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 Caledonian or Irish mythology. The latter parts of the lists can largely be reconciled with other sources.
Pictish kings ruled in northern and eastern Scotland. 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. [1]
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 Bretnach's 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.
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 Cross inscription shows, the idea that Irish sources Gaelicised Pictish names may not be entirely accurate.
Colouring indicates groups of kings presumed to be related.
| Reign | Ruler | Other names [2] | Family | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 311–341 | Vipoig | Reigned 30 years | ||
| 341–345 | Canutulachama [3] | Reigned 4 years | ||
| 345–347 | Uradech | Reigned 2 years | ||
| 347–387 | Gartnait II | Reigned 40 years | ||
| 387–412 | Talorc mac Achiuir | Reigned 25 years | ||
| 412–452 | Drest I | Drest son of Erp | First king of the Pictish Chronicle lists whose reign includes a synchronism (the coming of Saint Patrick to Ireland; "ruled a hundred years and fought a hundred battles" | |
| 452–456 | Talorc I | Talorc son of Aniel | An entry in the king lists; reigned 2 or 4 years | |
| 456–480 | Nechtan I | 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; one interpretator of which suggested it containing the phrase "the vassal of Nehtonn" |
| 480–510 | Drest II | Drest Gurthinmoch (or Gocinecht) | An entry in the king lists; reigned 30 years | |
| 510–522 | Galan | Galan Erilich or Galany | An entry in the king lists | |
| 522–530 | Drest III | Drest son of Uudrost (or Hudrossig) | ||
| 522–531 | Drest IV | Drest son of Girom (or Gurum) | An entry in the king lists | |
| 531–537 | Gartnait I | Garthnac son of Girom, Ganat son of Gigurum | ||
| 537–538 | Cailtram | Cailtram son of Girom, Kelturan son of Gigurum | Brother of the preceding Gartnait | |
| 538–549 | Talorc II | Talorc son of Murtolic, Tolorg son of Mordeleg | An entry in the king lists | |
| 549–550 | Drest V | Drest son of Manath, Drest son of Munait |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 550–555 | Galam | Galam Cennalath | The death of "Cennalaph, king of the Picts" is recorded, may have ruled jointly with Bridei son of Maelchon | |
| 554–584 | Bridei I | Bridei son of Maelchon Brude son of Melcho | His death and other activities are recorded, he is named in Adomnán's Life of Saint Columba ; the first Pictish king to be more than a name in a list | |
| 584–595 | Gartnait II | Gartnait son of Domelch, [4] Gernard son of Dompneth | ||
| 595–616 | Nechtan II | Nechtan grandson of Uerb [5] Nechtan son of Cano [6] | His reign is placed in the time of Pope Boniface IV | |
| 616–631 | Cinioch | Cinioch son of Lutrin Kinet son of Luthren | ||
| 631–635 | Gartnait III | Gartnait son of Uuid [7] | son of Gwid son of Peithan? | |
| 635–641 | Bridei II | Bridei son of Uuid or son of Fochle | ||
| 641–653 | Talorc III | Talorc son of Uuid or son of Foth | ||
| 653–657 | Talorgan I | Talorgan son of Eanfrith | son of Eanfrith of Bernicia | |
| 657–663 | Gartnait IV | Gartnait son of Donnel or son of Dúngal | ||
| 663–672 | Drest VI |
