Donald III of Scotland

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

(Redirected from Domnall III of Scotland)
Jump to: navigation, search
Domnall III
King of Scots
Reign 1093–1097
Full name Domnall mac Donnchada
Born before 1040
Died 1099
Rescobie, Angus, Forfarshire, Scotland
Buried Dunkeld Abbey, later removed to Iona
Predecessor Máel Coluim mac Donnchada
Heir-Presumptive Edmund
Successor Edgar
Father Donnchad mac Crínáin
Mother Suthen

Domnall mac Donnchada or Domnall Bán (anglicised Donald III) (d. 1099) was King of Scots.[1] He was the second known son of Donnchad mac Crínáin.

Domnall's activities during the reign of his elder brother Máel Coluim are not recorded. It appears that he was not his brother's chosen heir, contrary to earlier custom, but that Máel Coluim had designated Edward, his eldest son by Margaret, as the king to come.[2] If this was Máel Coluim's intent, his death and that of Edward on campaign in Northumbria in November 1093 (see Battle of Alnwick (1093)) confounded his plans. These deaths were followed very soon afterwards by that of Queen Margaret.

John of Fordun reports that Domnall invaded the kingdom after Margaret's death "at the head of a numerous band", and laid siege to Edinburgh with Máel Coluim and Margaret's sons inside. Fordun has Edgar Ætheling, concerned for his nephews' well-being, take the sons of Máel Coluim and Margaret to England.[3] Andrew of Wyntoun's much simpler account has Domnall become king and banish his nephews. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle records only that Domnall was chosen as king and expelled the English from the court.[4]

In May 1094, Domnall's nephew Donnchad, son of Máel Coluim and his first wife Ingibiorg Finnsdottir, invaded at the head of an army of Anglo-Normans and Northumbrians, aided by his half-brother Edmund and his father-in-law Gospatric. This invasion succeeded in placing Donnchad on the throne, but an uprising defeated his allies and he was compelled to send away his foreign troops. Donnchad was killed on 12 November 1094 by Máel Petair, Mormaer of Mearns.[5] The Annals of Ulster say that Donnchad was killed on the orders of Domnall (incorrectly called his brother) and Edmund.[6]

Domnall resumed power, probably with Edmund as his designated heir.[7] Domnall was an elderly man by the standards of the day, approaching sixty years old, and without any known sons, so that an heir was clearly required. William of Malmesbury says that Edmund bargained "for half the kingdom", suggesting that Domnall granted his nephew an appanage to rule.[8]

Edgar, eldest of Máel Coluim and Margaret's exiled sons, obtained the support of William Rufus, although other matters delayed Edgar's return on the coat-tails of an English army led by his uncle Edgar Ætheling.[9] Domnall's fate is not entirely clear. William of Malmesbury tells us that he was "slain by the craftiness of David ... and by the strength of William [Rufus]".[10] The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle says of Domnall that he was expelled,[11] while the Annals of Tigernach have him blinded by his brother.[12] John of Fordun, following the king-lists, writes that Domnall was "blinded, and doomed to eternal imprisonment" by Edgar. The place of his imprisonment was said to be Rescobie, by Forfar, in Angus.[13] The sources differ as to whether Domnall was first buried at Dunfermline Abbey or Dunkeld Cathedral, but agree that his remains were later moved to Iona.

While no sons of Domnall are known, Hextilda, daughter of Domnall's daughter Bethóc, married Richard Comyn, Justiciar of Lothian. The claims of John II Comyn, Lord of Badenoch to the crown in the Great Cause came from Domnall through Bethóc and Hextilda.[14] Ladhmann son of Domnall, "grandson of the King of Scots", who died in 1116 might have been a son of Domnall.[15]

The minor character of Donalbain in William Shakespeare's play Macbeth represents Domnall.

