Other Events and Attributes:

• Appointments / Titles: Between 862 and 877; King of Picts

Notes:

Causantín mac Cináeda
18th century depiction of Causantín, son of Kenneth
MacAlpin. The depiction is highly anachronistic.

King of the Picts
Reign 862–877
Predecessor Donald I
Successor Áed
Died 877 Atholl?
Burial Iona
Issue Donald II, King of the Picts/of Alba
House Alpin
Father Kenneth I, King of the Picts

Causantín mac Cináeda
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Causantín or Constantín mac Cináeda (in Modern Gaelic:
Còiseam mac Choinnich; died 877) 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, but contemporary sources
described Causantín only as a Pictish king. A son of Cináed
mac Ailpín ("Kenneth MacAlpin"), he succeeded his uncle
Domnall mac Ailpín as Pictish king following the latter's
death on 13 April 862. It is likely that Causantín's
(Constantine I) reign witnessed increased activity by
Vikings, based in Ireland, Northumbria and northern Britain.
He died fighting one such invasion.
Contents
1 Sources
2 Languages and names
3 Amlaíb and Ímar
4 Last days of the Pictish kingdom
5 Aftermath
6 Notes
7 References
Sources
Very few records of ninth century events in northern Britain
survive. The main local source from the period is the
Chronicle of the Kings of Alba, a list of kings from Cináed
mac Ailpín (died 858) to Cináed mac Maíl Coluim (died
995). The list survives in the Poppleton Manuscript, a
thirteenth-century compilation. Originally simply a list of
kings with reign lengths, the other details contained in the
Poppleton Manuscript version were added from the tenth century onwards.[1] In addition to this, later king lists
survive.[2] The earliest genealogical records of the descendants of Cináed mac Ailpín may date from the end of
the tenth century, but their value lies more in their context, and the information they provide about the interests
of those for whom they were compiled, than in the unreliable claims they contain.[3] The Pictish king-lists
originally ended with this Causantín, who was reckoned the seventieth and last king of the Picts.[4]
For narrative history the principal sources are the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle and the Irish annals. While
Scandinavian sagas describe events in 9th century Britain, their value as sources of historical narrative, rather
than documents of social history, is disputed.[5] If the sources for north-eastern Britain, the lands of the
kingdom of Northumbria and the former Pictland, are limited and late, those for the areas on the Irish Sea and
Atlantic coasts—the modern regions of north-west England and all of northern and western Scotland—are nonexistent,
and archaeology and toponymy are of primary importance.[6]
Languages and names
Writing a century before Causantín was born, Bede recorded five languages in Britain. Latin, the common
language of the church; Old English, the language of the Angles and Saxons; Irish, spoken on the western
coasts of Britain and in Ireland; Brythonic, ancestor of the Welsh language, spoken in large parts of western
Britain; and Pictish, spoken in northern Britain. By the ninth century a sixth language, Old Norse, had arrived
with the Vikings.
Amlaíb and Ímar
Viking activity in northern Britain appears to have reached a peak during Causantín's reign. Viking armies were
led by a small group of men who may have been kinsmen. Among those noted by the Irish annals, the
Chronicle of the Kings of Alba and the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle are Ívarr—Ímar in Irish sources—who was
active from East Anglia to Ireland, Halfdán—Albdann in Irish, Healfdene in Old English— and Amlaíb or
Óláfr. As well as these leaders, various others related to them appear in the surviving record.[7]
Viking activity in Britain increased in 865 when the Great Heathen Army, probably a part of the forces which
had been active in Francia, landed in East Anglia.[8] The following year, having obtained tribute from the East
Anglian King Edmund, the Great Army moved north, seizing York, chief city of the Northumbrians.[9] The
Great Army defeated an attack on York by the two rivals for the Northumbrian throne, Osberht and Ælla, who
had put aside their differences in the face of a common enemy. Both would-be kings were killed in the failed
assault, probably on 21 March 867. Following this, the leaders of the Great Army are said to have installed one
Ecgberht as king of the Northumbrians.[10] Their next target was Mercia where King Burgred, aided by his
brother-in-law King Æthelred of Wessex, drove them off.[11]
