Cináed mac Ailpín
King of Scots
Reign	843–858
Died	13 February 858
	Cinnbelachoir
Buried	Iona
Predecessor	See text
Successor	Domnall mac Ailpín
Issue	Causantín mac Cináeda Áed mac Cináeda Máel Muire ingen Cináeda perhaps others
Father	Alpín mac Echdach

Cináed mac Ailpín (after 800–13 February 858) (Anglicised Kenneth MacAlpin) was king of the Picts and, according to national myth, first king of Scots. Cináed's undisputed legacy was to produce a dynasty of rulers who claimed descent from him. If he cannot be regarded as the father of Scotland, he was the founder of the dynasty which ruled that country for much of the medieval period. Image File history File links CináedmacAilpín. ... February 13 is the 44th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Events Patriarch Ignatius is imprisoned and (December 25) deposed to be succeeded by patriarch Photius I. Louis the German invades West Francia, hoping to secure Aquitaine from his brother Charles the Bald, but fails. ... Iona village viewed from a short distance offshore. ... Domnall mac Ailpín (died 13 April 862) was king of the Picts from 858 to 862. ... Constantine I (Causantín mac Cináeda) (836-877), son of King Kenneth I of Scotland, became King of Scots and King of the Picts in 863 when he succeeded his uncle Donald I of Scotland. ... Áed (Áed mac Cináeda) (died 878) was a son of Cináed mac Ailpín. ... Alpín mac Echdach may refer to two persons, or to one, or to none. ... February 13 is the 44th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Events Patriarch Ignatius is imprisoned and (December 25) deposed to be succeeded by patriarch Photius I. Louis the German invades West Francia, hoping to secure Aquitaine from his brother Charles the Bald, but fails. ... This does not cite its references or sources. ... This list of kings of the Picts is based on the Pictish Chronicle, which has survived in a late copy, and did not record the dates the kings reigned. ... A national myth is an inspiring narrative or anecdote about a nations past. ... This is a list of British monarchs, that is, the monarchs on the thrones of some of the various kingdoms that have existed on, or incorporated, the island of Great Britain, namely: England (united with Wales from 1536) up to 1707; Scotland up to 1707; The Kingdom of Great Britain...

King of Scots?

Main article: Origins of the Kingdom of Alba

The Cináed of myth, conqueror of the Picts and founder of the kingdom of Alba, was born in the centuries after the real Cináed died. In the reign of Cináed mac Máil Coluim, when the Chronicle of the Kings of Alba was compiled, the annalist wrote: The Stone of Scone in the Coronation Chair at Westminster Abbey, 1855. ... A replica of the Hilton of Cadboll Stone. ... The Kingdom of Alba (Gaelic : Rìoghachd na h-Alba) for the purposes of this article pertains to the Kingdom of Scotland between the death of Domnall II in 900, and the death of Alexander III in 1286 which then led indirectly to the Scottish Wars of Independence. ... Cináed mac Maíl Coluim (before 954–995) (Anglicised Kenneth MacMalcolm) was King of Alba. ... The Chronicle of the Kings of Alba, or Scottish Chronicle, is a short written chronicle of the Kings of Alba, covering the period from the time of King Cináed I mac Ailpín (d. ...

So Kinadius son of Alpinus, first of the Scots, ruled this Pictland prosperously for 16 years. Pictland was named after the Picts, whom, as we have said, Kinadius destroyed. ... Two years before he came to Pictland, he had received the kingdom of Dál Riata. Dál Riata (also Dalriada or Dalriata) was a Goidelic kingdom on the western seaboard of Scotland and the northern coasts of Ireland, situated in the traditional Scottish and Northern Irish counties of Argyll, Bute and County Antrim. ...

In the 15th century Andrew of Wyntoun's Orygynale Cronykil of Scotland, a history in verse, added little to the account in the Chronicle: Andrew of Wyntoun (?1350-?1420), author of a long metrical history of Scotland, called the Orygynale Cronykil of Scotland, was a canon regular of St Andrews, and prior of St Serfs in Lochieven. ...

Quhen Alpyne this kyng was dede, He left a sowne wes cal'd Kyned,
Dowchty man he wes and stout, All the Peychtis he put out.
Gret bataylis than dyd he, To pwt in freedom his cuntre!

