Macbeth of Scotland (1006-15 August 1057) was the King of Scotland from 1040 to 1057, succeeding Duncan I of Scotland and preceding Lulach of Scotland.
Biography[]
Macbeth was the son of Duke Findlay of Moray, the grandson of Malcolm II of Scotland, and a cousin to Duncan I of Scotland. In 1031 he submitted to Canute when he came north, but after King Malcolm died and Duncan I became king, Macbeth acted on his ambitions. Duncan was defeated by Northumbria in 1039 and his 1040 invasion failed, and he led a punitive expedition against Macbeth's domain of Moray. Macbeth killed Duncan on 14 August 1040, and he became the new king. Duncan's wife fled Scotland with her sons, the future Malcolm III of Scotland and Donald III of Scotland, and in 1050 Macbeth made a pilgrimage to Rome and gave money to the poor.
During his reign, Macbeth introduced feudalism to Scotland, the first to do so. However, he was faced by resistance from Duncan's son and the Kingdom of England. In 1054, Earl Siward of Northumbria led an invasion of Scotland, leaving 3,000 Scots and 1,500 English dead in a bloody battle. In 1057, Macbeth made his last stand at the Battle of Lumphanan against Malcolm, but he was beheaded in battle by Macduff (Thane of Fife). His stepson Lulach of Scotland reigned for just a few months before Malcolm seized power as "Malcolm III" and killed Lulach.