While the kingdoms of East Anglia, Mercia and Northumbria were under attack, other Viking armies were
active in the far north. Amlaíb and Auisle (Ásl or Auðgísl), said to be his brother, brought an army to Fortriu
and obtained tribute and hostages in 866. Historians disagree as to whether the army returned to Ireland in 866,
867 or even in 869.[12] Late sources of uncertain reliability state that Auisle was killed by Amlaíb in 867 in a
dispute over Amlaíb's wife, the daughter of Cináed. It is unclear whether, if accurate, this woman should be
identified as a daughter of Cináed mac Ailpín, and thus Causantín's sister, or as a daughter of Cináed mac
Conaing, king of Brega.[13] While Amlaíb and Auisle were in north Britain, the Annals of Ulster record that
Áed Findliath, High King of Ireland, took advantage of their absence to destroy the longphorts along the
northern coasts of Ireland.[14] Áed Findliath was married to Causantín's sister Máel Muire. She later married
Áed's successor Flann Sinna. Her death is recorded in 913.[15]
In 870, Amlaíb and Ívarr attacked Dumbarton Rock, where the River Leven meets the River Clyde, the chief
place of the kingdom of Alt Clut, south-western neighbour of Pictland. The siege lasted four months before the
fortress fell to the Vikings who returned to Ireland with many prisoners, "Angles, Britons and Picts", in 871.
Archaeological evidence suggests that Dumbarton Rock was largely abandoned and that Govan replaced it as
the chief place of the kingdom of Strathclyde, as Alt Clut was later known.[16] King Artgal of Alt Clut did not
long survive these events, being killed "at the instigation" of Causantín son of Cináed two years later. Artgal's
son and successor Run was married to a sister of Causantín.[17]
Amlaíb disappears from Irish annals after his return to Ireland in 871. According to the Chronicle of the Kings
of Alba he was killed by Causantín either in 871 or 872 when he returned to Pictland to collect further
tribute.[18] His ally Ívarr died in 873.[19]
Last days of the Pictish kingdom
In 875, the Chronicle and the Annals of Ulster again report a Viking army in Pictland. A battle, fought near
Dollar, was a heavy defeat for the Picts; the Annals of Ulster say that "a great slaughter of the Picts resulted". In
877, shortly after building a new church for the Culdees at St Andrews, Causantín was captured and executed
(or perhaps killed in battle) after defending against Viking raiders.[20] Although there is agreement on the time
and general manner of his death, it is not clear where this happened. Some believe he was beheaded on a Fife
beach, following a battle at Fife Ness, near Crail. William Forbes Skene reads the Chronicle as placing
Causantín's death at Inverdovat (by Newport-on-Tay), which appears to match the Prophecy of Berchán. The
account in the Chronicle of Melrose names the place as the "Black Cave," and John of Fordun calls it the
"Black Den". Causantín was buried on Iona.
Aftermath
Causantín's son Domnall and his descendants represented the main line of the kings of Alba and later Scotland.
Notes
References
The Annals of Ulster, AD 431–1201, CELT: Corpus of Electronic Texts, 2003, retrieved 2007-10-02
Chronicon Scotorum, CELT: Corpus of Electronic Texts, 2003, retrieved 2007-10-29
Lebor Bretnach (The Irish version of the Historia Britonum of Nennius), CELT: Corpus of Electronic Texts, 2002,
retrieved 2008-10-04
Anderson, Alan Orr (1990), Early Sources of Scottish History A.D. 500 to1 286, I (2nd ed.), Stamford: Paul Watkins,
ISBN 1-871615-03-8
Anderson, Alan Orr (1908), Scottish Annals from English Chroniclers A.D. 500 to 1286, London: D. Nutt
Anderson, M. O. (1980), Kings and Kingship in Early Scotland (2nd ed.), Edinburgh: Scottish Academic Press, ISBN 0-
7011-1604-8
Bannerman, John (1999), "The Scottish Takeover of Pictland and the relics of Columba", inB roun, Dauvit; Clancy,
Thomas Owen, Spes Scotorum: Hope of Scots. Saint Columba, Iona and Scotlan,d Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark, pp. 71–94,
ISBN 0-567-08682-8
Broun, Dauvit (1999), "Dunkeld and the origins of Scottish Identity", iBn roun, Dauvit; Clancy, Thomas Owen, Spes
Scotorum: Hope of Scots. Saint Columba, Iona and Scotlan,d Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark, pp. 96–111, ISBN 0-567-08682-
8
Broun, Dauvit (1999), The Irish Identity of the Kingdom of the Scots in the wTelfth and Thirteenth Centuries,
Woodbridge: Boydell Press, ISBN 0-85115-375-5
Broun, Dauvit; Clancy, Thomas Owen (1999), Spes Scotorum: Hope of Scots. Saint Columba, Iona and Scotlan,d
Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark, ISBN 0-567-08682-8
