The Stone of Scone in the Coronation Chair at Westminster Abbey, 1855. It was the ceremonial coronation stone of Scotland's Gaelic kings, similar to the Irish Lia Fáil.

The Origins of the Kingdom of Alba pertains to the origins of the Kingdom of Alba, or the Gaelic Kingdom of Scotland, either as a mythological event or a historical process. Stone of Scone the Stone of Scone in the Coronation Chair at Westminster Abbey. ... Stone of Scone the Stone of Scone in the Coronation Chair at Westminster Abbey. ... The Stone of Scone, (pronounced scoon) also commonly known as the Stone of Destiny or the Coronation Stone (though the former name sometimes refers to Lia Fáil) is a block of sandstone historically kept at the now-ruined abbey in Scone, near Perth, Scotland. ... The Abbeys western façade The Collegiate Church of St Peter, Westminster, which is almost always referred to as Westminster Abbey, is a mainly Gothic church, on the scale of a cathedral, in Westminster, London, just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. ... 1855 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... The Lia Fáil is one of two stones named the Stone of Destiny. The other Stone of Destiny sometimes known as the Stone of Scone has recently been removed from the coronation chair of the British monarchs in Westminster Abbey and returned on loan to Scotland. ... The Kingdom of 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. ... The Gaels are an ethno-linguistic group in Ireland, Scotland and the Isle of Man, whose language is one that is Gaelic (Goidelic), an Insular Celtic language. ... Royal motto: Nemo me impune lacessit (Latin: No one provokes me with impunity) Capital Edinburgh Government Monarchy Head of State King of Scots Parliament Parliament of Scotland Currency Pound Scots This article is about the historical state called the Kingdom of Scotland (843-1707). ...

Origin Paradigms

Medieval Version

The conceptualisation of the past as the standard of the Middle Ages is perhaps best encapsulated by the German term Volkerwanderung. In this model, the Scots are portrayed as making their way from Egypt via Ireland to Scotland, annihilating their enemies on the way. The legitimacy therefore derives from conquest, and purity of racial/royal descent. The tradition in Scotland was influenced by the Geoffrey of Monmouth, the Lebor Gabála Érenn and the Historia Brittonum. Ultimately, such conceptualizations can be derived from Virgil's Aeneid and the Bible, but were just as much an organic and original product of the medieval Scots themselves. The German term Völkerwanderung (lit. ... This article is 100 KB or more in size. ... Geoffrey of Monmouth was a clergyman and one of the major figures in the development of British history. ... Lebor Gabála Érenn (The Book of the Taking of Ireland) is the Middle Irish title of a loose collection of poems and prose narratives recounting the mythical origins and history of the Irish race from the creation of the world down to the Middle Ages. ... The Historia Britonum, or The History of the Britons, is a historical work that was first written sometime shortly after AD 820, and exists in several recensions of varying difference. ... A sculpture of Virgil, probably from the 1st century AD. Publius Vergilius Maro (October 15, 70 BC–19 BC), known in English as Virgil or Vergil, is a Latin poet, the author of the Eclogues, the Georgics and the Aeneid, the last being an epic poem of twelve books that... The Aeneid is a Latin epic written by Virgil in the 1st century BCE (between 29 and 19 BCE) that tells the legendary story of Aeneas, a Trojan who traveled to Italy where he became the ancestor of the Romans. ... The Bible (Hebrew תנ״ך tanakh, Greek η Βίβλος [hÄ“ biblos] ) (sometimes The Holy Bible, The Book, Good Book, Word of God, The Word, or Scripture), from Greek (τα) βίβλια, (ta) biblia, (the) books, is the classical name for the Hebrew Bible of Judaism or the combination of the Old Testament and New Testament of Christianity...

