Edmund of Scotland
Encyclopedia
Edmund or Etmond mac Maíl Coluim (after 1070 – after 1097) was a son of Máel Coluim mac Donnchada
and his second wife Margaret
. He may be found on some lists of Scottish kings, but there is no evidence that he was king.
On the death of Edmund's father and his heir-designate, Edward, his eldest son by Margaret, in November 1093, Máel Coluim's brother Domnall Bán
took the throne. Edmund and his younger brothers Edgar
, Alexander
and David
fled abroad, to England
, to join their half-brother Donnchad
at the court of William Rufus.
In 1094 Donnchad, with Rufus's blessing and the support of landless nobles from the English court and landowners in Lothian, drove Domnall Bán from the throne. It is supposed that Edmund, as the next in age, was Donnchad's heir-designate. Donnchad was forced by a rebellion to send his English allies home, and was shortly afterwards killed. The killer was Máel Petair
, Mormaer of Mearns
, but the Annals of Ulster
and William of Malmesbury
agree that the killing was done on the orders of Domnall Bán and Edmund.
What caused Edmund to join with his uncle is unknown. It is assumed that Domnall appointed him his heir as Domnall had no sons of his own, and it is thought that Edmund was granted an appanage
to rule.
Edmund's maternal uncle Edgar Ætheling
came north in 1097, driving Domnall from the throne and installing Edgar as King, with Alexander as his heir-designate. While Domnall was mutilated and imprisoned, dying in 1099, Edmund was more fortunate. He was tonsured and sent to the Cluniac monastery at Montacute
in Somerset
. The exact date of his death is unknown.
Malcolm III of Scotland
Máel Coluim mac Donnchada , was King of Scots...
and his second wife Margaret
Saint Margaret of Scotland
Saint Margaret of Scotland , also known as Margaret of Wessex and Queen Margaret of Scotland, was an English princess of the House of Wessex. Born in exile in Hungary, she was the sister of Edgar Ætheling, the short-ruling and uncrowned Anglo-Saxon King of England...
. He may be found on some lists of Scottish kings, but there is no evidence that he was king.
On the death of Edmund's father and his heir-designate, Edward, his eldest son by Margaret, in November 1093, Máel Coluim's brother Domnall Bán
Donald III of Scotland
Domnall mac Donnchada , anglicised as Donald III, and nicknamed Domnall Bán, "Donald the Fair" , was King of Scots from 1093–1094 and 1094–1097...
took the throne. Edmund and his younger brothers Edgar
Edgar of Scotland
Edgar or Étgar mac Maíl Choluim , nicknamed Probus, "the Valiant" , was king of Alba from 1097 to 1107...
, Alexander
Alexander I of Scotland
Alexander I , also called Alaxandair mac Maíl Coluim and nicknamed "The Fierce", was King of the Scots from 1107 to his death.-Life:...
and David
David I of Scotland
David I or Dabíd mac Maíl Choluim was a 12th-century ruler who was Prince of the Cumbrians and later King of the Scots...
fled abroad, to England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, to join their half-brother Donnchad
Duncan II of Scotland
Donnchad mac Maíl Coluim was king of Scots...
at the court of William Rufus.
In 1094 Donnchad, with Rufus's blessing and the support of landless nobles from the English court and landowners in Lothian, drove Domnall Bán from the throne. It is supposed that Edmund, as the next in age, was Donnchad's heir-designate. Donnchad was forced by a rebellion to send his English allies home, and was shortly afterwards killed. The killer was Máel Petair
Máel Petair of Mearns
Máel Petair of Mearns is the only known Mormaer of the Mearns. His name means "tonsured one of Peter".One source tells us that Máel Petair was the son of a Máel Coluim, but tells us nothing about this. If this weren't bad enough, other sources say that his father was a man called "Loren", and in...
, Mormaer of Mearns
Mormaer of Mearns
The Mormaer or Mormaerdom of Mearns is the most obscure medieval Scottish Mormaerdom. It is known only from one source, a source relating that Máel Petair, Mormaer of Mearns, killed Donnchad II. There is good reason to believe that this is not some mistake, and that Mearns was once a Mormaerdom...
, but the Annals of Ulster
Annals of Ulster
The Annals of Ulster are annals of medieval Ireland. The entries span the years between AD 431 to AD 1540. The entries up to AD 1489 were compiled in the late 15th century by the scribe Ruaidhrí Ó Luinín, under his patron Cathal Óg Mac Maghnusa on the island of Belle Isle on Lough Erne in the...
and William of Malmesbury
William of Malmesbury
William of Malmesbury was the foremost English historian of the 12th century. C. Warren Hollister so ranks him among the most talented generation of writers of history since Bede, "a gifted historical scholar and an omnivorous reader, impressively well versed in the literature of classical,...
agree that the killing was done on the orders of Domnall Bán and Edmund.
What caused Edmund to join with his uncle is unknown. It is assumed that Domnall appointed him his heir as Domnall had no sons of his own, and it is thought that Edmund was granted an appanage
Appanage
An apanage or appanage or is the grant of an estate, titles, offices, or other things of value to the younger male children of a sovereign, who would otherwise have no inheritance under the system of primogeniture...
to rule.
Edmund's maternal uncle Edgar Ætheling
Edgar Ætheling
Edgar Ætheling , or Edgar II, was the last male member of the royal house of Cerdic of Wessex...
came north in 1097, driving Domnall from the throne and installing Edgar as King, with Alexander as his heir-designate. While Domnall was mutilated and imprisoned, dying in 1099, Edmund was more fortunate. He was tonsured and sent to the Cluniac monastery at Montacute
Montacute
Montacute is a small village and civil parish in Somerset, England, west of Yeovil. The village has a population of 680 . The name Montacute is thought by some to derive from the Latin "Mons Acutus", referring to the small but still quite acute hill dominating the village to the west.The village...
in Somerset
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
. The exact date of his death is unknown.
External links
- Annals of Ulster (translated) at University College Cork CELT Corpus of Electronic Texts