Costambeys, Marios (2004), "Hálfdan (d. 877)"O, xford Dictionary of National Biography, retrieved 2007-10-25
1. Woolf, Pictland to Alba, pp. 87–93; Dumville, "Chronicle of the Kings of Alba".
2. Anderson, Kings and Kingship, reproduces these lists and discusses their origins, further discussed by BrounIr, ish
origins.
3. Broun, Irish Identity, pp. 133–164; Woolf, Pictland to Alba, pp. 220–221.
4. Broun, Irish Identity, p. 168–169; Anderson, Kings and Kingship, p. 78
5. Woolf, Pictland to Alba, pp. 277–285; Ó Corrain, "Vikings in Scotland and Ireland"...
6. Woolf, Pictland to Alba, p. 12.
7. Downham, Smyth, Woolf.
8. Check Nelson.
9. Downham, Keynes, Woolf.
10. Downham, Higham, Keynes, O Corrain, Smyth, Woolf.
11. Keynes ...
12. Downham, O Corrain, Smyth, Woolf, AU 866.1.
13. Downham, ??, FAA.
14. Byrne? O Corrain? AU 866.4
15. Woolf, AU 913.1, Byrne p. 857, poss. same as Amlaíb's wife.
16. AU 870.6, AU 871.2, Woolf, Downham, Smyth.
17. AU 872.5, Smyth, Woolf.
18. Woolf, Downham.
19. Woolf, Downham, AU 873.3
20. Raymond Lamont-Brown, St Andrews: City by the Northern Sea (Edinburgh: Berlinn, 2006), 9.
Costambeys, Marios (2004), "Ívarr (d. 873)"O, xford Dictionary of National Biography, retrieved 2007-10-25
Crawford, Barbara (1987), Scandinavian Scotland, Studies in the Early History of Britain, Leicester: Leicester
University Press, ISBN 0-7185-1282-0
Downham, Clare (2007), Viking Kings of Britain and Ireland: The Dynasty of Ívarr to A.D. 1014, Edinburgh: Dunedin,
ISBN 978-1-903765-89-0
Dumville, David (2000), "The Chronicle of the Kings of Alba", in Taylor, Simon, Kings, clerics and chronicles in
Scotland 500–1297, Dublin: Four Courts Press, pp. 73–86,I SBN 1-85182-516-9
Duncan, A. A. M. (1978), Scotland: The Making of the Kingdom, The Edinburgh History of Scotland, 1 (2nd ed.),
Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, ISBN 0-901824-83-6
Duncan, A. A. M. (2002), The Kingship of the Scots 842–1292: Succession and Independenc, eEdinburgh: Edinburgh
University Press, ISBN 0-7486-1626-8
Foster, Sally M. (2004) [1996], Picts, Gaels and Scots: Early Historic Scotland, London: Batsford, ISBN 0-7134-8874-
3
Herbert, Máire (2000), "Ri Éirenn, Ri Alban: kingship and identity in the ninth and tenth centuries", in aTylor, Simon,
Kings, clerics and chronicles in Scotland 500–1297 (PDF), Dublin: Four Courts Press, pp. 62–72,I SBN 1-85182-516-9
Higham, N. J. (1993), The Kingdom of Northumbria AD 350–100, Stroud: Sutton, ISBN 0-86299-730-5
Hudson, Benjamin (2004), "Óláf the White (fl. 853–871)",O xford Dictionary of National Biography, retrieved
2007-10-25
MacQuarrie, Alan (1997),T he Saints of Scotland: Essays in Scottish Chucrh History AD 450–1093, Edinburgh: John
Donald, ISBN 0-85976-446-X
Murphy, Dennis, ed. (1896), The Annals of Clonmacnoise, being annals of Ierland from the earliest period to A.D. 1408,
Dublin: Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland, retrieved 2007-12-01
Ó Corráin, Donnchadh (1997), "Ireland, Wales, Man and the Hebrides", in Sawye,r Peter, The Oxford Illustrated History
of the Vikings, Oxford: Oxford University Press, pp. 83–109I, SBN 0-19-285434-8
Ó Corráin, Donnchadh (1998)," The Vikings in Scotland and Ireland in the Ninth Century "(PDF), Peritia, 12: 296–339,
retrieved 2007-12-01
Radner, Joan N., ed. (1975), Fragmentary Annals of Ireland, CELT: Corpus of Electronic Texts, retrieved 2007-02-10
Sawyer, Peter, ed. (1997), The Oxford Illustrated History of the Vikings, Oxford: Oxford University Press,I SBN 0-19-
285434-8
Smyth, Alfred P. (1984), Warlords and Holy Men: Scotland AD 80–100, Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press,
ISBN 0-7486-0100-7
Swanton, Michael (1996), The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, New York: Routledge, ISBN 0-415-92129-5
Taylor, Simon, ed. (2000), Kings, clerics and chronicles in Scotland 500–1297, Dublin: Four Courts Press, ISBN 1-
85182-516-9
Woolf, Alex (2007), From Pictland to Alba, 789–1070, The New Edinburgh History of Scotland, 2, Edinburgh:
Edinburgh University Press, ISBN 978-0-7486-1234-5
Causantín mac Cináeda
House of Alpin
Died: 877
Regnal titles
Preceded by
Domnall
King of the Picts
(traditionally King of Scots)
862–877
Succeeded by
Áed
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Causantín_mac_Cináeda&oldid=767632749"
Categories: Pictish monarchs Scottish pre-union military personnel killed in action House of Alpin
9th-century Scottish monarchs Monarchs killed in action 877 deaths Burials in Iona
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apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia® is a registered
trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.

