Duncan, 4th Earl of Fife

Duncan, 4th Earl of Fife (also Duncan Macduff, Earl of Fife , Duncan (II) Macduff or Donnchad (II) Macduff ) († 1204 ) was a Scottish magnate .

Origin and heritage

Duncan came from the Scottish MacDuff clan . He was the eldest son of his father of the same name, Duncan, 3rd Earl of Fife . When his father died in 1154, he was still a minor. Since his father had held the Earldom Fife as a fief according to feudal law , no adult relative of his was given the title, as would have been done according to the Tanistry system with the earlier Mormaers of Fife. Instead, the young Duncan became heir to his father's possessions and the title of Earl of Fife .

Role as leading Scottish magnate

Duncan was first mentioned in 1159 as a witness to a charter, but it was not until at least 1163 that he had achieved his father's position as a leading Scottish magnate and was mentioned as the first witness to a royal charter. After that he was apparently able to maintain his position and his good relationship with the Scottish kings. He was often part of the retinue of Kings Malcolm IV and Wilhelm I , for whom he regularly attested royal documents. As a leading Scottish magnate, he had the privilege of being the first noble to speak at a royal council in 1173. Against his advice, however, the nobles decided to support the rebellious sons of King Henry II of England . In the war that followed with England, Duncan led an army to Northumbria . However, with the capture of William I in 1174 at the Battle of Alnwick and the subsequent submission of the king to the English king in York in 1175, the Scots lost the war. Duncan was one of the hostages the Scots had to hold to keep the peace. As a reward for his services, Duncan received from the king possessions in western Lothian , including Strathleven before 1178 . In addition, he served from around 1172 to 1199 as a royal judge for the areas north of the Forth . Presumably he was chief judge, who was subject to other judges such as Robert de Quincy or Gille Brigte, 3rd Earl of Strathearn , which is why he is the first known justiciar of Scotia . He may also be a member of the Royal Treasury, which was established in Scotland in the 1180s or 1190s.

progeny

Duncan was married to Ela (also Hela ) who was possibly a relative, perhaps a niece of King Malcolm IV. With her he had at least two sons:

• Malcolm, 5th Earl of Fife († around 1228)
• Duncan († before 1228)

His heir became his eldest son, Malcolm.

Web links

• Macduff, Duncan, fourth earl of Fife (d.1204). In: Henry Colin Gray Matthew, Brian Harrison (Eds.): Oxford Dictionary of National Biography , from the earliest times to the year 2000 (ODNB). Oxford University Press, Oxford 2004, ISBN 0-19-861411-X , ( oxforddnb.com license required ), as of 2004
• Duncan MacDuff, 3rd Earl of Fife on thepeerage.com

Individual evidence

1. ^ Archibald AM Duncan: Scotland. The Making of the Kingdom (The Edinburgh History of Scotland; Vol. I ). Oliver & Boyd, Edinburgh 1975. ISBN 0-05-00203-7-4 , p. 138.
2. ^ Archibald AM Duncan: Scotland. The Making of the Kingdom (The Edinburgh History of Scotland; Vol. I ). Oliver & Boyd, Edinburgh 1975. ISBN 0-05-00203-7-4 , p. 199.
3. ^ GWS Barrow: The Earls of Fife in the 12th Century . In: Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland , 87 (1952-53), p. 54.
4. ^ GWS Barrow: The Earls of Fife in the 12th Century . In: Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland , 87 (1952-53), p. 55.
5. ^ Archibald AM Duncan: Scotland. The Making of the Kingdom (The Edinburgh History of Scotland; Vol. I ). Oliver & Boyd, Edinburgh 1975. ISBN 0-05-00203-7-4 , p. 203.
6. ^ GWS Barrow: The Earls of Fife in the 12th Century . In: Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland , 87 (1952-53), p. 54.
7. ^ Archibald AM Duncan: Scotland. The Making of the Kingdom (The Edinburgh History of Scotland; Vol. I ). Oliver & Boyd, Edinburgh 1975. ISBN 0-05-00203-7-4 , p. 372.

predecessor	Office	successor
Duncan	Earl of Fife 1154-1204	Malcolm