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Chapter 4
The Kingdom of Alba (840–1040)
In This Chapter
Seeing how the Picts disappeared
Understanding the kingship of Ke
Identifying the challenges faced by the MacAlpin Dynasty
Alba
is an old Gaelic term for ‘Britain’, but in the period covered in this chapter, it became associated with the territory between the River Forth and the River Spey. This was the former territory of southern Pictavia, which was conquered in the 840s by the king of the Gaels, Cinéad Mac Alpín (Ke
The Disappearance of the Picts
From the end of the Roman period until the 840s, the Picts were the dominant people in Scotland – there were more of them, and they had the best land. But despite their long period of dominance, we know very little about the so-called ‘painted people’ – no texts have been preserved. Why they disappeared as a people is still a mystery to historians.
However, it seems that in the middle of the ninth century, Pictavia was subjected to a number of devastating attacks from our friends in the north, the Vikings. These attacks not only killed off most of the ruling elite of the Pictish people but also destabilised the whole of Pictavia. In 839, a particularly bad defeat of the Pictish king, Uuen, and his brother Bran in Fortrui opened a window of opportunity for Ke
The Picts left behind some impressive examples of metalwork – brooches, dress pins and tableware. Some of the most distinctive examples of Pictish art were the symbol stones, which were decorated with abstract symbols (which, to this day, no one has yet deciphered); realistic depictions of animals, horses and serpents; and everyday items like combs and mirrors. From about the eighth century, Christian symbols were part of the mix.
Geographically speaking, the only surviving evidence of previous Pictish territories is found in place names that begin with
Pit
or
Pett,
such as Pitlochry, Pittodrie or Pitlessie.
Ke
Ke
Historians vigorously debate whether MacAlpin can be considered the father of the nation. He was never referred to as ‘King of the Scots’– he was ‘King of the Picts’. The title King of the Picts was conferred on him at his coronation in 843 on Moot Hill at Scone in Perthshire. Indeed, it was not until the reign of Donald II (889–900) that the monarch became known as
ri Alban
(King of Alba).
The location of MacAlpin’s coronation was the stone seat of the coronation of succeeding monarchs until it was removed by Edward I of England in 1296 and lodged in Westminster Abbey, where it remained until its return in 1996.
Historians are also less inclined to view the merging of the two kingdoms – Gaels and Picts – as an act of conquest as earlier accounts would have it. Instead, they stress the fact that the Gaels and the Picts had a shared culture and had become bonded through intermarriage (see the nearby sidebar). So, the process of merging these two kingdoms was achieved less through violence and more by assimilation over a long period of time. Indeed, Ke
But there were also good practical reasons other than blood ties to merge the kingdoms:
They were both Christian kingdoms.
They needed strong leadership, which only dynastic authority could give, in order to combat the aggression of the Norse invaders.
We know little about MacAlpin, except that he invaded Lothian (or Saxonia as it became known) six times, burning Dunbar and Melrose, and that he oversaw the removal of the relics of St Columba, patron saint of Dál Riata, to Dunkeld. However, the main achievement of his reign was to produce a dynasty that aspired to rule the whole of Scotland for most of the medieval period. But it was left to his descendants to do the conquering.
If you can’t beat ’em, marry ’em
Marriage was another way of dealing with the Viking threat – it became the cement that held a number of peace treaties together. There was just one stumbling block: the Vikings were pagans and the Scots were Christians. This difficulty could be ignored from time to time. One of Ke
However, things became a little easier in 995, when King Olaf Tryggvason of Norway visited Orkney and ordered the earl and his people to adopt Christianity. This was an acknowledgement that a great deal of integration had taken place between the Norse and the indigenous population of the Northern and Western Isles. Indeed, by the time of Somerled, lord of the Isles (see Chapter 5), the one-time Vikings in the Isles were indigenous by both intermarriage with the local population and by adoption of some of the language and customs.
The tanistry system
In MacAlpin’s time, kings were appointed by a system known as
tanistry;
a
tanist,
or successor to the king or chief, was designated from among a kindred group. So, he could be an uncle, a brother, a grandson, a cousin – there was no right of the eldest son to succeed his father. The test was, ‘Who is the best man for the job? ‘So, Ke
However, there was a major flaw in the tanistry system: it created multiple rivals for the throne and that led to instability, mayhem and murder. Of the 14 kings who reigned between 943 and 1097, ten were murdered. Here’s a handy guide to the infamous killings:
954:
The men of Moray murder Malcolm I. He is succeeded by his cousin Indulf.
962:
The Daes kill Indulf. He is succeeded by Malcolm’s son Dubh.
966:
Indulf’s son Culen kidnaps and kills Dubh. Culen becomes king.
971:
The king of Strathclyde kills Culen for raping his daughter. Culen is succeeded by Ke
995:
Ke
997:
Constantine III is killed in battle against his cousin Ke
1005:
Ke
But it wasn’t just murder that made the throne of Alba a merry-go-round. There were other reasons:
A king might have been killed in battle.
A king might have died of natural causes, a strong possibility because most of the kings of Alba were middle-aged.
A king might have been driven out by his people because he was incompetent (as happened to King Aed in 878).
However, whatever the cause of a king’s death, it was a miracle that Alba survived and grew –and that any claimants to the throne were left! Of the 14 kings who ruled during the period 858 to 1034, five reigned for five or fewer years, and another four ruled for ten or fewer years. The only reigns of any duration were Constantine II (900–943), the longest-reigning king until William the Lion; Ke
Ke
843–858
Donald I:
858–862
Constantine I:
862–877
Aed:
877–878
Giric:
878–889
Donald II:
889–900
Constantine II:
900–943
Malcolm I:
943–954
Indulf:
954–962
Dubh or Duff:
962–966
Culen:
966–971
Ke
971–995
Constantine III:
995–997
Ke
997–1005
Malcolm II:
1005–1034
The Viking Invasion
The Vikings are probably, outside the Romans, the most distinctive set of invaders ever to step on the soil of what is known today as Britain. The long-haired and bearded blond warriors with their horned helmets and fearsome weaponry and long ships are easily recognised in caricatures even today. From about 750, the Vikings were forced to look for new sources of support because there wasn’t enough land available to satisfy their rising population. Using their advanced seamanship skills, roving groups of Norse, Swedes and Danes set out to look for new territories to exploit.
Their reputation has undergone a bit of a makeover depending on where you live. In Anglo-Saxon England, they’re usually looked on as a positive force, but the same can’t be said for Scotland. The first Viking attacks were on the religious community of Iona, which suffered more than most –it was sacked four times between 795 and 825. On the last occasion, at Martyrs’ Bay, every single member of the monastic community was murdered trying to defend their relics.
This is where the image of the plundering, pillaging and raping Viking warrior originates. Most of the chronicles on which historians base their understanding of the early medieval past were compiled in churches or monasteries, so it’s little wonder that the Vikings were depicted in this way. That was the experience of clerics and monks.
But why did the Vikings choose the churches? The answer is simple:
Churches were sanctuaries during war and were considered safe places by laymen and ecclesiastics alike to deposit gold and silver.
Churches were the site of fairs that drew in large numbers of the native population.
Churches were undefended – no Christian would violate these sanctuaries.
But the Vikings weren’t Christians – they were heathens! So, with gold and silver available and a ready source of slaves to capture and sell, attacking churches was a no-brainer! Let’s go a’ raiding!