Alexander I (Scotland)

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Great Seal of Alexander I of Scotland

Alexander I ( Alasdair mac Maíl Coluim ; * 1078 ; † April 23, 1124 in Stirling Castle ) was King of Scotland from 1107 until his death. He was the fourth son of Malcolm III. and his second wife Margareta , who was later canonized. He got his name in honor of Pope Alexander II.

After the death of his brother Edgar , Alexander succeeded the Scottish throne. However, according to Edgar's last will, he inherited only part of the empire. The part south of Clyde and Forth went to Alexander's younger brother David I , who ruled the area as an Earl . The reasons for the division of the kingdom are unknown. Alexander was dissatisfied with this agreement and tried several times to bring the southern half of the empire under his control, but unsuccessfully.

Alexander's personality was contradicting itself. On the one hand he was a feared warrior, but on the other hand he was also a pious person. One aspect of his character manifested itself in the merciless suppression of an insurrection led by the descendants of the former King Lulach . This gave him the nickname "the savage". On the other hand, however, he generously supported the establishment of dioceses and monasteries, including the Abbeys of Scone and Inchcolm .

In 1107 he married Sybilla, an illegitimate daughter of King Henry I of England . The exact date and place of the wedding are not known. Sybilla died in July 1122 under unexplained circumstances in the monastery on the women's island ( Eilean nam Ban ) in Loch Tay . The marriage remained childless.

Alexander died on April 23, 1124 at the royal court in Stirling . His brother David succeeded him on the throne, which reunited the two halves of the empire. The historian John Fordun said of Alexander: "He was subservient and polite to the clergy, but he was extremely ruthless towards all other subjects".

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Commons : Alexander I.  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files
predecessor Office successor
Edgar King of Scotland
1107–1124 		David I.
personal data
SURNAME Alexander I.
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Alasdair I .; Alasdair mac Maíl Coluim
BRIEF DESCRIPTION King of Scotland
DATE OF BIRTH 1078
DATE OF DEATH April 23, 1124
Place of death Stirling Castle