On this day in 1040 AD, Macbeth's army killed Scots King Duncan I. Macbeth held the Scottish throne for the next 17 years.
Duncan—known in Scots Celtic as Donnchadh mac Crìonain—is represented in Shakespeare's tragic play, Macbeth (1606), as an older man. In fact, King Duncan (1001-1040) was crowned at 33 and died at the tender age of 39. He did have at least two sons, both of whom also appear in the play: Máel Coluim Mac Donnchadh (Malcolm) and Domnall Bán (Donalbain). Macbeth was cousin to King Duncan and a duke, as well.
In 1939, the year before his death, Duncan lead a disastrous southward invasion against Durham (home of Billy Elliott) in England. The next year, he attempted a northerly invasion into Moray, Macbeth's dukedom. It was here that Malcolm met his end.
King Duncan is thought to have been buried initially in Elgin, Moray (the royal burgh where he died). Later, his remains were moved to the island of Iona, part of the Inner Hebrides, off the Western coast of Scotland. This highly-mystical spot, where Irish missionary Saint Columba (521-597 AD) founded an abbey, is one of the oldest Christian centers in Europe—and the traditional burial spot of Scottish kings. Macbeth is buried here, too.
The Scottish striped agate brooch, shown above, was made on the mystical island of Iona. The domed stone—the Scots really love their stones—is set into a Nouveau-inspired, scrolling botanical silver setting. After being fashioned in Iona, it was taken to the assay office in Edinburgh where it was hallmarked (1962). Click on the photo above to learn more about it.
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