Editing Malcolm IV of Scotland

{{Short description|King of Alba from 1153 to 1165}}
{{Use Scottish English|date=September 2019}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2019}}
{{Infobox monarch
| name            = Malcolm IV
| succession      = [[King of Alba (Scotland)]]
| image           = Malcolm_IV,_King_of_Scotland,_charter_to_Kelso_Abbey,_1159,_initial_(crop_Malcolm_IV).jpg
| caption         = 
| reign           = 24 May 1153 –<br/>9 December 1165
| coronation      = 27 May 1153
| predecessor     = [[David I of Scotland|David I]]
| successor       = [[William the Lion|William I]]
| spouse          = 
| issue           = 
| royal house     = [[House of Dunkeld|Dunkeld]]
| father          = [[Henry of Scotland, 3rd Earl of Huntingdon|Henry, Earl of Huntingdon and Northumbria]]
| mother          = [[Ada de Warenne]]
| birth_date      = 23 April–24 May 1141<ref name=birth>W. W. Scott, "Malcolm IV (1141–1165)".</ref>
| birth_place     = [[Scotland]]
| death_date      = {{death date|1165|12|9|df=y}} (aged 24)
| death_place     = [[Jedburgh]],<br>[[Roxburghshire]], Scotland
| place of burial = [[Dunfermline Abbey]]
}}

'''Malcolm IV''' ({{langx|mga|Máel Coluim mac Eanric|label=[[Medieval Gaelic]]}}; {{langx|gd|Maol Chaluim mac Eanraig}}), nicknamed '''Virgo''', "the Maiden" (between 23 April and 24 May 1141 – 9 December 1165) was [[King of Scotland]] from 1153 until his death. He was the eldest son of [[Henry of Scotland, 3rd Earl of Huntingdon|Henry, Earl of Huntingdon and Northumbria]] (died 1152) and [[Ada de Warenne]].{{sfn|Pollock|2015|p=xiv}} The original '''Malcolm Canmore''',<ref>Magnusson, p. 61</ref><ref>Burton, Vol. 1, p. 350, states: "Malcolm the son of Duncan is known as Malcolm III, but still better perhaps by his characteristic name of Canmore, said to come from the Celtic "Cenn Mór", meaning "great chief"". It has also been argued recently that the real "Malcolm Canmore" was his great-grandson [[Malcolm IV of Scotland]], who is given this name in the contemporary notice of his death. Duncan, pp. 51–52, 74–75; Oram, p. 17 note 1.</ref> a name now associated with his great-grandfather [[Malcolm III of Scotland|Malcolm III]] (Máel Coluim mac Donnchada), he succeeded his grandfather [[David I of Scotland|David I]], and shared David's [[Anglo-Normans|Anglo-Norman]] tastes.

Called '''Malcolm the Maiden''' by later chroniclers, a name which may incorrectly suggest weakness or effeminacy to modern readers, he was noted for his religious zeal and interest in [[knight]]hood and warfare. For much of his reign, he was in poor health and died unmarried at the age of twenty-four.

== Accession ==
[[Image:Malcolm_IV,_King_of_Scotland,_charter_to_Kelso_Abbey,_1159,_initial.jpg|thumb|left|350px|[[David I of Scotland|David I]] (left) with the young Malcolm IV (right) depicted on the charter to [[Kelso Abbey]].]]

[[Henry of Scotland|Earl Henry]], son and heir of King [[David I of Scotland]], had been in poor health throughout the 1140s. He died suddenly on 12 June 1152. His death occurred in either [[Newcastle-on-Tyne|Newcastle]] or [[Roxburgh]], both located in those areas of [[Northumbria]] which he and [[David I of Scotland|his father]] had attached to the Scots crown in the period of English weakness after the death of [[Henry I of England]]. Unlike in the case of the English king, who had been left without male heirs after the death of his only legitimate son in the [[White Ship|shipwreck of the ''White Ship'']], the King of Scots, David I, did not lack for immediate heirs upon the death of Earl Henry. This was because Earl Henry had left behind three sons to carry forward the lineage of his father.<ref>Oram, ''David I'', p. 200.</ref>

