Louis the Pious vs Malcolm III Canmore

Louis issued the Ordinatio Imperii, dividing the Frankish Empire among his three sons: Lothair, Pepin, and Louis the German. This plan aimed to maintain unity under Lothair's seniority but led to civil wars after Pepin's death.

Louis performed public penance at Attigny for the death of his nephew Bernard of Italy, whom he had blinded. This act weakened his authority and set a precedent for ecclesiastical intervention in royal affairs.

After Louis's death, his sons fought the Battle of Fontenoy, where Charles the Bald and Louis the German defeated Lothair. This battle was a key event in the Carolingian civil wars that led to the empire's fragmentation.

Malcolm Canmore killed Macbeth at the Battle of Lumphanan, ending Macbeth's reign. Malcolm then claimed the Scottish throne, though he faced opposition from Macbeth's stepson Lulach, whom he killed in 1058 to secure his position.

Malcolm launched a series of raids into northern England, exploiting the instability after the Norman Conquest. He invaded Northumbria in 1070 and again in 1079, but was forced to submit to William the Conqueror at the Treaty of Abernethy in 1072, becoming a vassal.

Malcolm married Margaret, an Anglo-Saxon princess who had fled to Scotland after the Norman Conquest. The marriage strengthened ties with the English church and nobility, and Margaret later became a saint. It also introduced English cultural and religious influences to the Scottish court.

Malcolm invaded England again and was killed at the Battle of Alnwick in Northumberland, along with his eldest son Edward. His death led to a succession crisis in Scotland, as his brother Donald III seized the throne, beginning a period of instability.