House of Moray

Information about House of Moray

The so-called House of Moray is a historiographical and genealogical construct to illustrate the succession of rulers whose base was at the region of Moray and who ruled sometimes a larger kingdom. It is much the same as Cenél Loairn (although not necessarily exactly), an originally Celtic concept to express one of the two rivalling leader clans of early medieval Scotland.

The so-called house of Loairn or of Moray was distantly related to the Scottish House of Alpin, its rival, and claiming descent from the eponymous founder Loarn mac Eirc. Some of its members became the last kings of the Picts while three centuries later, two members succeeded to the Scottish throne ruling Scotland from 1040 until 1058.

At the times when the rival held the throne, the Loairn leaders however usually had their effectively independent state of Moray, where a succession of kings (kinglets) or mormaers ruled.

The Loairn succession followed quite loyally the rules of tanistry, resulting in practice to outcomes where branches of the leaders' extended family rotated on the rulership, possibly keeping a balance between important branches (this is quite typical for tribal societies, where primogeniture is much less usual than agnatic seniority or turns on the throne). For example, MacBeth descended from one branch and his stepson Lulach from another.

Not much nor convincing evidence survives that the House of Loairn followed in any way the postulated Pictish tradition of matrilineal succession. Rather, their succession seems to follow quite fully the Irish-Celtic tradition of agnatic clan.

Kings of Dal Riata from among the Cenél Loairn

Main article: List of Kings of Dál Riata


Following kings of Dál Riata are recorded to have been members of the Cenél Loairn: Cenél Loairn kings, in particular the descendants of Ferchar Fota, competed successfully for control of Dál Riata in the early 8th century, prior to the Pictish conquest of the kingdom by Óengus mac Fergusa.

Kings of Scots

Following the death of Donnchad mac Crínáin in 1040, two members of the kindred ruled as Kings of Scots. Additionally, Giric mac Dúngail (878–889) may have been a member of this kindred.

Already MacBeth's father and cousin (Lulach's uncle) had been "kings of Alba":
  • Findlaich mac Ruaidhri, ri Alban, killed 1020
  • Mael Coluim mac Mael Brighdi mac Ruaidrí, rí Alban (1020-1029)
Lulach's son and grandson were, however, titled kings of Moray, not of Alba:
  • Mael Snechtai mac Lulaich, ri Muireb
  • Oengus mac inghine Lulaich, ri Moréb (killed 1130)

Mormaers of Moray

Main article: Mormaer of Moray
Óengus of Moray (died 1130), who has no attestation of descending in male line from Cenel Loairn clan (he was son of daughter of Lulach), is the last known member of the kindred to have ruled Moray, after which it (supposedly) passed to William fitz Duncan of the Cenél nGabráin descended royal family. While the Meic Uilleim and MacHeths are sometimes associated with Moray, it is no longer widely supposed that they were claiming the Mormaerdom or that they belonged to this kindred, except possibly through female descent.

See also

House of Moray
Preceded by
House of Dunkeld		Ruling House of the Kingdom of Scotland
1040 – 1058		Succeeded by
House of Dunkeld
Moray (pronounced Murray, Scottish Gaelic Moireibh or Moireabh) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland. It lies in the north-east of the country, with coastline on the Moray Firth, and borders the council areas of Aberdeenshire and Highland.
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Loarn mac Eirc was a legendary king of Dál Riata who may have lived in the 5th century.

The Duan Albanach and the Senchus Fer n-Alban and other genealogies name Loarn's father as Erc son of Eochaid Muinremuir.
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Scotland.


The Kingdom of Scotland (Gaelic: Rìoghachd na h-Alba Scots: Kinrick o Scotland) was a state located in Western Europe, in the northern third of the island of Great Britain - modern day Scotland.
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The House of Alpin is a dynasty of Scottish kings who ruled Pictland, later Alba, from 843 to 1034. Its name derives from the patronym of Kenneth MacAlpin (Cináed mac Ailpín), king of the Picts and first of the dynasty which created Alba.
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eponym is the name of a person, whether real or fictitious, who has (or is thought to have) given rise to the name of a particular place, tribe, era, discovery, or other item. An eponymous person is the person referred to by the eponym.
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Loarn mac Eirc was a legendary king of Dál Riata who may have lived in the 5th century.

The Duan Albanach and the Senchus Fer n-Alban and other genealogies name Loarn's father as Erc son of Eochaid Muinremuir.
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Picts were a confederation of tribes in what later was to become central and northern Scotland from Roman times until the 10th century. They lived to the north of the Forth and Clyde.
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monarch of Scotland was the head of state of the Kingdom of Scotland. According to tradition, the first King of Scots was Kenneth MacAlpin (Cináed mac Ailpín), who founded the state in 843, although this is no longer taken seriously by historians.
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This article is about the year 1040. For the U.S. tax document, see Form 1040.