In the Life of St Cathróe of Metz, the hagiographer recounts the mythological origin of the saint's people, the Gaels. The hagiographer recounts that they landed in the vicinity of Cruachan Feli - called the Mountain of Ireland. He recounts that the Gaels conquered Ireland after a series of battles with the Picts (here Pictanes). They followed up their conquest of Ireland by invading Britain, conquering Iona before conquering the cities of Rigmonath (=Cennrigmonaid; i.e. St Andrews) and Bellathor (=Cinnbelathoir; an unidentified Scoto-Pictish palace). Afterwards, their commander - a Spartan called Nel (=Niall) - named the land and people after his Egyptian wife Scota. The tale is astonishingly important, because it dates to about 980, an extremely early date, and has Scottish sources. Indeed, the saint himself is Scottish, born of royalty. According to the Life, he was educated in Armagh, before returning to Britain and entering the service of King Causantín II mac Áeda. King Causantín gave Cathróe conduct to the court of King Domnall of the Cumbrians, and from there made his way to Viking England, and finally, the continent.^[1] Hagiography is the study of saints. ... The Picts were a confederation of tribes in central and northern Scotland from the 3rd century to the 11th century. ... Named after Saint Andrew, the Royal Burgh of St Andrews is a coastal town in Fife, Scotland, and the home of golf. ... The quintessential medieval European palace: Palais de la Cité, in Paris, the royal palace of France. ... Scota, in Irish mythology and pseudohistory, was an Egyptian princess to whom the Gaels traced their ancestry, explaining the name Scoti, applied by the Romans to Irish raiders. ... Events Births Emperor Ichijo of Japan Humbert I of Savoy Avicenna Godiva, Countess of Mercia Deaths Categories: 980 ... Armagh is a city in Northern Ireland, the capital of County Armagh. ... Constantine II (874?–952) was king of Scotland from 900 to 942 or 943. ... Constantine II (874?–952) was king of Scotland from 900 to 942 or 943. ... Strathclyde (Srath Chluaidh in Gaelic) was one of the regional council areas of Scotland from 1975 to 1996. ...

Medieval Scottish genealogies trace the origin of the Scots to Fergus Mór mac Eirc, the legendary founder of Dál Ríada. The Míniugud Senchasa Fher nAlba also contains the myth of Fergus. This is an older document, perhaps dating to the seventh century, that has been heavily interpolated with later material, probably including the mythological parts. Appended to the Míniugud Senchasa Fher nAlba in many manuscripts is the Genelaig Albanensium, a list of genealogies relating to Gaelic rulers of northern Britain going up to at least Causantín III (995-7) (it goes later in some of the manuscripts). It is likely that this material was inserted into the Míniugud in the early eleventh century.^[2] Genealogy is the study and tracing of family pedigrees. ... Fergus I (Scottish Gaelic: Fergus Mor Mac Earca) was king of Scottish Dál Riada from about 500 until 501. ... Dalriada or Dál Riata (as it was called in Ireland) was the kingdom of the Scotti, who spread from eastern Ulster to Argyll and eventually gave their name to Scotland. ... ( 6th century - 7th century - 8th century - other centuries) Events Islam starts in Arabia, the Quran is written, and Arabs subjugate Syria, Iraq, Persia, Egypt, North Africa and Central Asia to Islam. ... (10th century - 11th century - 12th century - other centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 11th century was that century which lasted from 1001 to 1100. ...

In the Duan Albanach, this tradition is re-enforced. It was written sometime in the reign of King Máel Coluim III, which we know because it tells us that "Maelcoluim is now the king". It recounts the earliest histories of the Picts, and then celebrates the conquest of the Picts by the Gaedhil. It calls the Scottish Gaels the children of Conaire and the traces the descent of the Scottish kings from Fergus mac Eirc. It does not trace their descent any further, because in the manuscript the Duan Albanach follows from a companion piece, the Duan Eireannach (i.e. Irish Poem), which had already recounted the history of the Gaels from Scythia via Egypt to Ireland.^[3] 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). ... King Malcolm III of Scotland (Máel Coluim mac Donnchada), (1031 – November 13, 1093) also known as Ceann Mór (Anglicized as Canmore) meaning Big Head in the then Scottish language. ... Scythian warriors, drawn after figures on an electrum cup from the KulOba kurgan burial near Kerch. ...

