General Notes

Alias:<ALIA> FInnlaeic /MacRuaidhri/
REFN: 7421AN
Findlaech MacRory, Mormaer of Moray married Donalda of Alba, daughter of K
enneth II of Alba, King of Scotland.1 He died circa 1004.1
Findlaech MacRory, Mormaer of Moray was also known as Finlay Macror
y. He was also known as Mormay of Moray.
Child of Findlaech MacRory, Mormaer of Moray and Donalda of Alba
Macbeth of Scotland, King of Scotland b. c 1005, d. 15 Aug 1057
Citations
[S11] Alison Weir, Britain's Royal Family: A Complete Genealogy (London, U
.K.: The Bodley Head, 1999), page 175. Hereinafter cited as Britain's Roy
al Family.
Findláech of Moray, or Findláech mac Ruaidrí, was the King or Mormaer of M
oray, ruling from some point before 1014 until his death in 1020.
In the Annals of Ulster and in the Book of Leinster, Findláech is call
ed rí Alban, which meant "King of Scotland" in the Gaelic language. As f
ar as we know from other sources, the only rí Alban of the time was Máel C
oluim mac Cináeda, i.e. Máel Coluim II, so this title can only mean that F
indláech, as ruler of Moray, was understood by many to have been the High-
King of all northern Britain.
However, Findláech's main claim to fame these days is as the father of M
ac Bethad, made famous by William Shakespeare's play Macbeth. Indeed, t
he Irish historian known in Latin as Marianus Scotus calls Macbethad simp
ly MacFindlaeg.
Historians are fairly certain that Findláech was ruling before 1014 becau
se the Orkneyinga Saga records a that before the Battle of Clontarf, Ja
rl Siguðr of Orkney fought a battle with the Scots, who were led by a Ja
rl Finnlekr (i.e. Findláech the Mormaer). An Irish princess called Eith
ne made a banner for Siguðr, which had on it a raven. The saga records th
at Siguðr later brought the banner to Clontarf, where was killed. If we be
lieve this, then Findláech would be ruler quite a bit before 1014.
His death date, as mentioned above, derives from the Annals of Ulster, whi
ch notes s.a. 1020 Finnloech m. Ruaidhri, ri Alban, a suis occisus est, th
at is, that Findláech was killed by his own people. No reason for th
is is given, but the logical thing is to concluDe that his successor, h
is nephew Máel Coluim mac Máil Brigti, had something to do with it. Indee
d, the Annals of Tigernach tell us that the sons of Máel Brigte were respo
nsible; the only sons we know of are Máel Coluim and Gilla Coemgáin, bo
th of whom evidently benefited from the killing, as both succeeded to t
he throne.