Donal Blaine of Gwynedd
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In the fictional universe of the Deryni novels of Katherine Kurtz, Donal Blaine Haldane was the twenty-fourth King of Gwynedd, reigning from 1074 to 1095. He was the nineteenth member of the House of Haldane to sit upon the throne of Gwynedd, and the thirteenth consecutive Haldane king since the end of the Festillic Interregnum.
Donal Blaine Aidan Cinhil Haldane was born on May 7, 1030, the firstborn son and heir of King Malcolm Haldane of Gwynedd and his wife, Queen Roisian. At the age of 43, Donal ascended to the throne upon the death of his father, and he was officially crowned King of Gwynedd on April 23, 1074. Much of Donal's reign was spent responding to military threats along Gwynedd's borders, especially in the lands of Meara. In May of 1076, he led an armed force into Meara to locate the Mearan Pretender Judhael III, but the campaign was unsuccessful and Donal returned to Gwynedd a month later. He returned to Meara in 1089, and he succeeded in capturing and executing several rebellious Mearan nobles. While the king was occupied in Meara, the Kingdom of Torenth made several damaging raids into the Duchy of Corwyn. The following year, Donal retaliated by sending an armed force into the Torenthi Duchy of Westmarcke. The raiding party was led by Donal's brother, Duke Richard, and it returned to Gwynedd after several weeks of reprisals. King Donal Blaine II Haldane died on November 14, 1095, at the age of 65. He was succeeded by his firstborn son and heir, Prince Brion Haldane.
Shortly before his death, Donal gave Alaric Morgan, the four-year-old Deryni Duke of Corwyn, the ability to activate Prince Brion's Haldane potential in the future. Although Donal's own Haldane potential required significant development to do this, the exact date and circumstances surrounding the activation of his power are unknown.
[edit] Family
- Married Lady Dulchese du Vezaire on July 18, 1046. (Died May 6, 1078)
- Married Princess Richeldis MacFaolen on September 3, 1080.
- Legitimized natural children with no dynastic rights.
- Cyana (daughter of Lady Bellafane Palffy)
- Desideria (daughter of Baronne Elyse du Mont-Jesus)
- Ferdinand (mother unknown, later Lord Highcastle)
[edit] Sources
- Katherine Kurtz and Robert Reginald, Codex Derynianus, ISBN 0-89370-011-8
| Preceded by Malcolm Haldane |
King of Gwynedd 1074 - 1095 |
Succeeded by Brion Haldane |
