| Kenneth MacAlpin Cináed mac Ailpin | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 20th-centuryartist's impression of Kenneth I from a frieze at the National Portrait Gallery, Scotland. | |||||||||
| King of the Picts | |||||||||
| Reign | 848 – 13 February 858 | ||||||||
| Predecessor | Drest X | ||||||||
| Successor | Donald I | ||||||||
| King of Dál Riada | |||||||||
| Reign | 841–850 | ||||||||
| Predecessor | Alpín mac Echdach | ||||||||
| Successor | Title disestablished | ||||||||
| Born | 810 Iona | ||||||||
| Died | 13 February 858 (aged 47) Forteviot,Perthshire,Scotland | ||||||||
| Burial | |||||||||
| Issue |
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| Medieval Gaelic | Cináed mac Ailpin | ||||||||
| House | Alpín | ||||||||
| Father | Alpín mac Echdach | ||||||||
Kenneth MacAlpin (Medieval Gaelic:Cináed mac Ailpin;Scottish Gaelic:Coinneach mac Ailpein;[a] 810 – 13 February 858) orKenneth I wasKing of Dál Riada (841–850), andKing of the Picts (848–858), of likely Gaelic origin. According to the traditional account, he inherited the throne ofDál Riada from his fatherAlpín mac Echdach, founder of theAlpínid dynasty. Kenneth I conquered the kingdom of thePicts in 843–850 and began a campaign to seizeall of Scotland and assimilate the Picts, for which he was posthumously nicknamedAn Ferbasach ("The Conqueror").[1] He fought theBritons of theKingdom of Strathclyde and the invadingVikings from Scandinavia.Forteviot became the capital of his kingdom and Kenneth relocated relics, including theStone of Scone from theabandoned abbey onIona, to his new domain.
Kenneth I is traditionally considered the founder of Scotland, which was then known asAlba in Gaelic, although like his immediate successors, he bore the title of King of the Picts. It wasDonald II that first bore the title ofKing of Alba as recorded by theAnnals of Ulster and theChronicon Scotorum. One chronicle calls Kenneth the first Scottish lawgiver but there is no information about the laws he passed.
According to the genealogy of the Scottish kings, Kenneth's father wasAlpín mac Echdach, the King of Dál Riada, which existed in what is now westernScotland. Alpín is considered to be the grandson ofÁed Find, a descendant ofCenél nGabráin, who ruled in Dál Riada. TheSynchronism of the Irish Kings lists Alpín among thekings of Scotland.[b] Modern historians are sceptical about the reign of Alpín in Dál Riada and his relationship with Áed, and believe this misconception is the result of negligence on the part of thescribes in some texts.[2][3] The genealogy of the kings of Scotland and Dál Riada dates back to an originalmanuscript that was written during the reign ofMalcolm III in the mid-to-late 11th century.[4] TheRawlinson B 502 manuscript provides the following ancestry for Kenneth:
...Cináed son ofAlpín son ofEochaid son ofÁed Find son ofDomangart son ofDomnall Brecc son ofEochaid Buide son ofÁedán son ofGabrán son ofDomangart son ofFergus Mór ...[5]
There is very limited information about Alpín, Kenneth's father. Some of Dál Riada's royal lists, which contain many scribal errors, say he ruled from 841 to 843. TheChronicle of Huntingdon, which was written in the late 13th century, states Alpín defeated thePicts atGalloway but the Picts then defeated him in a battle that took place in the same year, during which Alpín was killed.[6] According to the chronicle, Alpín died on 20 July 834.[7] This date is given in other sources but several researchers claim the date was probably copied from another source and the year of his death was obtained by recalculating the dates in the erroneous royal lists so they attribute Alpín's date of death to 840[8] or 841.[9]
Kenneth's grandmother (Alpin's mother), is said to have been a Pictish princess, the sister ofConstantine I andÓengus II. According to the Pictish tradition, a female representative of the royal dynasty could inherit the crown.[10] This origin gave Kenneth a legitimate claim to the Pictish throne.[9]
Kenneth I had at least one brother,Donald I, who succeeded him as king.
