Áedán mac Gabráin (Old Irish pronunciation:[ˈaːi̯ðaːnmakˈɡaβɾaːnʲ];Irish:Aodhán mac Gabhráin), also written asAedan, was aking of Dál Riata fromc. 574 until c. 609 AD. The kingdom ofDál Riata was situated in modernArgyll and Bute, Scotland, and parts ofCounty Antrim, Ireland. Genealogies record that Áedán was a son ofGabrán mac Domangairt.
He was a contemporary ofSaint Columba, and much that is recorded of his life and career comes fromhagiography such asAdomnán of Iona'sLife of Saint Columba. Áedán appears as a character inOld Irish andMiddle Irish language works of prose and verse, some now lost.
TheIrish annals record Áedán's campaigns against his neighbours, in Ireland, and in northern Britain, including expeditions to theOrkney Islands, theIsle of Man, and the east coast of Scotland. As recorded byBede, Áedán was decisively defeated byÆthelfrith of Bernicia at theBattle of Degsastan. Áedán may have been deposed, or have abdicated, following this defeat. His date of death is recorded by one source as 17 April 609, inKilkerran.
The sources for Áedán's life include Bede'sHistoria ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum;Irish annals, principally theAnnals of Ulster and theAnnals of Tigernach; and Adomnán'sLife of Saint Columba. TheSenchus fer n-Alban, a census andgenealogy of Dál Riata, purports to record his ancestry and that of his immediate descendants. None of these sources are contemporary. Adomnán's work was written in the very late 7th century, probably to mark the centenary of Columba's death. It incorporates elements from a lost earlier life of Columba,De virtutibus sancti Columbae, byCumméne Find. This may have been written as early as 640; neither the elements incorporated from Cumméne's work nor Adomnán's own writings can be treated as simple history. Bede's history was written 30 years after Adomnán's. The surviving Irish annals contain elements of a chronicle kept at Iona from the middle of the 7th century onwards so that these too are retrospective when dealing with Áedán's time.[1]
TheRawlinson B 502 manuscript, dated to c. 1130, contains the taleGein Branduib maic Echach ocus Aedáin maic Gabráin (The Birth of Brandub son of Eochu and of Aedán son of Gabrán). In this story, Áedán is the twin brother ofBrandub mac Echach, aKing of Leinster who belonged to theUí Cheinnselaig kindred. Áedán is exchanged at birth for one of the twin daughters of Gabrán, born the same night so that each family might have a son.The Prophecy of Berchán also associates Áedán withLeinster.John Bannerman concluded that "[t]here seems to be no basis of fact behind these traditions."[2]Francis John Byrne suggested that theEchtra was written by a poet at the court ofDiarmait mac Maíl na mBó, an 11th-century descendant of Brandub, and was written to cement an alliance between Diarmait and the Scots kingMáel Coluim mac Donnchada ("Malcolm III"), who claimed to be a descendant of Áedán.[3] A lost Irish tale,Echtra Áedáin mac Gabráin (The Adventures of Áedán son of Gabrán), appears in a list of works, but its contents are unknown.[4] Áedán is a character in the epicScéla Cano meic Gartnáin, but the events which inspired the tale appear to have taken place in the middle of the 7th century.[5] He also appears in the taleCompert Mongáin.[6]
Áedán additionally appears in a variety of Welsh sources, making him one of the few non-Britons to figure in Welsh tradition.[7] Welsh sources call himAedan Bradawc, meaning "The Treacherous" or "The Wily". He may have earned this epithet after the collapse of an alliance withRhydderch Hael, king of the nearby Brittonic kingdom ofAlt Clut; the enmity between them is remembered in theWelsh Triads and elsewhere.[8] Another Triad records Áedán's host as one of the "Three Faithful War-Bands of the Island of Britain", as they "went to the sea for their lord".[9] This may point to an otherwise lost tradition concerning one of Áedán's sea expeditions, such as toOrkney or theIsle of Man.[10] Additionally, several Welsh works claim a Brittonic pedigree for Áedán. TheBonedd Gwŷr y Gogledd records him as a descendant ofDyfnwal Hen of Alt Clut, though the genealogy is much confused (Gauran is given as his son, rather than father).[11] The Cambro-LatinDe Situ Brecheniauc andCognacio Brychan claim his mother was Luan, daughter ofBrychan ofBrycheiniog in Wales.[7] Though these pedigrees are inconsistent and likely dubious, they are notable in highlighting Áedán's close association with the Britons.[12]
Áedán was the chief king in Dál Riata, ruling over lesser tribal kings. TheSenchus fer n-Alban records the sub-divisions of Dál Riata in the 7th and 8th centuries, but no record from Áedán's time survives. According to theSenchus, Dál Riata was divided into three sub-kingdoms in the 7th century, each ruled by a kin group named for theireponymous founder. These were theCenél nGabráin, named for Áedán's father, who ruled overKintyre,Cowal andBute; theCenél Loairn of northern Argyll; and theCenél nÓengusa ofIslay. Within these there were smaller divisions or tribes which are named by theSenchus.[13] Details of the Irish part of the kingdom are less clear.
