, seat of the Earls of Fife
Mormaer of Fife The
mormaers of Fife, by the 12th century, had established themselves as the highest ranking
native nobles in
Scotland. The earliest certain mormaer of Fife was
Causantín or Constantine (). The mormaers frequently held the office of
Justiciar of Scotia highest
brithem in the land - and enjoyed the right of crowning the
kings of the Scots. The Mormaer's function, as with other medieval Scottish lordships, was partly kin-based. Hence, in 1385, the earl of Fife, seen as the successor of the same lordship, is called ('Lord of the Law of the Children of Macduff'), and was often but not always also the chief of
Clan MacDuff. The first earl, proper, was
Alexander Scrymgeour (died 1306). Alexander served under
William Wallace and
Robert the Bruce. He was the official and hereditary banner bearer for the king and was awarded title of earl and the demesne of Fife for services rendered. The lordship existed in the Middle Ages until its last earl,
Murdoch (
Muireadhach),
Duke of Albany, was executed by
James I of Scotland.
Chief of Clan Macduff The deputy or complementary position to mormaer or earl of Fife was leadership as Chief (
ceann) of
Clan MacDuff (
clann meic Duibh). There is little doubt that the style MacDuib, or Macduff, derives from the name of King
Cináed III mac Duib, and ultimately from this man's father, King
Dub (d. 966). Compare, for instance, that
Domhnall, Lord of the Isles, signed a charter in 1408 as
MacDomhnaill. The descendants of Cináed III adopted the name in the same way that the descendants of
Brian Bóruma mac Cennétig called themselves
Uí Briain, although it does seem that at least initially
MacDuff was a style reserved for the man who held the Mormaership of Fife. The
chieftaincy of the
clan was not always held by the mormaer, especially after the mormaerdom became subject to the laws of feudal primogeniture in the reign of
Donnchadh I. For example, at the
Battle of Falkirk, it is the head of the clan who led the men of Fife, rather than the Mormaer.
End of Macduff line The Macduff line continued without interruption until the time of
Isabella, the only child of
Donnchad (Duncan) IV, Earl of Fife, and his wife Mary de Monthermer. She succeeded her father as
suo jure Countess of Fife on his death in 1358, making her one of the most eligible maidens in Scotland. She married four times, but all her husbands died within a few years of their marriage. In 1371 she was persuaded to name
Robert Stewart, Earl of Menteith (later Duke of Albany) as her heir, who was her brother-in-law by her second marriage to
Walter Stewart. He thus succeeded her as twelfth Earl of Fife on her death in 1389. Duke Robert was succeeded as Duke of Albany, Earl of Fife, etc. by his son
Murdoch in 1420. Duke Murdoch was forfeited and executed in 1425, due to his father's part in the death of Prince David, Duke of Rothesay. Thus the earldom of Fife came to an end. ==Coat of arms==