List of Kings of the Picts
Encyclopedia
The list of kings of the Picts
is based on the Pictish Chronicle
king lists. These are late documents and do not record the dates when the kings reigned. The various surviving lists disagree in places as to the names of kings, and the lengths of their reigns. A large portion of the lists, not reproduced here, belongs with the Matter of Britain
or Irish mythology
. The latter parts of the lists can largely be reconciled with other sources.
. In 843
tradition records the replacement of the Pictish kingdom by the Kingdom of Alba
, although the Irish annals
continue to use Picts and Fortriu for half a century after 843. The king lists are thought to have been compiled in the early 8th century, probably by 724, placing them in the reigns of the sons of Der-Ilei, Bridei
and Nechtan
.
Irish annals (the Annals of Ulster
, Annals of Innisfallen) refer to some kings as king of Fortriu
or king of Alba
. The kings listed are thought to represent overkings of the Picts, at least from the time of Bridei son of Maelchon
onwards. In addition to these overkings, many less powerful subject kings existed, of whom only a very few are known from the historical record.
Mythical kings of the Picts are listed in the Lebor Bretnachs account of the origins of the Cruithne. The list begins with Cruithne son of Cing, who is reported to be "father of the Picts". The account of the Pictish Chronicle then splits into four lists of names:
The dates given here are drawn from early sources, unless specifically noted otherwise. The relationships between kings are less than certain and rely on modern readings of the sources.
inscription shows, the idea that Irish sources Gaelicised Pictish names may not be entirely accurate.
defeated the rival kings, winning out by around 845–848. He is traditionally considered first "King of Scots", or of "Picts and Scots", allegedly having conquered the Picts as a Gael, which is turning history back to front, as most modern scholars point out, he was actually 'King of Picts', and the terms 'King of Alba' and the even later 'King Scots' were not used until several generations after him.
Alex Woolf, The New Edinburgh History Of Scotland Vol.2 – From Pictland To Alba, Edinburgh University Press, (2007) ISBN 978-0-7486-1234-5
Picts
The Picts were a group of Late Iron Age and Early Mediaeval people living in what is now eastern and northern Scotland. There is an association with the distribution of brochs, place names beginning 'Pit-', for instance Pitlochry, and Pictish stones. They are recorded from before the Roman conquest...
is based on the Pictish Chronicle
Pictish Chronicle
The Pictish Chronicle is a name often given by historians to a list of the kings of the Picts beginning many thousand years before history was recorded in Pictavia and ending after Pictavia had been enveloped by Scotland...
king lists. These are late documents and do not record the dates when the kings reigned. The various surviving lists disagree in places as to the names of kings, and the lengths of their reigns. A large portion of the lists, not reproduced here, belongs with the Matter of Britain
Matter of Britain
The Matter of Britain is a name given collectively to the body of literature and legendary material associated with Great Britain and its legendary kings, particularly King Arthur...
or Irish mythology
Irish mythology
The mythology of pre-Christian Ireland did not entirely survive the conversion to Christianity, but much of it was preserved, shorn of its religious meanings, in medieval Irish literature, which represents the most extensive and best preserved of all the branch and the Historical Cycle. There are...
. The latter parts of the lists can largely be reconciled with other sources.
Pictish kings
Pictish kings ruled in northern and eastern ScotlandScotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. In 843
843
Year 843 was a common year starting on Monday of the Julian calendar.- Europe :* The Treaty of Verdun divides the Carolingian Empire between the 3 sons of Louis the Pious .* Kenneth I , King of the Scots, also becomes King of the Picts, thus becoming the first...
tradition records the replacement of the Pictish kingdom by the Kingdom of Alba
Kingdom of Alba
The name Kingdom of Alba pertains to the Kingdom of Scotland between the deaths of Donald II in 900, and of Alexander III in 1286 which then led indirectly to the Scottish Wars of Independence...
, although the Irish annals
Irish annals
A number of Irish annals were compiled up to and shortly after the end of Gaelic Ireland in the 17th century.Annals were originally a means by which monks determined the yearly chronology of feast days...
continue to use Picts and Fortriu for half a century after 843. The king lists are thought to have been compiled in the early 8th century, probably by 724, placing them in the reigns of the sons of Der-Ilei, Bridei
Bridei IV of the Picts
Bruide mac Der-Ilei was king of the Picts. He became king when Taran was deposed in 697.He was the brother of his successor Nechtan. It has been suggested that Bruide's father was Dargart mac Finguine of the Cenél Comgaill, a kingroup in Dál Riata who controlled Cowal and the Isle of Bute...
and Nechtan
Nechtan IV of the Picts
Nechtan mac Der-Ilei or Nechtan mac Dargarto was king of the Picts in the early 8th century. He succeeded his brother Bridei in 706. He is associated with significant religious reforms in Pictland. He abdicated in 724 in favour of his nephew and became a monk...
