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 Mar, mar or MAR may refer to: Culture * Mar or Mor, an honorific in Syriac * Earl of Mar, an earldom in Scotland * MAA (singer) (born 1986), Japanese * Marathi language, by ISO 639-2 language code * March, as an abbreviation for the third mon ...

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. The ...

. His father was Donnchadh of Mar Uilleam was responsible for the construction of

Kildrummy Castle Kildrummy Castle is a ruined castle near Kildrummy, in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. Though ruined, it is one of the most extensive castles dating from the 13th century to survive in eastern Scotland, and was the seat of the Earls of Mar. It is ow ...

, the greatest castle to have been built in 13th century northern Scotland. It is one of the few examples where a

native Scottish The Scots ( sco, Scots Fowk; gd, Albannaich) are an ethnic group and nation native to Scotland. Historically, they emerged in the early Middle Ages from an amalgamation of two Celtic-speaking peoples, the Picts and Gaels, who founded ...

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. 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 b ...

and

Marjory, Countess of Buchan Marjory, Countess of Buchan, also known as Margaret de Buchan, was a Scottish noblewoman. She inherited the earldom from her father, Fergus, Earl of Buchan, who died without male issue. Marjory was married to William Comyn, Lord of Badenoch, th ...

. 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 a ...

York York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...

. Uilleam engaged in supplementing his power on a nationwide basis. He held the post of

Sheriff of Dumbarton The Sheriff of Dumbarton was historically the royal official responsible for enforcing law and order in Dumbarton, Scotland and bringing criminals to justice. Prior to 1748 most sheriffdoms were held on a hereditary basis. From that date, followin ...

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 *Sou ...

. Uilleam was able to marry his younger son Donnchadh to

Cairistíona Nic Ruaidhrí Christina of the Isles (fl. 1290–1318) was a fourteenth-century Scottish noblewoman. She was daughter of Ailéan mac Ruaidhrí, and a leading member of Clann Ruaidhrí. Although Ailéan had two sons, Lachlann Mac Ruaidhrí, Lachlann and Ruaidh ...

, daughter of the

Hebridean The Hebrides (; gd, Innse Gall, ; non, Suðreyjar, "southern isles") are an archipelago off the west coast of the Scottish mainland. The islands fall into two main groups, based on their proximity to the mainland: the Inner and Outer Hebri ...

chief

Ailéan mac Ruaidhrí Ailéan mac Ruaidhrí (died ×1296) was a leading figure in the thirteenth-century kingdoms of the Isles and the Scotland. He was a son of Ruaidhrí mac Raghnaill, and thus a member of the Clann Ruaidhrí branch of Clann Somhairle. Ailéan w ...

, 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 Earl or Mormaer of Strathearn is a title of Scottish nobility, referring to the region of Strathearn in southern Perthshire. Of unknown origin, the mormaers are attested for the first time in a document perhaps dating to 1115. The first known mo ...

. Uilleam died in 1276, and was succeeded by his son

Domhnall Donald is a masculine given name derived from the Goidelic languages, Gaelic name ''Dòmhnall''.. This comes from the Proto-Celtic language, Proto-Celtic *''Dumno-ualos'' ("world-ruler" or "world-wielder"). The final -''d'' in ''Donald'' is part ...

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