Máel
Coluim mac Cináeda (Malcolm II)

King of Scotland (Alba), 1005-1034.

Máel Coluim mac Cináeda (Malcolm II) succeeded to the
kingship of Scotland on the death of his kinsman Cináed mac Duib
(Kenneth III) in 1005 according to the official lists of kings
[ESSH 1: 573; KKES 254ff.], but he appears to have ruled only
part of Scotland during most of his reign, in opposition to
leaders from Moray such as Findláech mac Ruadrí (d. 1020,
father of the famous "Macbeth"), and Máel Coluim mac
Máel Brigte (d. 1029), both of whom are also called kings of
Alba (i.e., Scotland) in the Irish annals.

Mother:NN of Leinster.According to Berchan's Prophesy, a
cryptic Scottish king list posing as verse prophesy, the mother
of Malcolm II was a women from Leinster, a statement not
supported elsewhere, but which there is no good reason to doubt
[ESSH 1: 573-4]. She was presumably a member of one of the local
dynasties ruling in Leinster at the time, but no known evidence
would tell us to which of these dynasties she belonged (if any).

Commentary

NN, supposedly a
daughter of Brian
Bóruma, king of Ireland.
There does not appear to be any good evidence that Malcolm
married a daughter of Brian. Consult the page on Brian for
further details.

Possible additional
children:

NN, m. Sigurðr, jarl
of Orkney, d. 23 April 1014. Sigurðr
(Sigurd) is stated to have married a daughter of king Malcolm of
Scotland [OrkS 12 (p. 39)]. Unfortunately, it is not clear
whether the mother of Sigurd's wife was Malcolm II [e.g., Duncan
100, 118; ESSH 1: 510] or his rival Malcolm mac Máel Brigte (d.
1029) [Hudson (1994), 135], who is also called king of Scotland (rí
Alban) in his obituary in the Annals of Tigernach
[AT]. Chronologically, Malcolm II would seem like the more likely
father.

NN.The French historian Rodulfus Glaber, in a
passage mentioning Cnut's invasion of Scotland, states that after
peace was made, a son of Malcolm was received at the baptismal
font by Cnut ["Insuper et Scotorum regem amiciciæ
gratia diligens illiusque filium de sacro baptismatis fonte
excepit." Rodulfus Glaber, ii, 2 (p. 29)]. This son, if
he existed and was still alive at the time of Malcolm's death,
would presumably have been quite young. There is no further trace
of him.

Supposed child (very
unlikely)

NN (mother of Mac Bethad, i.e.,
"Macbeth"). The Chronicle of
Huntingdon (late thirteenth century), under the year 1054, states
that Macbeth was the nepos (ordinarily nephew or
grandson) of Malcolm [ESSH 1: 593, note 3]. If nepos is
interpreted as meaning grandson, and Malcolm is assumed
to be Malcolm II, then that would apparently make Macbeth a
maternal grandson of Malcolm II (since Macbeth's paternal
ancestry is well documented for a couple of generations).
However, since the Chronicle of Huntingdon is not a contemporary
source, and the Malcolm in question appears from context to be
Malcolm III (not a chronologically suitable uncle or grandfather
for Macbeth) rather than Malcom II, it is likely that the
statement of the chronicle is an error.