| Kenneth II | |
|---|---|
| King of Alba (Scotland) | |
| Reign | 971 or 976/977–995 |
| Predecessor | Cuilén orAmlaíb |
| Successor | Constantine III |
| Born | 932 |
| Died | 995 Fettercairn? |
| Issue | Malcolm II of Scotland Boite mac Cináeda? Dúngal? Suibne? |
| House | Alpin |
| Father | Malcolm I of Scotland |
Cináed mac Maíl Coluim (Modern Scottish Gaelic:Coinneach mac Mhaoil Chaluim,[a]anglicisedKenneth II, and nicknamedAn Fionnghalach, "TheFratricidal";[1] 932–995) wasKing of Alba (Scotland) from 971 to 995. The son ofMalcolm I (Máel Coluim mac Domnaill), he succeededKing Cuilén (Cuilén mac Iduilb) on the latter's death at the hands ofRhydderch ap Dyfnwal in 971.
TheChronicle of the Kings of Alba was compiled in Kenneth's reign, but many of the place names mentioned are entirely corrupt, if not fictitious.[2] 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 plunderedNorthumbria three times, first as far asStainmore, then toCluiam and lastly to theRiver Dee byChester. These raids may belong to around 980 when theAnglo-Saxon Chronicle records attacks onCheshire.[3]
In 973, theChronicle of Melrose reports that Kenneth, withMáel Coluim I (Máel Coluim mac Domnaill), theKing of Strathclyde, "Maccus, king of very many islands" (i.e.,Magnús Haraldsson (Maccus mac Arailt),Kingdom of the Isles) and other kings,Welsh andNorse, came toChester to acknowledge the overlordship of the English kingEdgar the Peaceable[4] ata council in Chester. 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, and the western frontier lay on theSolway. In the east, the frontier lay somewhere in laterLothian, south ofEdinburgh.[5]
TheAnnals of Tigernach, in an aside, name three of theMormaers of Alba in Kenneth's reign in an entry in 976:Cellach mac Fíndgaine,Cellach mac Baireda andDonnchad mac Morgaínd. The third of these, if not an error for Domnall mac Morgaínd, is very likely a brother of Domnall, and thus theMormaer of Moray. The Mormaerdoms or kingdoms ruled by the two Cellachs cannot be identified.
The feud which had persisted since the death ofking Indulf (Idulb mac Causantín) between his descendants and Kenneth's family persisted. In 977 theAnnals of Ulster report that "Amlaíb mac Iduilb [Amlaíb, son of Indulf], king of Scotland, was killed by Cináed mac Domnaill." TheAnnals 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.[6]
Adam of Bremen tells thatSweyn 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, theOrkneyinga Saga and other sources recount wars between "the Scots" and the Northmen, but these are more probably wars betweenSigurd Hlodvisson,Earl of Orkney, and the Mormaers, or Kings, ofMoray.[7]
The Chronicle says that Kenneth founded a great monastery atBrechin.
Kenneth was killed in 995, theAnnals of Ulster say "by deceit" and theAnnals of Tigernach say "by his subjects". Some later sources, such as theChronicle of Melrose,John of Fordun andAndrew of Wyntoun provide more details, accurately or not. The simplest account is that he was killed by his own men inFettercairn, through the treachery ofFinnguala (also called Fimberhele or Fenella), daughter ofCuncar,Mormaer of Angus, in revenge for the killing of her only son.[8]
The Prophecy of Berchán adds little to our knowledge, except that it names Kenneth "the kinslayer", and states he died inStrathmore.[9]
Kenneth's sonMalcolm II (Máel Coluim mac Cináeda) was later king of Alba. Kenneth is also identified to have had a second son,Dúngal, who was killed in 999 by his cousin Gille Coemgáin, son ofKenneth III.[10]Boite mac Cináeda is sometimes ascribed as the son of Kenneth II, and by others as the son of Kenneth III (Cináed mac Duib), however, is more commonly counted as a son of Kenneth II.[11] Another son of Kenneth may have beenSuibne mac Cináeda, a king of theGall Gaidheil who died in 1034.
Kenneth's rivalAmlaíb, King of Scotland is omitted by theChronicle of the Kings of Alba and later Scottish king lists. The IrishAnnals of Tigernach appear to better reflect contemporary events. Amlaíb could be a direct predecessor of Kenneth who suffereddamnatio memoriae, or the rival king recognized in parts of Scotland. A period of divided kingship appears likely.[12]
Amlaíb was the heir of his brotherCuilén, who was killed in a hall-burning. He might have served as a regent north of theRiver Forth, during the absence of his brother. Kenneth was brother to the deceasedDub, 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.[12] Amlaíb is the Gaelic form of Óláfr, suggesting maternal descent fromNorsemen. He could possibly claim descent from theUí Ímair dynasty. Alex Woolf suggests he was a grandson ofAmlaíb Cuarán,King of Dublin or his cousinOlaf Guthfrithson, which suggests his own group of supporters.[12]
According toJohn 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, convincingLady Finella, daughter ofCuncar,Mormaer of Angus, to kill the king. She reportedly did so to achieve personal revenge, as Kenneth II had killed her own son. Entries inthe Chronicles of the Picts and Scots, collected byWilliam Forbes Skene, provide the account of Finnela killing Kenneth II in revenge, but not her affiliation to Constantine or his cousins. These entries date to the 12th and 13th centuries.[13] TheAnnals 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.[14]
In the account of John of Fordun,Constantine III 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 toFettercairn, 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. She managed to lure him to "an out-of-the-way little cottage", where abooby trap was hidden. Inside the cottage was a statue, connected by strings to a number ofcrossbows. 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 through by arrows sped from all sides, and fell without uttering another word." Finella escaped through the woods and managed to join herabettors, Constantine III and Gryme. The hunting companions soon discovered the bloody king. They were unable to locate Finella but burned Fettercairn to the ground.[15] 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.[16]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 (nearFordoun) and Finella Den (nearSt 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 localstream-goddess.[17] A later passage of John of Fordun mentions Finele as mother ofMacbeth, King of Scotland (reigned 1040–1057), but this is probably an error based on the similarity of names. Macbeth was son ofFindláech of Moray, not of a woman called Finella.[17][18]
Kenneth II of Scotland Died: 995 | ||
| Regnal titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | King of Alba 971–995 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
|---|---|
| People | |