When humanist scholar George Buchanan wrote his history Rerum Scoticarum Historia in the 1570s, a great deal of lurid detail had been added to the story. Buchanan included an account of how Cináed's father had been murdered by the Picts, and a detailed, and entirely unsupported, account of how Cináed avenged him and conquered the Picts. Buchanan was not as credulous as many, and he did not include the tale of MacAlpin's Treason, a story from Giraldus Cambrensis, who reused a tale of Saxon treachery at a feast in Geoffrey of Monmouth's inventive Historia Regum Britanniae. Humanism[1] is a broad category of ethical philosophies that affirm the dignity and worth of all people, based on the ability to determine right and wrong by appeal to universal human qualities—particularly rationalism. ... George Buchanan. ... MacAlpins treason is a medieval myth which purports to explain the replacement of Pictish language and culture by Scots (Gaelic) language and culture in the 9th and 10th centuries. ... Giraldus Cambrensis (c. ... The famous parade helmet found at Sutton Hoo, probably belonging to King Raedwald of East Anglia circa 625. ... Wikisource has original text related to this article: Geoffrey of Monmouth Geoffrey of Monmouth (c. ... Geoffrey of Monmouths Historia Regum Britanniæ (English: The History of the Kings of Britain) was written around 1136. ...

Later 19th century historians such as William Forbes Skene brought new standards of accuracy to early Scottish history, while Celticists such as Whitley Stokes and Kuno Meyer cast a critical eye over Welsh and Irish sources. As a result, much of the misleading and vivid detail was removed from the scholarly series of events, even if it remained in the popular accounts. Rather than a conquest of the Picts, instead the idea of Pictish matrilineal succession, mentioned by Bede and apparently the only way to make sense of the list of Kings of the Picts found in the Pictish Chronicle, advanced the idea that Cináed was a Gael, and a king of Dál Riata, who had inherited the throne of Pictland through a Pictish mother. Other Gaels, such as Caustantín and Óengus, the sons of Fergus, were identified among the Pictish king lists, as were Angles such as Talorcen son of Eanfrith, and Britons such as Bridei son of Beli.^[1] William Forbes Skene (1809–1892), Scottish historian and antiquary, was the second son of Sir Walter Scotts friend, James Skene (1775–1864), of Rubislaw, near Aberdeen, and was born on June 7 1809. ... Whitley Stokes (February 28, 1830 - April 13, 1909) was a British lawyer and Celtic scholar. ... Kuno Meyer (20 December 1858 – 11 October 1919) was a Celtic scholar. ... Matrilineality is a system in which one belongs to ones mothers lineage; it may also involve the inheritance of property or titles through the female line. ... Bede (IPA: ) (also Saint Bede, the Venerable Bede, or (from Latin) Beda (IPA: )), (ca. ... The list of kings of the Picts is based on the Pictish Chronicle which survives in a late copy and did not record the dates the kings reigned. ... The Pictish Chronicle is a name often given by (especially older) historians to an pseudo-historical account of the kings of the Picts beginning many thousand years before history was recorded in Pictavia and ending after Pictavia had been enveloped by Scotland. ... Gael (Ancient people) : A Gael is a member of a distinct culture existing in Ireland, Scotland and the Isle of Man whose language is one that is Gaelic. ... Dál Riata (also Dalriada or Dalriata) was a Goidelic kingdom on the western seaboard of Scotland and the northern coasts of Ireland, situated in the traditional Scottish and Northern Irish counties of Argyll, Bute and County Antrim. ... Caustantín (Scottish Gaelic: Caustantín mac Fergusa) was king of Dál Riada and king of the Picts or Fortriu, in modern Scotland, from 789 until 820. ... Óengus (Scottish Gaelic: Óengus mac Fergusa), alternative translations: Onuist, Hungus or Angus, was king of Dál Riada and Fortriu from about 820 until 834. ... White cliffs of Dover in England White cliffs of Rugen down the Baltic coast from Schleswig The Angles is a modern English word for a Germanic-speaking people who took their name from the cultural ancestor of Angeln, a modern district located in Schleswig, Germany. ... Eanfrith of Bernicia - Wikipedia /**/ @import /skins/monobook/IE50Fixes. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... King Bridei III (or Bridei map Beli; O.Ir. ...