.
Irish annals (the Annals of Ulster
Annals of Ulster
The Annals of Ulster are annals of medieval Ireland. The entries span the years between AD 431 to AD 1540. The entries up to AD 1489 were compiled in the late 15th century by the scribe Ruaidhrí Ó Luinín, under his patron Cathal Óg Mac Maghnusa on the island of Belle Isle on Lough Erne in the...
, Annals of Innisfallen) refer to some kings as king of Fortriu
Fortriu
Fortriu or the Kingdom of Fortriu is the name given by historians for an ancient Pictish kingdom, and often used synonymously with Pictland in general...
or king of Alba
Alba
Alba is the Scottish Gaelic name for Scotland. It is cognate to Alba in Irish and Nalbin in Manx, the two other Goidelic Insular Celtic languages, as well as similar words in the Brythonic Insular Celtic languages of Cornish and Welsh also meaning Scotland.- Etymology :The term first appears in...
. The kings listed are thought to represent overkings of the Picts, at least from the time of Bridei son of Maelchon
Bridei I of the Picts
Bridei son of Maelchon, was king of the Picts until his death around 584 to 586.Bridei is first mentioned in Irish annals for 558–560, when the Annals of Ulster report "the migration before Máelchú's son i.e. king Bruide". The Ulster annalist does not say who fled, but the later Annals of...
onwards. In addition to these overkings, many less powerful subject kings existed, of whom only a very few are known from the historical record.
Mythical kings of the Picts are listed in the Lebor Bretnachs account of the origins of the Cruithne. The list begins with Cruithne son of Cing, who is reported to be "father of the Picts". The account of the Pictish Chronicle then splits into four lists of names:
- The first is a list of the sons of Cruithne.
- The second is a list of early kings with no distinguishing information other than dates.
- The third is another list of early kings with neither stories nor dates, all of whom have two names that begin with "Brude". It is possible that "Brude" is an ancient title for "king" from another source, which was misinterpreted as a name by the compiler (cf. Skene p.cv).
- The fourth is a list of later kings. The first of these to be attested in an independent source is Galam Cennalath.
The dates given here are drawn from early sources, unless specifically noted otherwise. The relationships between kings are less than certain and rely on modern readings of the sources.
Names
Orthography is problematic. Cinioch, Ciniod and Cináed all represent ancestors of the modern Anglicised name Kenneth. Pictish "uu", sometimes printed as "w" corresponds with Gaelic "f", so that Uuredach is the Gaelic Feredach and Uurguist the Gaelic Fergus, or perhaps Forgus. As the Dupplin CrossDupplin Cross
The Dupplin Cross is a carved, monumental Pictish stone, which dates from around 800A.D. It was first recorded by Thomas Pennant in 1769, on a hillside in Strathearn, a little to the north Forteviot and Dunning...
inscription shows, the idea that Irish sources Gaelicised Pictish names may not be entirely accurate.