These mythical traditions are incorporated into the Declaration of Arbroath, and in that document origins from Ireland are omitted for the first time. They were believed in the early modern period and beyond, and even King James VI/I traced his origin to Fergus, saying, in his own words, that he was a "Monarch sprunge of Ferguse race".^[4] The Declaration of Arbroath was a declaration of Scottish independence, and set out to confirm Scotlands status as an independent, sovereign state and its use of military action when unjustly attacked. ... James VI of Scotland and James I of England and Ireland (occasionally known as King James the Vain) (Charles James) (19 June 1566–27 March 1625) was King of England, King of Scotland, and King of Ireland. ...

Goth versus Gael

The Goth versus Gael model was developed in the context of a vast cultural and linguistic chasm which existed in Scotland in the early modern period, and was invented in the context of the Anglo-Scottish Union and the Jacobite risings in the eighteenth century. The model originates ultimately in the later middle ages, when the Germanic-speaking subjects of the Scottish king began to think of themselves as Scots, and began the ethnic and cultural disassociation of Scottish and Gaelic, previously two identical concepts, by calling their own brand of English Scottis and renaming Scottis as Erse. Also important was the impact of the Reformation and the Union. Scots imported English prejudices about the Irish Gaels, and in turn adapted them for the Scottish Gaels. ^[5] Gothic woman, traditional style, with big hair, spikes and piercings This article is about the contemporary goth/gothic subculture. ... 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. ... Each Jacobite Rising formed part of a series of military campaigns by Jacobites attempting to restore the Stuart kings to the thrones of England and Scotland (and after 1707, Great Britain) after James VII of Scotland and II of England was deposed in 1688 and the thrones usurped by his... (17th century - 18th century - 19th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 18th century refers to the century that lasted from 1701 through 1800. ... The Middle Ages formed the middle period in a traditional schematic division of European history into three ages: the classical civilization of Antiquity, the Middle Ages, and modern times, beginning with the Renaissance. ... Erse (early Scots/English for Irish) can be used as an adjective, but is more often used as a noun referring to either of the Goidelic languages Irish or Scottish Gaelic, or the people who speak them. ... The Protestant Reformation was a movement which began in the 16th century as a series of attempts to reform the Roman Catholic Church, but ended in division and the establishment of new institutions, most importantly Lutheranism, Reformed churches, and Anabaptists. ... The Acts of Union were twin Acts of Parliament passed in 1707 (taking effect on 26 March) by the Parliament of England and the Parliament of Scotland. ... Scots or Lallans (Eng: Lowlands), sometimes called Lowland Scots to distinguish it from the Gaelic language of the Highlands, is a West Germanic language used in Scotland, parts of Northern Ireland, and border areas of the Republic of Ireland, where it is known in official circles as Ulster Scots or...

The Goth versus Gael debate centred on which part of Scotland's past is the more important, the Germanic or the Celtic. Germanicists, or Gothicists as they are sometimes called, attempted to disassociate Gaels and Gaelic from the Scottish past. One extreme example was John Pinkerton, who believed passionately that the people and language of lowland Scotland derived from a Gothic dialect spoken by the Picts. John Pinkerton even invented ancient tales to give substance to this fictional ancient people. The main thrust of the Germanicist model was destroyed in the nineteenth century when William Forbes Skene and others brought medieval Scotland into the frame of serious, recognisably modern scholarship. Nevertheless, this model has had a lot of impact on popular understandings of medieval Scottish history. It explains, for instance, why many people (including some popular historians) believe that English became the language of Lowland Scotland in the generation of Máel Coluim III, owing to the influence of an Anglo-Hungarian princess, Margaret, when in fact no such thing happened for another few centuries.^[6] John Pinkerton (17 February 1758–10 March 1826) was a Scottish archaeologist, numismatist, and author. ... The Gothic language (*gutiska razda, *𐌲𐌿𐍄𐌹𐍃𐌺𐌰 𐍂𐌰𐌶𐌳𐌰) is an extinct Germanic language that was spoken by the Goths and specifically by the Visigoths. ... A dialect (from the Greek word διάλεκτος, dialektos) is a variety of a language used by people from a particular geographic area. ... Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ... 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. ... Stirling Castle has stood for centuries atop a volcanic crag defending the lowest ford of the River Forth. ... The English are an ethnic group generally associated with England and the English language. ...

