Malcolm III Caenmore (i.e. big head), King of Scotland

From MBKQ: Malcolm was sub-king (i.e. Mormaor) of Cambria and Strathclyde 1045-58, King of Scotland 17 Mar 1058 to 13 Nov 1093, crowned Scone Abbey 25 Apr 1058. He died at age 62 and was buried at Dunfermline Abbey (later removed to the Escorial, Madrid). Though some lists of Scot Kings begin with him, he was 58th since Fergus established the kingdom of Dal Riata in Argyll, and 22nd since Kenneth Mac Alpin had united the Scots and Picts. Under Malcolm, Scotland shifted dramatically away from its Gaelic past toward the Anglo-Norman culture of southern Britain. Malcolm was raised at the Anglo-Norman court of Edward the Confessor. His father Duncan had been killed in battle by MacBeth in 1040, when Malcolm was 8 or 9, after which Malcolm and his brother were hurriedly smuggled out of Scotland to protect their lives. Macbeth was k. Aug 1057, his stepson Lulach Mar 1058. 5 weeks later Malcolm was crowned king of Scotland. The Highland Scots mistrusted him due to his Anglo-Norman ties, but were forced to accept him as overlord because of his sheer physical power and menace. He was a swaggering bully who rapidly earned the nickname of Canmore, or Bighead. Malcolm sided with the (losing) Saxons (esp. Edgar Atheling, Malcolm m. Edgar's sister Margaret, who fled the Normans in 1066) in their struggle against William the Conqueror for rule of England, but was forced to capitulate to Wm. at the Treaty of Abernathy (1072). Under Margaret's influence (to whom he was devoted), Malcolm grew from coarse ruffian to strong supporter of her religious and cultural views. She had been well educated in Hungary and England and was a devout Christian. When Wm. the Conqueror d. in 1087, Malcolm again invaded England (w/Edgar Atheling), but was defeated by Wm. Rufus. Malcolm later sought to meet w/Rufus but was rebuffed. As they returned north, they were ambushed by Robert MOWBRAY, Earl of Northumberland, near Alnwick and both Malcolm and his son Edward were killed. Ironically, Malcolm had replaced the old rule of tanistry with primogeniture, but now his heir was also dead. The magnates were stumped and civil unrest ensued. The eventual successor was his brother Donald III (tho 5 of his 9 sons would eventually succeed him as king). Margaret was sainted in 1250. During the Reformation their bodies (Malcolm, Margaret) were moved from Dunfermline Abbey (founded by Margaret) to a specially built tomb in the Escorial, Madrid. In 1673 Margaret was named one of the patron saints of Scotland. In summary, Malcolm's lasting legacy was shifting Scotland away from Gaelicism toward Anglo-Normanism, establishing a momentum that couldn't be stopped, though many (esp. highland) Scotsmen tried.

From EotW: After Malcolm's death, Scotland was misruled by a series of weak kings until 1124, when Malcolm's 9th son David I re-established a measure of stability. David was raised in England with many Norman friends, marrying a rich Norman heiress, gaining through her the title of Earl of Northampton and Huntington.

Sources:
- EotW = Enchantment of the World: Scotland, Dorothy B. Sutherland, Children's Press, Chicago, 1985.
- MBKQ = The Mammoth Book of British Kings and Queens, Mike Ashley, Carroll & Graf, 1999.