Early kings
The kings before Drest son of Erp are omitted to reduce the length of the lists.| Reign | Ruler | Other names | Family | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| supposedly fl. 430s | Drest Drest I of the Picts Drest or Drust, son of Erp, is a legendary king of the Picts whose reign is recorded in the king lists of the Pictish Chronicle.The Chronicle tells that Drest reigned for 100 years and triumphed in 100 battles, which should be read as tradition rather than fact... |
Drest son of Erp | First king of the Pictish Chronicle lists whose reign includes a synchronism (the coming of Saint Patrick Saint Patrick Saint Patrick was a Romano-Briton and Christian missionary, who is the most generally recognized patron saint of Ireland or the Apostle of Ireland, although Brigid of Kildare and Colmcille are also formally patron saints.... to Ireland Ireland Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth... ; "ruled a hundred years and fought a hundred battles" |
|
| unknown | Talorc Talorc I of the Picts Talorc son of Aniel was a king of the Picts.The so-called Pictish Chronicle king lists have him reign for four or two years between Drest son of Erp and his brother Nechtan.-References:... |
Talorc son of Aniel or Tholarg son of Anile | An entry in the king lists; reigned 2 or 4 years | |
| unknown | Nechtan Nechtan I of the Picts Nechtan son of Erip was a king of the Picts. The Pictish Chronicle king lists claim that he was the brother of Drest.The king lists supply a number of epithets for Nechtan: Morbet and Celchamoth and the Latin Magnus . He is said to have reigned for twenty-four years... |
Nechtan son of Uuirp (or Erip), Nechtan the Great, Nechtan Celcamoth | Possibly a brother of Drest son of Erp | The foundation of the monastery at Abernethy is fathered on this king, almost certainly spuriously. A similar name nehhtton(s) was found on the Lunnasting stone Lunnasting stone The Lunnasting stone is a stone bearing an ogham inscription, found at Lunnasting, Shetland and donated to the National Museum of Antiquities of Scotland in 1876.-Discovery:... ; one interpretator of which suggested it containing the phrase "the vassal of Nehtonn" |
| unknown | Drest Drest II of the Picts Drest Gurthinmoch was a king of the Picts.The Pictish Chronicle king lists all give him a reign of 30 years between Nechtan and Galan. The meaning of the epithet Gurthinmoch is unknown, but the first part may be related to the Welsh gwrdd, meaning great.-References:* Anderson, Alan Orr, Early... |
Drest Gurthinmoch (or Gocinecht) | An entry in the king lists; reigned 30 years | |
| unknown | Galan Galan of the Picts Galan Erilich was a king of the Picts.The Pictish Chronicle king lists have him reign for fifteen years between Drest Gurthinmoch and the joint rule of Drest son of Uudrost and Drest son of Girom.-References:... |
Galan Erilich or Galany | An entry in the king lists | |
| unknown | Drest Drest III of the Picts Drest son of Uudrost or son of Uudrossig was a king of the Picts.The Pictish Chronicle king lists associate him with Drest IV. Various reigns, separately and jointly, are assigned to the two Drests, varying from one to fifteen years.-References:... |
Drest son of Uudrost (or Hudrossig) | An entry in the king lists | |
| unknown | Drest Drest IV of the Picts Drest son of Girom was a king of the Picts.The Pictish Chronicle king lists associate him with Drest III. Various reigns, separately and jointly, are assigned to the two Drests, varying from one to fifteen years... |
Drest son of Girom (or Gurum) | An entry in the king lists | |
| unknown | Gartnait Gartnait I of the Picts Gartnait son of Girom was a king of the Picts.The Pictish Chronicle king lists have him ruling for six or seven years between Drest IV and Cailtram.... |
Garthnac son of Girom, Ganat son of Gigurum | An entry in the king lists | |
| unknown | Cailtram Cailtram of the Picts Cailtram son of Girom was a king of the Picts.The Pictish Chronicle king lists have him ruling for one or six years between his brother Gartnait son of Girom and Talorc son of Muircholach. No two lists which give a possibly authentic version of his name agree on its form, variants including... |
Cailtram son of Girom, Kelturan son of Gigurum | Brother of the preceding Gartnait | An entry in the king lists |
| unknown | Talorc Talorc II of the Picts Talorc son of Muircholach was a king of the Picts.The so-called Pictish Chronicle king lists have him reign for eleven years between Cailtram and Drest V. There are many variants of his father's name, including Mordeleg, Murtholoic and Mordeleth.... |
