Gofraid mac Domnaill was a thirteenth-century Scottish rebel. The son of Domnall (modern; Donald), his father's surname was almost certainly MacWilliam (the modern spelling for the Gaelic Meic Uilleim

Meic Uilleim

The Meic Uilleim were the Gaelic descendants of William fitz Duncan, grandson of Máel Coluim mac Donnchada, king of Scots. They were excluded from the succession by the descendants of Máel Coluim's son David I during the 12th century and raised a number of rebellions to vindicate their claims to...

 family) though Bane has been proposed.

In 1211, Gofraid came from Ireland

Ireland

Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...

 to Ross, and raised a rebellion. William I of Scotland

William I of Scotland

William the Lion , sometimes styled William I, also known by the nickname Garbh, "the Rough", reigned as King of the Scots from 1165 to 1214...

 led a great army north, but failed to bring Gofraid to decisive battle. Late in the year King William returned south, leaving Maol Choluim

Maol Choluim I, Earl of Fife

Mormaer Máel Coluim of Fife , or Maol Choluim anglicised as Malcolm, was one of the more obscure mormaers of Fife.He married Matilda, the daughter of Gille Brigte, the mormaer of Strathearn. He is credited with the foundation of Culross Abbey...

, Mormaer of Fife, as his lieutenant in Moray. Gofraid soon afterwards captured a royal castle, showing that he was far from being defeated.

The following year, Alexander

Alexander II of Scotland

Alexander II was King of Scots from1214 to his death.-Early life:...

 (later Alexander II) son of King William, led an army north once more. King William followed with yet more soldiery, including mercenaries from Brabant

Duchy of Brabant

The Duchy of Brabant was a historical region in the Low Countries. Its territory consisted essentially of the three modern-day Belgian provinces of Flemish Brabant, Walloon Brabant and Antwerp, the Brussels-Capital Region and most of the present-day Dutch province of North Brabant.The Flag of...

 supplied by King John

John of England

John , also known as John Lackland , was King of England from 6 April 1199 until his death...

 of 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...

. As it fell out, Gofraid's supporters betrayed him to William Comyn

William Comyn, jure uxoris Earl of Buchan

William Comyn was one of four sons of Richard Comyn, Justiciar of Lothian and Hextilda of Tynedale. He was born in Scotland, in Altyre, Moray in 1163 and died in Buchan in 1233 where he is buried in Deer Abbey...

, Justiciar of Scotia

Justiciar of Scotia

The Justiciar of Scotia was the most senior legal office in the High Medieval Kingdom of Scotland. Scotia in this context refers to Scotland to the north of the River Forth and River Clyde....

 (who at the time was Warden of Moray) before battle was joined. Gofraid was "beheaded [in] Kincardine 1213" (other sources specify 1212), by William Comyn, on the King's orders.

Gofraid's revolt is said to have been a bloody affair and, although it was ended relatively quickly, it was, nonetheless, a serious threat to the aged, unloved King William.

Reading list

• Duncan, A.A.M., The Kingship of the Scots 842–1292: Succession and Independence. Edinburgh University Press, Edinburgh, 2002. ISBN 0-7486-1626-8
• McDonald, R. Andrew, Outlaws of Medieval Scotland: Challenges to the Canmore Kings, 1058–1266. Tuckwell Press, East Linton, 2003. ISBN 1-86232-236-8