Kenneth MacAlpin is believed to have been born around 810[11][12] on theisland of Iona, which is part of modern-dayScotland. After his father's death, Kenneth succeeded him as the King of Dál Riada. Hiscoronation took place in 840 or 841. One of the main sources on Kenneth's life is the 10th centuryChronicle of the Kings of Alba which describes the reigns of Scottish kings from Kenneth I toKenneth II (r. 971–995).[13][14][15]
According to theChronicle of the Kings of Alba, Kenneth came to a region that was inhabited by thePicts, during the second year of his reign in Dál Riada. Having defeated the Picts, Kenneth ruled there for 16 years. According to theAnnals of Ulster, compiled in the 15th century, he became the King of the Picts in 842 or 843 and died in 858.[3][6] Although some sources state Kenneth ruled the Picts from 841 to 856, according to theChronicle of Melrose, he became king in 843, a date that is generally accepted by most modern-day historians.[9]
In the first half of the 9th century, the geopolitical situation in Dál Riada deteriorated. Almost the entire territory of the kingdom was mountainous and was filled with uneasy terrain. Kenneth's realm lay between the powerfulKingdom of Strathclyde in the south and theDruim Alban mountain ridge in the east. It was difficult to pass through the provinces of Dál Riada, most of the land was infertile, and the kingdom had lost its western territories in theHebrides to theVikings, who had settled in the area and were raiding the borders of Dál Riada. These conditions may have forced Kenneth to attack the Picts.[6]
After the death ofEóganan mac Óengusa in theBattle of 839,Uurad, and thenBridei VI succeeded him as the King of the Picts. According to List One,[c] Uurad's reign lasted three years, while Bridei VI reigned for a year. According to List Two, Uurad reigned for two years, while Bridei VI's reign lasted a month. The reigns of Uurad's three sons were also present in List Two. Based on these accounts, the Pictish kingdom fell in 849 or 850. Many sources dating to the following periods state that the historical kingdom of the Picts and the Scots unified in 850. List Two states that the last Pictish King was killed inForteviot orScone. This is probably a reference toMacAlpin's treason, a medieval legend first recorded in the 12th century byGiraldus Cambrensis. According to the legend, a Pictish nobleman is invited by the Scots to a meeting or a feast in Scone and is treacherously killed there. At the same time, List One gives the year 843 as the date when Kenneth received the title of King of the Picts.[3][6]
Sources do not detail Kenneth's conquest of Pictavia.[d] No chronicle mentions either Kenneth's continuing his father's campaign against the Picts or his supposed claim to the Pictish crown. Modern-day historians suggest Kenneth was a descendant of Pictish kings through his mother or had ties with them through his wife. Kenneth's grandmother (Alpin's mother), was also said to have been a Pictish princess, the sister of Constantine I andÓengus II. It is likely the death of Eógananhe,Chronicle of Huntingdon gives the following interpretation of the events that took place after Eóganan's death:
Kynadius [Kenneth] succeeded his father Alpin in his kingdom, and that in the seventh year of his reign [the year 839], while the Danish pirates, having occupied the Pictish shores, had crushed the Picts, who were defending themselves, with a great slaughter, Kynadius, passing into their remaining territories, turned his arms against them, and having slain many, compelled them to take flight, and was the first king of the Scots who acquired the monarchy of the whole of Alban, and ruled in it over the Scots.[16]
It is likely Kenneth killed the Pictish leaders and destroyed their armies during his conquest of Pictavia, after which he devastated the whole country. TheAnnals of the Four Masters record a single battle during Kenneth's campaign, which according to Isabel Henderson, proves the Picts did not show any significant resistance to Kenneth's forces, however, more evidence will have to be presented.[6]
