Today is Friday, August 14th, 2020.

On this day in the year 1040, the Forces of Macbeth of Moray killed Scottish King Duncan the first in battle.

Nearly 600 years later, William Shakespeare immortalized Macbeth's bloody fight for the throne in his tragedy of the same name. Welcome to Today in True Crime, a parcast original.

Due to the graphic nature of today's crimes,

listener discretion is advised.

Extreme caution is advised for listeners under 13.

Today we're covering a violent upset

in a line of Scottish succession

when King Duncan the first died at the hands of Macbeth of Moray.

Now let's go back to August 14, 1040, when Macbeth's Highland Warriors prepared for battle just outside present-day Elgin, Scotland. Macbeth,

Macbeth, son of Findley, kept one eye to the south, waiting for the king's forces to arrive.

He'd heard word from his scouts that Duncan and his army were

due that day in Bothnagowin, a flat meadow just outside of Elgin. Though he was just

35, Macbeth was already a veteran warrior. He became the

moor mayor or lord of the Northeastern kingdom of Moray around age 27 In the brutal wars between the clans of Scotland,

Macbeth had to become a fierce fighter and strong tactician to protect Moray from

invaders. As far as Macbeth was concerned,

Duncan, High King of Scotland, was just another outsider.

Though he ruled over much of the land of the Scots,

he didn't control Murray, and Macbeth would take of the Moray Army camp.

Duncan had arrived.

Macbeth jumped to his feet.

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