Talorc son of Murtolic, Tolorg son of Mordeleg | An entry in the king lists | |
| unknown | Drest Drest V of the Picts Drest son of Munait was a king of the Picts.The Pictish Chronicle king lists have him reign for one year between Talorc II and Galam Cennalath. He reigned until 580.-References:... |
Drest son of Manath, Drest son of Munait | An entry in the king lists |
Early historical kings
The first king who appears in multiple early sources is Bridei son of Maelchon, and kings from the later 6th century onwards may be considered historical as their deaths are generally reported in Irish sources.| Reign | Ruler | Other names | Family | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Died c. 580 | Galam Galam of the Picts Galam Cennalath was a king of the Picts.The Pictish Chronicle king lists have him reign for between two and four years, with one year being jointly with Bridei son of Maelchon according to some versions... |
Galam Cennalath | The death of "Cennalaph, king of the Picts" is recorded, may have ruled jointly with Bridei son of Maelchon | |
| Died c. 584 | Bridei Bridei I of the Picts Bridei son of Maelchon, was king of the Picts until his death around 584 to 586.Bridei is first mentioned in Irish annals for 558–560, when the Annals of Ulster report "the migration before Máelchú's son i.e. king Bruide". The Ulster annalist does not say who fled, but the later Annals of... |
Bridei son of Maelchon Brude son of Melcho |
His death and other activities are recorded, he is named in Adomnán Adomnán of Iona Saint Adomnán of Iona was abbot of Iona , hagiographer, statesman and clerical lawyer; he was the author of the most important Vita of Saint Columba and promulgator of the "Law of Innocents", lex innocentium, also called Cáin Adomnáin, "Law of Adomnán"... 's Life of Saint Columba Columba Saint Columba —also known as Colum Cille , Colm Cille , Calum Cille and Kolban or Kolbjørn —was a Gaelic Irish missionary monk who propagated Christianity among the Picts during the Early Medieval Period... ; the first Pictish king to be more than a name in a list |
|
| Died c. 601 | Gartnait Gartnait II of the Picts Gartnait son of Domelch was a king of the Picts.The Pictish Chronicle king lists contained in the Poppleton Manuscript have Gartnait following Bridei son of Maelchon whose death c. 584 is recorded by the Irish annals... |
Gartnait son of Domelch, Gernard son of Dompneth | ||
| Died c. 621 | Nechtan Nechtan II of the Picts Nechtan grandson of Uerb, was king of the Picts from 597 to around 620. It has been suggested that this Nechtan is the same person as the Neithon who ruled the kingdom of Alt Clut.According to the Pictish Chronicle, Nechtan reigned for 20 or 21 years... |
Nechtan grandson of Uerb Nechtan son of Cano |
His reign is placed in the time of Pope Boniface IV Pope Boniface IV Pope Saint Boniface IV was pope from 608 to his death.Son of Johannes, a physician, a Marsian from the province and town of Valeria; he succeeded Boniface III after a vacancy of over nine months. He was consecrated on either 25 August or September 15 in 608... |
|
| Died c. 631x633 | Cinioch Cinioch of the Picts Cinioch, named Cínaed mac Luchtren in the Irish Annals, was king of the Picts, in modern Scotland, from circa 617 to 631 or 633, when his death is reported in the Annals of Ulster, the Annals of Tigernach and the Chronicon Scotorum.... |
Cinioch son of Lutrin Kinet son of Luthren |
||
| Gartnait Gartnait III of the Picts Gartnait son of Foith or son of Uuid was a king of the Picts.The Pictish Chronicle king lists give him a reign of four years, corresponding with the Irish annals, although variants say five and eight years.... |
Gartnait son of Uuid | Brother of the following two kings | ||
| Bridei Bridei II of the Picts Bruide son of Foith or son of Uuid was a king of the Picts.The Pictish Chronicle king give him a reign of five years following his brother Gartnait III.His death is reported by the Annals of Ulster and the Annals of Tigernach... |
Bridei son of Uuid or son of Fochle | Brother of the preceding and following kings | ||
| Died c. 653 | Talorc Talorc III of the Picts Talorc son of Foith or son of Uuid was a king of the Picts.The Pictish Chronicle king give him a reign of twelve years following his brother Bruide II. A third brother, Gartnait III, was king before Bruide.... |
Talorc son of Uuid or son of Foth | Brother of the preceding two kings | |
| Died c. 657 | Talorgan Talorcan of the Picts Talorcan mac Enfret was a King of the Picts . He was the son of Eanfrith of Bernicia, who had fled into exile among the Picts after his father, Æthelfrith of Northumbria, was killed around the year 616... |