Malcolm, the eldest of Earl Henry's sons, was only eleven years old when he became heir apparent. Nonetheless, he was sent by his grandfather on a circuit of the kingdom, accompanied by [[Donnchad I, Earl of Fife|Donnchad]], [[Mormaer of Fife]], and a large army. Donnchad had been styled ''rector'', perhaps indicating that he was to hold the [[regent|regency]] for Malcolm on David's death.<ref>Oram, ''David I'', p. 201.</ref> These preparations were timely, because King David survived his son by less than a year, dying on 24 May 1153 at [[Carlisle, Cumbria|Carlisle]]. Malcolm was inaugurated as king on 27 May 1153 at [[Scone, Scotland|Scone]] at age twelve.<ref>Duncan, p. 71.</ref> Donnchad, who duly became regent for the young Malcolm, ensured that the inauguration took place before the old king was even buried. This might appear unseemly, but there was good reason for the haste. Malcolm was not without rivals for the kingship. Donnchad himself died a year later, in 1154.

== Rivals and neighbours ==
The ''[[Orkneyinga Saga]]'' claims "William the Noble", son of [[William fitz Duncan]], was the man whom "every Scotsman wanted for his king".<ref>Duncan, p. 70; ''Orkneyinga Saga'', c. 33.</ref> As William fitz Duncan married Alice de Rumilly c.1137, young William could only have been a youth, perhaps a child, by 1153. There is no evidence to suggest that William ever made any claims to the throne, and he died young, in the early 1160s, leaving his sizable estates to his three sisters.<ref>Oram, ''David I'', pp. 93, 182–186; Duncan, p. 102.</ref> Of William Fitz Duncan's other sons, Bishop [[Wimund]] had already been blinded, emasculated and imprisoned at [[Byland Abbey]] before King David's death, but Domnall mac Uilleim, first of the [[Meic Uilleim]], had considerable support in the [[Province of Moray]]. Another contender, imprisoned at Roxburgh since about 1130, was [[Máel Coluim mac Alaxandair]], an illegitimate son of [[Alexander I of Scotland|Alexander I]]. Máel Coluim's sons were free men in 1153. They could be expected to contest the succession and did so.

As a new and young king, Malcolm also faced threats to his rule from his neighbours. Foremost among them were [[Somerled]], King of [[Argyll]]; [[Fergus of Galloway|Fergus]], Lord of [[Galloway]]; and [[Henry II of England|Henry II]], [[King of England]]. Only [[Rognvald Kali Kolsson]], [[Earl of Orkney]], was otherwise occupied (on a pilgrimage), and his death in 1158 brought the young and ambitious [[Harald Maddadsson]] to power in Orkney, who proved yet another threat to the young Malcolm.

The first open opposition to Malcolm came in November 1153, from family rivals, the sons of Máel Coluim mac Alaxandair. They mounted their challenge with the aid of a neighbour, [[Somerled]] of Argyll. This threat soon dissipated, because Somerled was beset with more pressing concerns: his war with [[Guðrøðr Óláfsson, King of the Isles]] lasted until 1156 and a possible conflict with [[Gille Críst, Earl of Menteith|Gille Críst]], [[Mormaer of Menteith]], over [[Cowal]], loomed large.<ref>Duncan, p. 71; McDonald, ''Kingdom of the Isles'', pp. 51–54.</ref> Support for the sons of Máel Coluim mac Alaxandair may also have come from areas closer to the core of the kingdom; two conspirators are named by chroniclers, one of whom died in trial by combat in February 1154.<ref>McDonald, ''Outlaws'', pp. 28–29.</ref>

In 1157, it is reported, King Malcolm was reconciled with [[Máel Coluim MacHeth]], who was appointed to the [[Mormaerdom of Ross]], which had probably been held by his father.<ref>Duncan, pp. 71–72; McDonald, ''Outlaws'', p. 29.</ref>

== Malcolm IV and Henry II ==
[[File:Peveril Castle keep, 2009.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|[[Peveril Castle]] in [[Derbyshire]], where Malcolm paid homage to [[Henry II of England |Henry II]] in 1157]]

Malcolm was not only King of Scots but also inherited the Earldom of Northumbria, which his father and grandfather had gained during the wars between [[Stephen of England|Stephen]] and [[Empress Matilda]]. Malcolm granted Northumbria to his brother [[William I of Scotland|William]], keeping [[Cumbria]] for himself. Cumbria was, like the earldoms of Northumbria and [[Earl of Huntingdon|Huntingdon]], and later [[Earl of Chester|Chester]], a fief of the English crown. While Malcolm delayed doing homage to Henry II of England for his possessions in Henry's kingdom, he did so in 1157 at [[Peveril Castle]] in [[Derbyshire]] and later at [[Chester]].<ref name=birth/> Henry II refused to allow Malcolm to keep Cumbria, or William to keep Northumbria, but instead granted the [[Earl of Huntingdon|Earldom of Huntingdon]] to Malcolm, for which Malcolm did homage.<ref>Duncan, p. 72; Barrow, p. 47; [[William of Newburgh]] in ''SAEC'', p. 239.</ref>