| Reign | Ruler | Other names | Family | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 672–693 | Bridei III | Bridei son of Bili | Son of Beli I of Alt Clut son of Nechtan II | At war with the Scots in 683. Defeated Ecgfrith of Northumbria at the Battle of Dun Nechtain in 685. |
| 693–697 | Taran | Taran son of Ainftech | Possibly a uterine half-brother of Bridei and Nechtan mac Der-Ilei | |
| 697–706 | Bridei IV | Bridei son of Der-Ilei | Brother of Nechtan, Cenél Comgaill | 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 |
| 706–724 | Nechtan III | Nechtan son of Der-Ilei | Brother of Bridei, Cenél Comgaill | Adopted the Roman dating of Easter c. 712, a noted founder of churches and monasteries |
| 724–726 | Drest VII | Drust | Perhaps son of a half-brother of Nechtan and Bridei. Possibly of Cenél nGabráin of Atholl ['New Ireland'] (T.O. Clancy, 2004) | Succeeded Nechtan, imprisoned him in 726, may have been deposed that year by Alpín |
| 726–728 | Alpín I | Alpin mac Echach | Possibly of Cenél nGabráin (M.O. Anderson, 1973) | Probably a co-ruler with Drest. Also King of Dal Riata, AT726.4 "Dungal was removed from rule, and Drust of the rule of the Picts removed, and Elphin reigns for them." |
| 728–729 | Nechtan III restored | Nechtan son of Der-Ilei, second reign | Cenél Comgaill | It has been suggests that Óengus defeated the enemy of Nechtan in 729, and Nechtan continued to rule until 732. |
| 729–761 | Óengus I | Onuist son of Vurguist | Claimed as a kinsman by the Eóganachta | |
| 736–750 [8] | Talorgan II | Talorcan son of Fergus, Talargan, [8] Talrgan [8] | Brother of Óengus | Killed in battle against the Britons of Altclut [8] |
| 761–763 | Bridei V | Bridei son of Fergus | Brother of Onuist | King of Fortriu |
| 763–775 | Ciniod I | Ciniod son of Uuredach, Cinadhon, Cinioyd [8] Chemoith, [8] Cenioid [8] | Sometimes thought to be a grandson of Selbach mac Ferchair and hence of Cenél Loairn | Granted asylum to the deposed King Alhred of Northumbria |
| 775–778 | Alpín II | Alpin son of Uuroid | Death reported as Eilpín, king of the Saxons but this is taken to be an error | |
| 778–782 | Talorc II | Talorc son of Drest | Death reported in the Ulster Annals | |
| 782–783 | Drest VIII | Drest son of Talorgan | Son of the preceding Talorgan or of Talorgan, brother of Óengus | |
| 783–785 | Talorc III | Talorgan son of Onuist, also Dub Tholarg | Son of Óengus | |
| 785–789 | Conall | Conall son of Tarla (or of Tadg) | Perhaps rather a king in Dál Riata | |
| 789–820 | Caustantín | Caustantín son of Fergus [9] | A grandson or grandnephew of Onuist or perhaps a son of Fergus mac Echdach [10] | His son Domnall may have been king of Dál Riata |
| 820–834 | Óengus II | Óengus son of Fergus | Brother of Caustantín | |
| 834–837 | Drest IX | Drest son of Caustantín | Son of Caustantín | |
| 834–837 | Talorc IV | Talorcan son of Wthoil | ||
| 837–839 | Eógan | Eógan son of Óengus | Son of Óengus, his brothers were Nechtan and Finguine. | Killed in 839 with his brother Bran in battle against the Vikings; this led to a decade of conflict |
The deaths of Eógan and Bran appear to have led to a large number of competitors for the throne of Pictland.