Modern historians would reject parts of the Cináed produced by Skene and subsequent historians, while accepting others. Medievalist Alex Woolf, interviewed by The Scotsman in 2004, is quoted as saying: Alex Woolf is a British medievalist based at the University of St Andrews, and one of the most pioneering scholars in British medieval studies. ... The Scotsmans offices in Edinburgh The Scotsman is a Scottish newspaper published in Edinburgh. ...

The myth of Kenneth conquering the Picts - it’s about 1210, 1220 that that’s first talked about. There’s actually no hint at all that he was a Scot. ... If you look at contemporary sources there are four other Pictish kings after him. So he’s the fifth last of the Pictish kings rather than the first Scottish king."^[2]

Many other historians could be quoted in terms similar to Woolf.^[3]

Background

Cináed's origins are uncertain, as are his ties, if any, to previous kings of the Picts or Dál Riata. Among the genealogies contained in the Middle Irish Rawlinson B.502 manuscript, dating from around 1130, is the supposed descent of Máel Coluim mac Cináeda. Medieval genealogies are unreliable sources, but some historians accept Cináed's descent from the Cenél nGabrain of Dál Riata. The manuscript provides the following ancestry for Cináed: Middle Irish is the name given by historical philologists to the form of the Irish language from the 10th to 16th centuries; it is therefore a contemporary of Middle English. ... Máel Coluim mac Cináeda (anglicised Malcolm II) (c. ...

... Cináed mac Ailpín son of Eochaid son of Áed Find son of Domangart son of Domnall Brecc son of Eochaid Buide son of Áedán son of Gabrán son of Domangart son of Fergus Mór ...^[4] Eochaid mac Áeda Find is a spurious King of Dál Riata found in some High Medieval king-lists and in older history books. ... Áed Find (Aed the White) was king of Dál Riata (modern western Scotland) from before 768 until his death in 778. ... Domangart mac Domnaill (died 673) was a king in Dál Riata (modern western Scotland) and the son of Domnall Brecc. ... Domnall Brecc (Donald the Freckled) (d. ... Eochaid Buide was king of Dál Riata from around 608 until 629. ... Satellite image of northern Britain and Ireland showing the approximate area of Dál Riata (shaded). ... Gabrán mac Domangairt was king of Dál Riata in the middle of the 6th century. ... Domangart mac Ferguso was king of Dál Riata in the early 6th century, following the death of his father, Fergus Mór. ... Fergus Mór mac Eirc (Scottish Gaelic: Fergus Mòr Mac Earca) was a legendary king of Dál Riata. ...

Leaving aside the shadowy kings before Áedán son of Gabrán, the genealogy is certainly flawed insofar as Áed Find, who died c. 778, could not reasonably be the son of Domangart, who was killed c. 673. The conventional account would insert two generations between Áed Find and Domangart: Eochaid mac Echdach, father of Áed Find, who died c. 733, and his father Eochaid. Eochaid mac Echdach was king of Dál Riata (modern western Scotland) from 726 until 733. ... Eochaid mac Domangairt (d. ...

Although later traditions provided details of his reign and death, Cináed's father Alpín is not listed as among the kings in the Duan Albanach, which provides the following sequence of kings leading up to Cináed: Alpin II of Dalriada, also known as Alpin mac Eochaid was the father of Kenneth I of Scotland and Donald I of Scotland who united the Kingdom of the Scots and the Picts. ... The Duan Albanach (Song of the Scots) is a Middle Gaelic poem found with the Lebor Bretnach, a Gaelic version of the Historia Brittonum of Nennius, with extensive additional material (mostly concerning Scotland). ...

Naoi m-bliadhna Cusaintin chain,	The nine years of Causantín the fair;,
a naoi Aongusa ar Albain,	The nine of Aongus over Alba;
cethre bliadhna Aodha áin,	The four years of Aodh the noble;
is a tri déug Eoghanáin.	And the thirteen of Eoghanán.
Tríocha bliadhain Cionaoith chruaidh,	The thirty years of Cionaoth the hardy,

It is supposed that these kings are the Caustantín son of Fergus and his brother Óengus, who have already been mentioned, Óengus's son Eóganán, as well as the obscure Áed mac Boanta, but this sequence is considered doubtful if the list is intended to represent kings of Dál Riata, as it should if Cináed were king there.^[5] Uen (Scottish Gaelic: Eógan or (dim. ... Áed mac Boanta (died 839) is believed to have been a king of Dál Riata. ...