Looking outward, Dál Riata's neighbours in north Britain were thePicts and theBritons of theHen Ogledd, theBrittonic-speaking parts of what is nowNorthern England and southernLowland Scotland. The most powerful Brittonic kingdom in the area wasAlt Clut, later known as Strathclyde andCumbria. Late in Áedán's life, the Anglo-Saxon kingdom ofBernicia became the greatest power in northern Britain.[14]
In Ireland, Dál Riata formed part ofUlster, ruled byBáetán mac Cairill of theDál Fiatach. The other major grouping in Ulster consisted of the disunited tribes of theCruithne, later known as theDál nAraidi. The most important Cruithne king in Áedán's time wasFiachnae mac Báetáin. Beyond the kingdom of Ulster, and generally hostile to it, were the various kingdoms and tribes of theUí Néill and their subjects and allies. Of the Uí Néill kings,Áed mac Ainmuirech of theCenél Conaill, Columba's first cousin once removed, was the most important during Áedán's reign.[15]
Adomnán, theSenchus fer n-Alban and the Irish annals record Áedán as a son ofGabrán mac Domangairt (died c. 555–560). Áedán's brother Eoganán is known from Adomnán and his death is recorded c. 597.[17] TheSenchus names three other sons of Gabrán, namely Cuildach, Domnall, and Domangart.[18] Although nothing is known of Cuildach and Domangart or their descendants, Adomnán mentions a certain Ioan, son of Conall, son of Domnall, "who belonged to the royal lineage of the Cenél nGabráin",[19] but this is generally read as meaning that Ioan was a kinsman of the Cenél nGabráin, and his grandfather named Domnall is not thought to be the same person as Áedán's brother Domnall.[20]
Áedán was about forty years old when he became king, following the death of his uncleConall mac Comgaill in 574.[21] His succession as king may have been contested; Adomnán states that Columba had favoured the candidacy of Áedán's brother Eoganán.[22] Adomnán claims that Áedán was ordained as king by Columba, the first example of an ordination known in Britain and Ireland.[23]
In 574, following the account of Conall's death, theAnnals of Ulster and theAnnals of Tigernach record a battle inKintyre, called the Battle of Teloch, or Delgu. The precise location of the battle is unidentified. The annals agree that "Dúnchad, son of Conall, son of Comgall, and many others of the allies of the sons of Gabrán, fell."[24] In 575, theAnnals of Ulster report "the great convention of Druim Cett", at Mullagh or Daisy Hill nearLimavady, with Áed mac Ainmuirech and Columba in attendance.[25] Adomnán reports that Áedán was present at the meeting.[26] The purpose of the meeting is not entirely certain, but one agreement made there concerned the status of Áedán's kingdom. Áedán and Áed agreed that while the fleet of Dál Riata would serve the Uí Néill, no tribute would be paid to them, and warriors would only be provided from the Dál Riata lands in Ireland.[27]
The reason for this agreement is thought to have been the threat posed to Áedán, and also to Áed, by Báetán mac Cairill. Báetán is said to have forced the king of Dál Riata to pay homage to him at Rosnaree onIslandmagee. Áedán is thought to be the king in question, and Ulster sources say that Báetán collected tribute from Scotland.[28] Following Báetán's death in 581, the Ulstermen abandoned the Isle of Man, which they had captured in Báetán's time, perhaps driven out by Áedán who is recorded as fighting there c. 583.[29] Earlier, c. 580, Áedán is said to have raided Orkney, which had been subject toBridei son of Maelchon,King of the Picts, at an earlier date.[30]
Áedán's campaigns on the Isle of Man have sometimes been confused with the battle against the Miathi mentioned by Adomnán. The Miathi appear to have been theMaeatae, a tribe in the area of the upperriver Forth. This campaign was successful, but Áedán's sons Artúr and Eochaid Find were killed in battle according to Adomnán.[31] This battle may have taken place c. 590 and been recorded as the Battle of Leithreid or Leithrig.[32]
TheProphecy of Berchán says of Áedán: "Thirteen years (one after another) [he will fight against] the Pictish host (fair the diadem)." The only recorded battle between Áedán and the Picts appears to have been fought in Circinn, in 599 or after, where Áedán was defeated. The annals mention the deaths of his sons here.[33] It has been suggested that this battle was confused with the "Battle of Asreth" in Circinn, fought c. 584, in which Bridei son of Maelchon was killed. This battle is described as being "fought between the Picts themselves".[34]
