Mormaer
Encyclopedia
The title of Mormaer designates a regional or provincial ruler in the medieval Kingdom of the Scots. In theory, although not always in practice, a Mormaer was second only to the King of Scots, and the senior of a toisech.
is variously debated as "Great Steward" (incorporating Gaelic
and Picto
-Latin), or "Sea Lord" (perhaps defenders against Vikings). Historians do not know if the institution was Gaelic
or Pictish
. It is notable mormaer occurs only in the post-Pictish period, so it is difficult to sustain any argument for Pictish origins. There is also debate whether mormaer was simply the east-coast equivalent of kinglet (Gaelic: ruirí or rí). For the earliest periods, there is uncertainty about the exact difference between a mormaer and a toisech (Modern Scottish Gaelic tòiseach 'chief'). The earliest Scottish Latin
sources use thanus (thane
) for toisech. This word was adopted from the Anglo-Saxon
lands to the south. It is possible both thanus, comes, mormaer, and toisech, all originally meant similar things, or at least were not part of a stratified hierarchy.
(918), in the Annals of Ulster
. The first individual named mormaer was Dubacan mac Indrechtaich
, one of the companions of Amlaib, the son of King Causantín II
(Constantine II). His death at the Battle of Brunanburh
(937) is recorded in the Chronicle of the Kings of Alba
. He is mentioned as Mormair Oengusa (Mormaer of Angus).
Another three mormaers are named, though without provinces, in the Annals of Tigernach
, s.a. 976. However, the earliest mormaers of each province are generally only hazily, if at all, known until the 12th century, by which time mormaer is being referred to in Latin
documents as comes. From the 12th century, eight 'old' mormaer dynasties are known to be hereditary, continuous and no longer fragmentary, and also additionally the dynasties of Charraig. Dunbarra, Cataidh, and Moireabh had yet older dynasties.
Pre-12th century dynasties:
'Traditional' mormaerdoms (established dynasty in the 12th century, but not proven earlier):
'Outsider':
much later, creation in the 13th century:
(literally Companion, in the feudal age Count
, which word derives from it) is just a Franco
-Latin
word used on the British Isles to render either Mormaer or Earl into Latin (with French
). For instance, several Irish sources call King Robert Bruce
Mormaer (of Carrick
) in the 14th century. As this is not an Irish word, it is clear that the word is being used by the Scots for the office. Moreover, the term is still recorded as being used for the "Earl" of Lennox a century later. On the other hand, the West Germanic word Earl is not recorded as being in use in Scotland
until the mid-14th century, and then only in an English
literary text.
As a result, scholars now recognize that Mormaer was the vernacular word used by the Gaels
. Earl on the other hand is an English
or Scots
translation, alien to the Gaelic tradition.
, Argyll and Innse Gall, are not and were not called Mormaerdoms or Earldoms.
This list does not include Orkney
, which was a Norwegian Earldom, and became ruled by Scotland in the 15th century. Sutherland might be included, but it was created only late, and for a possibly foreign family (see Earl of Sutherland
)
Origin
The etymologyEtymology
Etymology is the study of the history of words, their origins, and how their form and meaning have changed over time.For languages with a long written history, etymologists make use of texts in these languages and texts about the languages to gather knowledge about how words were used during...
is variously debated as "Great Steward" (incorporating Gaelic
Goidelic languages
The Goidelic languages or Gaelic languages are one of the two branches of the Insular Celtic languages, the other consisting of the Brythonic languages. Goidelic languages historically formed a dialect continuum stretching from the south of Ireland through the Isle of Man to the north of Scotland...
and Picto
Pictish language
Pictish is a term used for the extinct language or languages thought to have been spoken by the Picts, the people of northern and central Scotland in the Early Middle Ages...
-Latin), or "Sea Lord" (perhaps defenders against Vikings). Historians do not know if the institution was Gaelic
Gaels
The Gaels or Goidels are speakers of one of the Goidelic Celtic languages: Irish, Scottish Gaelic, and Manx. Goidelic speech originated in Ireland and subsequently spread to western and northern Scotland and the Isle of Man....
or Pictish
Picts
The Picts were a group of Late Iron Age and Early Mediaeval people living in what is now eastern and northern Scotland. There is an association with the distribution of brochs, place names beginning 'Pit-', for instance Pitlochry, and Pictish stones. They are recorded from before the Roman conquest...
. It is notable mormaer occurs only in the post-Pictish period, so it is difficult to sustain any argument for Pictish origins. There is also debate whether mormaer was simply the east-coast equivalent of kinglet (Gaelic: ruirí or rí). For the earliest periods, there is uncertainty about the exact difference between a mormaer and a toisech (Modern Scottish Gaelic tòiseach 'chief'). The earliest Scottish Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
sources use thanus (thane
Thegn
The term thegn , from OE þegn, ðegn "servant, attendant, retainer", is commonly used to describe either an aristocratic retainer of a king or nobleman in Anglo-Saxon England, or as a class term, the majority of the aristocracy below the ranks of ealdormen and high-reeves...
) for toisech. This word was adopted from the Anglo-Saxon
Anglo-Saxons
Anglo-Saxon is a term used by historians to designate the Germanic tribes who invaded and settled the south and east of Great Britain beginning in the early 5th century AD, and the period from their creation of the English nation to the Norman conquest. The Anglo-Saxon Era denotes the period of...
lands to the south. It is possible both thanus, comes, mormaer, and toisech, all originally meant similar things, or at least were not part of a stratified hierarchy.
Earliest Mormaers
The office of mormaer is first mentioned in the context of the Battle of CorbridgeBattle of Corbridge
The Battle of Corbridge took place at Corbridge in 918. it was important in deciding the fate of the Viking kingdom of Northumbria and the English earldom of Bamburgh...
(918), in 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...
. The first individual named mormaer was Dubacan mac Indrechtaich
Dubacan of Angus
Dubacan of Angus is usually regarded as one of the earliest attested Mormaers. He is mentioned as Dubucan filius Indrechtaig mormair Oengusa in the Chronicle of the Kings of Alba, and it is told that he died along with his lord, Amlaib, son of Caustantín II at the Battle of Brunanburh Dubacan of...
, one of the companions of Amlaib, the son of King Causantín II
Constantine II of Scotland
Constantine, son of Áed was an early King of Scotland, known then by the Gaelic name Alba. The Kingdom of Alba, a name which first appears in Constantine's lifetime, was in northern Great Britain...
(Constantine II). His death at the Battle of Brunanburh
Battle of Brunanburh
The Battle of Brunanburh was an English victory in 937 by the army of Æthelstan, King of England, and his brother Edmund over the combined armies of Olaf III Guthfrithson, the Norse-Gael King of Dublin, Constantine II, King of Scots, and Owen I, King of Strathclyde...
(937) is recorded in the Chronicle of the Kings of Alba
Chronicle of the Kings of Alba
The Chronicle of the Kings of Alba, or Scottish Chronicle, is a short written chronicle of the Kings of Alba, covering the period from the time of Kenneth MacAlpin until the reign of Kenneth II . W.F...
. He is mentioned as Mormair Oengusa (Mormaer of Angus).
Another three mormaers are named, though without provinces, in the Annals of Tigernach
Annals of Tigernach
The Annals of Tigernach is a chronicle probably originating in Clonmacnoise, Ireland. The language is a mixture of Latin and Old and Middle Irish....
, s.a. 976. However, the earliest mormaers of each province are generally only hazily, if at all, known until the 12th century, by which time mormaer is being referred to in Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
documents as comes. From the 12th century, eight 'old' mormaer dynasties are known to be hereditary, continuous and no longer fragmentary, and also additionally the dynasties of Charraig. Dunbarra, Cataidh, and Moireabh had yet older dynasties.
Pre-12th century dynasties:
'Traditional' mormaerdoms (established dynasty in the 12th century, but not proven earlier):
- mormaers of Marr
- mormaers of Buchan
- mormaers of Athal
- mormaers of Aonghais
- mormaers of Fiobh
- mormaers of Sratheireann
- mormaers of Moneteadhaich
- mormaers of Leamhnachd
'Outsider':
much later, creation in the 13th century:
Mormaer, Comes and "Earl"
This has led to the erroneous impression that "Mormaerdoms" were scrapped and replaced by "Earldoms." In fact, ComesComes
Comes , plural comites , is the Latin word for companion, either individually or as a member of a collective known as comitatus, especially the suite of a magnate, in some cases large and/or formal enough to have a specific name, such as a cohors amicorum. The word comes derives from com- "with" +...
(literally Companion, in the feudal age Count
Count
A count or countess is an aristocratic nobleman in European countries. The word count came into English from the French comte, itself from Latin comes—in its accusative comitem—meaning "companion", and later "companion of the emperor, delegate of the emperor". The adjective form of the word is...
, which word derives from it) is just a Franco
Franks
The Franks were a confederation of Germanic tribes first attested in the third century AD as living north and east of the Lower Rhine River. From the third to fifth centuries some Franks raided Roman territory while other Franks joined the Roman troops in Gaul. Only the Salian Franks formed a...
-Latin
Medieval Latin
Medieval Latin was the form of Latin used in the Middle Ages, primarily as a medium of scholarly exchange and as the liturgical language of the medieval Roman Catholic Church, but also as a language of science, literature, law, and administration. Despite the clerical origin of many of its authors,...
word used on the British Isles to render either Mormaer or Earl into Latin (with French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
). For instance, several Irish sources call King Robert Bruce
Robert I of Scotland
Robert I , popularly known as Robert the Bruce , was King of Scots from March 25, 1306, until his death in 1329.His paternal ancestors were of Scoto-Norman heritage , and...
Mormaer (of Carrick
Carrick, Scotland
Carrick is a former comital district of Scotland which today forms part of South Ayrshire.-History:The word Carrick comes from the Gaelic word Carraig, meaning rock or rocky place. Maybole was the historic capital of Carrick. The county was eventually combined into Ayrshire which was divided...
