In what was probably a shrewd political move, Malcolm II married his daughter Bethoc to a representative of the other major center of political power in Scotland, the church. Considering the close ties between ruling dynasties and the offices of major abbacies throughout Ireland and Scotland, it is also possible that Crinan was descended from a king of the Scots, which would completely legitimize his son's rule. The only notice of Crinan or Bethoc in the sources is Crinan's death in 1045, which was probably the result of an unsuccessful attempt to oust Macbeth.