Domnall II of Strathclyde
Encyclopedia
Dyfnwal II was ruler of the Kingdom of Strathclyde
for some period in the early tenth century.
He is sometimes called Domnall mac Áeda (Mod. Gaelic:
Domhnall mac Aoidh; Mod. English:
Donald, Aodh's son), because of a passage in the Chronicle of the Kings of Alba
. The passage reads "moritui sunt in tempore huius Doneualdus rex Britonniorum et Dunevaldus filius Ede elig7". It has usually been interpreted as "Domnall, king of the Britons died and Domnall mac Áeda was elected". The crux is the word elig7, usually interpreted as a shortening of eligitur (meaning elected). However, Benjamin Hudson has challenged this and argues that elig7 stands for Ailech
, meaning that the passage is actually recording the death of Domnall mac Áeda, king of Ailech
, known in other sources to have died in 915. However, from the 18th century, onwards through Skene
in the 19th, and from the Andersons to Alan MacQuarrie in the 20th, eligitur has been the standard interpretation, and the passage is believed to indicate that Dyfnwal was the son of Áed, an otherwise unknown brother of Constantine II of Scotland
(Causantín mac Áeda), whom Constantine made his tanist. However, more recently Dauvit Broun
has taken up support of Hudson, and so consensus remains very much divided.
Dyfnwal was once thought to have been the same ruler as Dyfnwal III of Strathclyde, and indeed this is possible. However, this is not generally believed, because of the time lag and because Symeon of Durham recorded that Eógan I of Strathclyde
, whom he calls "Ouuen, king of the Cumbrians", was defeated by king Æðelstan of England
in 934. The latter puts the end of Dyfnwal's reign sometime before, perhaps a long time before, this year.\
Kingdom of Strathclyde
Strathclyde , originally Brythonic Ystrad Clud, was one of the early medieval kingdoms of the celtic people called the Britons in the Hen Ogledd, the Brythonic-speaking parts of what is now southern Scotland and northern England. The kingdom developed during the post-Roman period...
for some period in the early tenth century.
He is sometimes called Domnall mac Áeda (Mod. Gaelic:
Scottish Gaelic language
Scottish Gaelic is a Celtic language native to Scotland. A member of the Goidelic branch of the Celtic languages, Scottish Gaelic, like Modern Irish and Manx, developed out of Middle Irish, and thus descends ultimately from Primitive Irish....
Domhnall mac Aoidh; Mod. English:
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
Donald, Aodh's son), because of a passage in the Chronicle of the Kings of Alba
Chronicle of the Kings of Alba
The Chronicle of the Kings of Alba, or Scottish Chronicle, is a short written chronicle of the Kings of Alba, covering the period from the time of Kenneth MacAlpin until the reign of Kenneth II . W.F...
. The passage reads "moritui sunt in tempore huius Doneualdus rex Britonniorum et Dunevaldus filius Ede elig7". It has usually been interpreted as "Domnall, king of the Britons died and Domnall mac Áeda was elected". The crux is the word elig7, usually interpreted as a shortening of eligitur (meaning elected). However, Benjamin Hudson has challenged this and argues that elig7 stands for Ailech
Ailech
Ailech was a medieval kingdom in Ireland, roughly centred on modern-day County Tyrone and the Inishowen peninsula in Ulster....
, meaning that the passage is actually recording the death of Domnall mac Áeda, king of Ailech
Kings of Ailech
The Kings of Ailech belonged to the northern Uí Néill and took their name from the Grianán of Ailech , a hillfort on top of Greenan Mountain in modern County Donegal...
, known in other sources to have died in 915. However, from the 18th century, onwards through Skene
William Forbes Skene
William Forbes Skene , Scottish historian and antiquary, was the second son of Sir Walter Scott's friend, James Skene , of Rubislaw, near Aberdeen....
in the 19th, and from the Andersons to Alan MacQuarrie in the 20th, eligitur has been the standard interpretation, and the passage is believed to indicate that Dyfnwal was the son of Áed, an otherwise unknown brother of Constantine II of Scotland
Constantine II of Scotland
Constantine, son of Áed was an early King of Scotland, known then by the Gaelic name Alba. The Kingdom of Alba, a name which first appears in Constantine's lifetime, was in northern Great Britain...
(Causantín mac Áeda), whom Constantine made his tanist. However, more recently Dauvit Broun
Dauvit Broun
Dauvit Broun is a Scottish historian, Professor of Scottish History at the University of Glasgow. A specialist in medieval Scottish and Celtic studies, he concentrates primarily on early medieval Scotland, and has written abundantly on the topic of early Scottish king-lists, as well as on...
has taken up support of Hudson, and so consensus remains very much divided.
Dyfnwal was once thought to have been the same ruler as Dyfnwal III of Strathclyde, and indeed this is possible. However, this is not generally believed, because of the time lag and because Symeon of Durham recorded that Eógan I of Strathclyde
Eógan I of Strathclyde
Owen I, Ywain I or Eógan I was ruler of the Kingdom of Strathclyde for some period in the early tenth century....
, whom he calls "Ouuen, king of the Cumbrians", was defeated by king Æðelstan of England
Athelstan of England
Athelstan , called the Glorious, was the King of England from 924 or 925 to 939. He was the son of King Edward the Elder, grandson of Alfred the Great and nephew of Æthelflæd of Mercia...
in 934. The latter puts the end of Dyfnwal's reign sometime before, perhaps a long time before, this year.\