To begin, I would like to advertise
The Lion Roars by The British Scotsman, it's an awesome TL so go read it.
Anyway this TL is about what would happen if the son of King Lulach (1057-1058), Maelsnechtai, deposed King Malcolm III (1058-1093). So here we go!
The year was 1067. After 9 years of living under the boot of Malcolm III, the Mormaer(Earl) of Moray, Malesnechtai sent letters to most of the Mormaers of Scotland who were tired with Malcolm and his oppressive rule. Malcom had but one ally among the Mormaers who kept a watch on Maelsnechtai. He was MacDuff, Mormaer of Fife. Maelsnechtai was the son of King Lulach I who was murdered by Malcolm in a coup after the killing of Lulach's stepfather, King Macbeth who was a good and just King who ruled from 1040-1057. This gave Maelsnechtai the only true claim to the throne and he had good evidence that the Coup of 1058 was supported by the English. But the English that supported the coup no longer ruled. King Edward Aetheling was dead, as was his successor Harold Godwinsson. Harold, slain at Hastings, was the victim of the Great Norman invasion of the previous year. That meant Malcolm had lost his support.
Back to the letters, only one letter survives to the present day and the letter was adressed to Mormaer Maelmuire of Atholl, the king's own brother.
"My dear friend Mael Muire. All Mormaers know of your ill treatment at the hands of your brother, Mael Coluim. He has taken from you and Atholl, brought shame upon Alba by submitting to the French (Norman King William of England). Now he seeks to wage war against Caithness and Orkney, sending his lapdog MacDuff to collect men. Something has to be done about this. I have organized a council of Mormaers at Rois to answer what should be done with the false King?"
There is no evidence to show that Malcolm was planning to invade the Norwegians of Caithness and Orkney but it seemed to have worked. At Ross, the Mormaers gathered at council and discussed what to do. Attendance was written down by the Bishop of Moray, Duncan.
The attending Mormaers were: Maelshnechtai of Moray, Maelmuire of Atholl, Mallus of Strathearn, Cuncar of Angus, Cainnech of Buchan, Aed of Ross, Ruadri of Mar and Gillecrist of Menteith.
It was dangerous to write the information down but even holding the council was treasonous. For three days the council was held before the all came to the conclusion that Malcolm III had to go. All 8 Mormaers, the Bishops of Glasgow, Moray, Argyle, Brechin and Galloway signed an oath that was to change Scotland's history forever.
A month after the council, the coup started. In Galloway the Bishop ordered his soldiers to kill the King's tax collectors. Upon recieving word of this, Malcolm gathered and army around 1500 strong and marched to Galloway. The army of Galloway, only numbering 600 was camped in the Galloway Hills, the largest wilderness in Scotland south of the Highlands. While guerilla raids were being conducted by the army of Galloway, the Mormaers had formed an army almost 2000 strong and besieged Malcolm's capital at Stirling. Malcolm had to think fast. He could either pull out of Galloway and attempt to take on the Mormaers led by Maelsnechtai and Maelmuire or deal with Galloway first, giving him time to strike a deal with the English...