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.Pictish kings
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 list opens with
Drest son of Erp, a legendary king who supposedly reigned a hundred
years and fought a hundred battles. In his reign the king lists supply
their first synchronism, stating that in Drest's nineteenth year
Saint Patrick came to
Ireland.
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 and his sons Fib,
Fidach, Foltlaig, Fortrend, Caitt, Ce and Circinn.
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 English name Kenneth. Pictish "uu", sometimes
printed as "w" corresponds with Gaelic "f", so that Uuredach is the Gaelic
Feredach and Uurguist the Gaelic Fergus. As the
Dupplin Cross inscription shows, the idea that Irish sources
Gaelicised Pictish names may not be entirely accurate.
Kings of the Picts
Colouring indicates groups of kings presumed to be related.
Early kings
The kings before Drest son of Erp are omitted to reduce the length of
the lists.
| Reign |
Ruler |
Other names[2] |
Family |
Remarks |
| unknown |
Drest |
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" |
| unknown |
Talorc |
Talorc son of Aniel or Tholarg son of Anile |
|
An entry in the king lists; reigned 2 or 4 years |
| unknown |
Nechtan |
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 |
| unknown |
Drest |
Drest Gurthinmoch (or Gocinecht) |
|
An entry in the king lists; reigned 30 years |
| unknown |
Galan |
Galan Erilich or Galany |
|
An entry in the king lists |
| unknown |
Drest |
Drest son of Uudrost (or Hudrossig) |
|
An entry in the king lists |
| unknown |
Drest |
Drest son of Girom (or Gurum) |
|
An entry in the king lists |
| unknown |
Gartnait |
Garthnac son of Girom, Ganat son of Gigurum |
|
An entry in the king lists |
| unknown |
Cailtram |
Cailtram son of Girom, Kelturan son of Gigurum |
Brother of the preceding Gartnait |
An entry in the king lists |
| unknown |
Talorc |
Talorc son of Murtolic, Tolorg son of Mordeleg |
|
An entry in the king lists |
| unknown |
Drest |
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 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 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 |
| Died c. 601 |
Gartnait |
Gartnait son of Domelch,[3]
Gernard son of Dompneth |
|
|
| Died c. 621 |
Nechtan |
Nechtan grandson of Uerb[4]
Nechtan son of Cano[5] |
|
His reign is placed in the time of
Pope Boniface IV |
| Died c. 631x633 |
Cinioch |
Cinioch son of Lutrin
Kinet son of Luthren |
|
|
| |
Gartnait |
Gartnait son of Uuid[6] |
Brother of the following two kings |
|
| |
Bridei |
Bridei son of Uuid or son of Fochle |
Brother of the preceding and following kings |
|
| Died c. 653 |
Talorc |
Talorc son of Uuid or son of Foth |
Brother of the preceding two kings |
|
| Died c. 657 |
Talorgan |
Talorgan son of Eanfrith |
Son of
Eanfrith of Bernicia |
|
| Died c. 663 |
Gartnait |
Gartnait son of Donnel or son of Dúngal |
|
|
| Deposed c. 672 |
Drest |
Drest son of Donnel or son of Dúngal |
|
|
Later historical kings
| Reign |
Ruler |
Other names |
Family |
Remarks |
| Died 693 |
Bridei |
Bridei son of Bili |
Son of
Beli I of Alt Clut or grandson of
Nechtan II |
Defeated
Ecgfrith of Northumbria at the
battle of Dunnichen |
| c. 692–696 |
Taran |
Taran son of Ainftech |
Possibly a uterine half-brother of Bridei and Nechtan mac Der-Ilei |
|
| Died 706 |
Bridei |
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 |
| Abdicated 724 |
Nechtan |
Nechtan son of Der-Ilei |
Brother of Bridei |
Adopted the Roman dating of
Easter
c. 712, a noted founder of churches and monasteries |
| Killed 729 |
Drest |
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 |
Alpin son of Crup ? |
|
Probably a co-ruler or subking under Drest |
| Restored 728 or 729, died 732 |
Nechtan
restored |
Nechtan son of Der-Ilei, second reign |
|
|
| 732–761 |
Onuist |
Óengus son of Fergus |
Claimed as a kinsman by the
Eóganachta |
