Scottish History - The House of Canmore pt 1
Malcolm III to Alexander the Fierce

• Malcolm III (Canmore) (1058-1093)
• Donald Ban (1093-1094)
• Duncan II (May-November 1094)
• Donald Ban and Edmund (1094-1097)
• Edgar (The Peaceable) (1097-1107)
• Alexander (The Fierce) (1107-1124)
• David I (1124-1153)
• Malcolm IV (The Maiden) (1153-1165)
• William (The Lion) (1165-1214)
• Alexander II (1214-1249)
• Alexander III (1249-1286)
• Margaret (Maid of Norway) (1286-1290)

The House of Canmore ruled from the Scottish throne after the House of Dunkeld from 1058 to 1290 when they were followed by the House of Balliol. The last ruler of their 232 year reign being Margaret, the Maid of Norway.

Malcolm III (1058-1093) (son of Duncan I)

Malcolm married Ingibiorg, daughter of Finn Amasson, widow of Thorlinn, Jarl of Orkney, When she died, he married St. Margaret. One source I have says she was the daughter of Edward Atheling, two others say she was the sister of Edward Atheling. Most likely she was the sister of Atheling and was the great-niece of Edward the Confessor. Duncan II was Malcolm' s son by first marriage. Other sons were Edgar 1098-1107, Alexander 1107-1124 (who married an illegitimate daughter of Henry I) and David I (The Saint) 1124-1153. These were children by the second marriage with Margaret. They had six sons in all.

David I had a son Henry, the Earl of Huntingdon, who was never on the throne. He and his wife, Ada, had Malcolm IV (The Maiden) who ruled from 1153 to 1165 and William I (The Lion) who ruled from 1165 to 1214. William's son Alexander II (1214-1249 married Joan, the daughter of John, King of England. His son Alexander III ruled from 1249-1286 and married Margaret, the daughter of Henry III, King of England. Their child, Margaret married the King of Norway and had Margaret, the Maid of Norway who was crowned from 1286-1290.

The reign of Malcolm III, or Canmore as he was known, began the rule of the house of Canmore. This house continued to preside for over two centuries. Canmore means big head or great chief. After the defeat of his father, Malcolm took refuge with his uncle in Northumbir and acquired Anglo-Sxon attitudes. Margaret, his second wife, had a lot of influence over him and through her he substituted Saxon for Gaelic as the court language. His dream was to expand his kingdom into England but this was not to be as William the Conqueror advanced into Scotland in 1072. He made jeweled bindings for her religious books although he could not read them.

Margaret was a much loved and very devout queen. She had travelled widely in Europe and when she came to Scotland she was determined to change the manner of the court both in fashion and standards of behavior. Nobles were forbidden to fight or get drunk at court and she gave each noble his own drinking cup. Margaret was allowed to use her husband's money to help the poor by giving them food, shelter and clothing. She also encouraged trade with foreign merchants. Under her influence, life became more civilized. She also founded many monasteries and tried to bring her Roman Church close together with the Celtic church. Margaret was canonized in 1251.

Malcolm's son was taken as hostage to the English court. In later years, 1093, he decided to invade England for the 5th time. Magaret was very ill in Edinburgh Castle and begged him not to got but he would not listen. Soon after the fighting commenced, he was killed.

Margaret received the news four days later, and being on her deathbed herself, died almost immediately. Soon after his death, Edinburgh Castle was surrounded by Highlanders employed by Donald Bane, Malcolm III's brother, who planned to capture the castle and thus enable him to become king. His plan was to kill his nephews, Margaret's sons, or to put them in prison. The brothers were trapped. They had to take their mother's body to Dumferline to be buried and didn't know how they were to manage. By good fortune or a freak of nature a heavy white mist descended upon the castle and it was so dense that they were able to sneak past the Highlanders with their mother's body. They then made their escape to France. Malcolm had ruled for 35 years but the stability he had gained for Scotland disappeared after his death. A succession of kings followed.

After Malcolm's death, the frontier between Scotland and England for the first time
was defined.

Donald Ban (1093-1094) (1094-1097)

Donald Ban or Bane (Fair) was the younger brother of Malcolm III. Donald claimed the crown on the grounds of tanistry at the age of 60, but was deposed a year later by Malcolm's son, Duncan, who was backed by the English King.

Duncan II (May-November 1094)

Duncan II ruled a very short time. He had spent many years as a hostage in England. His position as a English vassal was unpopular in Scotland. His stepbrother Edmund and Donald Ban combined to defeat him and he was killed. However, he granted the earliest surviving Scottish charter.

Donald Ban and Edmund (1094-1097)

Again Donald Ban became King. After being deposed he had joined forces with his cousin Edmund (note: in looking at the relationships, Donald would be an uncle of Edmund) who was a son of Malcolm and Margaret. They managed to kill Duncan II and together ruled Scotland (Donald in Scotia and Edmund in Lothian). They were opposed by Edmund's brother Edgar who declared himself a vassal of the King of England and with the help of an English army overthrew the pair. Edmund was pardoned and became a monk. Donald Ban was blinded and sentenced to life imprisonment. As a reprisal, Donald strangled his nephew David's eldest son.

Edgar (the Peaceable) (1097-1107)

Edgar was the fourth son of Malcolm Canmore and Queen Margaret. He was very submissive to England, gifted the Western Isles to King Magnus Barelegs of Norway and encouraged Anglo-Norman immigrants to Scotland. This all earned him the name of the Peaceable but it was a derrogatory term towards him. Edgar did not marry and bequeathed his kingdom to his brothers, Alexander to be monarch and David as king's lieutenant.

Alexander I (the Fierce) (1107-1124)

Alexander was married to Sybilla, an illegitimate daughter of Henry I. At that time it was called a natural child. Henry I in turn was married to Alexander's sister Maud. Everything was so interrelational by marriage. Henry and Maud had no legitimate children. He was called the Fierce after dealing with an uprising in Moray. Although he was technically an English vassal, he dissuaded Scottish bishops from accepting the authority of York and appointed his mother's biographer Rugot to the see of St. Andrews. He was described as a lettered and godly man but was nicknamed "the Fierce" after dealing ruthlessly with an uprising. He died leaving no issue.