The idea that Cináed was a Gael is not entirely rejected, but modern historiography distinguishes between Cináed as a Gael by culture, and perhaps in ancestry, and Cináed as a king of Gaelic Dál Riata. Cináed could well have been the first sort of Gael. Kings of the Picts before him, from Bridei son of Der-Ilei, his brother Nechtan as well as Óengus son of Fergus and his presumed descendants were all at least partly Gaelicised.^[6] The idea that the Gaelic names of Pictish kings in Irish annals represented translations of Pictish ones was challenged by the discovery of the inscription Custantin filius Fircus(sa), the latinised name of the Pictish king Caustantín son of Fergus, on the Dupplin Cross.^[7] Other evidence, such as that furnished by place-names, suggests the spread of Gaelic culture through Pictland in the centuries before Cináed. For example, Atholl, a name used in the Annals of Ulster for the year 739, has been thought to be "New Ireland". Bridei IV (Gaelic: Bridei mac Derile) was king of the Picts from c. ... Nechtan IV (also known as Nechtan mac Derile) was king of the Southern Picts from 706-724, and a member of the Strathclyde Dynasty. ... This is the royal figure on the St Andrews sarcophagus. ... An number of Irish annals were compiled up to and shortly after the end of Gaelic Ireland in the 17th century. ... Latin is an ancient Indo-European language originally spoken in Latium, the region immediately surrounding Rome. ... The Dupplin Cross is a carved, monumental Pictish stone, which dates from around 820. ... The Highlands district of Atholl or Athole in the north of Perthshire in Scotland lies between Braemar, Badenoch, Breadalbane and Lochaber. ... The Annals of Ulster are a chronicle of medieval Ireland. ...

Reign

Compared with the many questions on his origins, Cináed's ascent to power and subsequent reign can be dealt with simply. Cináed's rise can be placed in the context of the recent end of the previous dynasty, which had dominated Fortriu for two or four generations. This followed the death of king Eógan son of Óengus of Fortriu, his brother Bran, Áed mac Boanta "and others almost innumerable" in battle against the Vikings in 839. The resulting succession crisis seems, if the Pictish Chronicle king-lists have any validity, to have resulted in at least four would-be kings warring for supreme power. Fortriu or the the Kingdom of Fortriu is the name given by historians for an ancient Pictish kingdom, and often used synonymously with Pictland in general. ... The name Viking is a loan from the native Scandinavian term for the Norse seafaring warriors who raided the coasts of Scandinavia, Europe and the British Isles from the late 8th century to the 11th century, the period of European history referred to as the Viking Age. ... Events Louis the Pious attempts to divide his empire among his sons. ...

Cináed's reign is dated from 843, it was probably not until 848 that he defeated the last of his rivals for power. The Pictish Chronicle claims that he was king in Dál Riata for two years before becoming Pictish king in 843, but this is not generally accepted. In 849, Cináed had relics of Columba, which may have included the Monymusk Reliquary, transferred from Iona to Dunkeld. Other that these bare facts, the Chronicle of the Kings of Alba reports that he invaded Saxonia six times, captured Melrose and burnt Dunbar, and also that Vikings laid waste to Pictland, reaching far into the interior.^[8] The Annals of the Four Masters, not generally a good source on Scottish matters, do make mention of Cináed, although what should be made of the report is unclear: Events Treaty of Verdun divides the Carolingian empire between the 3 sons of Louis the Pious. ... Events The Borobudur is completed. ... Events Births Deaths August 18 - Walafrid Strabo, German monk and theologian Categories: 849 ... Saint Columba (7 December 521 - 9 June 597) is sometimes referred to as Columba of Iona, or, in Old Irish, as Saint Colm Cille or Columcille (meaning Dove of the church). He was the outstanding figure among the Gaelic missionary monks who reintroduced Christianity to Scotland during the Dark Ages. ... The Monymusk Reliquary is an eighth century Scotish reliquary made of wood and metal characterised by a Hiberno-Saxon fusion of Gaelic and Pictish design and Anglo-Saxon metalworking, probably by Ionan monks. ... Iona village viewed from a short distance offshore. ... Dunkeld (Dùn Chailleann in Scottish Gaelic) is a small town in Strathtay, Perth and Kinross, Scotland, approximately 15 miles north of Perth on the A9 road into the Scottish Highlands and on the opposite (north) side of the River Tay from the Victorian village of Birnam. ... With an area of 18,400 sq. ... Melrose(Am Maol Ros in Gaelic) is a small, historic town in the Scottish Borders. ... This article is about Dunbar in Scotland. ... Signature page from the Annals of the Four Masters Entry for A.D. 432 The Annals of the Four Masters or the Annals of the Kingdom of Ireland by the Four Masters are a chronicle of medieval Irish history. ...

