William of Mar, or Uilleam mac Dhonnchaidh ( Anglicized: William, Duncan's son), was the

mormaer In early Middle Ages, medieval Kingdom of Scotland, Scotland, a mormaer was the Scottish Gaelic, Gaelic name for a regional or provincial ruler, theoretically second only to the Kings of Scots, King of Scots, and the senior of a ''Toísech'' (chi ...

s of Mar from 1244 to 1276, also known as

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. ...

. His father was Donnchadh of Mar Uilleam was responsible for the construction of Kildrummy Castle, the greatest castle to have been built in 13th century northern Scotland. It is one of the few examples where a native Scottish magnate built a large-scale

fortification A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...

, something normally practiced by the incoming

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

. Uilleam, more than any of his predecessors, participated in Scottish and even British-wide politics, becoming a leading figure in the royal regime of Alexander II, and the minority of Alexander III. By 1244, Uilleam had married into the Comyn house, the fastest rising French family in the Scottish kingdom. He married Elisabeth Comyn, the daughter of

William Comyn, jure uxoris Earl of Buchan William Comyn was Lord of Badenoch and Earl of Buchan. He was one of the seven children of Richard Comyn, Justiciar of Lothian, and Hextilda of Tynedale. He was born in Scotland, in Altyre, Moray in 1163 and died in Buchan in 1233 where he is ...

and Marjory, Countess of Buchan. The Comyn-Mar alliance helped fight off the ambitions of the Durwards, who were then in prime favor with the king.

Alan Durward Alan Hostarius (or Alan Durward) ( gd, Ailean Dorsair) (died after 1264, or in 1275) was the son of Thomas de Lundin, a grandson of Gille Críst, Mormaer of Mar. His mother's name is unknown, but she was almost certainly a daughter of Máel ...

used his descent from a daughter of Gille Críst to contest Uilleam's right to the Mormaerdom, but Uilleam successfully held off these claims. Uilleam and the Comyn Earl of

Menteith Menteith or Monteith ( gd, Mòine Tèadhaich), a district of south Perthshire, Scotland, roughly comprises the territory between the Teith and the Forth. Earlier forms of its name include ''Meneted'', ''Maneteth'' and ''Meneteth''. (Historically ...

then launched accusations of treason towards Alan while at the court of

Henry III of England Henry III (1 October 1207 – 16 November 1272), also known as Henry of Winchester, was King of England, Lord of Ireland, and Duke of Aquitaine from 1216 until his death in 1272. The son of King John and Isabella of Angoulême, Henry as ...

York York is a cathedral city with Roman Britain, Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers River Ouse, Yorkshire, Ouse and River Foss, Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many hist ...

. Uilleam engaged in supplementing his power on a nationwide basis. He held the post of Sheriff of Dumbarton between 1264 and 1266, a post which opened up connections in the western

Highlands Highland is a broad term for areas of higher elevation, such as a mountain range or mountainous plateau. Highland, Highlands, or The Highlands, may also refer to: Places Albania * Dukagjin Highlands Armenia * Armenian Highlands Australia * So ...

. Uilleam was able to marry his younger son Donnchadh to Cairistíona Nic Ruaidhrí, daughter of the Hebridean chief Ailéan mac Ruaidhrí, a man who had been one of the principal supporters of Norwegian cause against the Scottish Crown in the 1260s. When his wife Isabel (also called Elizabeth) died in 1267, Uilleam married Muriel, the daughter of Maol Íosa II, Mormaer of Strathearn. Uilleam died in 1276, and was succeeded by his son Domhnall.

Bibliography

* Oram, Richard D., "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). 1276 deaths People from Aberdeenshire 13th-century mormaers Lord Chamberlains of Scotland Year of birth unknown Mormaers of Mar {{scotland-bio-stub