Ferchar, 1st Earl of Ross

1819 sketch of Fernchar's grave in Fearn Abbey

Ferchar mac in tSagairt, 1st Earl of Ross (first name also Ferquhard or Farquhar , called Mactaggart , Macintagart or Machentagar (d) , * around 1190, † around 1251 ), was a Scottish magnate . He was the founder of the Ross family , whose heads of families ruled the northern Scottish horse until the end of the 14th century .

origin

Ferchar presumably came from the eastern steed . His nickname Mactaggert means son of the priest . In the 19th century, historians speculated that Fercher owned Applecross Monastery on the west coast of Scotland. However, according to recent research, it is more likely that he was connected to the shrine and sanctuary of St Duthac in Tain , if he had any connection with clergy at all.

Ascent to the Earl of Ross

Ferchar is first mentioned when he defeated the forces of Donald Ban MacWilliam and his allied Macheth family in 1215 . Members of the MacWilliam family had already claimed the Scottish throne in vain in the 1180s and 1211. Members of the Macheth family claimed the Ross Earldom as descendants of Malcolm Macheth . After his victory, Ferchar presented the severed heads of the leaders to the young King Alexander II on June 15, 1215 , whereupon the king knighted him . This award made Ferchar one of the leading supporters of the King in Ross. Alexander II continued the efforts of his father William I to extend royal rule to northern Scotland. In 1221 he traveled as far as Inverness , and between 1221 and 1226 he made Ferchar Earl of Ross , which was a sign of increased royal authority in northern Scotland. Ferchar's daughter Christina married Óláf , later King of the Isle of Man , before 1223 . As a result, Ferchar supported his son-in-law in the fight against his opponent on Skye . When Alexander II put down a rebellion in Galloway after the death of Alan, Lord of Galloway , Ferchar supported the king. In July 1235, he and his army joined the king's troops, who were fighting desperately against the rebels. The arrival of Ferchar's forces resulted in Alexander II winning the battle. In 1234 Ferchar had testified to an agreement between Bishop Andrew de Moravia and Walter Comyn, Earl of Menteith , in which it was about the use of lands in Kinkardine . In 1237 Ferchar testified to the Treaty of York and in 1244 a copy of another Anglo-Scottish treaty sent to the Roman Curia for confirmation .

progeny

Nothing is known about the number of Ferchar marriages or the names of his wives. He had several children including:

• Uilleam, 2nd Earl of Ross († 1274)
• Malcolm
• Christina ⚭ Óláf II. Of Man
• Euphemia ⚭ Walter of Duffus († 1263), younger son of William de Moravia, 1st Earl of Sutherland

His heir became his eldest son Uilleam. In the 1220s Ferchar, with the help of canons from Whithorn, founded the Premonstratensian monastery of Fearn , where he was buried after his death.

literature

• John Anderson: The Ancient Earls of Ross . In: James Balfour Paul (Ed.): The Scots Peerage . tape 7 : Panmure – Sinclair . David Douglas, Edinburgh 1910, p. 230–244 (English, Textarchiv - Internet Archive ).

Web links

• Ferquard Mac Taggart, 1st Earl of Ross on thepeerage.com , accessed September 17, 2016.
• Earl of Ross (Ferquhard MacTaggart). fmg.ac, accessed on August 29, 2014 . 
• RW Munro, Jean Munro: Farquhar Mactaggart (dc 1251). 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

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. 197.
2. ↑ Michael Brown: The wars of Scotland, 1214-1371 . Edinburgh University Press, Edinburgh 2004, ISBN 0-7486-1237-8 , p. 29.
3. ^ 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. 529.
4. ^ 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. 531.

predecessor	Office	successor
New title created	Earl of Ross before 1226–1251	Uilleam