Talorgan son of Eanfrith | Son of Eanfrith of Bernicia Eanfrith of Bernicia Eanfrith was briefly King of Bernicia from 633 to 634. He was the son of Æthelfrith, a Bernician king who had also ruled Deira to the south before being killed in battle around 616 against Raedwald of East Anglia, who had given refuge to Edwin, an exiled prince of Deira.Edwin became king of... |
|
| Died c. 663 | Gartnait Gartnait IV of the Picts Gartnait was king of the Picts.He succeeded Talorgan mac Enfret on the latter's death in 657... |
Gartnait son of Donnel or son of Dúngal | ||
| Deposed c. 672 | Drest Drest VI of the Picts Drest was king of the Picts from 662 to 671.He succeeded his brother Gartnait IV on the latter's death in 662. The Pictish Chronicle king lists give him a reign of six or seven years... |
Drest son of Donnel or son of Dúngal |
Later historical kings
| Reign | Ruler | Other names | Family | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Died 693 | Bridei Bridei III of the Picts King Bridei III was king of Fortriu and overking of the Picts between 671 and his death in 693.... |
Bridei son of Bili | Son of Beli I of Alt Clut Beli I of Alt Clut Beli I was a ruler of Alt Clut , the Brythonic kingdom later known as Strathclyde, some time in the 7th century. Very little is known of him, but his family appears to have been very well connected in northern Britain.... or grandson of Nechtan II Nechtan II of the Picts Nechtan grandson of Uerb, was king of the Picts from 597 to around 620. It has been suggested that this Nechtan is the same person as the Neithon who ruled the kingdom of Alt Clut.According to the Pictish Chronicle, Nechtan reigned for 20 or 21 years... |
Defeated Ecgfrith of Northumbria Ecgfrith of Northumbria King Ecgfrith was the King of Northumbria from 670 until his death. He ruled over Northumbria when it was at the height of its power, but his reign ended with a disastrous defeat in which he lost his life.-Early life:... at the Battle of Dun Nechtain |
| c. 692–696 | Taran Taran of the Picts Taran son of Ainftech was a King of the Picts according to the Pictish king-lists. His name is the same as that of the Gaulish thunder-god, Taranis.... |
Taran son of Ainftech | Possibly a uterine half-brother of Bridei and Nechtan mac Der-Ilei | |
| Died 706 | Bridei Bridei IV of the Picts Bruide mac Der-Ilei was king of the Picts. He became king when Taran was deposed in 697.He was the brother of his successor Nechtan. It has been suggested that Bruide's father was Dargart mac Finguine of the Cenél Comgaill, a kingroup in Dál Riata who controlled Cowal and the Isle of Bute... |
Bridei son of Der-Ilei | Brother of Nechtan | Son of Der-Ilei, a Pictish princess, and Dargart mac Finnguine, a member of the Cenél Comgaill of Dál Riata; listed as a guarantor of the Cáin Adomnáin Cáin Adomnáin The Cáin Adomnáin , also known as the Lex Innocentium was promulgated amongst a gathering of Irish, Dál Riatan and Pictish notables at the Synod of Birr in 697. It is named after its initiator Adomnán of Iona, ninth Abbot of Iona after St... |
| Abdicated 724 | Nechtan Nechtan IV of the Picts Nechtan mac Der-Ilei or Nechtan mac Dargarto was king of the Picts in the early 8th century. He succeeded his brother Bridei in 706. He is associated with significant religious reforms in Pictland. He abdicated in 724 in favour of his nephew and became a monk... |
Nechtan son of Der-Ilei | Brother of Bridei | Adopted the Roman dating of Easter Easter Easter is the central feast in the Christian liturgical year. According to the Canonical gospels, Jesus rose from the dead on the third day after his crucifixion. His resurrection is celebrated on Easter Day or Easter Sunday... c. 712, a noted founder of churches and monasteries |
| Killed 729 | Drest Drest VII of the Picts Drest was king of the Picts from 724 until 726 or 729. He succeeded Nechtan mac Der-Ilei when the latter abdicated and entered a monastery in 724.... |
None | Perhaps son of a half-brother of Nechtan and Bridei | Succeeded Nechtan, imprisoned him in 726, may have been deposed that year by Alpín |
| Deposed 728 | Alpín Alpín I of the Picts Alpín was king of the Picts in the 720s, together with Drest. The Pictish Chronicle king lists give Alpín and Drest a five year joint rule. Alpín is a Pictish form of the Old English Ælfwine and may, perhaps, indicate a tie to Bernician exiles in Pictland, such as Eanfrith, father of Talorgan mac... |
Alpin son of Crup ? | Probably a co-ruler or subking under Drest | |
