[January 8] Edgar, king of Scots

True Name: Étgar mac Maíl Choluim

Surnamed: "The Valiant"

Parents: Malcolm III, king of Scots, and St. Margaret of England

Date of birth: circa 1074

Royal House: Dunkeld

Predecessor: Duncan II

Reign: 1097 – 1107

Summary: Edgar was not the obvious heir when he first put his claim to the kingship of Scotland in 1095. He claimed the throne following the murder of his half-brother, Duncan II, who claimed the throne against his uncle, Donald III. His elder brother, Edmund, supported Donald which made things much more difficult. Donald and Edmund were finally defeated in 1097 with the help of Edgar's namesake, his uncle Edgar Ætheling, the very brief king of England during the Norman Conquest. 

During his first few years, Edgar appeared to be a pawn of the English court. He payed homage to England and appeared at various festivals in London. When King William II of England died in 1099, Edgar cut ties. Edgar's reign was relatively uneventful. He settled a major border dispute with Norway involving the so-called Kingdom of the Western Isles & Mann, which was a Norwegian fief. He also engaged the Irish High King and gifted him a camel or an elephant, brought to Scotland during the First Crusade. Prior to his death, Edgard named his brother, Alexander, his successor. His youngest brother, David, was given a large land that once constituted the Kingdom of Strathclyde. David, too, would later become king of Scots.

Date of Death: 8 January 1107

Successor: Alexander I, king of Scots

Other Monarchs Who Died Today:

• Jin Huidi, Jin emperor of China (307)
• Clement III, antipope of Rome (1100)
• Celestine III, pope of Rome (1198)
• Albert, margrave of Brandenburg-Kulmbach (1553)
• John George, elector of Brandenburg (1598)
• Joshua A. Norton, self-proclaimed emperor of the United States (1880)