Donnhad (Duncan) III ( born Donnchadh III, Earl of Fife ; c. 1262 - September 1289) - Celtic Earl (Mormair) of Fife in 1270/1272 - 1289.
| Donnhad (Duncan) III | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| English Donnchadh III, Earl of Fife | |||||||
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| Predecessor | Kolban | ||||||
| Successor | Donnhad IV | ||||||
| Birth | circa 1262 Fife , Scotland | ||||||
| Death | September 1289 Pittilock , Fife , Scotland | ||||||
| Burial place | Kuparsky Abbey | ||||||
| Kind | Earls of Fife | ||||||
| Father | Kolban | ||||||
| Mother | Anna Dorward | ||||||
| Spouse | Joanna de claire | ||||||
| Children | Donnhad IV McDuff Isabella McDuff | ||||||
Biography
Representative of the Celtic clan of the Mormeers (counts) of Fife . The son of Mormair Fife Kolban , who ruled from 1266 to 1270/1272 , and Anna, daughter of Alan Dorward .
In 1270/1272, after the death of his father Kolban, the eight-year-old Donnhad inherited the title of Mormair Fife. The minor Donnhad was placed under the guardianship of Prince Alexander (1264–1284), the eldest son and heir to the King of Scotland, Alexander III .
In 1284, Donnhad III, Earl of Fife, along with other Scottish lords recognized Princess Margaret of the Virgin of Norway (1283–1290) as the heiress of her grandfather, King of Scotland Alexander III . In April 1286, after the death of King Alexander III , who did not leave male heirs, Count Fife Fond Donnhad was elected one of the six guardians (regents) of the kingdom at a meeting of the nobility. In view of the youth and inexperience of Donnhad III, his appointment was undoubtedly a tribute to the traditionally predominant influence of the McDuff clan among the nobility in Scotland.
In September 1289, Donnhad III, the Mormair of Fife, was killed in Pittilock , in the vicinity of Brickin , by his neighbor and relative, Sir Hugh Abernathy, a descendant of Aed McDuff, a sheriff and adviser to King Alexander III . He was buried in Kuparsky Abbey in the county of Angus .
After the death of Donnhad III, he was succeeded by his only son Donnhad IV (until 1289-1353). The county came under the care of William Fraser, Bishop of St. Andrews . In 1292, a certain McDuff, the head of the McDuff clan and the uncle of the late Duncan III, who claimed the title of Mormair , filed a complaint with King Edward I , who then ruled the Kingdom of Scotland, against Bishop William Fraser, who ruled Fife County. Bishop of St. Andrews , a former close adviser to the future king of Scotland, John Balliol , at the parliament meeting after joining the throne of John Balliol, arrested and imprisoned McDuff.
Family
Donnhad III, Count of Fife, was married to Joanna de Claire (1264 - after 1302), the second daughter of Gilbert de Claire, 7th Earl of Gloucester (1243–1295), and his first wife Alice de Lusignan (after 1236–1290). He had a son and a daughter:
- Donnhad IV McDuff, Earl of Fife (d. 1353)
- Isabella McDuff (c. 1270 - c. 1314), wife of John Comin, Earl of Buchan (1260-1308).
Sources
- Bannerman, John, "MacDuff of Fife," in A. Grant & K. Stringer (eds.) Medieval Scotland: Crown, Lordship and Community, Essays Presented to GWS Barrow, (Edinburgh, 1993), pp. 20-38
- Barrow, GWS, Robert Bruce and the Community of the Realm of Scotland, (Edinburgh, 1988)
- Andrew McDonald "Duncan (III) Macduff, eighth erl of Fife (c. 1262-1289) dans Macduff family, earls of Fife (per. C. 1095-1371)", Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004.