Family/Spouse: Unknown. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Donald II

King of the Picts, or of Alba
Reign 889–900
Predecessor Giric
Successor Constantine II
Died 900 Forres or Dunnottar
Burial Iona
Issue Malcolm I, King of Alba
House Alpin
Father Constantín mac Cináeda, King of the Picts

Donald II of Scotland
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Domnall mac Causantín (Modern Gaelic: Dòmhnall mac
Chòiseim),[1] anglicised as Donald II (died 900) was King of
the Picts or King of Scotland (Alba) in the late 9th century.
He was the son of Constantine I (Causantín mac Cináeda).
Donald is given the epithet Dásachtach, "the Madman", by
the Prophecy of Berchán.[2]
Contents
1 Life
2 See also
3 Notes
4 References
5 External links
Life
Donald became king on the death or deposition of Giric
(Giric mac Dúngail), the date of which is not certainly
known but usually placed in 889. The Chronicle of the Kings
of Alba reports:
Doniualdus son of Constantini held the kingdom
for 11 years [889–900]. The Northmen wasted
Pictland at this time. In his reign a battle
occurred between Danes and Scots at
Innisibsolian where the Scots had victory. He
was killed at Opidum Fother [modern
Dunnottar] by the Gentiles.[3]
It has been suggested that the attack on Dunnottar, rather than being a small raid by a handful of pirates, may be
associated with the ravaging of Scotland attributed to Harald Fairhair in the Heimskringla.[4] The Prophecy of
Berchán places Donald's death at Dunnottar, but appears to attribute it to Gaels rather than Norsemen; other
sources report he died at Forres.[5] Donald's death is dated to 900 by the Annals of Ulster and the Chronicon
Scotorum, where he is called king of Alba, rather than king of the Picts. He was buried on Iona. Like his father,
Constantine, he died a violent death at a premature age.
The change from king of the Picts to king of Alba is seen as indicating a step towards the kingdom of the Scots,
but historians, while divided as to when this change should be placed, do not generally attribute it to Donald in
view of his epithet.[6] The consensus view is that the key changes occurred in the reign of Constantine II
(Causantín mac Áeda),[7] but the reign of Giric has also been proposed.[8]
The Chronicle of the Kings of Alba has Donald succeeded by his cousin Constantine II. Donald's son Malcolm
(Máel Coluim mac Domnall) was later king as Malcolm I. The Prophecy of Berchán appears to suggest that
another king reigned for a short while between Donald II and Constantine II, saying "half a day will he take
sovereignty". Possible confirmation of this exists in the Chronicon Scotorum, where the death of "Ead, king of
the Picts" in battle against the Uí Ímair is reported in 904. This, however, is thought to be an error, referring
perhaps to Ædwulf, the ruler of Bernicia, whose death is reported in 913 by the other Irish annals.[9]
See also
Kingdom of Alba
Origins of the Kingdom of Alba
Notes
1. Domnall mac Causantín is the Mediaeval Gaelic form.
2. ESSH, p. 358; Kelly, Early Irish Law, pp. 92–93 & 308: "The dásachtach is the person with manic symptoms who is
liable to behave in a violent and destructive manne."r The dásachtach is not responsible for his actions. The same word
is used of enraged cattle.
3. ESSH, pp. 395–397.
4. ESSH, p 396, note 1 & p. 392, quotingS t Olaf's Saga, c. 96.
5. ESSH, pp. 395–398.
6. Smyth, pp. 217–218, disagrees.
7. Thus Broun and Woolf, among others.
8. Duncan, pp.14–15.
9. ESSH, p. 304, note 8; however, the Annals of Ulster, s.a. 904, report the death of Ímar ua Ímair (Ivar grandson of Ivar)
in Fortriu in 904, making it possible that Ead (Áed ?) was a king, if not the High King.
References
Anderson, Alan Orr, Early Sources of Scottish History A.D 500–1286, volume 1. Reprinted with corrections. Stamford:
Paul Watkins, 1990. ISBN 1-871615-03-8
Anderson, Marjorie Ogilvie, Kings and Kingship in Early Scotland .Edinburgh: Scottish Academic Press, revised
edition 1980. ISBN 0-7011-1604-8
Broun, Dauvit, "National identity: 1: early medieval and the formation of Alba" in Michaely Lnch (ed.) The Oxford
Companion to Scottish History. Oxford UP, Oxford, 2001. ISBN 0-19-211696-7
Duncan, A. A. M., The Kingship of the Scots 842–1292: Succession and Independenc,e E. dinburgh: Edinburgh
University Press, 2002. ISBN 0-7486-1626-8
Kelly, Fergus (1988). A Guide to Early Irish Law. Early Irish Law Series 3. Dublin:D IAS. ISBN 0901282952.
Smyth, Alfred P., Warlords and Holy Men: Scotland AD 80-1000. Reprinted, Edinburgh: Edinburgh UP, 1998. ISBN 0-
7486-0100-7
Sturluson, Snorri, Heimskringla: History of the Kings of Norway, tr. Lee M. Hollander. Reprinted University of Texas
Press, Austin, 1992. ISBN 0-292-73061-6
Woolf, Alex, "Constantine II" in Michael Lynch (ed.) op. cit.
External links
CELT: Corpus of Electronic Texts at University College Cork 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.
(CKA) The Chronicle of the Kings of Alba
Donald II of Scotland
House of Alpin
Regnal titles
Preceded by
Giric
with Eochaid ?
King of Scots
889–900
Succeeded by
Constantine (Causantín) II
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Donald_II_of_Scotland&oldid=784179553"
Categories: 9th-century births 900 deaths House of Alpin 9th-century Scottish monarchs
Burials at Iona Abbey
This page was last edited on 6 June 2017, at 22:29.
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apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia® is a registered
trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.

