King Alexander 1

Born in Dunfermline, Alexander was the fifth son of King Malcolm III Canmore and his wife Queen Margaret. He succeeded to the throne on the death of his brother Edgar in 1107, but following Edgar's instructions, Alexander allowed David, his younger brother and heir, to rule Southern Scotland; Strathclyde, Teviotdale and Lothian south of Lammermuir.

He was obviously the owner of a fierce and resolute nature, and was known as both 'the strong', and 'the fierce'. A devout patron of the church, he revived the see of Dunkeld, established an Augustinian priory at Scone, and an abbey on the island of Inchcolm in the Firth of Forth. Legend has it that Alexander was marooned there by bad weather in 1123; a hermit looked after him, and Alexander swore to build an abbey on the island. When the Archbishop of York had his beady eyes on the bishopric of St Andrews, Alexander was there to defend it against the English.

He married Sibylla, the illegitimate daughter of Henry I of England but had no legitimate children. He died in April 1124 at Stirling, and was buried in Dunfermline's Abbey Church.

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