  1. ^ Domnall's elder brother Máel Coluim is presumed to have been between two and ten years of age in 1040; Duncan, p. 42. Walter Bower's Scotichronicon says that Domnall passed his exile during the reign of Mac Bethad in the Hebrides, but this is unlikely given his age; McDonald, p. 104.
  2. ^ Scottish Annals, p. 112, quoting Symeon of Durham; Duncan, p. 54; Oram, David I, p. 39.
  3. ^ Fordun, V, xxi.
  4. ^ Scottish Annals, pp.117–118; Oram, David I, pp. 40–41.
  5. ^ Oram, David I, pp. 42–44.
  6. ^ Annals of Ulster, s.a. 1094.
  7. ^ Duncan, pp. 55–56; Oram, David I, pp. 44–45.
  8. ^ Anderson, SAEC, pp. 118–119.
  9. ^ Oram, David I, p. 45.
  10. ^ Anderson, SAEC, p. 119.
  11. ^ Anderson, SAEC, p. 119.
  12. ^ Annals of Tigernach, s.a. 1097.
  13. ^ Fordun, V, xxvi; Duncan, pp. 57–58; Oram, David I, pp. 47–48.
  14. ^ Duncan, pp. 241, 270, & 348–349.
  15. ^ Annals of Ulster, s.a. 1116; McDonald, p. 23. He may equally have been a son of Domnall, son of Máel Coluim who died in 1085, who may have been a son of Máel Coluim mac Donnchada or of Máel Coluim mac Maíl Brigti.

  • Anderson, Alan Orr, Scottish Annals from English Chroniclers A.D. 500–1286. D. Nutt, London, 1908.
  • Ashley, Mike., "British Kings & Queens." Carroll & Graf, NY,2002. ISBN 0-7867-1104-3, pg. 115
  • Duncan, A.A.M., The Kingship of the Scots 842–1292: Succession and Independence. Edinburgh University Press, Edinburgh, 2002. ISBN 0-7486-1626-8
  • John of Fordun, Chronicle of the Scottish Nation, ed. William Forbes Skene, tr. Felix J.H. Skene, 2 vols. Reprinted, Llanerch Press, Lampeter, 1993. ISBN 1-897853-05-X
  • McDonald, R. Andrew, Outlaws of Medieval Scotland: Challenges to the Canmore Kings, 1058–1266. Tuckwell Press, East Linton, 2003. ISBN 1-86232-236-8
  • Oram, Richard, David I: The King Who Made Scotland. Tempus, Stroud, 2004. ISBN 0-7524-2825-X
  • Oram, Richard, The Canmores: Kings & Queens of the Scots 1040–1290. Tempus, Stroud, 2002. ISBN 0-7524-2325-8


Donald III of Scotland
Born: before 1040 Died: 1097 or later
Regnal titles
Preceded by
Máel Coluim mac Donnchada
King of Scots
1093–1094
Succeeded by
Donnchad mac Maíl Coluim
Preceded by
Donnchad mac Maíl Coluim
King of Scots
1094–1097
Succeeded by
Edgar
Advanced Search
Included Web Search Engines


Safe Search

close

Top Matching Results

Occasionally Search.com will highlight specialized results that are based on the context of your query. Examples of specialized results include specific links to news, images, or video.

Top Matching Results may highlight information from other Search.com pages, content from the CNET Network of sites, or third party content. The listings are based purely on relevance. Search.com does not receive payment for listings in this section but our partners that provide this data may get paid for listing these products.

Sponsored Links

This section contains paid listings which have been purchased by companies that want to have their sites appear for specific search terms and related content. These listings are administered, sorted and maintained by a third party and are not endorsed by Search.com.

Search Results

Search.com sends your search query to several search engines at one time and integrates the results into one list which has been sorted by relevance using Search.com's proprietary algorithm. You can customize the list of search engines included in your metasearch from the preferences.

The search engines that are used in your metasearch may allow companies to pay to have their Web sites included within the results. To view the Paid Inclusion policy for a specific search engine, please visit their Web site. Search.com does not accept payment or share revenue with any search engine partner for listings in this section.