Multiculturalism

A third paradigm used to understand the origins of the Scots is multiculturalism. This idea is currently in popular vogue. Under this paradigm, Scottish history is understood as a Union of many peoples, ideally as many as possible. Picts, Gaels/Scots, Welsh/Britons, Norse, English/Anglo-Saxons and Norman-French usually provide the core, but sometimes Flemings and Germans are added. The model is influenced by the model of American history, and is popular because the modern political environment promotes diversity and multiculturalism, and so tracing multiculturalism back as far as possible adds legitimacy to modern Scottish political identity, while at the same time somewhat supporting a modern Scottish identity which, like the American identity, has little ethnic or linguistic distinctiveness of its own. ^[7] Multiculturalism is the public policy for managing cultural diversity in a multiethnic society, officially stressing mutual respect and tolerance for cultural differences within a countrys borders. ... The Picts were a confederation of tribes in central and northern Scotland from the 3rd century to the 11th century. ... Norse is related to Scandinavia, and may mean: Ancient Norse mythology Medieval Norsemen, i. ... The Norman language is a Romance language, one of the Oïl languages. ... Flemings (Dutch: Vlamingen) are inhabitants of Flanders in the widest sense of the term, i. ... Pre-Colonial America For details, see the main Pre-Colonial America article. ...

Origins

Gaelicising Pictish Kings

Pictland had Gaelic kings. That is not in question. One of the earliest, if not the earliest, was Nechtan mac Derile, the son of a petty Gaelic lord named Darmgard and the Pictish princess Derile.^[8] Pictish kings, moreover, were probably patronising Gaelic-speaking poets. There exists a Gaelic elegy to the Pictish king, Bridei, Bili's son. The poem is attributed to his contemporary, Adomnán of Iona, but this is tenuous. It is however probably contemporary, dating to the late seventh or early eighth century. Another poem, attributed to Riagail of Bangor, celebrates the same ruler's victory of the Northumbrians, at the Battle of Dunnichen (685).^[9] Nechtan IV (also known as Nechtan mac Derile) was king of the Southern Picts from 706-724, and a member of the Strathclyde Dynasty. ... Saint Adamnan or Adomnan (625-704) was abbot of the monastery at Iona from 679 to 704. ... Iona village viewed from a short distance offshore. ... ( 6th century - 7th century - 8th century - other centuries) Events Islam starts in Arabia, the Quran is written, and Arabs subjugate Syria, Iraq, Persia, Egypt, North Africa and Central Asia to Islam. ... (7th century — 8th century — 9th century — other centuries) Events The Iberian peninsula is taken by Arab and Berber Muslims, thus ending the Visigothic rule, and starting almost 8 centuries of Muslim presence there. ... Northumbria is primarily the name of an Anglian or Anglo-Saxon kingdom which was formed in Great Britain at the beginning of the 7th century, and of the earldom which succeeded the kingdom. ... The Battle of Nechtansmere was fought between the Picts and Northumbrians on May 20, 685, near Forfar, Angus. ... Events Umayyad caliph Marwan I (684-685) succeeded by Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan (685-705) Justinian II succeeds Constantine IV as emperor of the Byzantine Empire Sussex attacks Kent, supporting Eadrics claim to the throne held by Hlothhere Pope Benedict II succeeded by Pope John V Cuthbert consecrated...

