Treaty of Abernethy

The Treaty of Abernethy was signed at the Scottish village of Abernethy in 1072 where king Malcolm III of Scotland paid homage to William the Conqueror, acknowledging William as his feudal overlord. The exact terms of the Treaty of Abernethy are unknown, as no copy has survived.

After the Norman conquest of England in 1066, the Scottish king Malcolm III repeatedly invaded northern England in an attempt to take advantage of the unrest and increase his realm. In 1072, William counter-attacked with a full-scale invasion of southern Scotland. Pursuing the retreating Malcolm to Abernethy and forced him to sign a peace treaty where Malcolm to become a vassal to his rival. A response to the harsh reality that the armed forces of Malcolm had met their match. One of the conditions of the agreement was the expulsion of Edgar Ætheling from the Scottish court. The offering of Duncan, his eldest son, as a hostage was probably another term of the treaty. In return for swearing allegiance to William, Malcolm was to be given estates in Cumbria.

The peace secured by the treaty was an uneasy one and in 1093 Malcolm once again invaded northern England. An arranged meeting with the new King of England, William Rufus, to settle a dispute over the Cumbrian territories failed to materialise. Malcolm left for Scotland angry and humiliated. He returned to England shortly after with an army and laid waste to Northumberland. On his way back to Scotland he was attacked by the Earl of Northumbria. At the Battle of Alnwick, Malcolm was killed.

In English eyes the Treaty of Abernethy would later support the claims of Edward I and others that the Crown of Scotland was subordinate to the Crown of England.