Maol Chalvim II

Maol Chalvim II in 995

Kenneth II (holding an infant Constantine III), Maol Chalvim II, and Kenneth III in 971

Maol Chalvim II was King Kenneth II's son, and later on King of Scotland from 1005 to 1034.

History

Maol Chalvim was born in 962. During the reign of King Duff, he was the only male heir of the Three Brothers, with the King at the time fifty-five years old with eight daughters. It was with these circumstances that five year-old Maol Chalvim was told that one day his father would be King, which quite pleased the prince. But these sentiments were shortly interrupted that same year when news broke that the King's ninth child had been born – the boy and future King Kenneth III. The young prince still believed he would one day be King. ("The Promise")

When he was nine, Maol Chalvim would be playing with his cousin Kenneth, proclaiming himself as the "True King of Scotland!" Following Kenneth II's coronation, he rolled his eyes at the proclamation that Culen's son Constantine would be raised in court. ("The Reach", "The Promise")

By 995, he was much more aware of Constantine's true nature than was his father. After Kenneth's murder, Maol Chalvim was forced to flee the court to stay out of Constantine's reach. Two years later, he fought alongside a TimeDancing Brooklyn and Findlaech of Castle Moray, and he helped his cousin Kenneth overthrow Constantine, winning the crown as Kenneth III. ("Avalon" Part One, "The Gate", "Tyrants", "Phoenix")

Eight years later, in 1005, Maol Chalvim overthrew him in turn to become King of Scotland as Maol Chalvim II. [1][2] He had three daughters, who each married a powerful lord; two of these daughters were the mothers of Duncan and Macbeth, by which they both had claims to the Scottish throne. [3] Maol Chalvim favored Duncan and, by 1020, had invested considerable authority into his grandson (who by this point may also have "incapacitated" Maol Chalvim to some degree). [4][5] Before his death, he ordered the death of MacBodhe, which his grandson Duncan may have participated in. [6]

Appearances

• "Avalon" Part One (First Appearance)
• "The Gate"
• "Tyrants"
• "Phoenix"
• "The Reach"
• "The Oath" (No Lines)
• "The Promise"
• "The Pledge" (No Lines)

Real World Background

The royal family's family tree

Maol Chalvim II, also known as Malcolm II, was a real Scottish king, and a strong one. He was given the Gaelic epithet Forranach, meaning "The Destroyer". [7] He was particularly noted for extending the boundaries of Scotland southwards and consolidating his rule over it, being the first monarch to reign over boundaries equivalent to modern day Scotland. His history went pretty much the same way as that of his Gargoyles counterpart. He died in 1034 at a place near Glamis called Hunter's Hill (apparently a hunting lodge). [8][9] The Prophecy of Berchán (a poem chronicling the era credited to an Irish abbot) suggests he died violently at the hands of the sons of Maíl Brigti of Moray. [10]

Production Background

Voice Actor: Jeff Bennett

When writing the character, Greg Weisman chose the Scottish Gaelic rendering of his name to avoid confusion with the character Prince Malcolm and his historical great-grandson Canmore (known by the regal name Malcolm III). [11] A young Maol Chalvim featured as a minor character in the prose story "Once Upon A Time There Were Three Brothers...", first published on Ask Greg in 1997 before it was adapted for Gargoyles: Dark Ages in 2023.

See Also

• Maol Chalvim II at Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia