Earl of Huntingdon ...

and

William the Lion William the Lion (), sometimes styled William I (; ) and also known by the nickname ; e.g. Annals of Ulster, s.a. 1214.6; Annals of Loch Cé, s.a. 1213.10. ( 1142 – 4 December 1214), reigned as King of Alba from 1165 to 1214. His almost 49 ...

. Morggán and Agnes had at least one son, Donnchad, who eventually succeeded to become a Mormaer of Mar. Morggán had another two sons, Máel Coluim and James, but they may have been illegitimate - that is, the product of an uncanonical marriage acceptable in the Celtic system, but not in the Franco-Roman system that was gaining favour in

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 ...

at the time. He went on to marry Orabilis FitzNess de Leuchars, divorced wife of Sir

Robert de Quincy Sir Robert de Quincy, 1st Baron of Prestoungrange ( 1140 – ), Justiciar of Lothian, was a 12th-century English and Scottish noble. Life Quincy was a younger son of Saer de Quincy and Maud de Senlis, daughter of Simon I de Senlis, Earl of ...

, Justiciar of Lothian, who, with her first husband, was the mother of Saher de Quincy. Orabilis survived Morggán, and married thirdly Adam of Fife, brother of Duncan II, Earl of Fife. His daughter Alesta of Mar was married to Alan Fitzwalter, 2nd High Steward of Scotland and was possibly mother to Walter Stewart, 3rd High Steward of Scotland. He appears in royal

charter A charter is the grant of authority or rights, stating that the granter formally recognizes the prerogative of the recipient to exercise the rights specified. It is implicit that the granter retains superiority (or sovereignty), and that the ...

s dated as early as 1147. He is attested in the documents for the last time in 1178, and was dead by 1183.

References

Bibliography

* Richard D. Oram, "The Earls and Earldom of Mar, c1150-1300," * Steve Boardman and Alasdair Ross (eds.) ''The Exercise of Power in Medieval Scotland, c.1200-1500'', (Dublin/Portland, 2003). {{DEFAULTSORT:Mar, Morggan, Earl of 1180s deaths Year of birth unknown Year of death uncertain Nobility from Aberdeenshire Mormaers of Mar 12th-century mormaers