Uhtred, Lord of Galloway

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Uhtred, Lord of Galloway (also Uchtred ) (* around 1121; † September 1174 ) was a Scottish magnate.

Uhtred was the eldest son of Fergus, Lord of Galloway , his mother was probably Elizabeth , an illegitimate daughter of King Henry I of England . His father was lord of the Celtic dominion of Galloway in southwest Scotland, which was only under loose sovereignty of the Scottish crown. Uhtred is first mentioned in a document from his father in 1136, so that he was at least fifteen years old at that time. In 1160, his father and other magnates rebelled against King Malcolm IV , but was defeated by him. Thereupon he renounced his rule and entered a monastery, where he died in 1161. His two sons Uhtred and Gilbert divided his rule according to the custom of that time in Galloway. Uhtred's portion stretched from the Nith to the Water of Fleet , while Gilbert received the further western portion of Galloway. However, they were both under pressure from the Scottish kings who tried to integrate the region more closely into their empire. Not in Galloway itself, but royal officials were installed in the neighboring regions, and under Uhtred the feudalization of Galloway began, as he had to let Anglo-Norman knights like Walter de Berkeley into the country under pressure from the king . Several relatives of his wife also came into his rule and some had prominent positions in his household. Uhtred founded a Benedictine monastery in Lincluden . However, Uhtred and Gilbert were seldom at the Scottish royal court.

However, when King Wilhelm was captured in the war against King Henry II of England in 1174, Uhtred and Gilbert took the opportunity to shake off Scottish supremacy and to limit Anglo-Norman influence. Uhtred and Gilbert, who was believed to be his half-brother, had both taken part in the campaign of the Scottish king, but had not been captured like the king. They returned to Galloway, captured the royal Dumfries Castle , attacked officials of the Scottish King and killed the Anglo-Norman settlers. Uhtred turned to the English King Henry II , with whom he was related through his mother, to submit to his rule instead of the Scottish king. But the revolt turned into a civil war when tensions arose between the brothers from July 1174. Gilbert had his brother besieged on the island of St Mary’s off Kirkcudbright . After Uhtred was probably captured in November, Gilbert had his eyes gouged out and his tongue and genitals cut off . He died from these injuries.

Marriage and offspring

Before 1153 Uhtred had married Gunnilda , daughter of Waltheof of Allerdale from Cumbria . Waltheof was a younger son of Gospatric, Earl of Northumbria , and Uhtred Torpenhow received a dowry in Cumbria. With Gunnilda he had at least three sons, including:

Uhtred's eldest son Lachlan made it his business to avenge his father and win back his inheritance. With the support of the Scottish King, he was initially able to retake part of Galloway, while the other part remained under the rule of Gilbert. After Gilbert's death in early 1185, Lachlan conquered his property, but one of his brothers died in the process. Fergus, probably Uhtred's youngest son, made a career in the military in the service of Lachlan's son Alan at the beginning of the 13th century .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Richard D. Oram: A Family Business? Colonization and Settlement in Twelfth- and Thirteenth-Century Galloway, p. 115.
  2. ^ A b 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. 181.
  3. ^ A b 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. 182.
  4. ^ Richard D. Oram: A Family Business? Colonization and Settlement in Twelfth- and Thirteenth-Century Galloway, p. 124.
  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. 186.
  6. ^ Richard D. Oram: A Family Business? Colonization and Settlement in Twelfth- and Thirteenth-Century Galloway, p. 120.
  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. 233.
  8. ^ Geoffrey WS Barrow: Scotland and Its Neighbors in the Middle Ages . Hambledon, London 1992, ISBN 1-85285-052-3 , p. 75.
  9. ^ Richard D. Oram: A Family Business? Colonization and Settlement in Twelfth- and Thirteenth-Century Galloway, p. 117.
  10. ^ Richard D. Oram: A Family Business? Colonization and Settlement in Twelfth- and Thirteenth-Century Galloway, p. 139.
personal data
SURNAME Uhtred, Lord of Galloway
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Uchtred
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Scottish magnate
DATE OF BIRTH around 1121
DATE OF DEATH November 1174