Gofraid mac Fergusa, chief of Airgíalla, went to Alba, to strengthen the Dal Riata, at the request of Cináed mac Ailpín.^[9] Gofraid mac Fergusa was a ruler in Dál Riata in the 9th century. ... It has been suggested that Kingdom of Oriel be merged into this article or section. ...

Cináed died from a tumour on 13 February, 858 at the palace of Cinnbelachoir, perhaps near Scone. The annals report the death as that of the "king of the Picts", not the "king of Alba". The title "king of Alba" is not used until the time of Cináed's grandsons, Domnall and Causantín. The Fragmentary Annals of Ireland quote a verse lamenting Cináed's death: Scone is a large village, a mile north of Perth, Scotland. ... Donald II of Scotland (Domnall mac Causantín) was king of Scotland from 889 to 900. ... Causantín mac Áeda (anglicised Constantine II) (before 879–952) was king of Alba from 900 to 943. ... The Fragmentary Annals of Ireland are a Middle Irish combination of chronicle from various Irish annals and narrative history. ...

Because Cináed with many troops lives no longer
there is weeping in every house;
there is no king of his worth under heaven
as far as the borders of Rome.^[10]

Cináed left at least two sons, Causantín and Áed, who were later kings, and and at least two daughters. One daughter married Run, king of Strathclyde, Eochaid being the result of this marriage. Cináed's daughter Máel Muire married two important Irish kings of the Uí Néill. Her first husband was Áed Finnliath of the Cenél nEógain. Niall Glúndub, ancestor of the O'Neill, was the son of this marriage. Her second husband was Flann Sinna of Clann Cholmáin. As the wife and mother of kings, when Máel Muire died in 913, her death was reported by the Annals of Ulster, an unusual thing for the misogynistic chronicles of the age. Constantine I (Causantín mac Cináeda) (836-877), son of King Kenneth I of Scotland, became King of Scots and King of the Picts in 863 when he succeeded his uncle Donald I of Scotland. ... Áed (Áed mac Cináeda) (died 878) was a son of Cináed mac Ailpín. ... Run of Alt Clut was the ruler of Alt Clut (modern Dumbarton Rock, Scotland) and Strathclyde (the Clyde Valley), probably from the death of Artgal in 872 until 878. ... Strathclyde (Welsh: Ystrad Clud) was one of the kingdoms of ancient Scotland in the post-Roman period. ... Eochaid of Scotland, also called Eochu or Eochaidh, was king of Scotland from 878 to 889. ... The Uí Néill (Irish for descendants of Niall Uí pronounced Ee: ) were an Irish dynasty who claimed descent from Niall Noigiallach (Niall of the Nine Hostages), a semi-historical High King of Ireland who died about 405. ... Aed Finliath (?-879). ... Cenél nEógain (in English, Cenel Eogan)is the name of the kindred or descendants of Eógan, son of Niall Noígiallach who founded the kingdom of Tír Eógan in the 5th century. ... Niall Glúndub mac Áedo (d. ... The ancient arms of Ua Néill ONeill (also spelled ONeil, ONeal) is a common surname of Irish origin. ... Flann Sinna mac Maíl Sechnaill (died 916), was the son of Máel Sechnaill mac Maíl Ruanaid of Clann Cholmáin, a southern branch of the Uí Néill. ...

