Thane of Cawdor is a title in the
Peerage of Scotland.
[
]
The current
7th Earl of Cawdor, of
Clan Campbell of Cawdor
Clan Campbell of Cawdor is a highland Scottish clan and a branch of the larger Clan Campbell. While the ''clan'' is recognised by the Standing Council of Scottish Chiefs, the clan does not have a ''clan chief'' recognised by the Standing Counci ...
, is the 26th Thane of
Cawdor
Cawdor ( gd, Caladair) is a village and parish in the Highland council area, Scotland. The village is south-southwest of Nairn and east of Inverness. The village is in the Historic County of Nairnshire.
History
The village is the location o ...
.
In
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...
's play ''
Macbeth'', this title was given to Macbeth after the previous Thane of Cawdor was captured and executed for treason against King Duncan.
[
]
The historical
King Macbeth fought a Thane of Cawdor who died in battle, but he did not thereby acquire the title himself.
The
2nd Earl of Cawdor wrote a history of the Thanes of Cawdor, in 1742, published in 1859.
[
]
According to the 2nd Earl, the first thane was originally a
Celtic chieftain
A tribal chief or chieftain is the leader of a tribal society or chiefdom.
Tribe
The concept of tribe is a broadly applied concept, based on tribal concepts of societies of western Afroeurasia.
Tribal societies are sometimes categorized a ...
who allied with
Anglo-Saxon King of Scots
The monarch of Scotland was the head of state of the Kingdom of Scotland. According to tradition, the first King of Scots was Kenneth I MacAlpin (), who founded the state in 843. Historically, the Kingdom of Scotland is thought to have grown ...
at a time lost to the historical record.
See also
*
Thane of Calder
Thane of Calder was a title of nobility in the Kingdom of Scotland.
Hugh de Cadella (or Kaledouer) was a French nobleman mentioned in David Hume of Godscroft's "The history of the house of Douglas" who gave influential support to Malcolm III of ...
References
{{Macbeth
Peerage of Scotland
William Shakespeare
Macbeth