Malcolm II "the Destroyer" of Scotland (954-1034) was King of Scotland from 1005 to 1034, succeeding Kenneth III and preceding Duncan I.
Biography[]
Malcolm was born in 954, the son of King Kenneth II of Scotland. In 997, he claimed the throne of Scotland after killing Kenneth III of Scotland in battle at Monzievaird in Strathearn, and he defeated a Norwegian invasion within days of his coronation and founded the Bishopric of Mortlach in thanks for his victory. He had his daughters make politically advantageous marriages, with his youngest daughter marrying Earl Sigurd the Stout of Orkneyar. Taking advantage of the Danish conquest of England, Malcolm invaded England and defeated the Angles at the Battle of Carham in 1018 and then acquired Lothian, the lands between Dunbar and the Tweed. In 1027, King Canute of England launched an invasion of Scotland, but Richard of Normandy negotiated a peace between the two men. He died peacefully at Glamis in 1034.