Below is the Royal family tree showing the House of Alpin of which Kenneth mac Alpin, king of the Picts and Scots, 839-860 and Constantine III, 900-942 are members. You will remember that since the people chose their kings from the leading warriors it was common for the succession to pass from one branch of the family to another.
When Malcolm II died in 1034 the succession was disputed. Duncan I, son of Malcolm’s daughter, Bethoc, was the first King of the House of Atholl, but he was later slain by his cousin, Macbeth who seized the throne. This story is better known to the world than you would expect because of William Shakespeare’s dramatic play. Last week’s story told of the similarities and differences between "the Scottish Play" and how Macbeth died at the hands of Malcolm Canmore who went on to rule for a turbulent thirty-five years.
Up to 1058 Malcolm was able to observe closely three English Kings’ style of rule and since Edward was unpopular with his powerful Saxon nobles he would have been able to see the problems as well as the privileges of ruling in the Dark Ages. When Malcolm returned to Scotland in triumph he was to prove himself more than equal to the task of imposing his authority on the Scots and even to threatening the neighbour who had so recently offered him shelter! |