A number of Welsh traditions point to warfare between Áedán and KingRhydderch Hael ofAlt Clut, the northern Brittonic kingdom later known as Strathclyde.Hector Munro Chadwick and subsequent historians suggest Áedán was initially in a long-term alliance with Rhydderch and his predecessors, but that it eventually collapsed into conflict.[8] Adomnán reports that Rhydderch sent a monk named Luigbe toIona to speak with Columba "for he wanted to learn whether he would be slaughtered by his enemies or not". AWelsh Triad names Áedán's plundering of Alt Clut as one of the "three unrestrained plunderings of Britain", and the poemPeiryan Vaban tells of a battle between Áedán and Rhydderch.[35] The lost Irish epicOrgain Sratha Cluada is usually thought to refer to the attack on Alt Clut in 870 byVikings, but MacQuarrie suggests that it may refer to an attack by Áedán on Rhydderch.[36]
Degsastan appears not to have been the first battle between Áedán and the Bernicians. The death of his son Domangart in the land of the Saxons is mentioned by Adomnán, and it is presumed that Bran died in the same otherwise unrecorded battle.[37]
Of the roots of this conflict, Bede mentions only that Áedán was alarmed by Æthelfrith's advance. Wherever the Battle of Degsastan was fought, Bede saw it as lying withinNorthumbria. The battle was a decisive victory for Æthelfrith, and Bede says, carefully, that "[f]rom that day until the present, no king of the Irish in Britain has dared to do battle with the English." Although victorious, Æthelfrith suffered losses; Bede tells us his brother Theodbald was killed with all his following. Theodbald appears to be called Eanfrith in Irish sources, which name his killer asMáel Umai mac Báetáin of theCenél nEógain, son of High-KingBáetán mac Ninnedo. The Irish poemCompert Mongáin says that the king of Ulster, Fiachnae mac Báetáin of the Dál nAraidi, aided Áedán against the Saxons, perhaps at Degsastan. TheAnglo-Saxon Chronicle mentions thatHering, son of KingHussa of Bernicia, was present, apparently fighting with Áedán.[38]
After the defeat of Degsastan, the annals report nothing of Áedán until his death around six years later, perhaps on 17 April 609, the date supplied by theMartyrology of Tallaght, composed c. 800. TheAnnals of Tigernach give his age as 74.[39] TheProphecy of Berchán places his death in Kintyre and says "[h]e will not be king at the time of his death", while the 12th centuryActa Sancti Lasriani claims that he was expelled from the kingship.John of Fordun, writing in the 14th century, believed that Áedán had been buried atKilkerran in Kintyre.[40]
Áedán was succeeded by his son,Eochaid Buide. Adomnán gives an account of Columba's prophecy that Eochaid's older brothers (listed asArtúr, Eochaid Find and Domangart) would predecease their father.[41] Áedán's other sons are named by theSenchus fer n-Alban as Eochaid Find, Tuathal, Bran, Baithéne, Conaing, and Gartnait.[42] Adomnán also namesArtúr, called a son of Conaing in theSenchus, and Domangart, who is not included in theSenchus. Domangart too may have been a grandson rather than a son of Áedán, most likely another son of Conaing. The main line of Cenél nGabráin kings were the descendants of Eochaid Buide through his sonDomnall Brecc, but the descendants of Conaing successfully contested for the throne throughout the 7th century and into the 8th.[43]
It has been suggested that Gartnait son of Áedán could be the same person asGartnait son of Domelch, king of the Picts, whose death is reported around 601, but this rests on the idea of Pictishmatriliny, which has been criticised. Even less certainly, it has been argued that Gartnait's successor in the Pictish king-lists,Nechtan, was his grandson, and thus Áedán's great-grandson.[44]
Less is known of Áedán's daughters. Maithgemm, also recorded as Gemma, married a prince named Cairell of the Dál Fiatach. The names of Áedán's wives are not recorded, but one was said to be Brittonic, and another may have been a Pictish woman named Domelch, if indeed the Gartnait son of Domelch and Gartnait son of Áedán are one and the same.[45]
| Preceded by | King of Dál Riata 574–c. 608 | Succeeded by |