Maol Domhnaich, Earl of Lennox
Mormaer Maol Domhnaich (sometimes anglicized as Maldoven) was the son of Mormaer Ailín II, and ruled Lennox 1217–1250.
Like his predecessor Ailín II, he showed absolutely no interest in extending an inviting hand to oncoming French or English settlers. He has, moreover, gained a reputation amongst modern scholars as being one of the more conservative Gaelic rulers in thirteenth century Scotland.
Despite that, he seems to have remained loyal to his royal overlord. There is no evidence that he participated in any of the western-oriented rebellions which were so frequent in the era. The Mormaer even sent his son Maol Choluim with the king's expedition to Moray in 1232. He was also a witness to the treaty between King Alexander II of Scotland and his brother-in-law Henry III of England at Newcastle in 1237, concerning the much disputed northern counties of England.[1]
Nevertheless, in 1238 Alexander distrusted him sufficiently to remove the Castle of Dumbarton from his control, giving the Scottish king an important foothold in the Mormaerdom. As part of the same act, Alexander II regranted the Mormaerdom to Maol Domhnaich as a military fief, indicating perhaps that the Mormaerdom's prior status was ambiguous.
He married c. 1230 Elizabeth or Beatrix (b. c. 1210), the daughter of Walter, High Steward of Scotland, and wife Beatrix of Angus, and had two known sons (Maol Choluim and Donnchadh), and one daughter, Ada of Lennox, wife of Sir Malcolm Beg Drummond, 6th Thane of Lennox, Chief of Clan Drummond (b. aft. 1169, d. 1259), brother of Roderick Drummond (b. Drymen, abt. 1195, d. before. 1283, m. Perthshire, abt. 1233), son of Sir Malcolm Drummond, 5th Thane of Lennox, Chief of Clan Drummond (b. Drymen, c. 1165, d. Stirling, 1200) and wife Margaret de Lindsay (b. Kilmarnock, 1160, d. Kilmarnock, c. 1240), sister of Sir William de Lindsay, paternal grandson of Sir John Drummond, 4th Thane of Lennox, Chief of Clan Drummond (b. Drymen, 1135, d. Drymen, 1180), brother of Malcolm Drummond (b. abt. 1125, d. 1180), great–grandson of Sir Maurice Drummond, 3rd Thane of Lennox, Chief of Clan Drummond (b. Drymen, 1100, d. 1155), brother of John Drummond (b. 1105, d. 1155), great–great–grandson of Sir Malcolm Drummond, 2nd Thane of Lennox, Chief of Clan Drummond (b. Drymen, c. 1075, d. 1131), brother of George Drummond (b. Perthshire, abt. 1093), and great–great–great–grandson of Sir Maurice Drummond, 1st Thane of Lennox, Chief of Clan Drummond (b. 1060, d. Alnwick, 13 November 1093), and wife Margaret de Drymen (b. 1060), by whom she had John Drummond and Sir Malcolm Drummond, 7th Thane of Lennox, Chief of Clan Drummond (b. aft. 1209, d. 1278), who was the father of Gilbert Drummond, Baron of Balquaple, Thomas Drummond, who was granted the lands of Balfron, and Sir John Drummond, 8th Thane of Lennox, Chief of Clan Drummond (b. aft. 1240, d. 1301), who married Elena Stewart, daughter of Walter Stewart, Earl of Menteith, and wife Mary I, Countess of Menteith, and had issue.[2]
Maol Domhnaich's reign came to an end with his death in 1250.
Notes
[edit]- ^ One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Lennox". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 16 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 419.
- ^ G.E. Cokayne; with Vicary Gibbs, H.A. Doubleday, Geoffrey H. White, Duncan Warrand and Lord Howard de Walden, editors, The Complete Peerage of England, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain and the United Kingdom, Extant, Extinct or Dormant, new ed., 13 volumes in 14 (1910-1959; reprint in 6 volumes, Gloucester, U.K.: Alan Sutton Publishing, 2000), volume VII, p. 590
Bibliography
[edit]- Neville, Cynthia J., Native Lordship in Medieval Scotland: The Earldoms of Strathearn and Lennox, c. 1140-1365, (Portland & Dublin, 2005)
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