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Contents 1 Scotland History 1.1 Mediaeval 1.2 Notes 2 Alexander Bur 2.1 Early years 2.2 Background 2.3 Bishop of Moray

[edit] Scotland History

[edit] Mediaeval

Main article: Scotland in the High Middle Ages

The Kingdom of the Picts was the state which eventually became known as "Alba" or "Scotland". The development of "Pictland", according to the historical model developed by Peter Heather, was a natural response to Roman imperialism.^[1] Another view places emphasis on the Battle of Dunnichen, and the reign of Bruide mac Der Ilei (671-693), with another period of consolidation in the reign of Óengus mac Fergusa (732–761).^[2] The Kingdom of the Picts as it was in the early 8th century, when Bede was writing, was largely the same as the kingdom of the Scots in the reign of Alexander (1107–1124). However, by the tenth century, the Pictish kingdom was increasingly dominated by Gaelic culture, which developed a Gaelic conquest myth around the ancestor of the contemporary royal dynasty, Cináed mac Ailpín (Kenneth MacAlpin).^[3]

From a base of territory in eastern Scotland north of the River Forth and south of the River Oykel, the kingdom acquired control of the lands lying to the the north and south. By the 12th century, the kings of Alba had added to their territories the English-speaking land in south-east and attained overlordship of Galloway and Norse-speaking Caithness; by the end of the 13th century, the kingdom had assumed approximately its modern borders. However, processes of cultural and economic change beginning in the twelfth-century ensured Scotland looked very different in the later middle ages. The stimulus for this was the reign of King David I and the so-called Davidian Revolution. After David, the Scottish monarchs are better described as Scoto-Norman than Gaelic, preferring French culture and either modifying Gaelic institutions or replacing them entirely with instituions imported from England and continental Europe. Moreover, the first legally defined towns, called burghs, began in the same era. These institutions further facilitated a process of cultural osmosis, whereby the culture and language of the low-lying and coastal parts of the kingdom's original territory became, like the south-east, English-speaking, while the rest of the country maintained the Gaelic language.^[4]

The death of Alexander III in 1286, followed by the death of his grand-daughter Margaret, Maid of Norway, broke the succession line of Scotland's kings. This led to the intervention of Edward I of England. Edward established John Balliol as a sub-king, but this relationship broke down, leading to an ultimitaly unsuccessful attempt at total takeover by the English crown. This was famously opposed by William Wallace and others, and in the power vacuum Robert de Brus, Earl of Carrick became king. A civil war between the Bruce dynasty and the English-backed Balliols lasted until the middle of the 14th century. Although the Bruce dynasty was successful, David II's lack of an heir allowed his nephew Robert II to come to the throne and establish the Stewart Dynasty.^[5]

[edit] Notes

[edit] Alexander Bur

Alexander Bur

Denomination	Roman Catholic Church
Senior posting
See	Diocese of Moray
Title	Bishop of Moray
Period in office	1174/5 — 1199
Consecration	1175
Predecessor	John de Pilmuir
Successor	William de Spynie
Religious career
Priestly ordination	x 1343
Previous bishoprics	None
Previous post	Archdeacon of Moray
Personal
Date of birth	1320s or 1330s
Place of birth	Aberdeenshire.
Place of death	Spynie Castle, Moray, May 15, 1397

Alexander Bur was a 14th century Scottish cleric.

[edit] Early years

He was probably from somewhere in Aberdeenshire, although that is not certain and is only based on the knowledge that Aberdeenshire is where other people of his name come from in this period.^[6] He entered the service of King David II of Scotland sometime after 1343, perhaps coming to David's exiled court at Château-Gaillard. Although Alexander by this point in time already held prebends in both the bishopric of Aberdeen and the bishopric of Dunkeld (where he also held a canonry ), on that date King David petitioned Pope Clement VI for another canonry in the bishopric of Moray.^[7] Alexander had become a royal clerk had obtained a Licentiate in Canon Law by 1350. By the latter date, upon the death of Adam Penny (or Adam Parry), Archdeacon of Moray, Alexander himself became Archdeacon.^[8]

In the autumn of this year King David II made an expedition into the north, apparently to escape the effects of the Black Death.^[9] However David was also re-establishing his authority in the area, which involved seizing the castle of Kildrummy from its owner, Thomas, Earl of Mar. Soon after David reached Kildrummy, John de Pilmuir, Bishop of Moray, died. So David work to secure the election of his close follower, Alexander Bur, as the successor to Pilmuir. David had moved to secure the episcopal castle at Spynie, and his presence there undoubtedly made sure that the canons carried out the king's will.^[10] Alexander was at Avignon on in late December, 1362, where he is mentioned as "bishop-elect and confirmed" of Moray,^[11] but he was not consecrated by the Pope until March 30, 1363.^[12]

[edit] Background

David's interest in Moray was determined by the events which occurred during his exile and minority. The earldom of Moray had been granted to Thomas Randolph in 1312 as male entail by his father Robert I, and the grant specified that it would revert to the crown upon lack of male issue. The last earl by these specifications was John Randolph, who died in 1346. The absence of the king after the death of John Randolph meant that the king could not not take immediate physical possession. David's uncle Robert Stewart was able to take advantage of this situation and take much of it into his own control. Stewart had become Earl of Atholl in 1342^[13] and Earl of Strathearn in 1357^[14] making him the most powerful magnate in the central highlands and giving him a border on the Moray earldom. Moreover, in 1355 he married Euphemia de Ross, the widow of the dead earl, giving him a potentially legitimate claim to the whole earldom.^[15] Stewart and his ally and son-in-law John of Islay had been encroaching on the the earldom's territory, and by the 1360s Robert had obtained overlordship of Stratha'an, Badenoch and Strathspey, while John made similar incursions into Lochaber. These encroachments would be formally recognized only in the 1370s when Robert himself became King Robert II.^[16]

It was therefore important to David to secure control of the remainder of the earldom, specifically the Moray lowlands. In 1359, David enfiefed the lordship of Urquhart to William, Earl of Sutherland. He had granted all of the earldom within the shire of Inverness to Henry de Grosmont, Duke of Lancaster in 1359.^[17] The remainder of the earldom seems to have been left to the nominal possession of Patrick V, Earl of March, who had married the daughter of the last earl and was coveting a claim to the title for his sons.^[18] It is unclear if David recognized March's claim to even the title of the earldom, and it is notable that David regranted the territory of Gilbert V, Lord of Glencairnie by tailzie.^[19] David was bringing the lessers lords of the old earldom into direct relationship with himself, passing over any intermediate magnate, such as an earl of Moray.^[20] The other main authority in Moray was the bishop. He was both one of the main landowners in the province, and the highest spiritual authority. By securing his own appointment to the newly vacant diocese in 1362/3, David would have been hoping to effectively re-establish the crown's position in the province. It is also clear that the powers of regality enjoyed by the old earls, whereby the earl had total legal authority within his dominions except in regard to treason, were taken away by the king.^[21] The demolition of the old earldom of Moray and the abolition of comital powers of regality cleared the way for the bishop to reassert his authority as a direct dependent on the king.

[edit] Bishop of Moray

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