List of kings of the Picts

thumb|Text reading Rex Pictorum in MS Rawlinson B 489 ([[Annals of Ulster)]]

The list of kings of the Picts is based on the Pictish Chronicle king lists. These are late documents and do not record the dates when the kings reigned. The various surviving lists disagree in places as to the names of kings, and the lengths of their reigns. A large portion of the lists, not reproduced here, belongs with the Caledonian or Irish mythology. The latter parts of the lists can largely be reconciled with other sources.

Pictish kings

Pictish kings ruled in northern and eastern Scotland. In 843 A.D., tradition records the replacement of the Pictish kingdom by the Kingdom of Alba, although the Irish annals continue to use Picts and Fortriu for half a century after 843. The king lists are thought to have been compiled in the early 8th century, probably by 724, placing them in the reigns of the sons of Der-Ilei, Bridei and Nechtan.

Irish annals (the Annals of Ulster, Annals of Innisfallen) refer to some kings as king of Fortriu or king of Alba. The kings listed are thought to represent overkings of the Picts, at least from the time of Bridei, son of Maelchon, onwards. In addition to these overkings, many less powerful subject kings existed, of whom only a very few are known from the historical record.

Mythical kings of the Picts are listed in the Lebor Bretnachs account of the origins of the Cruithne. The list begins with Cruithne, son of Cing, who is reported to be "father of the Picts". The account of the Pictish Chronicle then splits into four lists of names:

The first is a list of the sons of Cruithne;
The second is a list of early kings with no distinguishing information other than dates;
The third is another list of early kings with neither stories nor dates, all of whom have two names that begin with "Brude". It is possible that "Brude" is an ancient title for "king" from another source, which was misinterpreted as a name by the compiler (cf. Skene p.cv);
The fourth is a list of later kings. The first of these to be attested in an independent source is Galam Cennalath.

The dates given here are drawn from early sources unless specifically noted otherwise. The relationships between kings are less than certain and rely on modern readings of the sources.

Names

Orthography is problematic. Cinioch, Ciniod and Cináed all represent ancestors of the modern Anglicised name Kenneth. Pictish "uu", sometimes printed as "w", corresponds with Gaelic "f", so that Uuredach is the Gaelic Feredach and Uurguist the Gaelic Fergus, or perhaps Forgus. As the Dupplin Cross inscription shows, the idea that Irish sources Gaelicised Pictish names may not be entirely accurate.

Kings of the Picts

Colouring indicates groups of kings presumed to be related.

Early kings

{| class="sortable wikitable"

!width="10%"|Reign

!width="10%"|Ruler

!width="20%"|Other names

!width="20%"|Family

!width="35%"|Remarks

|311–341

| Vipoig

|Reigned 30 years

| 341–345

| Canutulachama

|Reigned 4 years

| 345–347

| Uradech

|Reigned 2 years

| 347–387

| Gartnait II

|Reigned 40 years

| 387–412

| Talorc mac Achiuir

|Reigned 25 years

|- bgcolor="#FFE8E8"

| 412–452

| Drest I

| Drest, son of Erp

| First king of the Pictish Chronicle lists, whose reign includes a synchronism (the coming of Saint Patrick to Ireland; "ruled a hundred years and fought a hundred battles")

| 452–456

| Talorc I

| Talorc, son of Aniel

| An entry in the king lists; reigned 2 or 4 years

|- bgcolor="#FFE8E8"

| 456–480

| Nechtan I

| Nechtan, son of Uuirp (or Erip); Nechtan the Great, Nechtan Celcamoth

| Possibly a brother of Drest, son of Erp

| The foundation of the monastery at Abernethy is fathered on this king, almost certainly spuriously. A similar name nehhtton(s) was found on the Lunnasting stone; one interpretator of which suggested it containing the phrase: "the vassal of Nehtonn".

| 480–510

| Drest II

| Drest Gurthinmoch (or Gocinecht)

| An entry in the king lists; reigned 30 years

| 510–522

| Galan

| Galan Erilich or Galany

| rowspan="7" | An entry in the king lists

| 522–530

| Drest III

| Drest, son of Uudrost (or Hudrossig)

|- bgcolor="#FFFFCC"

| 522–531

| Drest IV

| Drest, son of Girom (or Gurum)

|- bgcolor="#FFFFCC"

| 531–537

| Gartnait I

| Garthnac, son of Girom; Ganat, son of Gigurum

|- bgcolor="#FFFFCC"

| 537–538

| Cailtram

| Cailtram, son of Girom; Kelturan, son of Gigurum

| Brother of the preceding Gartnait

| 538–549

| Talorc II

| Talorc, son of Murtolic; Tolorg, son of Mordeleg

| 549–550

| Drest V

| Drest, son of Manath; Drest, son of Munait

Early historical kings

The first king who appears in multiple early sources is Bridei, son of Maelchon, and the kings from the later 6th century onwards may be considered historical, as their deaths are generally reported in Irish sources.

{| class="wikitable"

!width="10%"|Reign

!width="10%"|Ruler

!width="20%"|Other names

!width="20%"|Family

!width="35%"|Remarks

| 550–555

| Galam

| Galam Cennalath

| The death of "Cennalaph, king of the Picts" is recorded; may have ruled jointly with Bridei, son of Maelchon

| 554–584

| Bridei I

| Bridei, son of Maelchon; Brude, son of Melcho

| His death and other activities are recorded; he is named in Adomnán's Life of Saint Columba; the first Pictish king to be more than a name in a list

| 584–595

| Gartnait II

| Gartnait, son of Domelch; Gernard, son of Dompneth

| 595–616

| Nechtan II

| Nechtan, grandson of Uerb; Nechtan, son of Cano

| His reign is placed in the time of Pope Boniface IV

| 616–631

| Cinioch

| Cinioch, son of Lutrin; Kinet, son of Luthren

|- bgcolor="#CCFFCC"

| 631–635

| Gartnait III

| Gartnait, son of Uuid

| rowspan="3" | son of Gwid, son of Peithan?

|- bgcolor="#CCFFCC"

| 635–641

| Bridei II

| Bridei, son of Uuid or son of Fochle

|- bgcolor="#CCFFCC"

| 641–653

| Talorc III

| Talorc, son of Uuid or son of Foth

| 653–657

| Talorgan I

| Talorgan, son of Eanfrith

| son of Eanfrith of Bernicia

|- bgcolor="#FFFFCC"

| 657–663

| Gartnait IV

| rowspan="2" | Gartnait, son of Donnel or son of Dúngal

|- bgcolor="#FFFFCC"

| 663–672

| Drest VI

Later historical kings

{| class="wikitable"

!width="10%"|Reign

!width="10%"|Ruler

!width="20%"|Other names

!width="20%"|Family

!width="35%"|Remarks

| 672–693

| Bridei III

| Bridei, son of Bili

| Son of Beli I of Alt Clut, son of Nechtan II

| At war with the Scots in 683. Defeated Ecgfrith of Northumbria, at the Battle of Dun Nechtain in 685.

| 693–697

| Taran

| Taran, son of Ainftech

| Possibly a maternal half-brother of Bridei and Nechtan mac Der-Ilei

|- bgcolor="#DDEEAA"

| 697–706

| Bridei IV

| Bridei, son of Der-Ilei

| Brother of Nechtan, Cenél Comgaill

| Son of Der-Ilei, a Pictish princess, and Dargart mac Finnguine, a member of the Cenél Comgaill of Dál Riata; listed as a guarantor of the Cáin Adomnáin

|- bgcolor="#DDEEAA"

| 706–724

| Nechtan III

| Nechtan, son of Der-Ilei

| Brother of Bridei, Cenél Comgaill

| Adopted the Roman dating of Easter ; a noted founder of churches and monasteries

|- bgcolor="#D8BFD8"

| 724–726

| Drest VII

| Drust

| Perhaps son of a half-brother of Nechtan and Bridei. Possibly of Cenél nGabráin of Atholl ['New Ireland'] (T.O. Clancy, 2004)

| Succeeded Nechtan, imprisoned him in 726, may have been deposed that year by Alpín

|- bgcolor="#D8BFD8"

| 726–728

| Alpín I

| Alpin mac Echach

| Possibly of Cenél nGabráin (M.O. Anderson, 1973)

| Probably a co-ruler with Drest. Also king of Dal Riata, AT726.4. "Dungal was removed from rule, and Drust of the rule of the Picts removed, and Elphin reigns for them."

|- bgcolor="#DDEEAA"

| 728–729

| Nechtan III restored

| Nechtan, son of Der-Ilei, second reign

| Cenél Comgaill

| It has been suggests that Óengus defeated the enemy of Nechtan in 729, and Nechtan continued to rule until 732.

|- bgcolor="#FFE8E8"

| 729–761

| Óengus I

| Onuist, son of Vurguist

| Claimed as a kinsman by the Eóganachta

|- bgcolor="#FFE8E8"

| 736–750 Chemoith,

| A grandson or grandnephew of Onuist or perhaps a son of Fergus mac Echdach

| His son, Domnall, may have been king of Dál Riata

|- bgcolor="#FFE8E8"

| 820–834

| Óengus II

| Óengus, son of Fergus

| Brother of Caustantín

|- bgcolor="#FFE8E8"

| 834–837

| Drest IX

| Drest, son of Caustantín

| Son of Caustantín

| 834–837

| Talorc IV

| Talorcan, son of Wthoil

|- bgcolor="#FFE8E8"

| 837–839

| Eógan

| Eógan, son of Óengus

| Son of Óengus; his brothers were Nechtan and Finguine.

| Killed in 839 with Bran, his brother, in battle against the Vikings; this led to a decade of conflict

Kings of the Picts 839–848 (not successively)

The deaths of Eógan and Bran appear to have led to a large number of competitors for the throne of Pictland.

{| class="wikitable"

!|Reign

!|Ruler

!|Other names

!|Family

!|Remarks

|- bgcolor="#F5DEB3"

| 839–842

| Uurad

| Uurad, son of Bargoit

| Unknown

| Said to have reigned for three years, probably named on the Drosten Stone

|- bgcolor="#F5DEB3"

| 842–843

| Bridei VI

| Bridei, son of Uurad

| Possibly the son of the previous king

| Said to have reigned one year

|- bgcolor="#F5DEB3"

| 843

| Ciniod II

| Possibly the brother of the previous king

| Said to have reigned one year in some lists

| 843–845

| Bridei VII

| Brudei, son of Uuthoi

| Unknown

| Said to have reigned two years in some lists

|- bgcolor="#F5DEB3"

| 845–848

| Drest X

| Drest, son of Uurad

| As previous sons of Uurad

| Said to have reigned three years in some lists; the myth of MacAlpin's treason calls the Pictish king "Drest"

|- bgcolor="#D8BFD8"

| 848– 13 February 858

| Kenneth MacAlpin

|

| Unknown, but his descendants made him a member of the Cenél nGabráin of Dál Riata

| Conquered Pictland in the year 843 AD and was crowned at Scone, as the first king of Scots

Kings of the Picts traditionally counted as King of Scots

Cináed mac Ailpín (Kenneth MacAlpin in English) defeated the rival kings, winning out by around 845–848. He is traditionally considered the first "king of Scots", or of "Picts and Scots", allegedly having conquered the Picts as a Gael, which is turning history back to front. As most modern scholars point out, he was actually "king of Picts", and the terms "king of Alba" and the even later "king of Scots" were not used, until several generations after him.

{| class="wikitable"

!width="10%"|Reign

!width="10%"|Ruler

!width="20%"|Other names

!width="20%"|Family

!width="35%"|Remarks

|- bgcolor="#D8BFD8"

| Died 13 February 858

| Kenneth MacAlpin

| Ciniod, son of Elphin; Cináed mac Ailpín Coinneach mac Ailpein Cenioyth Ceniod