| Reign | Ruler | Other names | Family | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 839–842 | Uurad | Uurad son of Bargoit | Unknown | Said to have reigned for three years, probably named on the Drosten Stone |
| 842–843 | Bridei VI | Bridei son of Uurad | Possibly the son of the previous king | Said to have reigned one year |
| 843 | Ciniod II | Kenneth son of Ferath | Possibly the brother of the previous king | Said to have reigned one year in some lists |
| 843–845 | Bridei VII | Brudei son of Uuthoi | Unknown | Said to have reigned two years in some lists |
| 845–848 | Drest X | Drest son of Uurad | As previous sons of Uurad | Said to have reigned three years in some lists; the myth of MacAlpin's treason calls the Pictish king Drest |
| 848– 13 February 858 | Kenneth MacAlpin | Ciniod son of Elphin, Cináed mac Ailpín, Coinneach mac Ailpein | Unknown, but his descendants made him a member of the Cenél nGabráin of Dál Riata | Conquered Pictland in the year 843 AD and was crowned at Scone, the First King of Scots |
Cináed mac Ailpín (Kenneth MacAlpin in English) defeated the rival kings, winning out by around 845–848. He is traditionally considered the 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 of Scots" were not used until several generations after him.[ citation needed ]
| Reign | Ruler | Other names | Family | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Died 13 February 858 | Kenneth MacAlpin | Ciniod son of Elphin Cináed mac Ailpín Coinneach mac Ailpein Cenioyth [11] Ceniod [11] | Unknown, but his descendants made him a member of the Cenél nGabráin of Dál Riata | |
| Died 862 | Domnall | Domnall mac Ailpín Dòmhnall mac Ailpein Donald MacAlpin Donald I | Brother of Cináed | |
| Died 877 | Causantín | Causantín mac Cináeda Còiseam mac Choinnich Constantín mac Cináeda Constantine I | Son of Cináed | |
| Died 878 | Áed | Áed mac Cináeda Aodh mac Choinnich Aedth Edus | ||
| Deposed 889? | Eochaid | Son of Rhun ap Arthgal, and maternal grandson of Cináed | Associated with Giric. Could have shared kingship with Giric, either as an equal partner or adversary. Could have also reigned as King of Strathclyde | |
| Deposed 889? | Giric | Giric mac Dúngail Griogair mac Dhunghail "Mac Rath" ("Son of Fortune") | Cináed's daughter's son? | Associated with Eochaid |
| Died 900 | Domnall | Domnall mac Causantín Dòmhnall mac Chòiseim Donald II "Dásachtach" ("The Madman") | Son of Causantín mac Cináeda | Last to be called "king of the Picts" |
| Reign | Ruler | Other names | Family | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abdicated 943, died 952 | Causantín | Causantín mac Áeda Còiseam mac Aoidh Constantine II | Son of Áed mac Cináeda | First king of Alba, the kingdom that later became known as "Scotland". |
Causantín mac Cináeda was a king of the Picts. He is often known as Constantine I in reference to his place in modern lists of Scottish monarchs, but contemporary sources described Causantín only as a Pictish king. A son of Cináed mac Ailpín, he succeeded his uncle Domnall mac Ailpín as Pictish king following the latter's death on 13 April 862. It is likely that the reign of Causantín witnessed increased activity by Vikings, based in Ireland, Northumbria and northern Britain. He died fighting one such invasion.
Causantín mac Áeda 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 situated in what is now Northern Scotland.
Kenneth MacAlpin or Kenneth I was King of Dál Riada (841–850), and King of the Picts (848–858), of likely Gaelic origin. According to the traditional account, he inherited the throne of Dál Riada from his father Alpín mac Echdach, founder of the Alpínid dynasty. Kenneth I conquered the kingdom of the Picts in 843–850 and began a campaign to seize all of Scotland and assimilate the Picts, for which he was posthumously nicknamed An Ferbasach. He fought the Britons of the Kingdom of Strathclyde and the invading Vikings from Scandinavia. Forteviot became the capital of his kingdom and Kenneth relocated relics, including the Stone of Scone from an abandoned abbey on Iona, to his new domain.
The Picts were a group of peoples in what is now Scotland north of the Firth of Forth, in the Early Middle Ages. Where they lived and details of their culture can be gleaned from early medieval texts and Pictish stones. The name Picti appears in written records as an exonym from the late third century AD. They are assumed to have been descendants of the Caledonii and other northern Iron Age tribes. Their territory is referred to as "Pictland" by modern historians. Initially made up of several chiefdoms, it came to be dominated by the Pictish kingdom of Fortriu from the seventh century. During this Verturian hegemony, Picti was adopted as an endonym. This lasted around 160 years until the Pictish kingdom merged with that of Dál Riata to form the Kingdom of Alba, ruled by the House of Alpin. The concept of "Pictish kingship" continued for a few decades until it was abandoned during the reign of Caustantín mac Áeda.