| Restored 728 or 729, died 732 | Nechtan Nechtan IV of the Picts Nechtan mac Der-Ilei or Nechtan mac Dargarto was king of the Picts in the early 8th century. He succeeded his brother Bridei in 706. He is associated with significant religious reforms in Pictland. He abdicated in 724 in favour of his nephew and became a monk... restored |
Nechtan son of Der-Ilei, second reign | ||
| 732–761 | Onuist Óengus I of the Picts Óengus son of Fergus , was king of the Picts from 732 until his death in 761. His reign can be reconstructed in some detail from a variety of sources.Óengus became the chief king in Pictland following a period of civil war in the late 720s... |
Óengus son of Fergus | Claimed as a kinsman by the Eóganachta Eóganachta The Eóganachta or Eoghanachta were an Irish dynasty centred around Cashel which dominated southern Ireland from the 6/7th to the 10th centuries, and following that, in a restricted form, the Kingdom of Desmond, and its offshoot Carbery, well into the 16th century... |
|
| Drowned 739 | Talorgan | Talorgan son of Drostan | A sub-king, king of Atholl Atholl Atholl or Athole is a large historical division in the Scottish Highlands. Today it forms the northern part of Perth and Kinross, Scotland bordering Marr, Badenoch, Breadalbane, Strathearn, Perth and Lochaber.... ; executed by drowning |
|
| Killed 750 | Talorgan | Talorgan son of Fergus | Brother of Óengus | Perhaps king of Atholl; killed in battle against the Britons of Alt Clut 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... |
| Died 763 | Bridei Bridei V of the Picts Bridei V was king of Fortriu from 761 until 763. He was the brother of Óengus. His death is recorded by the Annals of Ulster and the Annals of Tigernach.-See also:*House of Óengus... |
Bridei son of Fergus | Brother of Onuist | King of Fortriu Fortriu Fortriu or the Kingdom of Fortriu is the name given by historians for an ancient Pictish kingdom, and often used synonymously with Pictland in general... |
| Died 775 | Ciniod | Ciniod son of Uuredach, Cinadhon | Sometimes thought to be a grandson of Selbach mac Ferchair Selbach mac Ferchair Selbach mac Ferchair was king of the Cenél Loairn and of Dál Riata. Selbach's existence is well-attested as he is mentioned repeatedly in Irish annals.-Life:Selbach mac Ferchair was a son of Ferchar Fota... |
Granted asylum to the deposed King Alhred of Northumbria Alhred of Northumbria Alhred or Alchred was king of Northumbria from 765 to 774. He had married Osgifu, either the daughter of Oswulf, granddaughter of Eadberht Eating, or Eadberht's daughter, and was thus related by marriage to Ecgbert, Archbishop of York... |
| Died 780 | Alpín Alpín II of the Picts Alpín son of Uuroid was king of the Picts.On anthroponymic grounds Alpin may have been the brother of his predecessor Ciniod son of Uuredach as both have similar patronyms, the Pictish equivalent of the Old Irish Feredach, but no certain evidence exists for this identification, nor for an... |
Alpin son of Uuroid | Death reported as Eilpín, king of the Saxons but this is taken to be an error | |
| Died 782 | Talorgan | Talorgan son of Onuist, also Dub Tholarg | Son of Óengus | |
| Died 782 | Dubhtolargg Dubhtolargg Dubhtolargg was a king of the Picts in the Early Middle Ages. He was slain at a location beyond the Mounth in a chronicle that appears to be the first literature reference to the Mounth of the Grampian Mountains.-References:... |
King of Cismontane Picts | Death reported in the Ulster Annals | |
| Died 787 | Drest Drest VIII of the Picts Drest son of Talorgan , was king of the Picts from 782 to 787, succeeding his father Talorgan.-See also:* House of Óengus-External links:*... |
Drest son of Talorgan | Son of the preceding Talorgan or of Talorgan, brother of Óengus | |
| Possibly deposed 789, died 807 | Conall Conall mac Taidg Conall mac Taidg was a king in Scotland. Very little is recorded of Conall and that unclear. He is mentioned twice by the Irish annals, the most reliable source for the history of northern Britain in the years around 800. He also appears in later king lists.-Annals:The Chronicle of Ireland... |
Conall son of Tarla (or of Tadg) | Perhaps rather a king in Dál Riata | |
| Died 820 | Caustantín Caustantín of the Picts Causantín or Constantín mac Fergusa was king of the Picts , in modern Scotland, from 789 until 820. He was until the Victorian era sometimes counted as Constantine I of Scotland; the title is now generally given to Causantín mac Cináeda... |
