Fergus OF GALLOWAY (1080, bur.1161)

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Fergus OF GALLOWAY was born in 1080 in Carrick, Ayrshire, Scotland. He died in Holyrood Abbey, Edinburgh, Edinburghshire, Scotland. He was buried on 12 May 1161 in Holyrood Abbey. He married Elizabeth FITZROY.

Fergus of Galloway was the ruler of the Kingdom of Galloway. Galloway is located in the southwest of Scotland. Galloway was a combination of Irish, Scottish, Scandinavian and English. Fergus was called variously: King of Galloway, Lord of Galloway, Prince of Galloway, and Princeps of Galloway. At the end of his reign, Galloway was absorbed into Scotland. His sons continued to rule their sections of Galloway but were sub-lords under the King of Scotland.

The parentage of Fergus is not known, it is believed that he was of Norse-Gaelic ancestry and that his family was the most powerful in the region.

Fergus married an illegitimate daughter of Henry I, King of England, Elizabeth Fitzroy (also known as Elizabeth FitzHenry). Fergus and Elizabeth had 3 children:

- Affraic, only known daughter, married Olaf the Red (Olaf Gofredson/Olaf Gofradsson)

- Uchtred, joint ruler of Galloway from 1161 to 1174 with his brother; murdered in 1174

- Gilla Brigte, joint ruler of Galloway from 1161 to 1174, then sole ruler until his death in 1185; responsible for the death of his brother Uchtred.

Throughout Fergus' rule, he formed alliances and balanced control of his region between England and Scotland. Fergus' marriage to a daughter of King Henry of England was part of this balancing act, as was the marriage of his daughter Affraic to Olaf the Red. After King Henry's death, Galloway's position became more precarious, with David of Scotland seeking to strengthen his hold on the entire region and in opposition to Stephen of Blois who took the throne of England after Henry. Malcolm IV came into power in Scotland in 1153, for a time his attention was focused on England but in 1160 he launched 3 military expeditions into Galloway. The Gallovidians mounted a strong resistance but by year's end, Galloway was under the control of Scotland.

Fergus and his family were all strong ecclesiastical patrons, working with the Augustinians and the Benedictines.

Fergus was forced to retire to Holyrood Abbey and become a monk. Malcolm IV took Fergus's son Uchtred as a royal hostage. Within a year, Fergus died at Holyrood on May 12, 1161. Galloway was split under the joint rulership of Fergus's two sons, Uchtred and Gille Brigte.

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Fergus forged a marital alliance with Óláfr Guðrøðarson, King of the Isles through the marriage of the latter to Fergus' daughter, Affraic. As a consequence of this union, the leading branch of the Crovan dynasty descended from Fergus. When Óláfr was assassinated by a rival branch of the dynasty, Galloway itself was attacked before Fergus' grandson, Guðrøðr Óláfsson, was able to seize control of the Isles. Both Fergus and his grandson appear to have overseen military operations in Ireland, before the latter was overthrown by Somairle mac Gilla Brigte, Lord of Argyll. The fact that there is no record of Fergus lending Guðrøðr support against Somairle could be evidence of a slackening of Fergus' authority. Contemporary sources certainly report that Galloway was wracked by inter-dynastic strife during the decade.

Fergus' fall from power came in 1160, after Malcolm IV, King of Scotland settled a dispute amongst his leading magnates and launched three military campaigns into Galloway. The reasons for the Scottish invasion are unknown. On one hand, it is possible that Fergus had precipitated events by preying upon Scottish territories. In the aftermath of the attack, the king came to terms with Somairle which could be evidence that he had either been allied with Fergus against the Scots or that he had aided in Fergus' destruction. Whatever the case, Fergus himself was driven from power and forced to retire to the abbey of Holyrood. He died the next year. The Lordship of Galloway appears to have been partitioned between his sons, Gilla Brigte and Uhtred, and Scottish influence further penetrated into Galloway.

Elizabeth FITZROY, daughter of Henry BEAUCLERC King of England Plantagenet I King of England Plantagenet I (c. 1068-1135), was born in 1095 in Talbey, Yorkshire, England. She died on 12 May 1166 in Edinburgh Castle, Scotland. She was buried in May 1166 in Holyrood Abbey, Midlothian, Scotland. She and Fergus OF GALLOWAY had the following children: