William FitzDuncan

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William FitzDuncan ( Central Irish Uilleam mac Donnchada , * probably 1091/94; † 1153/54) was a Scottish prince, magnate in northern Scotland and northern England and the legitimate son of King Duncan II (Donnchad) of Scotland and Ethelreda of Northumbria.

Life

William FitzDuncan is first mentioned in a document from 1093 or 1094. On November 12, 1094 his father Donnchad II was killed by the Mormaer Máel Petair von Mearns, who supported the claims of King Domnall (Donald) III Bán . It is likely that William left Scotland with his mother that same year and she took him to safety in Allerdale , Cumberland . About a decade later he ventured to the court of his half-uncle Alexander I. It is also very likely that William was considered a possible Tánaiste (i.e. intended heir) under the reign of Alexander I , but did not get a chance because Henry I. of England supported Earl David of Huntingdon . When David was successful, William, as the legitimate king according to the rules of primogeniture, was with certainty incorporated into the government by David, probably as Tánaiste: William repeatedly tops the lists of witnesses included in the Scottish royal documents in the reign of Alexander I. and David I. appear.

A northern English source from the 13th century claims that William was Mormaer of Moray . Since this source had no reason to falsify the claim, it is very likely that William was actually made Mormaer of Moray after the defeat of King Óengus of Moray in 1130. It is possible that this appointment had something to do with the growing up of David's son Heinrich, 3rd Earl of Huntingdon , and could also be a factor in his marriage to a daughter of Óengus. In addition to being ruler of Moray, William controlled the English boroughs of Allerdale from the property of his mother's family, Skipton and Craven , making him one of the greatest barons in the north of England.

William was a skilled officer who frequently led Scottish armies. In the campaign of 1138 he commanded an army of Gael who defeated an Anglo-Norman army in the Battle of Clitheroe (June 10, 1138) and raised hopes for a victory for the Scottish army, which was lost in the Battle of the Standards (August 22, 1138) .

William FitzDuncan died in 1153/54, after which Moray fell back to King David.

family

William was married several times. His first marriage was with Gruaidh, daughter of Óengus (Aedh), Mormaer of Moray and a daughter of the Scottish King Lulach . Gruaidh probably died in 1137, the following year he married Alice de Romeli (Rumilly), the daughter of Robert de Romeli, Lord of Skipton, or William Meschin, Lord of Copeland , the brother of Ranulph le Meschin, 1st Earl of Chester , and Cecily de Rumilly, Lady of Skipton .; before 1156 she married Alexander FitzGerold († 1178) for the second time. Williams children are:

From the first marriage

  • Donald MacWilliam, ⚔ July 31, 1187 at the Battle of Mamgarvey Moor, Speyside
  • Gospatrick MacWilliam, Earl of Airton, † before 1208

From the second marriage

He also had a large number of illegitimate children, including probably Wimund, Bishop of Sodor ("Bishop of the Isles"). It is believed that Domnall mac Uilleim and the Meic Uilleim clan, who repeatedly rebelled against later Scottish kings in order to gain the Scottish throne, were legitimate descendants from his marriage to the daughter of Óengus of Moray, the granddaughter and heir to the king Salmon from Scotland was. Domnall mac Uilleim was killed on July 31, 1187 in a revolt against King William I of Scotland .

literature

Web links

Remarks

  1. ↑ Schwennicke
  2. ^ Cawley
personal data
SURNAME William FitzDuncan
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Uilleam mac Donnchada
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Earl of Moray, Lord of Skipton
DATE OF BIRTH 1091 or 1094
DATE OF DEATH 1153 or 1154