Lady Finella
Scottish assassin
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Lady Finella (c. 950–995) was a noblewoman[1] and Scottish assassin who killed King Kenneth II (some sources say King Kenneth III[2]) out of revenge.
Lady Finella | |
|---|---|
| Born | c. 950 |
| Died | 995 |
| Cause of death | Leapt to her death over a waterfall |
| Known for | Assassinating Kenneth II of Scotland |
Her story is based on chronicles from the 14th century.
She was the daughter of Cuncar, Mormaer of Angus, who was thought to be a descendant of Pictish royalty. Lady Finella is a well-known name that is rarely spelled the same way, and is also referred to as Fenella, Finuela, Finnguala, Fembal,[3] Fimberhele, Strath Finella, Strathfinella Hill, or Sibill, depending on the source.[citation needed] Most of her story is known through John of Fordun's chronicles written in the late 14th century, probably based on local, medieval folklore or 'feud-sagas'.[4] He documented that Lady Finella's son was killed, most likely in battle, by Cinaed at Dunsinnan,[4] a.k.a. Cinaed mac Máel Couim (Kenneth II MacMalcolm, king of Alba[4] (971–995).[1] Lady Finella was possibly enlisted by traditional factions opposed to the king's attempted feudal rule of primogeniture, the right of estates going to the first-born son.
However, the story is that to seek revenge, and with help from the king's men or Cinaed's rivals, Lady Finella created an elaborate death-trap at a cottage in Fettercairn then lured King Kenneth II inside when he was visiting the area.[5] Inside, a statue of a boy stood in the centre of the main room. Lady Finella said that if the king touched the boy's head it would lead to 'amazing sport'.[4] When King Kenneth II pulled the statue's head towards him it triggered a series of crossbows throughout the space that sent a hail of arrows into the king. True or not, it is established that Kenneth II was killed in Fettercairn in 995.[5]
The story continues that Lady Finella fled towards the coast where she was pursued and cornered by the king's soldiers at the top of a waterfall near St Cyrus. To avoid capture, Lady Finella threw herself over the waterfall from a height of 150 feet[2] to her death. The valley where this supposedly took place is called Den Finella.[5]
