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Máel Coluim mac Alaxandair
 
 
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Máel Coluim mac Alaxandair or Máel Coluim mac Alasdair (Malcolm, Alexander's son) was the son of King Alexander I of Scotland
Alexander I of Scotland

Alexander I or Alaxandair mac Ma?l Coluim , called "The Fierce", King of the Scots or King of Alba, was the fourth son of M?el Coluim mac Donnchada by his wife Saint Margaret of Scotland, grand-niece of Edward the Confessor....
 and enemy of King David I of Scotland
David I of Scotland

David I or Dabhidh Mac Maol Chaluim was a 12th-century ruler who was Prince of the Cumbrians and later List of monarchs of Scotland . The youngest son of Maol Chaluim Mac Donnchaidh and Saint Margaret of Scotland, David spent most of his childhood in Scotland, but was exiled to England temporarily in 1093....
, his uncle. He is a relatively obscure figure owing primarily to the scarcity of source material, appearing only in pro-David English sources, which label him a "bastard".

When Alexander I died in 1124, David seized the throne with the help of King Henry I of England
Henry I of England

Henry I was the fourth son of William I the Conqueror. He succeeded his elder brother William II of England as King of England in 1100 and defeated his eldest brother, Robert Curthose, to become Duke of Normandy in 1106....
 and David's own Norman retainers.






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Máel Coluim mac Alaxandair or Máel Coluim mac Alasdair (Malcolm, Alexander's son) was the son of King Alexander I of Scotland
Alexander I of Scotland

Alexander I or Alaxandair mac Ma?l Coluim , called "The Fierce", King of the Scots or King of Alba, was the fourth son of M?el Coluim mac Donnchada by his wife Saint Margaret of Scotland, grand-niece of Edward the Confessor....
 and enemy of King David I of Scotland
David I of Scotland

David I or Dabhidh Mac Maol Chaluim was a 12th-century ruler who was Prince of the Cumbrians and later List of monarchs of Scotland . The youngest son of Maol Chaluim Mac Donnchaidh and Saint Margaret of Scotland, David spent most of his childhood in Scotland, but was exiled to England temporarily in 1093....
, his uncle. He is a relatively obscure figure owing primarily to the scarcity of source material, appearing only in pro-David English sources, which label him a "bastard".

When Alexander I died in 1124, David seized the throne with the help of King Henry I of England
Henry I of England

Henry I was the fourth son of William I the Conqueror. He succeeded his elder brother William II of England as King of England in 1100 and defeated his eldest brother, Robert Curthose, to become Duke of Normandy in 1106....
 and David's own Norman retainers. Orderic Vitalis
Orderic Vitalis

Orderic Vitalis was an English historians in the Middle Ages who wrote one of the great contemporary chronicles of 11th and 12th century Normandy and England....
 reports that Máel Coluim mac Alaxandair "affected to snatch the kingdom from [David], and fought against him two sufficiently fierce battles; but David, who was loftier in understanding and in power and wealth, conquered him and his followers".

Máel Coluim's war against David and Henry may have involved the death of David's eldest son. Before recounting the war against Máel Coluim, Orderic Vitalis reported the death of this son at the hands of an exiled Norwegian priest; but Orderic's account is so obscure that it is difficult to make anything of it. The priest was reportedly a member of David's household, and was put to death by being bound to the tails of four horses. Whether or not the two events were connected, Máel Coluim escaped unharmed into areas of Scotland
Scotland

conventional_long_name = ScotlandAlba|common_name= Scotland|image_flag = Flag of Scotland.svg|flag_width = 130px...
 not yet under David's control, and there gained shelter and some measure of support; when Máel Coluim mac Alaxandair renewed his claim to the throne six years later, he had the support and protection of the king of Moray
Mormaer of Moray

The Mormaerdom or Kingdom of Moray was a lordship in High Medieval Scotland that was destroyed by King David I of Scotland in 1130. It did not have the same territory as the modern local government council area of Moray, which is a much smaller area, around Elgin, Moray....
.

