Saint Macbeth! Shakespeare Got It Wrong - Again!

Everybody knows the story of Macbeth. Once upon a time there was a brave Scottish general called Macbeth who, together with his best friend, Banquo, beat the Norweyans. On their way home they were accosted by three witches who promised among other things, that Macbeth would one day become king. At home in his castle, he tells this to Mrs. Macbeth and soon after he kills the "gracious and meek" King Duncan and takes over the throne. 

However, things don't go as planned. Many of Macbeth's Scottish lords suspecting what happened, desert him and join the English enemy instead. In the end, Duncan's son, Malcolm, together with many disaffected Scottish lords and the English army march on Macbeth's castle at Dunsinane. In the ensuing battle, Macbeth, "with his black and deep desires" is beheaded by Malcolm's friend, Macduff, and Malcolm becomes king - all as the three witches promised Macbeth at the beginning. 

But the above version is what happened according to our William. It is nowhere near the truth. Here is what really happened.

Macbeth, a Scottish noble, was born in c.1005. In 1032 he married Lady Gruoch who became Lady Macbeth. This lady had already been married but her first husband, Gille Coemgain, had been killed in battle. She was left with his son, Lulach. It was through his wife that Macbeth had a legal claim to the Scottish throne.

The ruling king at the time, Duncan was killed in battle at Pitgaveny in 1040, (not murdered in bed,) and Macbeth was democratically elected by his fellow lords and thanes to be their next king. Duncan's two very young sons, Malcolm and Donalbain, were then taken to England. Not a coup d'etat in sight. 


Macbeth was in fact a very good and strong ruler. He was so sure of his throne that in 1050, he left Scotland to pay a visit to Pope Leo IX in Rome. While he was there, the chronicles of the time recorded that he scattered money and presents "like seed" before returning home to take up his rule once again. (Does this sound like Shakespeare's Macbeth?) He continued ruling peacefully for another four years and then his troubles started.

Macbeth's Castle? (Picture in Lumphanan pub)

By now, Malcolm was twenty-three years old and wished to succeed his dead father. He was supported by the English king, Edward the Confessor, and a battle was fought out in the open (no woods around) probably east of Dundee on 27 July 1054. In this battle, Malcolm did gain some ground but Macbeth continued to rule despite a civil war for another three years.

The remains of Macbeth's castle at Lumphahan today

Finally, Malcolm's army, again supported by the English and certain Scottish tribes, fought Macbeth's forces at Lumphanan. (This is a wee village some twenty miles west of Aberdeen (and nowhere near Dunsinane). Macbeth was killed and his body was buried at Iona, a small island off the west coast of Scotland. Lady Macbeth's son, Lulach then became king, but reigned for only one year before being usurped by Malcolm who became Malcolm III, or Malcolm Canmore (Bighead).  

The only obvious evidence that Macbeth was here in Lumphanan

Next time we will go into the whys and wherefores how and why   Shakespeare chose to write this play this way. But whatever the reasons were, we can see that even though our William was a brilliant dramatist and "Macbeth" is easily my favourite play, the Bard was a lousy historian!

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