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The House of Alpin is a dynasty of Scottish kings that ruled Scotland from 843 to 1058. Its name derives from Alpin of Kyntire, king of Dalriada, the first ruler to unify Scotland, shortly before his death. His descendants would be Alpin kings of Scoltland. The history of the House of Alpin in punctuated by endemic civil war and unrest, as well as conflicts with the neighbouring Picts and England. Of the 19 kings of the House, only the first two died natural deaths in control of the kingdom. The rest were deposed and, the great majority killed, either in battles or assassinated during coups. A possible explanation for the violence observed in this period is the tanistry rule of succession. With this laws, the king was elected from the pool of nobles of the royal family, instead of the automathic inheritance of the eldest son. The system ultimately resulted in continuous conspiracy and intrigue for power. William Shakespeare's play Macbeth was loosely inspired in this period characterized by unrest, particularly in the rule of Macbeth I of Scotland.
The following dynasty of Scottish kings was the House of Dunkeld, which started with Malcolm III of Scotland, a son of Duncan I.
Kings of the House of Alpin
- Kenneth I, r. 843- 858Events 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. Emperor Seiwa ascends the throne of
- Donald IDonald I Donald mac Alpin (c 812- 863) was King of Alba ( Scotland) from 858- 863. He was the younger son of Alpin II of Dalriada and succeeded his brother, King Kenneth mac Alpin, to the throne upon his death. Described before as the wanton son of the fo, r. 858Events 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. Emperor Seiwa ascends the throne of- 862Events Rurik gained control of Novgorod. Fan Chuo finishes his Manchu ("book of the southern tribes"). Lothair, king of Lotharia divorces Teutberga and marries Waldrada. First written record of Murom. Births Deaths 2 July: St. Swithun, bishop of Wincheste
- Constantine IConstantine I (Causantin mac Cinaeda) ( 836- 877), son of King Kenneth I MacAlpin, became king of the Scots and the Picts in 863 when he succeeded his uncle Donald I. Constantine was a warrior king. During his reign he spent most of his days fighting off, r. 862Events Rurik gained control of Novgorod. Fan Chuo finishes his Manchu ("book of the southern tribes"). Lothair, king of Lotharia divorces Teutberga and marries Waldrada. First written record of Murom. Births Deaths 2 July: St. Swithun, bishop of Wincheste- 877Events The Danes take Exeter Indravarman II succeeds Jayavarman III as ruler of the Khmer Empire. Births Deaths October 6: Charles the Bald, king of the western Franks and western emperor Constantine I, King of the Scots and Picts; succeeded by Aedh White
- AedhAedh (c 840- 878), sometimes spelt Aed or Aodh became king of Scotland in 877 when he succeeded his brother Constantine I. He was killed shortly after taking the throne by Giric, also known as Gregory the Great, who had conspired with Aed's nephew, Eochai, r. 877- 878
- Eochaid and Giric, r. 878- 889
- Donald II, r. 889- 900
- Constantine II, r. 900- 943
- Malcolm I, r. 943- 954
- Indulf, r. 954- 962
- Dubh, r. 962- 966
- Culen, r. 966- 971
- Kenneth II, r. 971- 995
- Constantine III, r. 995- 997
- Kenneth III, r. 997- 1005
- Malcolm II, r. 1005- 1034
- Duncan I, r. 1034- 1040
- Macbeth, r. 1040- 1057
- Lulach, r. 1057- 1058
- See also
- History of Scotland - Scottish monarchs family tree
Alpin
Post-Roman Scotland
History of Scotland
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