In 1130, Máel Coluim enters the scant sources once more. Máel Coluim now had the backing of Óengus of Moray
Óengus of Moray

?engus of Moray was the last Mormaer of Moray of the native line, ruling Moray in what is now northeastern Scotland from some unknown date until his death in 1130....
. King Óengus was David's most powerful "vassal", a man who, as grandson of King Lulach of Scotland
Lulach of Scotland

Lulach mac Gille Coemg?in He appears to have been a weak king, as his nicknames suggest. He does, however, have the distinction of being the first king of Scotland of whom there are coronation details available....
, even had his own claim to the kingdom. Máel Coluim and Óengus' forces had advanced into Angus
Angus

Angus is one of the 32 Local government in Scotland council areas of Scotland, and a Lieutenancy areas of Scotland. The council area borders onto Aberdeenshire, Perth and Kinross and the Dundee City....
 when they were met by David's Mercia
Mercia

Mercia was one of the kingdoms of the Anglo-Saxons Heptarchy. It was centred on the valley of the River Trent and its tributaries in the region now known as the English Midlands....
n constable
Constable

A constable is a person holding a particular office, most commonly in Police. The office of constable can vary significantly in different jurisdictions....
, Edward; the ensuing Battle of Stracathro
Battle of Stracathro

The Battle of Stracathro, took place in 1130 in Angus, Scotland. ?engus of Moray and M?el Coluim mac Alaxandair invaded Scotland with 5000 warriors according to the Anglo-Norman chronicler Orderic Vitalis....
 took place near Brechin
Brechin

Brechin is a former royal burgh in Angus, Scotland. Traditionally Brechin is often described as a city because of its cathedral and its status as the seat of a pre-Scottish Reformation Roman Catholic diocese , however this status was never officially recognised....
. According to the Annals of Ulster
Annals of Ulster

The Annals of Ulster are a chronicle of Middle Ages Ireland. The entries span the years between Anno Domini 431 and AD 1540. The entries up to AD 1489 were compiled in the late 15th century by the scribe Ruaidhr? ? Luin?n, under his patron Cathal ?g Mac Maghnusa on the island of Belle Isle on Lough Erne in the province of Ulster....
, 1000 of Edward's army, and 4000 of Óengus' army, including Óengus himself, died. According to Orderic Vitalis, Edward followed up the killing of Óengus by marching north into Moray itself, which, in his words, "lacked a defender and lord"; and so Edward, "with God's help obtained the entire duchy of that extensive district". However, this was far from the end of it. Máel Coluim again escaped, and four years of this continuing Scottish "civil war" followed; for David this period was quite simply a "struggle for survival".

It appears that David applied for and obtained extensive military aid from his patron, King Henry. Ailred of Rievaulx relates that at this point a large fleet and a large army of Norman knights, including Walter l'Espec, and were sent by Henry to Carlisle to assist in David's attempt to root out his Scottish enemies. The fleet seems to have been used in the Irish Sea
Irish Sea

The Irish Sea also known as the Mann Sea or Manx Sea, separates the islands of Ireland and Great Britain. It is connected to the Celtic Sea portion of the Atlantic Ocean by St George's Channel between Republic of Ireland and Wales, and to the north by the North Channel between Northern Ireland and Scotland which forms part of...
, the Firth of Clyde
Firth of Clyde

The Firth of Clyde forms a large area of coastal water, sheltered from the Atlantic ocean by the Kintyre peninsula which encloses the outer firth in Argyll and Ayrshire, Scotland....
 and the entire Argyll
Argyll

Argyll, archaically Argyle , is a region of western Scotland corresponding with most of the part of ancient D?l Riata that was located on the island of Great Britain, and in a historical context can be used to mean the entire western seaboard between the Mull of Kintyre and Cape Wrath....
 coast, where Máel Coluim was probably at large among supporters. By 1134 Máel Coluim was captured and imprisoned in Roxburgh Castle
Roxburgh Castle

Roxburgh Castle was a castle sited near modern Roxburgh, in the Scottish Borders region of Scotland.The castle was founded by David I of Scotland....
.

Máel Coluim's eventual fate is unknown. He was, and to a large extent still is, confused with Máel Coluim mac Áeda
MacHeths

The MacHeths were a Gaels kindred who raised several rebellions against the Scotto-Norman kings of Scotland in the 12th and 13th centuries. Their origins have long been debated....
, son of Áed
Mormaer Beth

Mormaer Beth is a name of a Mormaer mentioned in an unreliable charter granted to Scone, Perthshire Priory, later Scone Abbey, by king Alexander I of Scotland....
, later Mormaer of Ross.