Fergus versus Scotland

(The illustration is a sketch of Cruggleton Castle, an important Galloway fortress which now is more accurately called a pile of rock than even an "historical ruin.")

The Lords of Galloway in southwestern Scotland seem to have looked more toward the Isles of the west and north coasts as friends and allies more than the inland kingdoms. Such seems to have been the case with Fergus of Galloway, who married his daughter Affraic to Óláfr Guðrøðarson, King of the Isles. Óláfr had seen a vicious power struggle among his brothers when their father died, and (like David I of Scotland) was taken in by Henry I of England. Sometime between 1112 and 1115, Henry established Óláfr on the throne of the Isles  (which encompassed the Isle of Mann, the Inner Hebrides, the Outer Hebrides, the Orkneys, and the Shetlands).

Óláfr was assassinated by three nephews, and his and Affraic's son, Guðrøðr Óláfsson, might have expected help from Guðrøðr's grandfather Fergus, but before Fergus could send any help, Galloway was attacked. Fergus had a good relationship with David I, supporting him in the (disastrous for them) Battle of the Standard, but David's grandson, Malcolm IV (David's son and Malcolm's father, Henry Earl of Huntingdon had died from illness), did not feel the same. Malcolm was born in 1141, and so was only 19 when he launched three campaigns against Galloway. Had Fergus been encroaching on Scottish territory, or did Malcolm simply want to expand? We'll never know.

Fergus was forced to retire to Holyrood Abbey in Edinburgh, founded in 1128 by David I and the recipient of largesse from Fergus himself in happier days. Fergus died 12 May 1161, and was interred at Holyrood. His lordship was divided between his sons, Uhtred and Gille Brigte (after they fought each other, as often happens among royal siblings).

As I mentioned yesterday, Fergus "lived on" in a different way. His name seems to have become unexpectedly attached to the Arthurian Cycle. Even more unexpectedly, a bad translation of it is considered a Dutch classic. Tomorrow we take a literary trip into the Roman de Fergus.

Fergus of Galloway

In yesterday's post about St. Ninian, I suggested that the biography of him written 700 years later by Aelred of Rievaulx may have had a political origin. To explain that, we have to talk about Fergus of Galloway.

An 1136 charter by King David I of Scotland includes as a witness Fergus of Galloway. This is our first reference to him. In the early Middle Ages, Galloway would have been a "sub-kingdom" in southwest Scotland, and a king of Scotland like David would have been seen as a "first among equals" like the high-king in Ireland. Over time, these sub-kings were designated as hereditary lords. The dynasty of Fergus lasted from his time until 1234.

Digging into contemporary documents, it appears that he may have been married to an illegitimate daughter of King Henry I of England, Elizabeth Fitzroy. (By some counts, Henry had two dozen illegitimate children.) Fergus had three children: Uhtred, Gilla Brigte, and a daughter Affraic. The chronicler Roger de Hoveden refers to Uhtred as a cousin of Henry's son Henry II. Fergus' second son, Gilla Brigte, had a son who was referred to as a kinsman of Henry II and his son, King John. In other marriage news, Fergus married Affraic to with Óláfr Guðrøðarson, King of the Isles (the Isle of Mann, the Inner Hebrides, the Outer Hebrides, the Orkneys and the Shetlands). Their son, Guðrøðr Óláfsson, became King of Dublin and the Isles. A 12th-century monk and chronicler, Robert de Torigni, claimed that Guðrøðr was related to Henry II.

The Fergus dynasty was very supportive of Augustinians, Benedictines, Cistercians, and Premonstratensians (a strict order founded by a friend of Bernard of Clairvaux, Norbert of Xanten). In one case, records state that Fergus founded a Premonstratensian house at Whithorn. Supposedly, St. Ninian had started the diocese of Whithorn, but it had lapsed, to be revived in 1128. Other records suggest that Fergus founded an Augustinian house that was later converted to Premonstratensian by Christian, the second bishop of the revived Whithorn diocese.

Fergus' extensive support of monasteries and orders has caused some head-scratching to determine the cause. Did he simply want to mirror what other, more-powerful lords did in their realms? Or was there some other underlying purpose. As it turns out, the greatest atrocities during the Battle of the Standard in 1138 were (according to chroniclers) committed by Gallovidian soldiers supporting King David's attempt to capture more territory. It seems likely that Fergus's religious generosity may have had a penitential flavor. Is it possible that the Life of Saint Ninian by Aelred of Rievaulx was a royal request in exchange for a gift to Rievaulx Abbey? Royal patronage is not an unlikely answer. The fact that a biography of a saint who originally founded Whithorn and performed miracles would bring attention and fame to a location within the bounds of Fergus' realm was simply a happy bonus.

For all his publicly expressed piety, however Fergus did not have a happy end. I'll tell you about that tomorrow. The next time after that, however, we will see how the facts of your life don't matter if someone decides afterward that you'd make a good story. See you soon.