Áed Find
Encyclopedia
Áed Find or Áed mac Echdach (before 736–778) was king of Dál Riata
(modern western Scotland
). Áed was the son of Eochaid mac Echdach
, a descendant of Domnall Brecc
in the main line of Cenél nGabráin kings.
According to later genealogies, Áed was the great-grandfather of Kenneth MacAlpin
(Cináed mac Ailpín) who is traditionally counted as the first king of Scots. This descent ran through Áed's son Eochaid mac Áeda Find
and Eochaid's son Alpín mac Echdach
. The evidence for the existence of Eochaid and Alpín is late and uncompelling, and shows signs of fabrication in the High Middle Ages
.
The Annals of Ulster
in 768 report "Bellum i Fortrinn iter Aedh & Cinaedh": a battle in Fortriu
between Áed and Cináed. This is usually read as meaning Áed Find and the Pictish
king Ciniod I, who is called "Cinadhon" in the notice of his death in 775. The Annals of the Four Masters
, a less reliable source, give a different version, placing this battle in Leinster
and naming the victor as Cináed mac Flainn of the Uí Failgi and his defeated enemy as one Áed.
Áed's death in 778 is noted by the Annals of Ulster. He appears to have been followed as king by his brother Fergus mac Echdach
.
The "Laws of Áed Eochaid's son" are mentioned by the Chronicle of the Kings of Alba
in the reign of Áed's supposed great-grandson Donald MacAlpin
(Domnall mac Ailpín): "In his time the Gaels
with their king made the rights and laws of the kingdom [that are called the laws] of Áed Eochaid's son, in Forteviot
." What these laws concerned is not known.
Dál Riata
Dál Riata was a Gaelic overkingdom on the western coast of Scotland with some territory on the northeast coast of Ireland...
(modern western Scotland
Scotland
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...
). Áed was the son of Eochaid mac Echdach
Eochaid mac Echdach
Eochaid mac Eochaid was king of Dál Riata from 726 until 733. He was a son of Eochaid mac Domangairt.Eochaid came to power as king of Dál Riata in 726, presumably deposing Dúngal mac Selbaig. Selbach may have tried to restore his son to power, and fought against Eochaid's supporters at Irros...
, a descendant of Domnall Brecc
Domnall Brecc
Domnall Brecc was king of Dál Riata, in modern Scotland, from about 629 until 642...
in the main line of Cenél nGabráin kings.
According to later genealogies, Áed was the great-grandfather of Kenneth MacAlpin
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) who is traditionally counted as the first king of Scots. This descent ran through Áed's son Eochaid mac Áeda Find
Eochaid mac Áeda Find
Eochaid mac Áeda Find is a spurious King of Dál Riata found in some rare High Medieval king-lists and in older history books.Supposedly a son of Áed Find and successor to Áed's brother Fergus mac Echdach, Eochaid is now thought to represent a misplacing of the reign of Eochaid mac Echdach...
and Eochaid's son Alpín mac Echdach
Alpín mac Echdach
Alpín mac Eochaid may refer to two persons. The first person is a presumed king of Dál Riata in the late 730s. The second is the father of Kenneth MacAlpin...
. The evidence for the existence of Eochaid and Alpín is late and uncompelling, and shows signs of fabrication in the High Middle Ages
Scotland in the High Middle Ages
The High Middle Ages of Scotland encompass Scotland in the era between the death of Domnall II in 900 AD and the death of king Alexander III in 1286...
.
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...
in 768 report "Bellum i Fortrinn iter Aedh & Cinaedh": a battle in 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...
between Áed and Cináed. This is usually read as meaning Áed Find and the Pictish
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...
king Ciniod I, who is called "Cinadhon" in the notice of his death in 775. The Annals of the Four Masters
Annals of the Four Masters
The Annals of the Kingdom of Ireland or the Annals of the Four Masters are a chronicle of medieval Irish history...
, a less reliable source, give a different version, placing this battle in Leinster
Leinster
Leinster is one of the Provinces of Ireland situated in the east of Ireland. It comprises the ancient Kingdoms of Mide, Osraige and Leinster. Following the Norman invasion of Ireland, the historic fifths of Leinster and Mide gradually merged, mainly due to the impact of the Pale, which straddled...
and naming the victor as Cináed mac Flainn of the Uí Failgi and his defeated enemy as one Áed.
Áed's death in 778 is noted by the Annals of Ulster. He appears to have been followed as king by his brother 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...
.
The "Laws of Áed Eochaid's son" are mentioned by 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...
in the reign of Áed's supposed great-grandson Donald MacAlpin
Donald I of Scotland
Domnall mac Ailpín ; was king of the Picts from 858 to 862...
(Domnall mac Ailpín): "In his time the Gaels
Gaels
The Gaels or Goidels are speakers of one of the Goidelic Celtic languages: Irish, Scottish Gaelic, and Manx. Goidelic speech originated in Ireland and subsequently spread to western and northern Scotland and the Isle of Man....
with their king made the rights and laws of the kingdom [that are called the laws] of Áed Eochaid's son, in Forteviot
Forteviot
Forteviot is a village in Strathearn, Scotland on the south bank of the River Earn between Dunning and Perth. It lies in the council area of Perth and Kinross...
." What these laws concerned is not known.
External links
- 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
- The Chronicle of the Kings of Alba