Dál Riata or Dál Riada was a Gaelic kingdom that encompassed the western seaboard of Scotland and north-eastern Ireland, on each side of the North Channel. At its height in the 6th and 7th centuries, it covered what is now Argyll in Scotland and part of County Antrim in Northern Ireland. After a period of expansion, Dál Riata eventually became associated with the Gaelic Kingdom of Alba.
Óengus mac Fergusa was king of the Picts from 820 until 834. In Scottish historiography, he is associated with the veneration of Saint Andrew, the patron saint of Scotland, although this has not been proven.
Causantín or Constantín mac Fergusa (789–820) 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. He is credited with having founded the church at Dunkeld which later received relics of St Columba from Iona.
Áedán mac Gabráin, also written as Aedan, was a king of Dál Riata from c. 574 until c. 609 AD. The kingdom of Dál Riata was situated in modern Argyll and Bute, Scotland, and parts of County Antrim, Ireland. Genealogies record that Áedán was a son of Gabrán mac Domangairt.
The House of Alpin, also known as the Alpinid dynasty, Clann Chináeda, and Clann Chinaeda meic Ailpín, was the kin-group which ruled in Pictland, possibly Dál Riata, and then the kingdom of Alba from Constantine II in the 940s until the death of Malcolm II in 1034.
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. The unprecedented territorial gains he made from coast to coast, and the legacy he left, mean Óengus can be considered the first king of what would become Scotland.
Bridei son of Maelchon was King of the Picts from 554 to 584. Sources are vague or contradictory regarding him, but it is believed that his court was near Loch Ness and that he may have been a Christian. Several contemporaries also claimed the title "King of the Picts". He died in the mid-580s, possibly in battle, and was succeeded by Gartnait son of Domelch.
Fortriu was a Pictish kingdom recorded between the 4th and 10th centuries. It was traditionally believed to be located in and around Strathearn in central Scotland, but is more likely to have been based in the north, in the Moray and Easter Ross area. Fortriu is a term used by historians as it is not known what name its people used to refer to their polity. Historians also sometimes use the name synonymously with Pictland in general.
Uuen son of Onuist, commonly referred to by the hypocoristic Eóganán, was king of the Picts between A.D. 837–839.
Conall mac Taidg was a king of the Picts from 785 until 789. Very little is recorded of the king. 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 regnal lists.
Ciniod, Cináed or Cinadhon, son of Uuredech, was king of the Picts from 763 until 775.
Gartnait, son of Domelch, was a king of the Picts from 584 to 595.
The origins of the Kingdom of Alba pertain 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.
Neithon son of Guipno was a 7th-century ruler of Alt Clut, a Brittonic kingdom based on Dumbarton Rock. According to the Harleian genealogies, he was the son of Guipno map Dumnagual Hen. Alfred Smyth suggests he is the same man as King Nechtan the Great of the Picts, and perhaps the Nechtan son of Canu the Annals of Ulster record as having died in 621. The Senchus fer n-Alban indicate that Gartnait, the son of Áedán mac Gabráin, King of Dál Riata, sired a son named Cano, but unless the Harleian genealogies are to be ignored, this would make Gartnait and Dumnagual Hen the same persons, as the respective fathers of Gartnait and Guipno. However, it is possible that either as an Alt Clut Briton ascending the throne of Pictland, or as a Pict ascending the throne of Alt Clut, his genealogy might have been altered, and it is notable that in the Pictish king-lists he is called "Nechtan, nepos Uerb", suggesting that it was a descent from Uerb that mattered in Pictland, and not his unimportant father Guipno/Canu. Alan Orr Anderson pointed out that Uerb is probably the Pictish form of Ferb, a female name. Alan MacQuarrie suggests that Neithon was indeed the Pictish king Nechtan, but does not take any stance on the Guipno/Canu problem.
Seven Children of Cruithne is a quatrain written in Old Irish that forms the earliest known record of one of the origin myths of the Picts. In this myth, the Pictish kingdom's legendary founder Cruithne divides his territory into seven districts for each of his seven sons, each of which succeed him sequentially in ruling the entire kingdom.
For primary sources, see External links below