We will begin our adventure into Scotland’s history with the man who many attribute to being the first ”official” king of Scotland: Kenneth MacAlpin, or Kenneth I.
There is actually very little known about Kenneth MacAlpin– which gets this series off to a great start!
Prior to Kenneth’s reign, there were five separate groups of people living in (what we know today as) Scotland. They were the Picts, the Gaels, the Angles, and the Britons, and the Vikings.
- The Picts dominated Scotland north of the Firth of Forth
- The Scots (also known as the Gaels)lived in the west and their kingdom was called Dál Riata
- The Britons ruled the Kingdom of Strathclyde around Glasgow and the south-west
- The Angles controlled what today is Edinburgh and the Scottish Borders
- The Vikings controlled the Orkney and Shetland islands
Kenneth was the King of Dál Riata from 841-850. These people originally came from Northern Ireland, and settled on the west coast of Scotland.
Kenneth was clearly ambitious, and he decided to extend his power throughout Scotland- namely the land of the Picts. He was also feeling pressure from Viking invasions in the Western Isles, which may have spurred him on to extend his kingdom.
He invaded the land of the Picts around 842.
It is said that Kenneth’s mother was a Pictish princess which may have given him a claim to the throne. It’s not likely the Picts would have agreed to a new overlord- Kenneth would have taken the Pictish lands by force- which was common in these days. You didn’t get what you wanted without a bit of murdering here and there!
Many equate Kenneth as the first traditional king- although when the two kingdoms merged, they became the Kingdom of Alba. It later became known as the Kingdom of Scotland.
His rule over both kingdoms from 843-858 includes a lot of warfare, as he tried to invade further south to claim more land.
One chronicle did say that ”there is not under heaven one King so good, as far as the borders of Rome”- so that’s something!
When Vikings started raiding the Western Isles, Kenneth moved the relics of St Columba (the missionary who brought Christianity to Scotland) to Dunkeld, which now meant that Dunkeld was the religious power centre in Alba.
This was a pretty big gesture- and asserts that Kenneth must have been confident shifting the religious power centre to Pictish land.
Some theories say Kenneth is also attributed with bringing the Stone of Destiny to Scone, near Perth. The Stone of Destiny (also known as the Stone of Scone) has been used in the coronation ceremony for Scottish monarchs right up until this day (including Charles III’s coronation in 2023).
One source I read said that Kenneth was also the first king to be crowned on the stone at Scone in 843.
He had several children- boys and girls- and married his daughters to monarchs from neighbouring kingdoms to form alliances.
Kenneth is believed to have died from a tumour in 858 in Forteviot, Perthshire. He was buried at Iona Abbey on the island of Iona.
Born: 810, Iona
Reign: 843-858
Died: 858, Forteviot, Perthshire. Buried at Iona Abbey.
Places associated with Kenneth MacAlpin: Dunadd (the seat of the kings of Dál Riata), Iona Abbey.
Successor: Donald I
