Everything about M El Coluim Mac Alaxandair totally explained
Máel Coluim mac Alaxandair or
Máel Coluim mac Alasdair (
Malcolm, Alexander's son) was the son of King
Alexander I of Scotland and enemy of King
David I of Scotland, his uncle. He is a relatively obscure figure owing primarily to the scarcity of source material, appearing only in pro-David English sources, which label him a "bastard".
When his father died in 1124, David seized the throne with the help of King
Henry I of England and David's own Norman retainers.
Orderic Vitalis reports that Máel Coluim mac Alaxandair "affected to snatch the kingdom from [David], and fought against him two sufficiently fierce battles; but David, who was loftier in understanding and in power and wealth, conquered him and his followers".
Máel Coluim's war against David and Henry may have involved the death of David's eldest son. Before recounting the war against Máel Coluim, Orderic Vitalis reported the death of this son at the hands of an exiled Norwegian priest; but Orderic's account is so obscure that it's difficult to make anything of it. The priest was reportedly a member of David's household, and was put to death by being bound to the tails of four horses. Whether or not the two events were connected, Máel Coluim escaped unharmed into areas of
Scotland not yet under David's control, and there gained shelter and some measure of support; when Máel Coluim mac Alaxandair renewed his claim to the throne six years later, he'd the support and protection of the
king of Moray.
In 1130, Máel Coluim enters the scant sources once more. Máel Coluim now had the backing of
Óengus of Moray. King Óengus was David's most powerful "vassal", a man who, as grandson of King
Lulach of Scotland, even had his own claim to the kingdom. Máel Coluim and Óengus' forces had advanced into
Angus when they were met by David's
Mercian
constable,
Edward; a battle took place at
Stracathro near
Brechin. According to the
Annals of Ulster, 1000 of Edward's army, and 4000 of Óengus' army, including Óengus himself, died. According to Orderic Vitalis, Edward followed up the killing of Óengus by marching north into Moray itself, which, in his words, "lacked a defender and lord"; and so Edward, "with God's help obtained the entire duchy of that extensive district". However, this was far from the end of it. Máel Coluim again escaped, and four years of this continuing Scottish "civil war" followed; for David this period was quite simply a "struggle for survival".
It appears that David applied for and obtained extensive military aid from his patron, King Henry. Ailred of Rievaulx relates that at this point a large fleet and a large army of Norman knights, including
Walter l'Espec, and were sent by Henry to Carlisle to assist in David's attempt to root out his Scottish enemies. The fleet seems to have been used in the
Irish Sea, the
Firth of Clyde and the entire
Argyll coast, where Máel Coluim was probably at large among supporters. By 1134 Máel Coluim was captured and imprisoned in
Roxburgh Castle.
Máel Coluim's eventual fate is unknown. He used to be, and to a large extent still is, confused with
Máel Coluim mac Áeda, son of
Áed, later
Mormaer of Ross.
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