Scottish royal marriages and marriage alliances from David I to Alexander III

Abstract

This thesis consists of five chapters embodying research on Scottish royal marriages and marriage alliances from the marriage of King David I and Matilda de Senlis in 1113 or 1114 to the marriage of King Alexander III to Yolande of Dreux in 1285.

Chapter One, 'The Beginning of the Norman Tide', discusses the marriage of David to Matilda and the marriage of Henry, David's son, to Ada de Warenne. The chapter pays particular attention to the contributions these marriages made to the Normanisation of Scotland and the relationship of the Scottish king to the king of England concerning the lands acquired by David through his marriage to Matilda.

Chapter Two, 'In Pursuit of Honour', describes the efforts by David's grandsons, Malcolm IN and William, to preserve Scottish honour against the great King Henry II of England. The chapter focuses on Malcolm's use of continental marriage alliances for his sisters and William's frustrated and diverse attempts to acquire and hold, lands which the Scottish kings long coveted.

Chapter Three, 'Foreign Intrigues and the Beginning of the Golden Age,' continues the examination of Scotland's continental marriage connections while describing the series of events leading up to the marriages of Alexander II's sisters. In particular, this chapter attempts to show how Alexander II used continental marriage alliances to strengthen himself and preserve his kingdom in the face of adversity.

The fourth chapter, 'Wyne, wax, Gamyn, and Gle', is an attempt to sort out the confusing events of Alexander Ill's minority and show how Henry III used the marriage of his daughter Margaret to Alexander III to project himself into Scottish affairs.

The fifth and final chapter, 'From Gold into Lead', is a study of the marriages of Margaret, daughter of Alexander III, to King Eric II of Norway; Alexander, the heir apparent, to Marguerite, the daughter of the count of Flanders; and Alexander Ill's second marriage to Yolande of Dreux. This chapter shows how dramatically the fortunes of a prosperous, blossoming medieval kingdom were changed in a series of unlooked-for tragedies.