Uhtred of Galloway


Uhtred mac Fergus was Lord of Galloway from 1161 to 1174, ruling jointly with his brother Gille Brigte (Gilbert). They were sons of Fergus of Galloway; it was believed that they were half brothers, but Duncan of Carrick was addressed as cousin by the English King, as was Uchtred.. Their mother's name is not known for sure, but she must have been one of the many illegitimate daughters of Henry I of England, most likely Elizabeth Fitzroy.

Career

As a boy he was sent as a hostage to the court of King Malcolm IV of Scotland. When his father, Prince Fergus, died in 1161, Uchtred was made co-ruler of Galloway along with Gilla Brigte. They participated in the disastrous invasion of Northumberland under William I of Scotland in 1174. King William was captured, and the Galwegians rebelled, taking the opportunity to slaughter the Normans and English in their land. During this time Uchtred was brutally mutilated, blinded, castrated, and killed by his brother Gille Brigte and Gille Brigte's son, Máel Coluim. Gille Brigte then seized control of the whole of Galloway.

Marriage and children

Uchtred had married Gunhilda, and they were the parents of :
Their descendants became prominent figures in the Scottish Independence">Scotland">Scottish Independence, including their grandson Robert the Bruce.

Gunhilda

Gunhilda of Dunbar was a 12th-century Scottish noblewoman. She married Uhtred, becoming the matriarch of a branch that influenced the Anglo-Norman and Gaelic-Norse frontier of medieval Scotland. Gunhilda was born around 1120 in Dunbar, the daughter of Waltheof of Allerdale — son of Gospatric, Earl of Northumbria — and his wife Sigrid. Gunhilda died on 12 May 1166 in Dunbar.