Duff

Duff was the King of Scotland from 962 to 967.

History

Duff was the eldest son of Maol Chalvim I, born in 912. When Maol Chalvim died, he placed his widow (and Duff's stepmother), Queen Katharine, in the charge of Duff and his younger brother Kenneth. The rival lord Indulf took advantage of this to take Katharine prisoner while Duff and Kenneth were taking Maol Chalvim's body to Iona for burial, and held her hostage to force them to recognize his usurpation of the Scottish throne. ("The Reach")

In 962, Katharine and her son Prince Malcolm, with help from Robbie, finally freed themselves from Indulf's captivity, and thereby forced him to abdicate in favor of Duff. Duff ruled Scotland well for five years, until Indulf's son Culen returned in 967 and fought against him at the Battle of Gaine. On the first day of the battle, Duff was badly wounded, so much so that he could no longer walk. So on the second day of the battle, he was taken to the field in a horse-litter, so that his presence could at least inspire his fighting-men. Unfortunately, he was treacherously murdered by one of his bearers (who was presumably suborned by Culen). With his death, Culen won the Battle of Gaine, and Duff's family was forced to flee into northern England. ("The Draw", "The Oath", "The Dream")

The father of eight daughters, Duff saw the birth of his only son, Kenneth III of Scotland (997-1005), before his death in 967. ("The Promise")

Characteristics

The Royal Family Tree

Fergus Mór                           Monarch of: Dalriada Scotland England Norway   Hunters in Black                                                                                                                                     Kenneth mac Alpin           Donald mac Alpin                                                                           Aodh           Constantine I                             Constantine II           Donald II                             Indulf           Maol Chalvim I           Queen Katharine                   Richard of Normandy                                                                                                                                                                             Culen   Duff   Kenneth II   Prince Malcolm   Princess Elena   Mary   Aethelred the Unready   Emma of Normandy   Canute   Elfgiva                                                                                                                                                                         Constantine III   Kenneth III   Ruaidri   Maol Chalvim II   Princess Katharine   Tom (Guardian)   Edmund Ironside   Edward the Confessor   Hardicanute   Harold Harefoot                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         Maíl Brigti   Bodhe   Findlaech     Doada   Olith           Bethoc             Árni Arnmódsson                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               Gillecomgain     MacBodhe     Gruoch   Macbeth   Thorfinn   Ingibjorg     Duncan                       William the Conqueror                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             Luach   Paul Thorfinnson   Erlend Thorfinnson       Malcolm Canmore   Margaret   Donalbain               William Rufus                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           Donald Canmore   Donnchad                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         Edward   Edmund   Edelred   Edgar   Alexandair   Dauid   Mary   Edith     Henry I                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               Edward I                                                                                                                                                               Sigurd Magnusson                                                       Robert the Bruce                                                                                                                                 Stuart Canmore, the Renaissance Hunter                                                                                                                                                                       James VI of Scotland I of England                                                                               Angus Canmore                                                                                                                                                           Jackson Canmore           Fiona Canmore                                           Aron Canmore                                           Charles Canmore                                                                     Jason Canmore   Robyn Canmore   John Castaway

Appearances

• "The Gate" (Mentioned Only)
• "The Reach"
• "The Draw"
• "The Oath"
• "The Promise"
• "The Dream"
• "The Pledge" (Mentioned Only)

Real World Background

Duff was an actual King of Scotland, although little is known about him. In real history, he was murdered by the governor of Forres Castle in 967; this murder was used by William Shakespeare as the inspiration for his account as to how Macbeth and Lady Macbeth murdered Duncan in his play Macbeth.

The account in the Gargoyles Universe of Duff going into his final battle in a litter evokes the tale found in both Geoffrey of Monmouth and Sir Thomas Malory of how Uther Pendragon, too ill to fight on foot or ride on a horse, similarly fought the Saxon invaders of Britain at Verulamium (now St. Albans) in a horse litter – though Uther, unlike Duff, was victorious.

See Also

• Duff at Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia
• Once Upon a Time There Were Three Brothers