TheRoyal Banner of Scotland, used as a personal flag of the monarchs of Scotland since the early 12th century
Thestyle of the Scottish sovereign refers to the styles andforms of address used byScottishroyalty, specifically themonarchs of Scotland from the earliest to the present, including monarchs from thePictish period to the British period.
Examples of the earliest styles are primarily found in sources originating fromIreland. For the earlier medieval period, theAnnals of Ulster (AU) andAnnals of Tigernach (AT) derive from theIona Chronicle, achronicle kept in Scotland. TheAnnals of Innisfallen are less reliable, and the forms given in that source, when in doubt, do not need to be trusted. Other sources used here are theAnnals of Connacht (AC) and theChronicon Scotorum (CS) The style almost always King's name, followed bypatronymic, followed by title. The source of each style is given in brackets, followed by the year under which it follows (s.a. =sub anno); it is usually the year in which the king died. Until the eleventh century, there is no one fixed term forScotland inGaelic. Before tenth century, thekings the area now comprising modern Scotland are either "ofPicts", "ofFortriu" or "ofAlba", standardising after 900; but therulers of Moray, not byhistoriographical tradition called "King",are called king in the sources; moreover, they are sometimes called "kings of Alba".
Latin:Nectonius magnus filius Uuirp rex omnium prouiciarum Pictorum[1]
English: 'Great Nechtan, son of Uurp, King of all the provinces of the Picts'
In the Scottish period, the charter styles vary at first, but later become more formulaic. Here are some examples from the early charter period. TheRoman numeral which follows is the number given to the charter inArchibald C. Lawrie'sEarly Scottish Charters: Prior to A.D. 1153, (Glasgow, 1905):
Machbet filius Finlach et Gruoch filia Bodhe, rex et regina Scottorum (Lawrie, V.)
English: 'Macbeth son of Findláech and Gruoch daughter of Bodhe, King and Queen of the Scots'. Source is the Registrum of the Priory of St Andrews, and the document is a Latin translation from an earlier Gaelic document, so therex Scottorum style is not reliable
Malcolmus Dei gratia Scottorum basileus (X)
'Malcolm by the Grace of God, High King of the Scots'
Edgarus Dei gratia Rex Scottorum (XVII: 1095)
'Edgar by the Grace of God, King of the Scots'
Alexander Dei gratia Rex Scottorum (XXVII)
'Alexander by the Grace of God, King of the Scots'
David Dei gratia Rex Scotiae (LXIX)
'David by the Grace of God, King of Scotland'
David Dei gratia Rex Scottorum (CIV)
'David by the Grace of God, King of the Scots'
FromDavid I onwards, the royal style is eitherrex Scottorum orrex Scotiae.
In the late Middle Ages the stylesrex Scottorum ('king of the Scots') andrex Scotiae ('king of Scotland') were used interchangeably. Similarly, themonarchs of England could be referred to as the "king of the English" as indeedEdward II of England was in theDeclaration of Arbroath (1320).King of the Scots was used in "The Declaration of the Clergy in favour of Robert the Bruce" (1334), as it was in the charter by whichEdward Balliol ceded the southern counties of Scotland to England. However, in many other documentsKing of Scotland was the preferred style, including "The Letter of the Magnates of Scotland to the King of France" (1308), "The Settlement of Succession on Robert the Bruce" (1315),the Treaty of Corbeuil (1326), theTreaty of Edinburgh–Northampton (1328), thePapal Bull authorising the anointing of Scottish Kings (1329) and theTreaty of Berwick (1357). This remained the case until the last three monarchs of Scotland,William II,Mary II andAnne, who became Queen of Great Britain following theActs of Union 1707.
Since the Act of Union, themonarch of the United Kingdom, is styled His/Her Majesty King/Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
The titleKing of Scots (Queen of Scots when the monarch is female) is an alternative title used to refer to British monarch when in Scotland.[1][2] Most notably the title was widely used by the Scottish Parliament in the motion of condolence when paying tribute toQueen Elizabeth II following her death in 2022. The title had been reintroduced by Elizabeth II when she allowed the Scottish Parliament to refer to her as Queen of Scots when it was founded in 1999.[3]
This sectionneeds expansion. You can help byadding to it.(June 2008)
Scottishmonarchs were addressed as "Your Grace" before theActs of Union of 1707, whenScotland became part of theKingdom of Great Britain. From then,British monarchs have been addressed as "Your Majesty", even with reference to their being King/Queen of Scots.
.svg)
![[icon]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=https%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aWiki_letter_w_cropped.svg)