Isabella, Countess of Atholl
Encyclopedia
Isabella of Atholl was countess
or ban-mormaer
of Atholl
, Scotland
, from the death of her father Henry
in 1211 until the accession of her son Padraig
in 1236/7. Two men accompanied her as effective Mormaers during the minority of her son:
It has often been thought that, after the death of Thomas of Galloway in 1232, she married again, this time to the powerful political figure Alan Durward
; this however, rests solely in the fact that Alan styles himself "Count of Atholl" in a few documents between 1233 and 1234. However, as Matthew Hammond has shown, this more is more likely to refer to fact that Alan, as a grandson of Máel Coluim, Earl of Atholl
, probably sought to inherit the province.
Earl
An earl is a member of the nobility. The title is Anglo-Saxon, akin to the Scandinavian form jarl, and meant "chieftain", particularly a chieftain set to rule a territory in a king's stead. In Scandinavia, it became obsolete in the Middle Ages and was replaced with duke...
or ban-mormaer
Mormaer
The title of Mormaer designates a regional or provincial ruler in the medieval Kingdom of the Scots. In theory, although not always in practice, a Mormaer was second only to the King of Scots, and the senior of a toisech.-Origin:...
of Atholl
Atholl
Atholl or Athole is a large historical division in the Scottish Highlands. Today it forms the northern part of Perth and Kinross, Scotland bordering Marr, Badenoch, Breadalbane, Strathearn, Perth and Lochaber....
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, from the death of her father Henry
Henry, Earl of Atholl
Henry of Atholl, the son of Maol Choluim , was Mormaer of Atholl, Scotland, from sometime in the 1190s until his death in 1211. Henry had no sons, but did have at least two daughters - called Isabella and Forbhlaith. Before he died, Henry married off Isabella to Thomas, brother of the second most...
in 1211 until the accession of her son Padraig
Padraig, Earl of Atholl
Padraig or Patrick of Atholl was Mormaer of Atholl, from 1236/7 until 1241. The Chronicle of Melrose tells us that while he was lodging in Haddington, East Lothian, his enemies, "most wicked men," torched his lodging, killing both him and his two unknown companions...
in 1236/7. Two men accompanied her as effective Mormaers during the minority of her son:
- Thomas of Galloway, 1211-1232 (father)
It has often been thought that, after the death of Thomas of Galloway in 1232, she married again, this time to the powerful political figure Alan Durward
Alan Durward
Alan Hostarius was the son of Thomas de Lundin, a grandson of Gille Críst, Mormaer of Mar. His mother's name is unknown, but she was almost certainly a daughter of Máel Coluim, Mormaer of Atholl, meaning that Alan was the product of two Gaelic comital families.Alan was one of the most important...
; this however, rests solely in the fact that Alan styles himself "Count of Atholl" in a few documents between 1233 and 1234. However, as Matthew Hammond has shown, this more is more likely to refer to fact that Alan, as a grandson of Máel Coluim, Earl of Atholl
Máel Coluim, Earl of Atholl
Máel Coluim of Atholl was Mormaer of Atholl between 1153/9 and the 1190s.The Chronicle of Holyrood tells us that in 1186 Máel Coluim had an outlaw called Adam mac Domnaill killed at the altar of a church in Coupar, and burned 58 of his associates inside the church...
, probably sought to inherit the province.