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Duncan I (Donnchad mac Crínáin) (1001 - August 15, 1040) was a son of Crinan the Thane de Mormaer, lay abbot of Dunkeld, and Princess Bethoc of Scotland. He became King of the Scots in succession to his maternal grandfather Malcolm II in 1034, having previously ruled as rex Cumbrorum in Strathclyde. His accession is said to be "the first example of inheritance of the Scottish throne in the direct line".
Duncan was known as "Duncan The Gracious", a title that was not entirely complimentary. His uncaring approach to matters of state made him unpopular both with his subjects and the nobility. Not a strong ruler, he is chiefly known today through his connection with Macbeth, which has been immortalized by Shakespeare. The feud between these two princes originated probably in a dispute over the succession to the throne; its details, however, are obscure, and the only fact which can be stated with any certainty is that Duncan was slain in battle by Macbeth, near Elgin in Morayshire on August 15, 1040.
In 1039, Duncan marched south to besiege Durham, but was defeated with heavy losses. He also attempted to seize control of Moray, but was twice defeated by the Earl of Orkney's son, Thorfinn, before being killed in battle. He was killed at Bothnguane and buried at Iona.
Details of Duncan's marital life are a matter of debate among historians. The Scottish Regnal List I calls her Suthen, and John of Fordun calls her a kinswoman of Siward Biornsson, Earl of Northumbria. The United Kingdom's official History of the Monarchy states that she was Siward's cousin.
Two of Duncan's sons, Malcolm III Canmore and Donald Bane, were afterwards kings of the Scots.

Donnchad — Biornsdottir, Rí Na H'alba Suthen Sibylla. [Group Sheet]

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Crinan the Thane de Mormaer (Earl) of Dunkeld, born 978 at Atholl, Perth, Scotland, killed in battle in 1045 at Dunkeld, Tayside, Scotland. Crinan held numerous titles, among which were Of the kin of St. Columba, Lord of the Isles, Governor of Scots Island, Earl of Strathclyde, and Hereditary Lay Abbot of Dunkeld.
Crinan was married to Princess Bethoc, eldest daughter of King Malcolm II of Scotland. As Malcolm II had no son, the strongest hereditary claim to the Scottish throne descended through Bethoc, and Crinan's eldest son Duncan I (1001 to 1040), became King of Scots in 1034. Some sources indicate that Malcolm II designated Duncan as his successor under the rules of tanistry because there were other possible claimants to the throne.
Crinan's second son, Maldred of Allerdale (b. 1005), held the title of Earl- Lord Carlisle. It is said that from him, the Earls of Dunbar, for example the 2nd Earl of March and Dunbar, descend in unbroken male line.
Crinan as Lay Abbot of Dunkeld
The Culdee Monastery of Saint Columba was founded on the north bank of the River Tay in the sixth or early seventh century following the expedition of Columba into the land of Alba. Originally constructed as a simple group of wattle huts, the monastery was rebuilt in the ninth century by Kenneth MacAlpine in reddish sandstone masonry. Kenneth gave Dunkeld the Primacy of Columban faith in Alba.
While the title of Hereditary Lay Abbot was a feudal position that was often exercised in name only, Crinan does seem to have acted as Abbot in charge of the monastery in his time. He was thus a man of high position in both clerical and secular society.
The magnificent semi-ruined Dunkeld Cathedral, built in stages between 1260 and 1501, stands today on the grounds once occupied by the monastery. The cathedral contains the only surviving remains of the previous monastic society: A course of red stone that is visible in one wall, and a few relics in the cathedral's small but delightful museum.

Crínán — ingen Maíl Coluim meic Cináeda, Princess of Scotland Bethóc. Bethóc (daughter of mac Cináeda, Rí Alban / Rex Scotiae Máel Coluim) was born 984, Atholl, Perthshire, Scotland; died Abt 1045, Atholl, Perth, Scotland. [Group Sheet]

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Malcolm II of Scotland (Máel Coluim mac Cináeda) (c. 954 - November 25, 1034) was King of Scotland (Alba) from 1005 to 1034. He was the son of King Kenneth II and first cousin of his predecessor, King Kenneth III (Cináed mac Duib), who was murdered by Malcolm at the Battle of Monzievaird in 1005. He was the last king of the House of Alpin.
His rule was contested for ten years during the reign of Kenneth III but Malcolm finally gained the throne after Kenneth's death. It appears that he only ruled part of Scotland during his reign, in opposition to leaders from Moray such as Findláech mac Ruadrí (d. 1020, probably father of Macbeth), and Máel Coluim mac Máel Brigte (d. 1029), both of whom were also called kings of Alba (and therefore Scotland) in the Irish annals, though neither are called kings of Scotland in modern texts. In 1006, Malcolm was defeated by Northumbrian forces at Durham. The English then became preoccupied with the Danish allowing Malcolm to march south, avenging the loss at Durham by winning the Battle of Carham against the Anglo-Saxons in 1018 and, thereby, regaining Lothian. Thirteen years later, however, Canute, king of England, Denmark, and Norway, travelled to Scotland. What happened is lost to time, but claims that Malcolm submitted to Canute seem very unlikely. However, Canute seems to have recognised Malcolm's possession of Lothian.
In the west, Malcolm made an alliance with King Owen the Bald of Strathclyde and together they defeated King Canute at the Battle of Carham in 1018. At the same time, the marriage of his daughter to Sigurd the Stout, Norse Earl of Orkney, extended Malcolm's influence to the far north. He battled to expand his kingdom, gaining land down to the River Tweed and in Strathclyde. When King Owen died without an heir, Malcolm claimed Strathclyde for his grandson, Duncan. This caused dissent throughout the kingdom of Strathclyde which resulted in Malcolm's murder at Glamis in 1034. He was buried on the Isle of Iona shortly after.
As the last of the House of Alpin, he did not have any sons to succeed him. He, therefore, arranged good marriages for his daughters. One daughter married Earl Sigurd of Orkney and their son Thorfinn brought the lands of Caithness and Sutherland under the control of the King of Alba. His elder daughter, Bethoc, married the Abbot of Dunkeld and their son became Duncan I(c.1010-1040), who succeeded Malcolm upon his death in 1034.
After Malcolm II's reign, Scottish succession changed to be based on the principle of direct descent. (Previously, succession was determined by tanistry - during a king's lifetime an heir was chosen and known as tanaiste rig - 'second to the king'.)