After a second meeting between Malcolm and Henry, at [[Carlisle, Cumbria|Carlisle]] in 1158, "they returned without having become good friends, and so that the king of Scots was not yet knighted."<ref>[[Roger of Hoveden]] in ''SAEC'', p. 240.</ref> In 1159 Malcolm accompanied Henry to [[France]], serving at the siege of [[Toulouse]] where he was, at last, knighted. "Whether this was the act of a king of Scots or of an earl of Huntingdon we are not told; it was certainly the act of a man desperate for knightly arms, but that did not make it any more acceptable in Scotland."<ref>Duncan, p. 72.</ref>

Malcolm returned from Toulouse in 1160. At [[Perth, Scotland|Perth]], Roger of Hoveden reports, he faced a rebellion by six earls, led by [[Ferchar, Earl of Strathearn|Ferchar]], [[Earl of Strathearn|Mormaer of Strathearn]], who besieged the king.<ref>''Gesta Annalia'', III; ''SAEC'', pp. 241–242; Duncan, pp. 72–73.</ref> Given that Earl Ferchar heads the list of those named, it is presumed that [[Donnchad II, Earl of Fife|Donnchad II]], [[Mormaer of Fife]], was not among the rebels.<ref>Duncan, pp. 72–73.</ref> [[John of Fordun]]'s version in the ''Gesta Annalia'' appears to suggest a peaceful settlement to the affair, and both Fordun and Hoveden follow the report of the revolt and its ending by stating that the king led an expedition into [[Galloway]] where he eventually defeated [[Fergus, Lord of Galloway]] and took his son [[Uchtred, Lord of Galloway|Uchtred]] as a hostage while Fergus became a monk at [[Holyrood Abbey|Holyrood]], dying there in 1161.<ref>''Gesta Annalia'', III.</ref> While it was assumed that the earls included Fergus among their number and that the expedition to Galloway was related to the revolt, it is now thought that the earls sought to have Malcolm attack Galloway, perhaps as a result of raids by Fergus.<ref>Brooke, pp. 91–95; McDonald, ''Outlaws'', pp. 89–91.</ref>

Sometime before July 1163, when he did homage to Henry II, Malcolm was taken seriously ill at [[Doncaster]].<ref>''SAEC'', p. 242.</ref> Scottish sources report that a revolt in Moray brought Malcolm north, and it is said that he:

{{quote|[R]emoved [the men of Moray] from the land of their birth, as of old [[Nebuchadnezzar]], king of [[Babylon]], had dealt with the Jews, and scattered them throughout the other districts of Scotland, both beyond the <nowiki>[</nowiki>[[Mounth]]<nowiki>]</nowiki> and this side thereof, so that not even one native of that land abode there.<ref>''Gesta Annalia'', IV; McDonald, ''Outlaws'', pp. 30–31.</ref>}}

Having made peace with Henry, replaced Fergus of Galloway with his sons, and resettled Moray, only one of Malcolm's foes remained, Somerled, by 1160 king of the Isles as well as of Argyll. In 1164, Somerled led a large army of Islesmen and Irishmen to attack [[Glasgow]] and [[Renfrew, Scotland|Renfrew]], where [[Walter Fitzalan]] had newly completed a castle. There Somerled and his son Gillebrigte were killed in battle with the levies of the area, led by the [[Bishop of Glasgow]], probably [[Herbert of Selkirk]] at that time. The chronicles of the day attributed the victory to the intercession of Saint [[Kentigern]].<ref>McDonald, ''Kingdom of the Isles'', pp. 61–67.</ref>

== Marriage project ==
[[File:Malcom IV, 1153-1165 coin.JPG|thumb|[[Penny Scots|Silver penny]] of Malcolm IV ([[Museum on the Mound]])]]

