John, King of England succession. Henry the Young King had been crowned King of England in 1170, but was not given any formal powers by his father; he was also promised Normandy and Anjou as part of his future inheritance. Richard was to be appointed the Count of Poitou with control of Aquitaine, whilst Geoffrey was to become the Duke of Brittany. At this time it seemed unlikely that John would ever inherit substantial lands, and he was jokingly nicknamed "Lackland" by his father. Henry II wanted to secure the southern borders of Aquitaine and decided to betroth his youngest son to Alais, the
Máel Coluim, son of the king of the Cumbrians of the king of the Cumbrians" from "Historia regum Anglorum". The "Chronicle of Melrose" may therefore be the earliest source to explicitly associate Máel Coluim mac Donnchada with the events of 1054. As as result of this identification, this Scottish monarch was portrayed as a man who only possessed his throne on account of English assistance. The catalyst behind the monks' misrepresentation of Siward's invasion appears to have been an English revolt dating to 1173 and 1174, when the reigning King of Scotland—a great-grandson of Máel Coluim mac Donnchada—backed a failed rebellion against the King of England. As a result