Duncan II of Scotland
| Duncan II | |
|---|---|
| King of Alba | |
| Reign | 1094 |
| Predecessor | Malcolm III |
| Successor | Donald III |
| Born | c. 1060 |
| Died | 12 November 1094 |
| Burial | Dunfermline Abbey |
| Spouse | Uchtreda of Northumbria |
| Issue | William fitz Duncan |
| House | House of Dunkeld |
| Father | Malcolm III, King of Alba |
| Mother | Ingibiorg Finnsdottir |
Donnchad mac Máel Coluim (Modern Gaelic: Donnchadh mac Mhaoil Chaluim; anglicised as Duncan II; c. 1060 – 12 November 1094) was king of Scots. He was son of Malcolm III (Máel Coluim mac Donnchada) and his first wife Ingibiorg Finnsdottir, widow of Thorfinn Sigurdsson.
The identity of Duncan's mother is given by the Orkneyinga saga, which records the marriage of Malcolm and Ingibiorg, and then mentions "their son was Duncan, King of Scots, father of William". Duncan II got his name from that of his grandfather, Duncan I of Scotland. However Ingibiorg is never mentioned by primary sources written by Scottish and English chroniclers. She might have been a concubine or have a marriage not recognized by the church.William of Malmesbury calls Duncan an illegitimate son of Malcolm III. This account influenced a number of Medieval commentators, who also dismissed Duncan as an illegitimate son. But this claim is propaganda reflecting the need of Malcolm's descendants by Margaret to undermine the claims of Duncan's descendants, the Meic Uilleim. There is no primary source which would indicate that Duncan was ever excluded from the royal succession.
Duncan was given into the keeping of William the Conqueror in 1072 as a hostage. The Annals of Ulster note that "French went into Scotland and brought away the son of the king of Scotland as hostage". The French of the text were actually the Normans. The primary source does not identify Duncan by name, but his known half-brothers were at the time either infants or yet to be born. The context of this event was the initial conflict between Malcolm III and William. Edgar Ætheling, the last remaining male member of the English royal family had fled to Scotland, in 1068, seeking protection from the invading Normans. Edgar sought Malcolm's assistance in his struggle against William. The relationship was reinforced when Malcolm married the Ætheling's sister, Margaret, in 1071. The Norman conquest of England also involved William securing control over the areas of Northumbria. Malcolm probably perceived this move as a threat to his own areas of Cumbria and Lothian. In 1070, possibly claiming he was redressing the wrongs against his brother-in-law, Malcolm responded with a "savage raid" of Northern England.
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