10th century - 11st century - 12nd century
1010s  1020s  1030s  - 1040s -  1050s  1060s  1070s
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10th century - 11st century - 12nd century
1020s  1030s  1040s  - 1050s -  1060s  1070s  1080s
1055 1056 1057 - 1058 - 1059 1060 1061

Lists of leaders
State leaders - Sovereign states

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Tanistry was a system for passing on titles and lands. In this system the Tanist (Irish Tánaiste; Scottish Gaelic Tànaiste; Manx Tanishtagh
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Agnatic (or patrilineal) descent is established by tracing descent exclusively through males from a founding male ancestor. In hereditary monarchies, particularly in more ancient times, seniority was a much-used principle of order of succession.
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This is a List of the Kings of Dál Riata, a kingdom of uncertain origins which was located in Scotland and Ireland. Most kings of Dál Riata, along with later rulers of Alba and of Scotland, traced their descent from Fergus Mór mac Eirc, and even in the 16th century, James VI of
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This is a List of the Kings of Dál Riata, a kingdom of uncertain origins which was located in Scotland and Ireland. Most kings of Dál Riata, along with later rulers of Alba and of Scotland, traced their descent from Fergus Mór mac Eirc, and even in the 16th century, James VI of
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Ferchar Fota (Ferchar the Tall) (died c. 697) was probably king of the Cenél Loairn of Dál Riata, and perhaps of all Dál Riata. His father is named as Feredach mac Fergusa and he was said to be a descendant in the 6th generation of Loarn mac Eirc.
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Ainbcellach mac Ferchair was king of the Cenél Loairn of Dál Riata, and perhaps of all Dál Riata, from 697 until 698, when he was deposed and exiled to Ireland.

He was a son of Ferchar Fota.
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Selbach mac Ferchair was king of the Cenél Loairn and of Dál Riata. Selbach's existence is well-attested as he is mentioned repeatedly in Irish annals.

Life

Selbach mac Ferchair was a son of Ferchar Fota.
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Dúngal mac Selbaig was king of Dál Riata. His reign can best be placed in the years 723 to 726, beginning with the abdication of his father, Selbach mac Ferchair, who entered a monastery, and ending with rise of Eochaid mac Echdach of the Cenél nGabráin.
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Muiredach mac Ainbcellaig was king of the Cenél Loairn, and of Dál Riata (modern western Scotland), from about 733 until 736.

He was the son of Ainbcellach mac Ferchair.
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Ferchar Fota (Ferchar the Tall) (died c. 697) was probably king of the Cenél Loairn of Dál Riata, and perhaps of all Dál Riata. His father is named as Feredach mac Fergusa and he was said to be a descendant in the 6th generation of Loarn mac Eirc.
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Óengus son of Fergus
King of the Picts

The figure of the Old Testament King David shown killing a lion on the St Andrews Sarcophagus is thought to represent King Óengus.
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Donnchad (I) mac Crínáin
King of Scots
Reign 1034–1040
Born 15 July 1001(1001--)
Scotland
Died July 14 1040 (aged 40)[1]
Pitgaveny, near Elgin

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monarch of Scotland was the head of state of the Kingdom of Scotland. According to tradition, the first King of Scots was Kenneth MacAlpin (Cináed mac Ailpín), who founded the state in 843, although this is no longer taken seriously by historians.
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Mac Bethad mac Findlaích
Rí Alban
"King of Scotland"

Early modern engraved depiction of the King
Reign 1040–1057
Born 1005
Scotland
Died 15 July 1057
Lumphanan or Scone
Buried Iona
Consort Gruoch
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Lulach mac Gille Coemgáin
King of Scots
Reign 1057–1058
Born 1030
Moray, Scotland
Died 17 March 1058
near Huntly
Buried Iona ?
Consort name unknown
Father Gille Coemgáin mac Máil Brigti

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Giric, King of Picts and Scots (born 8?? died 889 (ruled 878 - 889). The sources for the succession in what (c.900) became the Kingship of Alba are meagre and confused following the peak of Scandinavian devastation in 875-6.
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The Mormaerdom or Kingdom of Moray (Middle Irish: Muireb or Moreb; Medieval Latin: Muref or Moravia; Modern Gaelic:Moireabh) was a lordship in High Medieval Scotland that was destroyed by King David I of Scotland in 1130.
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Óengus of Moray (Oenghus mac inghine Lulaich, ri Moréb) was the last King of Moray of the native line, ruling Moray from some unknown date until his death in 1130.

Óengus is known to have been the son of the daughter of Lulach.
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William fitz Duncan is a modern anglicisation of either the Old French Guillaume fils de Duncan or the Middle Irish Uilleam mac Donnchada. William was a Scottish prince, a territorial magnate in northern Scotland and northern England, a fine general and the legitimate
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The Meic Uilleim (MacWilliams) were the Gaelic descendants of William fitz Duncan, grandson of Máel Coluim mac Donnchada, king of Scots. They were excluded from the succession by the descendants of Máel Coluim's son David I during the 12th century and raised a number of
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