09 December 2022
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Malcolm IV, King of Scotland, died at Jedburgh on 9 December 1165. ...
Malcolm IV, King of Scotland, died on 9 December 1165 at Jedburgh, at the age of 24. Malcolm died with no acknowledged heirs and was succeeded to the throne by his younger brother William.
King Malcolm IV's reign had begun on 24 May 1153 when he inherited the throne from David I. He became known as 'Malcolm the Maiden' because of his religious convictions and was inaugurated at Scone in 1153, at the age of twelve. Throughout his reign, Malcolm was threatened by other claimants to the throne, including King Henry II of England and Fergus, Lord of Galloway.
Before his death, Malcolm's mother had planned to marry him to Constance, a daughter of the Duke of Britanny, but he died before the plans could be advanced. The Annals of Ulster, written after 1165, reported his death thus: 'Máel Coluim Cenn Mór, son of Henry, high king of Scotland, the best Christian that was of the Gaidhil [who dwell] by the sea on the east for almsdeeds, hospitality and piety, died.'