Caustantín son of Fergus | A grandson or grandnephew of Onuist or perhaps a son of Fergus mac Echdach Fergus mac Echdach Fergus mac Echdach was king of Dál Riata from about 778 until 781.He succeeded Áed Find. He is stated to have been a son of Eochaid mac Echdach, and thus a brother of Áed. Some much later sources make him a son of Áed, but this is not credited by modern studies... |
His son Domnall Domnall mac Caustantín Domnall mac Caustantín is thought to have been king of Dál Riata in the early ninth century.Domnall's existence is uncertain, and is based on attempts to reconcile eleventh century works such as the poem Duan Albanach and the Synchronisms of Flann Mainistrech with the evidence of the Irish... may have been king of Dál Riata |
| Died 834 | Óengus Óengus II of the Picts Óengus mac Fergusa was king of the Picts , in modern Scotland, from about 820 until 834. Tradition associates him with the cult of Saint Andrew and the Flag of Scotland.... |
Óengus son of Fergus | Brother of Caustantín | |
| Unknown | Drest | Drest son of Caustantín | Son of Caustantín | |
| Died 839 | Eógan Uen of the Picts Uuen [Wen] or Eogán in Gaelic was king of the Picts, or of Fortriu , in what is now Scotland.... |
Eógan son of Óengus | Son of Óengus | Killed in 839 with his brother Bran in battle against the Vikings; this led to a decade of conflict |
Kings of the Picts 839–848 (not successively)
The deaths of Eógan and Bran appears to have led to a large number of competitors for the throne of Pictland.| Reign | Ruler | Other names | Family | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unknown | Uurad Uurad of the Picts Uurad or Ferat son of Bargoit was king of the Picts, perhaps from 839 onwards.No two versions of the king-lists known as the Pictish Chronicle give exactly the same version of his name... |
Uurad son of Bargoit | Unknown | Said to have reigned for three years, probably named on the Drosten Stone Drosten Stone The Drosten Stone is a carved Pictish stone of the 9th century at St Vigeans, near Arbroath, Scotland. In academic contexts it is sometimes called St Vigeans 1.... |
| Unknown | Bridei Bridei VI of the Picts Bridei son of Uurad was king of the Picts, in modern Scotland, circa 842. Two of his brothers, Ciniod and Drest, are also said, in the king lists of the Pictish Chronicle, to have reigned for a short time.... |
Bridei son of Uurad | Possibly the son of the previous king | Said to have reigned one year |
| Unknown | Ciniod Ciniod II of the Picts Ciniod was king of the Picts, in modern Scotland, ruling circa 842. His name is given as Kineth in the king lists of the Pictish Chronicle. His family's claim may not have been uncontested, and it did not endure. According to the Pictish Chronicle, he was the son of Uurad and brother of king Drest.... |
Ciniod son of Uurad | Possibly the brother of the previous king | Said to have reigned one year in some lists |
| Unknown | Bridei Bridei VII of the Picts Bridei was king of the Picts, in modern Scotland, from ca. 842 until 845, contesting with Kenneth MacAlpin . According to the Pictish Chronicle, he was the son of Uuthoil .... |
Bridei son of Uuthoil | Unknown | Said to have reigned two years in some lists |
| Unknown | Drest Drest X of the Picts Drest was king of the Picts from before 845 until 848, a rival of Kenneth MacAlpin . According to the Pictish Chronicle, he was the son of Uurad.... |
Drest son of Uurad | As previous sons of Uurad | Said to have reigned three years in some lists; the myth of MacAlpin's Treason MacAlpin's treason MacAlpin's treason is a medieval legend which explains the replacement of the Pictish language by Gaelic in the 9th and 10th centuries.The legend tells of the murder of the nobles of Pictavia... calls the Pictish king Drest |
| Died 13 February, 858 | Cináed Kenneth I of Scotland Cináed mac Ailpín , commonly Anglicised as Kenneth MacAlpin and known in most modern regnal lists as Kenneth I was king of the Picts and, according to national myth, first king of Scots, earning him the posthumous nickname of An Ferbasach, "The Conqueror"... |
Cináed mac Ailpín Kenneth MacAlpine |
Unknown, but his descendants made him a member of the Cenél nGabráin of Dál Riata Dál Riata Dál Riata was a Gaelic overkingdom on the western coast of Scotland with some territory on the northeast coast of Ireland... |
Kings of the Picts traditionally counted as King of Scots
Cináed mac AilpínKenneth I of Scotland
Cináed mac Ailpín , commonly Anglicised as Kenneth MacAlpin and known in most modern regnal lists as Kenneth I was king of the Picts and, according to national myth, first king of Scots, earning him the posthumous nickname of An Ferbasach, "The Conqueror"...