Family/Spouse: Unknown. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• FSID: LYQR-4D4

Notes:

Malcolm I
Malcolm I of Scots
King of Alba
Reign 943–954
Predecessor Constantine II
Successor Indulf
Died 954
Issue Dub, King of Scots
Kenneth II, King of Scots
House Alpin
Father Donald II, King of Scots
Malcolm I of Scotland
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Máel Coluim mac Domnaill (anglicised Malcolm I) (died
954) was king of Scots (before 943 – 954), becoming king
when his cousin Causantín mac Áeda abdicated to become a
monk. He was the son of Domnall mac Causantín.
Máel Coluim was probably born during his father's reign
(889–900).[1] By the 940s, he was no longer a young man,
and may have become impatient in awaiting the throne.
Willingly or not—the 11th-century Prophecy of Berchán, a
verse history in the form of a supposed prophecy, states that
it was not a voluntary decision that Constantine II abdicated
in 943 and entered a monastery, leaving the kingdom to Máel
Coluim.[2]
Seven years later, the Chronicle of the Kings of Alba says:
[Malcolm I] plundered the English as far as the
River Tees, and he seized a multitude of people
and many herds of cattle: and the Scots called
this the raid of Albidosorum, that is, Nainndisi.
But others say that Constantine made this raid,
asking of the king, Malcolm, that the kingship
should be given to him for a week's time, so that
he could visit the English. In fact, it was
Malcolm who made the raid, but Constantine
incited him, as I have said.[3]
Woolf suggests that the association of Constantine with the
raid is a late addition, one derived from a now-lost saga or
poem.[4]
He died in the shield wall next to his men. Máel Coluim would be the third in his immediate family to die
violently, his father Donald II and grandfather Constantine I both having met similar fates 54 years earlier in
900 and 77 years earlier in 877 respectively.
In 945, Edmund I of England, having expelled Amlaíb Cuaran (Olaf Sihtricsson) from Northumbria, devastated
Cumbria and blinded two sons of Domnall mac Eógain, king of Strathclyde. It is said that he then "let" or
"commended" Strathclyde to Máel Coluim in return for an alliance.[5] What is to be understood by "let" or
"commended" is unclear, but it may well mean that Máel Coluim had been the overlord of Strathclyde and that
Edmund recognised this while taking lands in southern Cumbria for himself.[6]
The Chronicle of the Kings of Alba says that Máel Coluim took an army into Moray "and slew Cellach".
Cellach is not named in the surviving genealogies of the rulers of Moray, and his identity is unknown.[7]
Máel Coluim appears to have kept his agreement with the late English king, which may have been renewed
with the new king, Edmund having been murdered in 946 and succeeded by his brother Edred. Eric Bloodaxe
took York in 948, before being driven out by Edred, and when Amlaíb Cuaran again took York in 949–950,
Máel Coluim raided Northumbria as far south as the Tees taking "a multitude of people and many herds of
cattle" according to the Chronicle.[8] The Annals of Ulster for 952 report a battle between "the men of Alba and
the Britons [of Strathclyde] and the English" against the foreigners, i.e. the Northmen or the Norse-Gaels. This
battle is not reported by the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, and it is unclear whether it should be related to the
expulsion of Amlaíb Cuaran from York or the return of Eric Bloodaxe.[9]
The Annals of Ulster report that Máel Coluim was killed in 954. Other sources place this most probably in the
Mearns, either at Fetteresso following the Chronicle, or at Dunnottar following the Prophecy of Berchán. He
was buried on Iona.[10] Máel Coluim's sons Dub and Cináed were later kings.
References
1. Woolf, Pictland to Alba, p. 177.
2. Woolf, Pictland to Alba, p. 175; Anderson, Early Sources, pp. 444–448; Broun, "Constantine II".
3. Anderson, Early Sources, pp. 452–453.
4. Woolf, Pictland to Alba, pp. 178–181.
5. Early Sources, pp. 449–450.
6. ASC Ms. A, s.a. 946; Duncan, pp. 23–24; but see also Smyth, pp. 222–223 for an alternative reading.
7. It may be that Cellach was related to Cuncar, Mormaer of Angus, and that this event is connected with the apparent feud that led
to the death of Máel Coluim's son Cináedin 977.
8. Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, Ms. D, s.a. 948, Ms. B, s.a. 946; Duncan, p. 24.
9. Early Sources, p. 451. The corresponding entry in the Annals of the Four Masters, 950, states that the Northmen were the victors,
which would suggest that it should be associated with Eric.
10. Early Sources, pp. 452–454. Some versions of the Chronicle, and the Chronicle of Melrose, are read as placing Máel Coluim's
death at Blervie, near Forres.
Further reading
For primary sources see also External links below.
Anderson, Alan Orr, Early Sources of Scottish History A.D 500–1286, volume 1. Reprinted with
corrections. Paul Watkins, Stamford, 1990. ISBN 1-871615-03-8
Duncan, A.A.M., The Kingship of the Scots 842–1292: Succession and Independence. Edinburgh
University Press, Edinburgh, 2002. ISBN 0-7486-1626-8
Smyth, Alfred P. Warlords and Holy Men: Scotland AD 80-1000. Reprinted, Edinburgh: Edinburgh UP,
1998. ISBN 0-7486-0100-7
External links
CELT: Corpus of Electronic Texts at University College Cork 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.
(CKA) The Chronicle of the Kings of Alba
The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle XML Edition by Tony Jebson and translated at the OMACL
Preceded by
Causantín mac Áeda
King of Scots
943–954
Succeeded by
Ildulb mac Causantín
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Malcolm_I_of_Scotland&oldid=783102782"
Categories: 954 deaths 9th-century births 9th-century Scottish monarchs 10th-century Scottish monarchs
House of Alpin Burials at Iona Abbey
This page was last edited on 31 May 2017, at 04:25.
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Family/Spouse: Unknown. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• FSID: LDMS-5CJ
• Appointments / Titles: Between 6 Jan 971 and 5 Jan 995, Edinburgh, Midlothian, Scotland; King of Scotland

