Ferchar, Earl of Strathearn

Who is Ferchar, Earl of Strathearn?

Mormaer Ferchar is the second earliest known Mormaer of Strathearn, but as with other Mormaerdoms, this is simply a source problem and in no way means that he actually was the second.

Ferchar, like his predecessor Máel Ísu I, is largely absent from the witness lists of Scottish royal charters, indicating a lack of involvement with the Franco-Gaelic Kings of the Scots. However, after the defeat of the Scottish army at the Battle of the Standard, his father Máel Ísu was required to give a son as a hostage; it is possible, but not certain, that this son was Ferchar.

It is clear that Ferchar was regarded as the most important native Scottish noble of his time, especially during the minority of Donnchad II, Mormaer of Fife. Ferchar is most famous perhaps for leading the so-called Revolt of the Earls, a protest against King Máel Coluim IV's expedition to Toulouse in the entourage of his overlord Henry II of England. King Máel Coluim seems to have believed the revolt to have some justification, as there is no evidence that any retribution was taken against either Ferchar or any of the other six Mormaers involved.

Ferchar married a woman named Ethne. He had three sons, Gille Brigte, Máel Ísu and Christian. The first of these succeeded him to the Mormaerdom.