Aodh (MacAlpin) King of the Picts (abt. 838 - 878)

Born about 0838 in Pictland, Scotland

Ancestors

Descendants

Died 0878 at about age 40 in Strathallan, Pictland, Scotland

Problems/Questions Profile managers: Scotland Project WikiTree [send private message] and Clyde Perkins [send private message]

Áed (MacAlpin) King of the Picts was a member of Scottish Nobility. Join: Scotland Project Discuss: Scotland

Biography

Áed (MacAlpin) King of the Picts is a member of House of Alpin.

"Aedh," "Aedh mac Cinaedha," "Áed mac Cináeda," "Aedth," "Aodh," "Aodh mac Choinnich," "Edh mac Kynnath," "Edus," "Ethus," "Hed filius Kinet," "Heth, the Wing-footed," "Hugh"

House of Alpin

Clann Áeda (Southern Branch)

Birth

Áed MacAlpin was born about 838 (see Research Notes), the son of Kenneth I, King of the Picts and his wife, Unknown Leinster. ^[1][2]

Children of Áed and an unknown wife

The name of Aedh's wife is not known. ^[2]

1. Còiseam mac Aoidh, 900, succeeded as Constantine II, King of Scots; died 947/952 at Céli Dé (Culdee) monastery of St Andrews, buried in the Isle of Iona. ^[2][3]
2. Donald, possibly not his son, but instead the son of his sister, Máel Muire ingen Cinèda and her husband of similar name, Áedh Findliath mac Niall Aedh, High King of Ireland. ^[2]

Alpinid Dynasty (Clann Chausantan and Clann Áeda)

From about 889, the kingship of Alba (Scotland) rotated between the descendants of Kenneth I (Cináed), King of the Picts and Scots. The children of his two sons, Constantine I, King of the Picts (Clann Chausantan) and Aedh, King of the Picts (Clann Áeda) formed competing branches of the Alpinid Dynasty, Clann Chausantan and Clann Áeda. This practice was probably intended to avoid monopoly of the monarchy by one clan, and it may have originated in the earlier Kingdom of the Picts. ^[4] However, succession would later become more intensely competitive and eventually violent. ^[5]

Áed, King of the Picts

Succeeding Constantine I, King of the Picts, he reigned from 877 to 878 as Áed, King of the Picts. ^[1][6] '...the shortness of his reign left nothing memorable to record..." ^[3][7]

Death

The Annals of ulster record that, in the year 878, Aed son of Cinaed, king of the Picts, was killed by his own associates. ^[8] "Challenged by Greg" (Giric) and possibly Eochaid ap Rhun in 878, he was mortally wounded in battle at Strathallum, died two months later, and was buried on the Isle of Iona or Maiden Stone, Aberdeenshire. ^{[6][9][10][11][12][13]} "...wounded and a prisoner, was conveyed for security to the fortress of Inverury, where he died of his wounds after a few weeks' captivity." ^[6] Cawley further cites, "The 10th century Pictish Chronicle Cronica de Origine Antiquorum Pictorum records that 'Edus' succeeded King Constantine I and for 1 year and was killed 'in civitate Nrurim...'" ^[2][3] While "Strathallum," "Inverury," and "Nrurim" are likely located in the Aberdeen area of Pictland, they are not further identified.

Research Notes

1. Birth year estimate, 838; he succeeded as king in 877 and died in 878. The unsourced estimate of birth in 838 would make him 39 years old at his succession in 877 and 40 years old at his death in 878. The unsourced estimated birth year is possible and not unlikely.

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1} Dunbar, Sir Archibald H., Scottish Kings: A Revised Chronology of Scottish History 1005-1625, (Edinburgh: D. Douglas, 1899), 280.
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4} Cawley, Charles, Medieval Lands: a Prosopography of Medieval European Noble and Royal Families, (Hereford, UK: Foundation for Medieval Genealogy, 2006), Chapter 1. Aedh.
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1 3.2} Skene, William Forbes. Celtic Scotland: A History of Ancient Alba. (Edinburgh: David Douglas, 1886). vol. 1, 328
4. ↑ Woolf, Alex. From Pictland to Alba, AD 789-AD 1070. The New Edinburgh History of Scotland. Mason, Roger, gen. ed. (Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2008), 223-224.
5. ↑ Lynch, Michael, editor. The Oxford Companion to Scottish History. “Kingship.” (Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press, 2011), 360-362. [Kindle].
6. ↑ ^{6.0 6.1 6.2} Robertson, Eben William, Scotland under her early kings: a history of the kingdom to the close of the thirteenth century, (Edinburgh: Edmonston and Douglas, 1862), 48, 49
7. ↑ Woolf, Alex. From Pictland to Alba, AD 789-AD 1070. The New Edinburgh History of Scotland. Mason, Roger, gen. ed. (Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2008), 116-117.
8. ↑ Celt: Annals of Ulster : U878.1
9. ↑ Duncan, A A M, Kingship of the Scots, A.D.842-1292: Succession and Independence, (Edinburgh Classic Editions). Kindle edition. (Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2002), 33.
10. ↑ Clarkson, Tim, The Picts; A History, Kindle edition, (Edinburgh: Berlinn, 2010), 230. [Kindle].
11. ↑ Lynch, Michael, editor. The Oxford Companion to Scottish History. “Kingship.” (Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press, 2011), 360-362.
12. ↑ Clarkson, Tim, STRATHCLYDE and the Anglo-Saxons in the Viking Age, Kindle edition, (Edinburgh: Berlinn, 2014), 91. [Kindle].
13. ↑ Ó Corráin, Professor Donnchadh; Morgan, Dr Hiram, CELT; Corpus of Electronic Texts, (Cork, Ireland: University College, 2023), U878.2

See also:

• Anderson, Marjorie O[gilvie]. Kings and Kingship in Early Scotland. (Edinburgh: Berlinn, 2013). 78, 197, 213, 254, 263, 267, 274, 283, 288.
• Cawley, Charles, Medieval Lands: a Prosopography of Medieval European Noble and Royal Families, (Hereford, UK: Foundation for Medieval Genealogy, 2006), Chapter 1. ORIGINS, KINGS of SCOTLAND 834-1034.
• Ó Corráin, Professor Donnchadh; Morgan, Dr Hiram, CELT; Corpus of Electronic Texts, (Cork, Ireland: University College, 2023), Index.
• Wikipedia contributors, Áed mac Cináeda, (Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 2023), Áed mac Cináeda.
• Wikipedia contributors. House of Alpin. Wikipedia. The Free Encyclopedia, House of Alpin.
• Wikipedia contributors, List of kings of the Picts, (Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 2023), List of kings of the Picts.