In the early eighth century, the great King of the Picts was Óengus mac Fergusa, conqueror of Dalriada. It is possible, as has been pointed out by some linguists and historians, that Óengus and Fergus are just Gaelic versions of native Pictish names, namely, Onuist and Urguist, the names recorded in one strand of the Pictish king lists.^[10] However, these names are rare in the larger P-Celtic world, and largely out of place in the context of previous Pictish kings. Moreover, the idea that these were the actual forms is given the lie by the discovery of an inscription relating a later Óengus' brother Causantín. It reads: Ungus (Onuist) mac Uurgust was King of Fortriu and of the Picts (fl 729-761). ... The Brythonic languages (or Brittonic languages) form one of the two branches of the Insular Celtic language family. ...

This inscription is from the Dupplin Cross, and was found in the heart of southern Pictland, near Forteviot. It dates from the late eighth or early ninth century. If the name in question really were the Pictish Urguist, then it is odd that a contemporary Pictish description gave the Gaelic form, form beginning with the unmistakably Goidelic F. ^[12] If we add the likelihood that Pictish kings were patronising Gaelic poets in the eighth century, then we have to conclude that the Pictish forms which are extant in some sources simply represent Picticisations of names taken by their Gaelic-speaking rulers. (7th century — 8th century — 9th century — other centuries) Events The Iberian peninsula is taken by Arab and Berber Muslims, thus ending the Visigothic rule, and starting almost 8 centuries of Muslim presence there. ... (8th century - 9th century - 10th century - other centuries) Events Beowulf might have been written down in this century, though it could also have been in the 8th century Viking attacks on Europe begin Oseberg ship burial The Magyars arrive in what is now Hungary, forcing the Serbs and Bulgars south... The Goidelic languages (also sometimes called the Gaelic languages or collectively Gaelic) are one of two major divisions of modern-day Insular Celtic languages (the other being the Brythonic languages). ...

Fortriu to Moray

Sueno's Stone Located in Forres, in the old kingdom of Fortriu, this gigantic probably post-Pictish monument marks some kind of military triumph.

The St Andrews historian Alex Woolf has recently put forward a case for relocating the Kingdom of Fortriu north of the Mounth (the Grampians). Previously, it had been located in the vicinity of Strathearn; but as Woolf pointed out, this is based on one passage saying that the Men of Fortriu fought a battle in Strathearn. This is an unconvincing reason, because there are two Strathearns - one in the south, and one in the north - and, moreover, every battle has to be fought outside the territory of one of the combatants. By contrast, a northern recension of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle makes it clear that Fortriu was north of the ‘‘Mounth’’, in the area visited by Columba. The case has to be accepted, and there can be little doubt that the core of Fortriu lay to the north of the Grampian Mountains - in Moray, Ross and perhaps Mar and Buchan too.^[13] Download high resolution version (600x800, 87 KB)Suenos stone in Forres Author: Wojsyl File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Download high resolution version (600x800, 87 KB)Suenos stone in Forres Author: Wojsyl File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Suenos Stone in Forres Suenos Stone is an ancient Pictish standing stone—standing 23 feet high—on a major road junction. ... Suenos Stone in Forres Forres, an ancient Royal Burgh Town, is situated in the North of Scotland on the Moray Coast. ... 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 University of St Andrews was founded between 1410 and 1413 and is the oldest university in Scotland (and third oldest in the English speaking world). ... There are at least two ranges of mountains called the Grampian Mountains or The Grampians: one in Scotland (Grampian Mountains, Scotland) one in Australia (Grampians National Park). ... Strathearn or Strath Earn, (Scottish Gaelic, Srath Èireann) is the strath (valley) of the River Earn. ... The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle is a collection of annals narrating the history of the English and their settlement in Britain. ... Saint Columba sometimes known as (7 December 521 - 9 June 597), the Latinized version of the Irish name Colmcille (Old Irish Columb Cille) meaning Dove of the church, was the outstanding figure among the Irish missionary monks who reintroduced Christianity to Scotland and the north of England during the Dark...