Notes:

Kenneth II
King of Alba
Reign 971–995
Predecessor Cuilén or Amlaíb
Successor Constantine III
Died 995
Fettercairn?
Issue Malcolm II, King of Alba
Boite mac Cináeda?
Dúngal?
Suibne?
House Alpin
Father Malcolm I, King of Alba

Kenneth II of Scotland
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Cináed mac Maíl Coluim (Modern Gaelic: Coinneach mac
Mhaoil Chaluim[1] anglicised as Kenneth II, and nicknamed
An Fionnghalach, "The Fratricide";[2] died 995) was King
of Scots (Alba). The son of Malcolm I (Máel Coluim mac
Domnaill), he succeeded King Cuilén (Cuilén mac Iduilb) on
the latter's death at the hands of Rhydderch ap Dyfnwal in
971.
Contents
1 Primary sources
2 Children
3 Interpretation
4 Death
5 Notes
6 References
7 External links
Primary sources
The Chronicle of the Kings of Alba was compiled in
Kenneth's reign, but many of the place names mentioned are
entirely corrupt, if not fictitious.[3] Whatever the reality, the
Chronicle states that "[h]e immediately plundered
[Strathclyde] in part. Kenneth's infantry were slain with very
great slaughter in Moin Uacoruar." The Chronicle further
states that Kenneth plundered Northumbria three times, first
as far as Stainmore, then to Cluiam and lastly to the River
Dee by Chester. These raids may belong to around 980,
when the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle records attacks on
Cheshire.[4]
In 973, the Chronicle of Melrose reports that Kenneth, with Máel Coluim I (Máel Coluim mac Domnaill), the
King of Strathclyde, "Maccus, king of very many islands" (i.e. Magnus Haraldsson (Maccus mac Arailt), King
of Mann and the Isles) and other kings, Welsh and Norse, came to Chester to acknowledge the overlordship of
the English king Edgar the Peaceable.[5] It may be that Edgar here regulated the frontier between the southern
lands of the kingdom of Alba and the northern lands of his English kingdom. Cumbria was English, the western
frontier lay on the Solway. In the east, the frontier lay somewhere in later Lothian, south of Edinburgh.[6]
The Annals of Tigernach, in an aside, name three of the Mormaers of Alba in Kenneth's reign in entry in 976:
Cellach mac Fíndgaine, Cellach mac Baireda and Donnchad mac Morgaínd. The third of these, if not an error
for Domnall mac Morgaínd, is very likely a brother of Domnall, and thus the Mormaer of Moray. The
Mormaerdoms or kingdoms ruled by the two Cellachs cannot be identified.
The feud which had persisted since the death of King Indulf (Idulb mac Causantín) between his descendants
and Kenneth's family persisted. In 977 the Annals of Ulster report that "Amlaíb mac Iduilb [Amlaíb, son of
Indulf], King of Scotland, was killed by Cináed mac Domnaill." The Annals of Tigernach give the correct name
of Amlaíb's killer: Cináed mac Maíl Coluim, or Kenneth II. Thus, even if only for a short time, Kenneth had
been overthrown by the brother of the previous king.[7]
Adam of Bremen tells that Sweyn Forkbeard found exile in Scotland at this time, but whether this was with
Kenneth, or one of the other kings in Scotland, is unknown. Also at this time, Njal's Saga, the Orkneyinga Saga
and other sources recount wars between "the Scots" and the Northmen, but these are more probably wars
between Sigurd Hlodvisson, Earl of Orkney, and the Mormaers, or Kings, of Moray.[8]
The Chronicle says that Kenneth founded a great monastery at Brechin.
Kenneth was killed in 995, the Annals of Ulster say "by deceit" and the Annals of Tigernach say "by his
subjects". Some later sources, such as the Chronicle of Melrose, John of Fordun and Andrew of Wyntoun
provide more details, accurately or not. The simplest account is that he was killed by his own men in
Fettercairn, through the treachery of Finnguala (also called Fimberhele or Fenella), daughter of Cuncar,
Mormaer of Angus, in revenge for the killing of her only son.[9]
The Prophecy of Berchán adds little to our knowledge, except that it names Kenneth "the kinslayer", and states
he died in Strathmore.[10]
Children
Kenneth's son Malcolm II (Máel Coluim mac Cináeda) was later king of Alba. Kenneth may have had a second
son, named either Dúngal or Gille Coemgáin.[11] Sources differ as to whether Boite mac Cináeda should be
counted a son of Kenneth II or of Kenneth III (Cináed mac Duib).[12] Another son of Kenneth may have been
Suibne mac Cináeda, a king of the Gall Gaidheil who died in 1034.
Interpretation