Notes

King John as depicted in the 1562 Forman Armorial, produced for Mary, Queen of Scots. ... Robert I, King of Scots (Mediaeval Gaelic:Roibert a Briuis; modern Scottish Gaelic: Raibeart Bruis; Norman French: Robert de Brus or Robert de Bruys; 11 July 1274 – 7 June 1329), usually known in modern English as Robert the Bruce, was King of Scotland (1306 – 1329). ... Robert the warrior and knight: the reverse side of Robert IIs Great Seal, enhanced as a 19th century steel engraving. ...

References

For primary sources see under External links below.

Dauvit Broun (David Brown) is a Scottish historian based at the University of Glasgow, and one of the most prominent and influential scholars in the field of medieval Scottish or Celtic studies. ... Dr. Thomas Owen Clancy is an American academic and historian who specializes in the literature of the Celtic Dark Ages, especially that of Scotland. ... Alex Woolf is a British medievalist based at the University of St Andrews, and one of the most pioneering scholars in British medieval studies. ...

External links

• Annals of Ulster, part 1, at CELT (translated)
• Annals of Tigernach, at CELT (no translation presently available)
• Annals of the Four Masters, part 1, at CELT (translated)
• Duan Albanach, at CELT (translated)
• Genealogies from Rawlinson B.502, at CELT (no translation presently available)
• The Chronicle of the Kings of Alba
• The Pictish Chronicle

Further reading

For background on Early Historic Scotland, Sally Foster's, Picts, Gaels and Scots (revised edition, 2005) offers a broad and accessible introduction, while Leslie Alcock's Society of Antiquaries of Scotland monograph Kings and Warriors, Craftsmen and Priests in Northern Britain AD 550–750 (2003) offers more detail. No recent history of Early Historic Scotland is available; Alex Woolf's Pictland to Alba: Scotland, 789–1070, in the New Edinburgh History of Scotland series, is to be published in 2007. The Oxford Companion to Scottish History (2001) contains valuable articles by expert contributors, but is very poorly organised. The Society of Antiquaries of Scotland is an archaeological learned society formed for the purpose of studying the history of Scotland. ...

For a well-researched, fictional interpretation of Kenneth's life, see the book Kenneth by Nigel Tranter. Nigel Tranter is a Scottish author who wrote many novels based on actual historical events and characters. ... Nigel Tranter (November 23, 1909 – January 9, 2000) was a Scottish historian and author. ...

See also

• Scotland in the Early Middle Ages
• Scotland in the High Middle Ages
• MacAlpin's Treason

v • d • e

Monarchs of Scotland (Alba)

	Traditional List of Monarchs of the Picts Legendary Monarchs: Drest I • Talorc I • Nechtan I • Drest II • Galan • Drest III • Drest IV • Gartnait I • Cailtram • Talorc II • Drest V • Galam • Bridei I • Gartnait II • Nechtan II • Cinioch • Gartnait III • Bridei II • Talorc III • Talorgan I • Gartnait IV • Drest VI • Bridei III • Taran • Bridei IV • Nechtan IV • Drest VII • Alpín I • Óengus I • Bridei V • Cináed I • Alpín II • Talorgan II • Drest VIII • Conall • Caustantín • Óengus II • Drust IX • Uen • Uurad • Bridei VI • Ciniod II • Bridei VII • Drest X
something	Traditional List of Monarchs of the Scots Kenneth I • Donald I • Constantine I • Áed • Giric • Donald II • Constantine II • Malcolm I • Indulf • Dub • Cuilén • Kenneth II • Constantine III • Kenneth III • Malcolm II • Duncan I • Macbeth • Lulach • Malcolm III • Donald III • Duncan II • Donald III • Edgar • Alexander I • David I • Malcolm IV • William I • Alexander II • Alexander III • First Interregnum • John • Second Interregnum • Robert I • David II • Robert II • Robert III • James I • James II • James III • James IV • James V • Mary I • James VI* • Charles I* • Charles II • The Covenanters • The Protectorate • Charles II* • James VII* • Mary II* • William II* • Anne* * also monarch of Ireland and England