In 1160, a marriage between Malcolm and [[Constance of Penthièvre]] was considered. Constance's brother [[Conan IV, Duke of Brittany]] had married Malcolm's sister [[Margaret of Huntingdon, Duchess of Brittany|Margaret]] earlier the same year. However, Constance refused to marry the Scottish king, hoping to wed the French king [[Louis VII of France|Louis VII]] instead, but Louis married [[Adèle of Champagne]].<ref>Roujoux, Prudence Guillaume. ''Histoire des rois et des ducs de Bretagne'', Volume 2 (1828), pp. 426–429.</ref>

== Death and posterity ==
Malcolm IV died on 9 December 1165 at [[Jedburgh]], aged twenty-four. His premature death may have been hastened by [[Paget's disease of bone|Paget's disease]] (a chronic disorder that typically results in enlarged and deformed bones).<ref>Duncan, pp. 74–75.</ref> While his contemporaries were in no doubt that Malcolm had some of the qualities of a great king, later writers were less convinced. The compiler of the ''[[Annals of Ulster]]'', writing soon after 1165, praises Malcolm:

{{quote|Máel Coluim Cenn Mór, son of Henry, high king of Scotland, the best Christian that was of the Gaidhil [who dwell] by the sea on the east for almsdeeds, hospitality and piety, died.<ref>''Annals of Ulster'', s.a. 1165.</ref>}}

Likewise, [[William of Newburgh]] praises Malcolm, "the most Christian king of the Scots", highly in his ''Historia Rerum Anglicarum''.<ref>Quoted in ''SAEC'', p. 243.</ref>

Nonetheless, Malcolm was not well regarded in all quarters. The ''Gesta Annalia'' remarks:

{{quote|[Malcolm] quite neglected the care, as well as governance, of his kingdom. Wherefore he was so hated by all the common people that William, the elder of his brothers – who had always been on bad terms with the English, and their lasting foe, forasmuch as they had taken away his patrimony, the earldom of Northumbria, to wit – was by them appointed warden of the whole kingdom, against the king's will.<ref>''Gesta Annalia'', IV; Duncan, p. 74, doubts Fordun's account.</ref>}}

According to legend, he had a daughter who was betrothed to [[Henry, Prince of Capua]], on the latter's deathbed, but this is said to be false as Malcolm had no heirs. However, since illegitimacy did not apply to medieval females{{citation needed|date=June 2024}}, but it was often pretended that it did, she may have been overlooked. Malcolm's mother had formulated a plan for a marriage to Constance, daughter of [[Conan III, Duke of Brittany]], but Malcolm died before the wedding could be celebrated.<ref>Oram, ''The Canmores'', p. 51.</ref> This does not mean that Malcolm could not have had a concubine or mistress.

It is difficult, given the paucity of sources, to date many of the reforms of the Scoto-Norman era, but it appears that Malcolm continued the reforms begun by his grandfather and grand-uncles. The [[sheriff]]doms of [[Crail]], [[Dunfermline]], [[Edinburgh]], [[Forfar]], [[Lanark]] and [[Linlithgow]] appear to date from Malcolm's reign, and the office of [[Justiciar of Lothian]] may also date from this period.<ref>McNeill & MacQueen, p. 192; Barrow ?</ref>

Malcolm founded a [[Cistercian]] monastery at [[Coupar Angus]], and the royal taste for continental religious foundations extended to the magnates, as in Galloway, where the [[Premonstratensian]]s were established at [[Soulseat]] by 1161.<ref>McNeill & MacQueen, p. 340.</ref>

== Fictional portrayals ==
Malcolm IV has been depicted in historical novels. They include:

* ''Lord of the Isles'' (1983) by [[Nigel Tranter]]. The main character of the novel is [[Somerled]], [[Kingdom of the Isles|Lord of the Isles]]. The plot follows his military career, rise to power, swearing of fealty to [[David I of Scotland]], and support of a revolt against Malcolm IV. It concludes with the murder of Somerled.<ref>[http://cunninghamh.tripod.com/books/synopses90/lordofisles.htm "Lord of the Isles", description from the bookjacket]</ref><ref>[https://www.amazon.com/Isles-Coronet-Books-Nigel-Tranter/dp/0340368365 "Lord of the Isles",customer reviews]</ref>
* ''Tapestry of the Boar'' (1993) by Nigel Tranter. The main character is Hugh De [[Clan Swinton|Swinton]], a huntsman at the court of Malcolm IV. He is at first employed to slay [[wild boar]]s which threaten humans, sheep and cattle of the Scottish countryside. He then serves as a scout to the army of the king during the conflict with [[Fergus of Galloway]]. Malcolm IV eventually tasks Hugh with establishing [[Soutra Aisle]], "the first real hospital for the sick and poor in Scotland".<ref>[http://CunninghamH.tripod.com/books/9105.htm "Tranter first edition books, publication timeline", part IV]</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.iblist.com/book43523.htm |title="Tapestry of the Boar", summary |access-date=21 May 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160307033237/http://www.iblist.com/book43523.htm |archive-date=7 March 2016 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