Relocating Fortriu north of the Mounth increases the importance of the Vikings. After all, the Viking impact on the north was greater than in the south, and in the north, the Vikings actually conquered and made permanent territorial gains.

Pictland to Alba

There remains the possibility that Alba is simply a Gaelic translation of the Pictish name for Pictland. Both the Welsh and the Irish use archaic words for Briton to describe the Picts. It is very likely therefore that the Picts did so themselves; or if they did not originally, they came to do so. In which case the Pictish for Pictland would have been either the same as their word for Britain, or an obsolete term. Alba was exactly this kind of word in Old Irish. It is therefore plausible that Alba is simply a Gaelic translation. The name change is first registered at the very beginning of the tenth century, ^[14] not long before King Causantín II is alleged to have Scotticised the "Pictish" Church,^[15] and at the height of Viking raids. Later records, especially the Chronicle of the Kings of Alba and other documents in the Poppleton Manuscript, tell us that the Picts were simply conquered and annihilated by king Cináed mac Ailpín. This is the traditional explanation, and the one repeated by many historians. The only thing which is certain is that before 900, the Cruithentuath (Gaelic for Pictland), and perhaps Fortriu, became Gaelic-speaking Alba. Alba is the ancient and modern Gaelic name (IPA: ) for the country of Scotland (also Alba in Irish, and in Old Gaelic Albu). ... Gaelic as an adjective means pertaining to the Gaels, whether to their language or their culture. ... Welsh redirects here, and this article describes the Welsh language. ... Old Irish is the name given to the oldest form of the Irish language which can be, more or less, fully reconstructed from extant sources. ... ( 9th century - 10th century - 11th century - other centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 10th century was that century which lasted from 901 to 1000. ... Constantine II (874?–952) was king of Scotland from 900 to 942 or 943. ... 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. ... Kenneth MacAlpin (c. ... Events Persian scientist, Rhazes, distinguished smallpox from measles in the course of his writings. ...

References

1. ^ , Dumville, "St Cathróe of Metz", pp. 172-6; text translated on A.O. Anderson, Early Sources, vol. i, pp. 431-443
2. ^ , for text and commentary, see Bannerman, Studies (1974) & Dumville "Ireland and North Britain", (2002).
3. ^ , M. Anderson, Kings and Kingship (1973), p. 79, n. 11; for text, "Irish" Nennius at CELT.
4. ^ , Pittock, Celtic Identity, (1999), p. 18.
5. ^ , Accounts of the “Goth versus Gael debate” and this early modern invention of Lowland Saxon identity can be found in Ferguson, Identity (1998), pp. 250-73, and in Pittock, Celtic Identity, pp. 54-60.
6. ^ , ibid.
7. ^ , examples of this approach are becoming legion; e.g. Lynch, Scotland: A New History, (1992), p. 53
8. ^ , See Clancy, "Philosopher-King: Nechtan mac Der-Ilei".
9. ^ , Clancyen (ed.), The Triumph Tree, p. 115; ibid. pp. 15-6 for suggestion as contemporary praise poetry.
10. ^ , Jackson, "The Pictish language", followed by others, such as Forsyth, , Language in Pictland, (1997).
11. ^ , Foster, Sally, Picts, Gaels and Scots (1996).
12. ^ , Watson, Celtic Place-Names (1926/2004), pp. 68-9.
13. ^ , Woolf, "Geography of the Picts", (forthcoming).
14. ^ , AU, s.a. 900; A.O. Anderson, Early Sources, vol. i, p. 395
15. ^ , Chronicle of the Kings of Alba; A.O. Anderson, Early Sources, vol. i, p.445.

The Annals of Ulster are a chronicle of medieval Ireland. ... Events Persian scientist, Rhazes, distinguished smallpox from measles in the course of his writings. ... 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. ...

Bibliography

Primary sources

• Anderson, Alan Orr, Early Sources of Scottish History: AD 500-1286, 2 Vols, (Edinburgh, 1922)
• Skene, William F. (ed.), Chronicles of the Picts and Scots: And Other Memorials of Scottish History, (Edinburgh, 1867)

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. ...

