[December 9] Malcolm IV, king of Scots

Malcolm IV, on right, beside his grandsire, David I

Local Name: Máel Coluim mac Eanric
Sobriquet: "The Maiden" (Virgo) or "Canmore (The Great Chief)
Parents: Henry, earl of Huntingdon, and ada de Warenne
Date of Birth: 23 April 1141
House: Dunkeld
Predecessor: David I, king of Scots

Reign: 1153 – 1165
Brief: The first monarch in a short period of instability in Scotland that culminated in the Scottish War of Independence. Malcolm's father, Henry, died unexpectedly in the 1140s leaving his children as the heirs to David I. Malcolm was the oldest of these, who became heir to Scotland at the age of eleven. Two years later, he became king, though his succession was not undisputed. A rival king in Scotland, Somerled, as well as the lord of Galloway and King Henry II of England all contested Malcolm's rise to power. With England, Malcolm claimed the earldom of Northumbria which he gave to his brother, William. These were English fiefs and Malcolm delayed his homage to Henry causing Henry to revoke Cumbria and Northumbria, exchanging them for the earldom of Huntingdon. Further internal feuds dominated most of his reign, especially conflict with Somerled. Malcolm eventually died at the age of twenty-four, possibly due to an unusual disease causing enlarged and deformed bones. The king died unmarried and without heirs, passing the throne to his brother, William.
Date of Death: 9 December 1165

Successor: William I

Other Monarchs Who Died Today:

• Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor (1437)
• Pius IV, pope of Rome (1565)
• Clement IX, pope of Rome (1669)
• Pedro II, king of Portugal (1706)

[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)