Kenneth I of Scotland

King of the Picts

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
Kenneth I..jpg
King of the Picts
Reignc. 843 - 13 February 858
PredecessorDrest X
SuccessorDonald I
King of Dal Riata
PredecessorAlpín mac Echdach
SuccessorNone (abolished)
Born810
Iona, Scotland
Died13 February 858
Forteviot, Scotland
HouseAlpin
FatherAlpin MacEchdach

BirthEdit

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[1]Edit

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.

DeathEdit

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)Edit

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)Edit

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)

DepictionsEdit

 
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 KennethEdit

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

ReferencesEdit

  1. "King Kenneth MacAlpin | Britroyals". www.britroyals.com. Retrieved 2017-05-31.