Secondary sources

• Anderson, Marjorie O., Kings and Kingship in Early Scotland, (Edinburgh, 1973)
• Bannerman, John, Studies in the History of Dalriada, (Edinburgh, 1974)
• Broun, Dauvit “Defining Scotland and the Scots Before the Wars of Independence,” in Image and Identity: the Making and Remaking of Scotland through the Ages, in. D. Broun, R. Finlay & M. Lynch (eds.), (Edinburgh 1998), pp. 4-17
• Broun, Dauvit, "Dunkeld and the origin of Scottish identity", in Innes Review 48 (1997), pp. 112-24, reprinted in Spes Scotorum: Hope of Scots, eds. Broun and Clancy (1999), pp. 95-111
• Broun, Dauvit & Clancy, Thomas Owen (eds.),Spes Scottorum: Hope of the Scots, (Edinburgh, 1999)
• Clancy, Thomas Owen, "Philosopher-King: Nechtan mac Der-Ilei", in the Scottish Historical Review, 83, 2004, pp. 125-49.
• Clancy, Thomas Owen, "The real St Ninian", in The Innes Review, 52 (2001).
• Clancy, Thomas Owen, “Scotland, the ‘Nennian’ recension of the Historia Brittonum, and the Lebor Bretnach”, in Simon Taylor (ed.) Kings, Clerics and Chronicles in Scotland, 500-1297, (Dublin/Portland, 2000), pp. 87-107.
• Clancy, Thomas Owen (ed.), The Triumph Tree: Scotland's Earliest Poetry, 550-1350, (Edinburgh, 1998)
• Driscoll, Steven, Alba: The Gaelic Kingdom of Scotland AD 800-1124, (Edinburgh, 1996)
• Dumville, David N., “Ireland and North Britain in the Earlier Middle Ages: Contexts for the Míniugud Senchasa Fher nAlban”, in Colm Ó Baoill & Nancy R. McGuire (eds.) Rannsachadh Na Gáidhlig, (Aberdeen, 2002)
• Dumville, David N., "St Cathróe of Metz and the Hagiography of Exoticism," in Irish Hagiography: Saints and Scholars, ed. John Carey et al. (Dublin, 2001), pp. 172-6
• Ferguson, William, The Identity of the Scottish Nation: An Historic Enquiry, (Edinburgh, 1998)
• Foster, Sally, Picts, Gaels and Scots: Early Historic Scotland, (London, 1996)
• Forsyth, Katherine, Language in Pictland, (Utrecht 1997)
• Jackson, Kenneth H. (ed), The Gaelic Notes in the Book of Deer (The Osborn Bergin Memorial Lecture 1970), (Cambridge (1972)
• Jackson, Kenneth H. "The Pictish language", in F.T. Wainwright (ed.), The Problem of the Picts, (Edinburgh, 1955), pp. 129-66
• Hudson, Benjamin T., Kings of Celtic Scotland, (Westport, 1994)
• Pittock, Murray G.H., Celtic Identity and the British Image, (Manchester, 1999)
• Watson, W.J., The Celtic Place-Names of Scotland, (Edinburgh, 1926) reprinted, with an Introduction, full Watson bibliography and corrigenda by Simon Taylor (Edinburgh, 2004)
• Woolf, Alex, "Dun Nechtain, Fortriu and the Geography of the Picts", (forthcoming)

Professor William J. Watson, 1865-1948, was the first Gaelic speaking scholar to place the study of Scottish place names on a firm linguistic basis. ...

External links

• Annals of Tigernach
• Annals of Ulster
• Chronicon Scotorum
• Gaelic Notes on the Book of Deer
• Genelaig Albanensium in the Genealogies from Rawlinson B 502
• Text of the Lebor Bretnach and the Duan Albanach

See also

• Fortriu
• MacAlpin's Treason
• Mormaer of Moray
• Scotland in the High Middle Ages