defeated the rival kings, winning out by around 845–848. He is traditionally considered first "King of Scots", or of "Picts and Scots", allegedly having conquered the Picts as a Gael, which is turning history back to front, as most modern scholars point out, he was actually 'King of Picts', and the terms 'King of Alba' and the even later 'King Scots' were not used until several generations after him.
| Reign | Ruler | Other names | Family | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Died 13 February, 858 | Cináed Kenneth I of Scotland Cináed mac Ailpín , commonly Anglicised as Kenneth MacAlpin and known in most modern regnal lists as Kenneth I was king of the Picts and, according to national myth, first king of Scots, earning him the posthumous nickname of An Ferbasach, "The Conqueror"... |
Cináed mac Ailpín Kenneth MacAlpine |
Unknown, but his descendants made him a member of the Cenél nGabráin of Dál Riata Dál Riata Dál Riata was a Gaelic overkingdom on the western coast of Scotland with some territory on the northeast coast of Ireland... |
|
| Died 862 | Domnall Donald I of Scotland Domnall mac Ailpín ; was king of the Picts from 858 to 862... |
Domnall mac Ailpín | Brother of Cináed | |
| Died 877 | Causantín Constantine I of Scotland Causantín or Constantín mac Cináeda was a king of the Picts. He is often known as Constantine I, in reference to his place in modern lists of kings of Scots, though contemporary sources described Causantín only as a Pictish king... |
Causantín mac Cináeda | Son of Cináed | |
| Died 878 | Áed Áed of Scotland Áed mac Cináeda was a son of Cináed mac Ailpín . He became king of the Picts in 877 when he succeeded his brother Constantín mac Cináeda. He was nicknamed Áed of the White Flowers, the Wing-footed or the white-foot .The Chronicle of the Kings of Alba says of Áed: "Edus [Áed] held the same [i.e.... |
Áed mac Cináeda | Son of Cináed | |
| Deposed 889 ? | Giric Giric of Scotland Giric mac Dúngail was a king of the Picts or the king of Alba. The Irish annals record nothing of Giric's reign, nor do Anglo-Saxon writings add anything, and the meagre information which survives is contradictory... |
Giric mac Dúngail | Cináed's daughter's son ? | Associated, probably incorrectly, with Eochaid Eochaid of Scotland Eochaid mac Run, known in English simply as Eochaid, may have been king of the Picts from 878 to 889. He was a son of Run, King of Strathclyde, and his mother may have been a daughter of Kenneth MacAlpin... |
| Died 900 | Domnall Donald II of Scotland Domnall mac Causantín , anglicised as Donald II was King of the Picts or King of Scotland in the late 9th century. He was the son of Constantine I... |
Domnall mac Causantín | Son of Causantín mac Cináeda | Last to be called "king of the Picts" |
King of Alba
| Reign | Ruler | Other names | Family | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abdicated 943, died 952 | Causantín 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 | Son of Áed mac Cináeda | First king of Alba Kingdom of Alba The name Kingdom of Alba pertains to the Kingdom of Scotland between the deaths of Donald II in 900, and of Alexander III in 1286 which then led indirectly to the Scottish Wars of Independence... , the kingdom that later became known as "Scotland". |
Further reading
James E. Fraser, The New Edinburgh History Of Scotland Vol.1 – From Caledonia To Pictland, Edinburgh University Press (2009) ISBN 978-0-7486-1232-1Alex Woolf, The New Edinburgh History Of Scotland Vol.2 – From Pictland To Alba, Edinburgh University Press, (2007) ISBN 978-0-7486-1234-5
External links
- Norway book : "Jomsvikingslaget i oppklarende lys", informs the Pictish kings escaped to the coast of Norway, instead of being murdered at Scone
- CELT: Corpus of Electronic Texts at University College Cork
- The Corpus of Electronic Texts includes the Annals of Ulster, Tigernach, the Four Masters and Innisfallen, the Chronicon Scotorum, the Lebor Bretnach (which includes the Duan Albanach), Genealogies, and various Saints' Lives. Most are translated into English, or translations are in progress
- Annals of Clonmacnoise at Cornell
- Linguistic analysis of legendary kings
See also
- Origins of the Kingdom of AlbaOrigins of the Kingdom of AlbaThe Origins of the Kingdom of Alba pertains to the origins of the Kingdom of Alba, or the Gaelic Kingdom of Scotland, either as a mythological event or a historical process, during the Early Middle Ages.-Medieval version:...
- List of Kings of Dál Riata
- List of Kings of Strathclyde