|
| Drowned 739 |
Talorgan |
Talorgan son of Drostan |
|
A sub-king, king of
Atholl;
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 |
| Died 763 |
Bridei |
Bridei son of Fergus |
Brother of Onuist |
King of
Fortriu |
| Died 775 |
Ciniod |
Ciniod son of Uuredach, Cinadhon |
Sometimes thought to be a grandson of
Selbach mac Ferchair |
Granted asylum to the deposed King
Alhred of Northumbria |
| Died 780 |
Alpín |
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 |
King of Cismontane Picts |
|
Death reported in the Ulster Annals |
|
| Died 787 |
Drest |
Drest son of Talorgan |
Son of the preceding Talorgan or of Talorgan, brother of Óengus |
|
| Possibly deposed 789, died 807 |
Conall |
Conall son of Tarla (or of Tadg) |
|
Perhaps rather a king in Dál Riata |
| Died 820 |
Caustantín |
Caustantín son of Fergus[7] |
A grandson or grandnephew of Onuist or perhaps a son of
Fergus mac Echdach[8] |
His son
Domnall may have been king of Dál Riata |
| Died 834 |
Óengus |
Óengus son of Fergus |
Brother of Caustantín |
|
| Unknown |
Drest |
Drest son of Caustantín |
Son of Caustantín |
|
| Died 839 |
Eógan |
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 son of Bargoit |
Unknown |
Said to have reigned for three years, probably named on the
Drosten Stone |
| Unknown |
Bridei |
Bridei son of Uurad |
Possibly the son of the previous king |
Said to have reigned one year |
| Unknown |
Ciniod |
Ciniod son of Uurad |
Possibly the brother of the previous king |
Said to have reigned one year in some lists |
| Unknown |
Bridei |
Bridei son of Uuthoil |
Unknown |
Said to have reigned two years in some lists |
| Unknown |
Drest |
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 |
| Died 13 February, 858 |
Cináed |
Cináed mac Ailpín
Kenneth MacAlpine |
Unknown, but his descendants made him a member of the
Cenél nGabráin of
Dál Riata |
|
Kings of the Picts traditionally counted as
King of Scots
Cináed mac Ailpín defeated the rival kings, winning out by around
845–848. He is traditionally considered first "King of Scots", or of
"Picts and Scots", having conquered the Picts as a Gael, but some modern
scholars think he might have even been a Pictish king, rather than a Scot.
| Reign |
Ruler |
Other names |
Family |
Remarks |
| Died 13 February, 858 |
Cináed |
Cináed mac Ailpín
Kenneth MacAlpine |
Unknown, but his descendants made him a member of the Cenél
nGabráin of
Dál Riata |
|
| Died 862 |
Domnall |
Domnall mac Ailpín |
Brother of Cináed |
|
| Died 877 |
Causantín |
Causantín mac Cináeda |
Son of Cináed |
|
| Died 878 |
Áed |
Áed mac Cináeda |
Son of Cináed |
|
| Deposed 889 ? |
Giric |
Giric mac Dúngail |
Cináed's daughter's son ? |
Associated, probably incorrectly, with
Eochaid |
| Died 900 |
Domnall |
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 |
Causantín mac Áeda |
Son of Áed mac Cináeda |
First king of
Alba, the
Gaelic
kingdom of Scotland. |
Notes
- ^ Woolf, "Pictish
matriliny reconsidered", p. 153.
- ^ Other
names are only given where they differ significantly. See also
Names above
- ^
Bannerman, pp. 92–94, identifies this Gartnait with Gartnait son of
Áedán mac Gabráin, founder of the "genus Gartnait" of
Skye.
- ^ Woolf, "Pictish
matriliny reconsidered, pp. 160–161, suggests has been suggested that
"grandson of Uerb" should be read son of Uerb. Alternatively, it has
been suggested that Uerb may represent a legendary apical ancestor
such as the Fer map Con in the ancestry of
Run map Artgal in the
Harleian genealogies. The sons of Uuid are presumed to be related.
- ^ For the
identification as a son of Cano, grandson of
Áedán mac Gabráin, see Bannerman, pp. 92–93.
- ^ Another
list names Nechtan son of Fochle.
- ^
Previously thought to have been an Irish gaelicisation, now known to
be an authentic form of his name found on the
Dupplin Cross.
- ^ Grandson
or grandnephew of Onuist per Broun, "Pictish kings", son of Fergus mac
Echdach in older works.
|
