Kenneth I of Scotland

Kenneth I or "Cináed mac Ailpín" was king of the Picts and Scots. He was known for combining them into one kingdom named Scotland, although some records show it was the other way round and Donald II named them Scotland. His legacy lives on in many tales but these can be attributed to Kenneth II, a later Scottish monarch. He was also king of Dal Riata and his father was king of Dal Riata.

Kenneth I MacAlpin
King of the Picts
Reign	c. 843 - 13 February 858
Predecessor	Drest X
Successor	Donald I
King of Dal Riata
Predecessor	Alpín mac Echdach
Successor	None (abolished)
Born	810 Iona, Scotland
Died	13 February 858 Forteviot, Scotland
House	Alpin
Father	Alpin MacEchdach

Birth

Not much is known about Kenneth's birth except he was born around 810 in Iona, Argyllshire and was the son of King Alpin II of Dalriada, a land which covered modern day Northern Ireland and the Hebrides - Argyll.

Reign

Upon his fathers death in 839 he became king of Dalriada styled "Cinaed, son of Alpin" and also king of Scots due to the fact that the Hebrides - Argyll were important parts of the land at the time. At this time the Picts were conquered by Vikings with Bridei VI of Pictland being defeated, and Kenneth was set to become the next monarch. Although it wasn't until 843 he became king of the now united Pictish & Scottish tribes.

Death

On February 13, 858 in Forteviot, Kenneth died of natural causes. He was buried in Iona and succeeded by his brother Donald MacAlpin or Domnall MacAilpín.

Family (children)

Name	Date of Birth	Date of Death	Gender	Monarch of
NN ingen Cináed	c. 834	Unknown	Female	(none)
Constantine I, king of Picts and Scots	c. 836 (maybe 832)	877 (definitely)	Male	Scotland/Pictland
Áed, king of Picts and Scots	838 (definitely)	878 (definitely)	Male	Scotland/Pictland
Máel Muire ni Cináeda	842 (definitely)	912 (definitely)	Female	High Queen of Ireland (maybe)
Máel Muire of Ireland	Before Feb 858	Unknown	??????	(none)
Cináéda MacAlpin	Before Feb 858	Unknown	??????	(none)
Aedr of MacAlpin	Before Feb 858	Unknown	??????	(none)
(Name Unknown)	Before Feb 858	Unknown	Female	(none)
Progenitor of Clan MacNab	Before Feb 858	Unknown	Male	(none)
? Inig. Kenneth	Before Feb 858	Unknown	Female	(none)
?? Inig. Kenneth	Before Feb 858	Unknown	Female	(none)
Áed mac Cináeda	Before Feb 858	Unknown	Male	(none)
mother of Eochaid MacAlpin	Before Feb 858	Unknown	Female	(none)
Unk Daughter 1	Before Feb 858	Unknown	Female	(none)
Unk Daughter 2	Before Feb 858	Unknown	Female	(none)

Family (siblings)

Name	Date of Birth	Date of Death	Gender	Monarch of
Donald I, king of Picts and Scots	812	April 13th 862	Male	Scotland/Pictland
NN ingen Ailpín	c. 820	Unknown	Female	(none)
Gregor MacAlpin	c. 820	c. 868	Male	(none)
NN ingen Ailpín	830	Unknown	Female	(none)
Achaius mac Ailpín	between 787-847	Unknown	Male	(none)
Áed mac Ailpín	between 787-847	Unknown	Male	(none)
Domnall mac Ailpín	between 787-847	Unknown	Male	(none)

Depictions

The frieze in Edinburgh

Ever since the 1800s, depictions of Kenneth have started to appear, first in Edinburgh Portrait Gallery, and later with some more depictions. Depictions of Kenneth are hard to find but the ones used the most are the frieze in Edinburgh and a newly found depiction from the 1700's.

The depiction from the 1700s.

Monarchs after Kenneth

Donald I, king of Picts - His brother (ruled 858-862)

Constantine I, king of Picts - His son (ruled 862-877)

Aed, king of Picts - His other son (ruled 877-878)

To see all Scottish monarchs see Scottish monarchs

To see all monarchs from the House of Dunkeld see House of Dunkeld

And for Kenneth's house of Alpin see House of Alpin