Kenneth's rival Amlaíb, King of Scotland is omitted by the Chronicle of the Kings of Alba and later Scottish
king-lists. The Irish Annals of Tigernach appear to better reflect contemporary events. Amlaíb could be a direct
predecessor of Kenneth who suffered damnatio memoriae, or the rival king recognized in parts of Scotland. A
period of divided kingship appears likely.[13]
Amlaíb was the heir of his brother Cuilén, who was killed in a hall-burning. He might have served as a regent
north of the River Forth, during the absence of his brother. Kenneth was brother to the deceased Dub, King of
Scotland and was most likely an exile. He could claim the throne due to the support of friends and maternal kin.
He was likely older and more experienced than his rival king.[13] Amlaíb is the Gaelic form of Óláfr,
suggesting maternal descent from Norsemen. He could possibly claim descent from the Uí Ímair dynasty. Alex
Woolf suggests he was a grandson of Amlaíb Cuarán, King of Dublin or his cousin Olaf Guthfrithson, which
suggests his own group of supporters.[13]
Death
According to John of Fordun (14th century), Kenneth II of Scotland (reigned 971-995) attempted to change the
succession rules, allowing "the nearest survivor in blood to the deceased king to succeed", thus securing the
throne for his own descendants. He reportedly did so to specifically exclude Constantine (III) and Kenneth
(III), called Gryme in this source. The two men then jointly conspired against him, convincing Finnguala,
daughter of Cuncar, Mormaer of Angus, to kill the king. She reportedly did so to achieve personal revenge, as
Kenneth II had killed her own son. Entries in the Chronicles of the Picts and Scots, collected by William Forbes
Skene, provide the account of Finnguala killing Kenneth II in revenge, but not her affiliation to Constantine or
his cousins. These entries date to the 12th and 13th centuries.[14][15] The Annals of Ulster simply record
"Cinaed son of Mael Coluim [Kenneth, son of Malcolm], king of Scotland, was deceitfully killed", with no
indication of who killed him.[16][17]
In the account of John of Fordun, Constantine the Bald, son of King Cullen and Gryme were "plotting
unceasingly the death of the king and his son". One day, Kenneth II and his companions went hunting into the
woods, "at no great distance from his own abode". The hunt took him to Fettercairn, where Finella resided. She
approached him to proclaim her loyalty and invited him to visit her residence, whispering into his ear that she
had information about a conspiracy plot. She managed to lure him to "an out-of-the-way little cottage", where a
booby trap was hidden. Inside the cottage was a statue, connected by strings to a number of crossbows. If
anyone touched or moved the statue, he would trigger the crossbows and fall victim to their arrows. Kenneth II
gently touched the statue and "was shot though by arrows sped from all sides, and fell without uttering another
word." Finella escaped through the woods and managed to join her abettors, Constantine III and Gryme. The
hunting companions soon discovered the bloody king. They were unable to locate Finella, but burned
Fettercairn to the ground.[18] Smyth dismisses the elaborate plotting and the mechanical contraption as mere
fables, but accepts the basic details of the story, that the succession plans of Kenneth II caused his
assassination.[19] Alan Orr Anderson raised his own doubts concerning the story of Finella, which he
considered "semi-mythical". He noted that the feminine name Finnguala or Findguala means "white shoulders",
but suggested it derived from "find-ela" (white swan). The name figures in toponyms such as Finella Hill (near
Fordoun) and Finella Den (near St Cyrus), while local tradition in The Mearns (Kincardineshire) has Finella
walking atop the treetops from one location to the other. Anderson thus theorized that Finella could be a
mythical figure, suggesting she was a local stream-goddess.[20] A later passage of John of Fordun mentions
Finele as mother of Macbeth, King of Scotland (reigned 1040–1057), but this is probably an error based on the
similarity of names. Macbeth was son of Findláech of Moray, not of a woman called Finella.[20][21]
Notes
1. Cináed mac Maíl Coluim is the Mediaeval Gaelic
form.
2. Skene, Chronicles, p. 96.
3. Duncan, p. 21.
4. ESSH, p. 512; Duncan, p.25.
5. ESSH, pp. 478–479; SAEC, pp. 75–78.
