Macbeth of Scotland
| Macbeth | |
|---|---|
Fictional portrait (John Hall)
|
|
| King of Alba | |
| Reign | 1040–1057 |
| Predecessor | Duncan I |
| Successor | Lulach |
| Mormaer of Moray | |
| Reign | 1032–1057 |
| Predecessor | Gille Coemgáin |
| Successor | Lulach |
| Born | c. 1005 |
| Died | 15 August 1057 Lumphanan or Scone |
| Burial | Iona |
| Spouse | Gruoch |
Mac Bethad mac Findlaích (Modern Gaelic: MacBheatha mac Fhionnlaigh; Medieval Gaelic: Mac Bethad mac Findlaích; anglicised as Macbeth MacFin[d]lay or Macbeth MacFinley, and nicknamed Rí Deircc, "the Red King"; born c. 1005 - died 15 August 1057) was King of the Scots (also known as the King of Alba, and earlier as King of Moray and King of Fortriu) from 1040 until his death. Evidence indicates that he spent much of his time in and around the Forres area of Moray, defeating his cousin Duncan, then king of Moray, in battle at nearby Pitgaveny.
Macbeth is best known as the subject of William Shakespeare's tragedy Macbeth and the many works it has inspired. Shakespeare's play is based mainly upon Holinshed's Chronicles (1577), and is not necessarily historically accurate.
The name Mac-Bethad (or, in modern Gaelic, MacBheatha), from which the anglicized "MacBeth" is derived, means "son of life". Although it has the appearance of a Gaelic patronymic it does not have any meaning of filiation but instead carries an implication of "righteous man" or "religious man". An alternative proposed derivation is that it is a corruption of macc-bethad meaning "one of the elect".
Some sources make Macbeth a grandson of King Malcolm II and thus a cousin to Duncan I, whom he succeeded. He was possibly also a cousin to Thorfinn the Mighty, Earl of Orkney and Caithness. Nigel Tranter, in his novel Macbeth the King, went so far as to portray Macbeth as Thorfinn's half-brother. However, this is speculation arising from the lack of historical certainty regarding the number of daughters Malcolm had.
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