Drest VII

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Drest VII
King of the Picts
Reign724–726
Predecessor Nechtan III
Successor Alpín I of the Picts
Died732

Drest was king of the Picts from 724 until 726. [1] He succeeded Nechtan mac Der-Ilei when the latter abdicated and entered a monastery in 724. [2]

Neither the Annals of Ulster nor the Annals of Tigernach, name Drest's father. The earlier versions of the Pictish Chronicle king lists simply name "Drest and Elpin" as kings after Nechtan. However, a late version, which includes Nechtan's second reign in 728–729, makes Drest's father one Talorgan. [3] This version includes the otherwise unknown Carnach son of Ferach and Óengus son of Bridei and is generally not such as would inspire great confidence.

Since Nechtan abdicated in favour of Drest, some kinship between them seems probable. A number of Nechtan's sons are reported to have died, so that Drest, whether a nephew, a son-in-law or cousin may have been Nechtan's nearest male kin. It may be that Drest was the son of the Talorg son of Drostan, "brother of Nechtan" – a half-brother or perhaps a foster brother – who had been imprisoned in 713.

Whatever his descent, Drest's rule appears to have been quickly challenged. In 725, Simul son of Drest was imprisoned, but by whom is unknown. In 726 Nechtan was imprisoned by Drest, following which Alpín, the Alpín of the king lists, deposed Drest. [4]

By 728 it appears that Drest, Nechtan, Alpín and Óengus mac Fergusa were engaged in a war for the Pictish throne. Drest was killed in battle against Óengus at Dromo Dergg Blathuug (possibly Drumderg, near Blairgowrie) in 729.

Whether there is any relationship between this Drest and the Talorgan son of Drest, king of Atholl, who was killed by drowning in 739, can only be speculation. Drest, Talorgan, and their variants are common Pictish names, too common for any argument on the basis of anthroponymy to be entirely convincing.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Óengus I</span> King of the Picts from 732 to 761

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Drest son of Talorcan, was king of the Picts from 782 until 783, succeeding his father Talorgan.

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Gartnait son of Donuel was king of the Picts from 657 until 663.

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Talorg may refer to:

Der-Ilei is believed to have been a daughter, or less probably a sister, of Bridei map Beli, king of the Picts. There are no explicit mentions of Der-Ilei in the Irish annals or other sources, and her existence and parentage are thus based on the implication of the surviving records.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">House of Óengus</span>

The House of Óengus is a proposed dynasty that may have ruled as Kings of the Picts and possibly of all of northern Great Britain, for approximately a century from the 730s to the 830s AD. Their first ruler of Pictland was the great Óengus I of the Picts, who may be the figure carved into the St Andrews Sarcophagus pictured on the right.

References

  1. ↑ Ross, Alasdair (1999). "Pictish Matriliny?". Northern Studies. 34: 11–22. ISSN   0305-506X.
  2. ↑ Miller, Molly (1979). "The Disputed Historical Horizon of the Pictish King-Lists". The Scottish Historical Review. 58 (165): 1–34. ISSN   0036-9241. JSTOR   25529317.
  3. ↑ Fisher, John H. (1957). "Tristan and Courtly Adultery". Comparative Literature. 9 (2): 150–164. doi:10.2307/1768881. ISSN   0010-4124. JSTOR   1768881.
  4. ↑ Evans, Nicholas (May 2008). "Royal succession and kingship among the Picts". The Innes Review. 59 (1): 1–48. doi:10.3366/E0020157X08000140. hdl: 20.500.11820/657d2747-c29d-4254-989d-eb23970a9684 . ISSN   0020-157X.
Regnal titles
Preceded by King of the Picts
724–726		Succeeded by


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