) in the 14th century. As this is not an Irish word, it is clear that the word is being used by the Scots for the office. Moreover, the term is still recorded as being used for the "Earl" of Lennox a century later. On the other hand, the West Germanic word Earl is not recorded as being in use in Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
until the mid-14th century, and then only in an English
Middle English
Middle English is the stage in the history of the English language during the High and Late Middle Ages, or roughly during the four centuries between the late 11th and the late 15th century....
literary text.
As a result, scholars now recognize that Mormaer was the vernacular word used by the Gaels
Gaels
The Gaels or Goidels are speakers of one of the Goidelic Celtic languages: Irish, Scottish Gaelic, and Manx. Goidelic speech originated in Ireland and subsequently spread to western and northern Scotland and the Isle of Man....
. Earl on the other hand is an English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
or Scots
Scots language
Scots is the Germanic language variety spoken in Lowland Scotland and parts of Ulster . It is sometimes called Lowland Scots to distinguish it from Scottish Gaelic, the Celtic language variety spoken in most of the western Highlands and in the Hebrides.Since there are no universally accepted...
translation, alien to the Gaelic tradition.
Mormaers and other Lordships
A Mormaerdom was not simply a regional lordship, it was a regional lordship with official comital rank. This is why other lordships, many of them more powerful, such as those of Lords of GallowayLords of Galloway
The Lords, or Kings of Galloway ruled over Galloway, in south west Scotland, for a large part of the High Middle Ages.Many regions of Scotland, including Galloway and Moray, periodically had kings or subkings, similar to those in Ireland during the Middle Ages. The Scottish monarch was seen as...
, Argyll and Innse Gall, are not and were not called Mormaerdoms or Earldoms.
List of Mormaers
Earl of Orkney
The Earl of Orkney was originally a Norse jarl ruling Orkney, Shetland and parts of Caithness and Sutherland. The Earls were periodically subject to the kings of Norway for the Northern Isles, and later also to the kings of Alba for those parts of their territory in mainland Scotland . The Earl's...
, which was a Norwegian Earldom, and became ruled by Scotland in the 15th century. Sutherland might be included, but it was created only late, and for a possibly foreign family (see Earl of Sutherland
Earl of Sutherland
Earl of Sutherland is a title in the Peerage of Scotland. It was created circa 1230 for William de Moravia. The Earl of Sutherland is also the Chief of Clan Sutherland...
)
- Mormaerdom/Kingdom of MorayMormaer of MorayThe Mormaerdom or Kingdom of Moray was a lordship in High Medieval Scotland that was destroyed by King David I of Scotland in 1130. It did not have the same territory as the modern local government council area of Moray, which is a much smaller area, around Elgin...
- Mormaerdom of Fife
- Mormaerdom of Strathearn
- Mormaerdom of Angus
- Mormaerdom of Atholl
- Mormaerdom of Buchan
- Mormaerdom of CaithnessMormaerdom of CaithnessThe Mormaer of Caithness ruled a distinct mormaerdom in medieval Scotland in that it generally was held by a "foreign" prince, the Norse Earl of Orkney, the ruler of neighboring "Norwegian" province....
, See Earl of OrkneyEarl of OrkneyThe Earl of Orkney was originally a Norse jarl ruling Orkney, Shetland and parts of Caithness and Sutherland. The Earls were periodically subject to the kings of Norway for the Northern Isles, and later also to the kings of Alba for those parts of their territory in mainland Scotland . The Earl's... - For Mormaerdom of CarrickCarrick, ScotlandCarrick is a former comital district of Scotland which today forms part of South Ayrshire.-History:The word Carrick comes from the Gaelic word Carraig, meaning rock or rocky place. Maybole was the historic capital of Carrick. The county was eventually combined into Ayrshire which was divided...
, See Earl of CarrickEarl of CarrickThe Earl of Carrick was the head of a comital lordship of Carrick in southwestern Scotland. The title emerged in 1186, when Donnchad, son of Gille Brigte, Lord of Galloway, became Mormaer or Earl of Carrick in compensation for exclusion from the whole Lordship of Galloway... - For the Anglo-Scottish Mormaerdom of LothianLothianLothian forms a traditional region of Scotland, lying between the southern shore of the Firth of Forth and the Lammermuir Hills....
/DunbarDunbarDunbar is a town in East Lothian on the southeast coast of Scotland, approximately 28 miles east of Edinburgh and 28 miles from the English Border at Berwick-upon-Tweed....
, See Earl of DunbarEarl of DunbarThe title Earl of Dunbar, also called Earl of Lothian or Earl of March, was the head of a comital lordship in south-eastern Scotland between the early 12th century and the early 15th century. The first man to use the title of Earl in this earldom was Gospatric II, Earl of Lothian, son of Gospatric,... - Mormaerdom of Lennox
- Mormaerdom of Mar
- ? Mormaerdom of MearnsMormaer of MearnsThe 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...
- Mormaerdom of Menteith
- Mormaerdom of Ross