• Born: 954, Scotland
• Married (1): Abt 983, Scotland
• Died: 25 Nov 1034, Glamis, Forfarshire, Scotland
• Buried: Isle Of Iona, Scotland

  Resasrch Notes:

To the Irish annals which recorded his death, Máel Coluim was ard rí Alban, High King of Scotland. In the same way that Brian Bóruma, High King of Ireland, was very far from being the only king in Ireland, Máel Coluim was one of several kings within the geographical boundaries of modern Scotland. His fellow kings included the king of Strathclyde, who ruled much of the south-west, various Norse-Gael kings of the western coasts and the Hebrides and, nearest and most dangerous rivals, the Kings or Mormaers of Moray. To the south, in the kingdom of England, the Earls of Bernicia and Northumbria, whose predecessors as kings of Northumbria had once ruled most of southern Scotland, still controlled large parts of the south-east.

The first reliable report of Máel Coluim's reign is of an invasion of Bernicia, perhaps the customary crech ríg (literally royal prey, a raid by a new king made to demonstrate prowess in war), which involved a siege of Durham. This appears to have resulted in a heavy defeat, by the Northumbrians led by Uchtred, later Earl of Bernicia, which is reported by the Annals of Ulster.

A second war in Bernicia, probably in 1018, was more successful. The Battle of Carham, by the River Tweed, was a victory for the Scots led by Máel Coluim and the men of Strathclyde led by Eógan (Owen the Bald). By this time Earl Uchtred may have been dead, and Eiríkr Hákonarson was appointed Earl of Northumbria by his brother-in-law Canute, although his authority seems to have been limited to the south, the former kingdom of Deira, and he took no action against the Scots so far as is known....

Canute, reports the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, led an army into Scotland on his return from pilgrimage to Rome. The Chronicle dates this to 1031, but there are reasons to suppose that it should be dated to 1027. Burgundian chronicler Rodulfus Glaber recounts the expedition soon afterwards, describing Máel Coluim as "powerful in resources and arms ... very Christian in faith and deed." Ralph claims that peace was made between Máel Coluim and Canute through the intervention of Richard, Duke of Normandy, brother of Queen Emma. Richard died in about 1027 and Rodulfus wrote close in time to the events....