=== Sources ===
: For the ''Gesta Annalia'', see [[John of Fordun]].
* [[Alan Orr Anderson|Anderson, Alan Orr]]; ''Scottish Annals from English Chroniclers A.D. 500–1286'', D. Nutt, London, 1908.
* Anon.; ''A Medieval Chronicle of Scotland: The Chronicle of Melrose'', ed. and tr. Joseph Stevenson. Reprinted Llanerch Press, Lampeter, 1991. {{ISBN|0-947992-60-X}}
* Anon.; ''Orkneyinga Saga: The History of the Earls of Orkney'', tr. Hermann Pálsson and Paul Edwards. Penguin, London, 1978. {{ISBN|0-14-044383-5}}
* Barrell, A. D. M.; ''Medieval Scotland'', Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 2000. {{ISBN|0-521-58602-X}}
* [[Geoffrey Barrow|Barrow, G. W. S.]]; ''The Kingdom of the Scots'', Edinburgh University Press, Edinburgh, 2003. {{ISBN|0-7486-1803-1}}
* Brooke, Daphne; ''Wild Men and Holy Places: St Ninian, Whithorn and the Medieval Realm of Galloway'', Canongate, Edinburgh, 1994. {{ISBN|0-86241-558-6}}
* 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; ''The Kingdom of the Isles: Scotland's Western Seaboard, c. 1100–1336'', Tuckwell Press, East Linton, 1997. {{ISBN|1-898410-85-2}}
* McDonald, R. Andrew; ''Outlaws of Medieval Scotland: Challenges to the Canmore Kings, 1058–1266'', Tuckwell Press, East Linton, 2003. {{ISBN|1-86232-236-8}}
* [[Richard Oram|Oram, Richard]]; ''David I: The King Who Made Scotland'', Tempus, Stroud, 2004. {{ISBN|0-7524-2825-X}}
* Oram, Richard; ''The Canmores: Kings and Queens of the Scots 1040–1290'', Tempus, Stroud, 2002. {{ISBN|0-7524-2325-8}}
* {{cite book |title=Scotland, England and France After the Loss of Normandy, 1204-1296: "Auld Amitie" |first=M. A. |last=Pollock |publisher=The Boydell Press |year=2015}}
* Scott, W. W.; "Malcolm IV (1141–1165)", ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, 2004 [http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/17860, accessed 27 May 2007]

== External links ==
* [https://www.royal.uk/malcolm-iv-r-1153-1165 Malcolm IV] at the official website of the [[British monarchy]]
* [http://celt.ucc.ie/index.html CELT: Corpus of Electronic Texts] at [[University College Cork]] includes the Annals of Ulster, Tigernach and Innisfallen, the Lebor Bretnach and the Chronicon Scotorum among others. Most are translated or translations are in progress.
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20090706000257/http://www.northvegr.org/lore/orkney/ Orkneyinga Saga] at [http://www.northvegr.org/ Northvegr]

{{-}}
{{s-start}}
{{s-hou|[[House of Dunkeld]]|April/May|1141|9 December|1165}}
{{succession box
|before = [[David I of Scotland|David I]]
|title = [[King of Scotland]]
|years = 1153–1165
|after = [[William the Lion|William I]]
}}
{{s-vac|last=[[Simon II de Senlis, Earl of Huntingdon-Northampton|Simon II de Senlis]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Earl of Huntingdon]]|years=1157–1165}}
{{s-aft|after=[[William the Lion|William]]}}
{{s-end}}

{{Pictish and Scottish Monarchs}}
{{English, Scottish and British monarchs}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Malcolm IV of Scotland}}

[[Category:House of Dunkeld]]
[[Category:Medieval child monarchs]]
[[Category:1141 births]]
[[Category:1165 deaths]]
[[Category:12th-century Scottish monarchs]]
[[Category:Burials at Dunfermline Abbey]]
[[Category:Earls of Huntingdon (1065 creation)]]