Mormaer facts for kids
A mormaer was a powerful leader in early medieval Scotland. The word "mormaer" comes from Gaelic. These leaders were like regional rulers, almost as important as the King of Scots himself. You could think of them as similar to an English earl or a European count. In fact, the word "mormaer" is often translated as "earl."
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What's in a Name?
The words mormaer (Gaelic) and earl (Scots) both described the same important position. In Latin, this role was called comes, which means "companion."
We know these words meant the same thing because of people like Ruadrí, Earl of Mar. In a Gaelic document from around 1130, he's called a mormaer. But in a Latin document from the same time, he's called a comes.
Over time, the Scots language became more common in Scotland than Gaelic. Because of this, the word earl started to be used more often than mormaer between the late 1100s and late 1200s. By the later Middle Ages, earl was the main word used in Scotland to mean comes. This change in language didn't mean the job itself changed, just the name people used for it.
The word mormaer might have come from the ancient Pictish language. It was only used for nobles in areas that used to be part of the Kingdom of Alba (an early Scottish kingdom), not in Ireland. Even in the 1400s, Irish writers used mormaer for Scottish earls, but iarla for Irish or English earls.
The second part of mormaer comes from maer, meaning "steward" (someone who manages things). The first part could mean "great" (from Gaelic mór or Pictish már), or "sea" (from Gaelic moro or Pictish mor). So, mormaer could mean either "great steward" or "sea steward."
History of Mormaers
Early Days
The first time we hear about mormaers is in 918, during the Battle of Corbridge. Old records say that the men of the Kingdom of Alba "did not lose a king or mormaer." This shows they were important leaders.
In 976, three more mormaers are mentioned fighting in Ireland. The first mormaer we know by name was Dubacan of Angus. He was a friend of Amlaib, the son of King Causantín II. Dubacan died in the Battle of Brunanburh in 937. Records call him the Mormaer of Angus, which is the first time a mormaer is linked to a specific region. Later, Domnall mac Eimín is called Mormaer of Mar when he died in 1014.
By the 900s, the mormaer was the main leader in each province of the Kingdom of Alba. Their main jobs included leading the army, protecting people, judging theft cases, and collecting taxes (called càin). This money helped them do their work.
Even though the mormaer was the top leader, they didn't have total power. They worked with other important local figures. These included thanes, bishops, and tòiseach (leaders of powerful family groups). At this time, the mormaer job wasn't always passed down from father to son. Sometimes, the most powerful person from the strongest family group in the province became the mormaer.
The Leges inter Brettos et Scottos was a law code from the 900s or 1000s. It listed different social ranks and how much "cro" (payment in cows) was due if someone from that rank was killed. A mormaer was valued at 150 cows. This was less than a king (1,000 cows) but the same as a king's son. A thane was valued at 100 cows. This shows that a mormaer was second only to the King of Scots in rank. It also shows they were closer in status to a thane than to a king. Both mormaer and thane were seen as noble ranks, not just royal officials.
A mormaer didn't necessarily own most of the land in their province. The King owned land, and gave some to other lords or religious groups. A mormaers land could come from their role as mormaer or from being the head of their own family group. In Latin, the mormaers provincia was the large region they led. Their comitatus was the land they directly controlled.
Becoming Earldoms
The role of the mormaer changed a lot in the late 1100s. By the early 1200s, the job became something that was inherited, usually by the eldest son. Their power became mostly limited to a specific area called an "earldom." This earldom was managed like other lords' lands. It wasn't always the same size as the old "province" with the same name.
Also, in the 1200s, the Scots word earl was used more and more instead of the Gaelic word mormaer. This happened as Scots slowly replaced Gaelic as the main language spoken by people.
By 1221, mormaers held their earldom from the King. They usually couldn't enter the land of other lords. The Earl of Fife was an exception, but this right was separate from his role as mormaer.
Because inheritance became more direct (from father to son), the mormaership became more stable. The mormaer's lands, which used to be split between family lands and official lands, became one single "earldom." Land, rather than family connections, became the main source of power. The amount of a province directly controlled by a mormaer could be very different. For example, by 1286, the Earldom of Atholl covered most of Atholl. But the Earldom of Angus covered only a small part of Angus.
Before the 1100s, the first mormaers of each province are not very well known. By the 1100s, mormaer was being called comes in Latin documents. Before the 1100s, there were four old mormaer families: Cataidh/Caithness, Charraig/Carrick, Dunbarra/Dunbar, and Moireabh/Moray. After the 1100s, eight more families became known for having hereditary mormaers.
What a Mormaer Did
A mormaerdom wasn't just any regional lordship. It was a regional lordship with an official rank, like an earl. This is why other powerful lordships, such as those of the lords of Galloway, Argyll, and Innse Gall, were not called mormaerdoms or earldoms.
List of Mormaers
This list does not include Orkney. Orkney was a Norwegian Earldom and became part of Scotland much later, in the 1400s. Sutherland could be included, but it was created quite late (around 1230) for a family that might have been foreign (see Earl of Sutherland).
- Mormaerdom of Angus
- Mormaerdom of Atholl
- Mormaerdom of Buchan
- Mormaerdom of Caithness, See Earl of Orkney
- For Mormaerdom of Carrick, See Earl of Carrick
- For the Anglo-Scottish Mormaerdom of Dunbar/Lothian, See Earl of Dunbar
- Mormaerdom of Fife
- Mormaerdom of Lennox
- Mormaerdom of Mar
- ? Mormaerdom of Mearns
- Mormaerdom of Menteith
- Mormaerdom/Kingdom of Moray
- Mormaerdom of Ross
- Mormaerdom of Strathearn