According to historical tradition, a new kingdom was formed after Kenneth annexed the kingdom of the Picts. This kingdom'sGaelic name wasAlba, which was later replaced withScotia andScotland. The rulers of the kingdom initially held the title ofKing of Alba, however in reality it wasn't until at least 42 years after Kenneth's death that the title King of Alba was ever used. Kenneth is retroactively listed in the royal lists dating to later periods as the first King of Scotland; modern historians, however, argue the final unification of the kingdom took place half a century later and that Kenneth's main political achievement should be considered the creation of anew dynasty. This dynasty sought to dominate all of Scotland, under which the Scots assimilated the Picts, resulting in the quick disappearance of the Picts' language and institutions.[3][9][17]
After the conquest ofPictavia, the Scots from Dál Riada began to migrateen masse to the territories populated by the Picts. The list of Pictish kings concludes in 850 and the list of kings of Dál Riada also ends around the same time, meaning the title ceased to exist. Kenneth I and his administration moved to Pictavia; it is possible the Scots moved to the region before the war and that such settlements played a major role in the selection ofScone as the capital of the Kingdom. Kenneth moved relics from anabandoned abbey onIona, whereViking raids made life untenable, toDunkeld, which was the centre of theChurch of Scotland, in 848 or 849, according to theChronicle of the Kings of Alba. The coronation stone was also moved from the island to Scone, for which it is referred to as theStone of Scone. According to archaeological excavations,Forteviot was probably originally a royal residence but the place is not mentioned in the chronicles after the death ofDonald I. The mass migration of Scots to the east most likely led to the assimilation of the Picts. Although theIrish annals, which date to the late 9th century, mention the title King of the Picts, the Picts may not have remained independent. The Pictish civil system and clerical laws were completely replaced with the Scottish legal system, and it is likely similar changes occurred in other spheres of the Pictish society. The Picts did not revolt against this assimilation process.[3][6][7][18]
TheChronicle of the Kings of Alba describes the events that occurred during Kenneth's reign without specifying their dates. He invadedLothian in theKingdom of Northumbria six times, and captured the towns ofMelrose andDunbar, and razed them. TheCeltic Britons from theKingdom of Strathclyde attacked Kenneth's kingdom and burntDunblane. Furthermore, Viking invaders raided Pictavia, ravaging the territories "from Clunie to Dunkeld".[3][19]
Kenneth strengthened his power by arranging royal marriages with neighbouring states, marrying his daughters to the kings of Strathclyde and Ireland.[3][19] According to theChronicle of Melrose, Kenneth was one of the first Scottish lawgivers but his laws have not survived to the 21st century.[20]
According to theAnnals of Ulster, Kenneth died in 858. TheChronicle of the Kings of Alba states he died in February in Forteviot due to atumour. Historians suggest this date might be 13 February. Kenneth was buried inIona Abbey. Succession in the kingdom was carried out in the form oftanistry so Kenneth's successor was his brotherDonald I rather than his eldest son. After the death of Donald I, Kenneth's sons,Causantín mac Cináeda andÁed mac Cináeda, inherited the crown. TheAlpínid dynasty, which ruled Scotland until the beginning of the 11th century, was formed during this period.[3][21][22][23]
Contemporaneous Irish annals give Kenneth and his immediate successors the title King of the Picts, but do not call him the King of Fortriu, a title that was only given to four Pictish kings who reigned in the 7th to 9th centuries. It is possible the use of the title of King of the Picts was in reference to Kenneth and his immediate successors' claim to all of Pictavia, though there is very little evidence of the extent of their domain.[3]
The name of Kenneth's wife is unknown. There is a hypothesis she may have been a Pictish princess. Kenneth's children were:
There is also a theory the wife ofAmlaíb Conung (r. 853–871), theKing of Dublin, was a daughter of Kenneth.[7]
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Kenneth MacAlpin Born: after 810 Died: 13 February 858 | ||
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| Preceded by | King of the Picts 848–858 | Succeeded by |
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