6. Duncan, pp.24–25.
7. Duncan, pp. 21–22; ESSH, p. 484.
8. See ESSH, pp. 483–484 & 495–502.
9. The name of Cuncar's daughter is given as Fenella,
Finele or Sibill in later sources. John of Fordun credits
Constantine III (Causantín mac Cuilén) and Kenneth
III (Cináed mac Duib) with the planning, claiming that
Kenneth II planned to change the laws of succession.
See ESSH, pp. 512–515.
10. ESSH, p. 516.
11. Annals of the Four Masters, s.a. 998: "Dúngal Cináed's
son, was killed by Gille Coemgáin, Cináed's son." It is
not clear if the Cináeds (Kenneths) referred to are
Cináed mac Maíl Coluim (Kenneth II) or his nephew
and namesake Cináed mac Duib (Kenneth III). Smyth,
pp. 221–222, makes Dúngal followingE SSH p. 580.
12. Compare Duncan, p.345 and Lynch (ed), Genealogies,
at about p. 680. See also ESSH, p. 580.
13. Woolf (2007), p. 205-206
14. Cawley 2011, Malcolm (http://fmg.ac/Projects/MedLa
nds/SCOTLAND.htm#_Toc253996179).Listing
includes all kings descended from him, excluding
Kenneth III.
15. The name of Cuncar's daughter is given as Fenella,
15. The name of Cuncar's daughter is given as Fenella,
Finele or Sibill in later sources. John of Fordun credits
Constantine III (Causantín mac Cuilén) and Kenneth
III (Cináed mac Duib) with the planning, claiming that
Kenneth II planned to change the laws of succession.
See ESSH, pp. 512–515.
16. Cawley 2011, Malcolm I (http://fmg.ac/Projects/MedL
ands/SCOTLAND.htm#_Toc253996179).Listing
includes all kings descended from him, excluding
Kenneth III.
17. Annals of Ulster, online translation. Entry U995.1 (htt
p://www.ucc.ie/celt/published/T100001A/)
18. Skene, John of Fordun's Chronicle of the Scottish
nation, Book IV, Chapters XXXII-XXXIV (32-34),
pages 165-169 (https://archive.org/details/johnoffordun
schr00fordrich)
19. Smyth, Warlords and Holy Men: Scotland AD 80-
1000, p. 224-225 (https://books.google.com/books?id=
mxxwmg48bFgC&pg=PA226)
20. Anderson, Early sources of Scottish history, A.D. 500
to 1286, p. 515 (https://archive.org/details/cu31924028
144313)
21. Skene, John of Fordun's Chronicle of the Scottish
nation, Book IV, Chapters XLIV (44), pages 180 (http
s://archive.org/details/johnoffordunschr00fordrich)
References
For primary sources see also External links below.
Anderson, Alan Orr, Early Sources of Scottish History A.D 500–1286, volume 1. Reprinted with corrections. Paul
Watkins, Stamford, 1990. ISBN 1-871615-03-8
Anderson, Alan Orr, Scottish Annals from English Chroniclers. D. Nutt, London, 1908.
Anon., Orkneyinga Saga: The History of the Earls of Orkne,y tr. Hermann Pálsson and Paul Edwards. Penguin, London,
1978. ISBN 0-14-044383-5
Duncan, A.A.M., The Kingship of the Scots 842–1292: Succession and Independenc eE.dinburgh University Press,
Edinburgh, 2002. ISBN 0-7486-1626-8
Lynch, Michael (ed.), The Oxford Companion to Scottish History. Oxford UP, Oxford, 2002. ISBN 0-19-211696-7
Smyth, Alfred P. Warlords and Holy Men: Scotland AD 80-1000. Reprinted, Edinburgh: Edinburgh UP, 1998. ISBN 0-
7486-0100-7
Woolf, Alex. (2007), "Amlaíb son of Ildulb and Cinaed Son of Mael Coluim",F rom Pictland to Alba: 789 - 1070,
Edinburgh University Press, ISBN 978-0748612345
External links
CELT: Corpus of Electronic Texts at University College Cork The Corpus of Electronic Texts includes
the Annals of Ulster, Tigernach and the Four Masters, the Chronicon Scotorum, as well as Genealogies,
and various Saints' Lives. Most are translated into English, or translations are in progress
The Chronicle of the Kings of Alba
Kenneth II of Scotland
House of Alpin
Died: 995
Regnal titles
Preceded by
Cuilén1
Amlaíb mac Illuilb
King of Alba
971–995
Succeeded by
Constantine III
Notes and references
1. The succession after Cuilén's death is uncertain. Whilst Kenneth may have succeeded and faced a later challenge from Amlaíb, it is
also possible that Kenneth and Amlaíb shared the kingship before the latter's death.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Kenneth_II_of_Scotland&oldid=782000616"
Categories: 10th-century births 995 deaths House of Alpin Burials in Iona
10th-century Scottish monarchs
This page was last edited on 24 May 2017, at 11:30.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may
apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia® is a registered
trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.

Family/Spouse: Unknown. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]