On this day 1286: Alexander III, last of the Celtic kings, dies

He was the last in line of the Celtic kings and took the throne aged just eight.

Alexander III, the last of the MacAlpine kings, died after falling from his horse in 1286 with the 'Golden Age' of his reign brought to a sudden, tragic end.

Alexander III died on this day in 1286 after ignoring advice from his nobles and riding home to see his wife in a terrible storm. He fell from his horse and fell over the cliffs at Pettycur.

The last of the MacAlpine dynasty, his death brought to an end the "The Golden Age” that developed under his rule, when peace and prosperity flourished, agriculture develped and monasteries and abbeys grew in number. Trade with the Continent was healthy, times were good.

As a boy king, he had many guardians ruling in his name with Henry III, King of England, ever looking to weaken an already disparate leadership.

Alexander went on to marry Princess Margaret, the daughter of the English king, in December 1251, but despite his new father—in-law, he resisted pressure to swear allegiance to him.

Alexander took outright control of the Crown aged 21 and went on to win back the Western Isles from Norwegian control.

The final act in the project was the Battle of Largs in 1263, an encounter with no clear winner but one that was to effectively undermine the moral of King Hakon of Norway and his crumbling fleet.

Hakon sailed home, died on the journey with the Norwegian claim on the islands then also coming to an end. They were finally handed over folowing the 1266 Treaty of Perth.

By 1283, Alexander’s wife and two sons had all died. The couple’s daughter, also Margaret, married King Erik II of Norway did not survive childbirth. Their daughter, another Margaret, Maid of Norway, survived.

In search of a male heir, Alexader remarried and wed Yolande de Dreux, Comtesse de Montfort, daughter of Robert IV, Comte de Dreux.

They married on 14 October 1285 but five months later, tragedy broke the new union.

On March 18, 1286, the King ignored advice of his nobles and set out from Edinburgh to Kinghorn Castle in terrible weather to see his new wife.

His horse stumbled and threw him over the cliffs at Pettycur. He was 44.

A crisis in succession followed when his daughter, Margaret Maid of Norway, then aged just three, died on her way to Scotland to take the throne.

Edward III seized the opportunity to enforce his rule and proclaimed himself overlord of the Scots with the right to nominate Alexander's successor. His choice was John Balliol and the long 60-year struggle of the Scottish Wars of Independence got underway.