Duncan I became king of Scotland after the death of his grandfather,
Malcolm II, in 1034, and also held the title king of Strathclyde. Malcolm was the last descendant of the male lineage descended from
Kenneth MacAlpin to hold the kingship, and Duncan ascending to the throne on a claim descending from his mother was highly unusual for the period. Another challenger to the Scottish throne was
Macbeth, who had ruled
Moray since 1032. Macbeth is described as holding the title of
dux, which would later mean a Duke, but at the time was closer to the Roman meaning of a war leader. This would suggest Macbeth was seen as a powerful figure in Scotland, and the isolation of Moray caused by the
Mounth allowed Macbeth and his predecessors as rulers of Moray to exercise a degree of political independence. Attempts by Duncan to reclaim the northerly regions of
Caithness and
Sutherland for Scotland ended in defeat to
Thorfinn, the Earl of Orkney. In 1038 Duncan launched an invasion of England in response to
Eadulf, Earl of Northumbria's attack on
Cumberland the year before. This invasion ended in defeat for Duncan at the siege of Durham. These failures led to discontent in Scotland and opposition to Duncan's rule focused around Macbeth, whose loyalty to Duncan had waned. == Battle ==