Ceretic of Alt Clut
Encyclopedia
Ceretic Guletic of Alt Clut was a king of Alt Clut (modern Dumbarton) in the 5th century. He has been identified with Coroticus, a Britonnic
warrior addressed in a letter by Saint Patrick
. Of Patrick's two surviving letters, one is addressed to the warband of this Coroticus. Bemoaning the capture and enslavement of newly Christianised Irish and their sale to non-Christians, Patrick includes the imprecation:
In the letter Patrick announces that he has excommunicated Coroticus' men. The identification of Coroticus with Ceretic Guletic is based largely on an 8th century gloss to Patrick's letter. It has been suggested that it was the sending of this letter which provoked the trial which Patrick mentions in the Confession. The "Apostate Picts" are the Southern Picts converted by Saint Ninian
and ministered to by Palladius
, and who had subsequently left Christianity. The Northern Picts of Fortriu
were later converted by Saint Columba
in the 6th century, and as they were not yet Christian, they could not be called "apostate
".
Ceretic's dates therefore depend on the conclusions of the vast scholarship devoted to discovering the floruit
of St Patrick, but sometime in the 5th century is probably safe. Ceretic appears also in the Harleian genealogies
of the rulers of Alt Clut, which list the names of his father (Cynloyp), grandfather (Cinhil) and great-grandfather (Cluim). It is from the latter source that we get his nickname, Guletic ("Land-holder"). In the Book of Armagh
, he is called "Coirthech rex Aloo", "Ceretic, King of the Height [of the Clyde]".
Britons (historical)
The Britons were the Celtic people culturally dominating Great Britain from the Iron Age through the Early Middle Ages. They spoke the Insular Celtic language known as British or Brythonic...
warrior addressed in a letter by Saint Patrick
Saint Patrick
Saint Patrick was a Romano-Briton and Christian missionary, who is the most generally recognized patron saint of Ireland or the Apostle of Ireland, although Brigid of Kildare and Colmcille are also formally patron saints....
. Of Patrick's two surviving letters, one is addressed to the warband of this Coroticus. Bemoaning the capture and enslavement of newly Christianised Irish and their sale to non-Christians, Patrick includes the imprecation:
- Soldiers whom I no longer call my fellow citizens, or citizens of the Roman saints, but fellow citizens of the devils, in consequence of their evil deeds; who live in death, after the hostile rite of the barbarians; associates of the Scots and Apostate Picts; desirous of glutting themselves with the blood of innocent Christians, multitudes of whom I have begotten in God and confirmed in Christ.
In the letter Patrick announces that he has excommunicated Coroticus' men. The identification of Coroticus with Ceretic Guletic is based largely on an 8th century gloss to Patrick's letter. It has been suggested that it was the sending of this letter which provoked the trial which Patrick mentions in the Confession. The "Apostate Picts" are the Southern Picts converted by Saint Ninian
Saint Ninian
Saint Ninian is a Christian saint first mentioned in the 8th century as being an early missionary among the Pictish peoples of what is now Scotland...
and ministered to by Palladius
Palladius
Palladius was the first Bishop of the Christians of Ireland, preceding Saint Patrick. The Roman Catholic Church and the Anglican Communion consider Palladius a saint.-Armorica:...
, and who had subsequently left Christianity. The Northern Picts of Fortriu
Fortriu
Fortriu or the Kingdom of Fortriu is the name given by historians for an ancient Pictish kingdom, and often used synonymously with Pictland in general...
were later converted by Saint Columba
Columba
Saint Columba —also known as Colum Cille , Colm Cille , Calum Cille and Kolban or Kolbjørn —was a Gaelic Irish missionary monk who propagated Christianity among the Picts during the Early Medieval Period...
in the 6th century, and as they were not yet Christian, they could not be called "apostate
Apostasy
Apostasy , 'a defection or revolt', from ἀπό, apo, 'away, apart', στάσις, stasis, 'stand, 'standing') is the formal disaffiliation from or abandonment or renunciation of a religion by a person. One who commits apostasy is known as an apostate. These terms have a pejorative implication in everyday...
".
Ceretic's dates therefore depend on the conclusions of the vast scholarship devoted to discovering the floruit
Floruit
Floruit , abbreviated fl. , is a Latin verb meaning "flourished", denoting the period of time during which something was active...
of St Patrick, but sometime in the 5th century is probably safe. Ceretic appears also in the Harleian genealogies
Harleian genealogies
The Harleian genealogies are a collection of Old Welsh genealogies preserved in British Library, Harleian MS 3859. Part of the Harleian Collection, the manuscript, which also contains the Annales Cambriae and a version of the Historia Brittonum, has been dated to c. 1100, although a date of c.1200...
of the rulers of Alt Clut, which list the names of his father (Cynloyp), grandfather (Cinhil) and great-grandfather (Cluim). It is from the latter source that we get his nickname, Guletic ("Land-holder"). In the Book of Armagh
Book of Armagh
The Book of Armagh or Codex Ardmachanus , also known as the Canon of Patrick and the Liber Armachanus, is a 9th-century Irish manuscript written mainly in Latin. It is held by the Library of Trinity College, Dublin...
, he is called "Coirthech rex Aloo", "Ceretic, King of the Height [of the Clyde]".
Further reading
- Iannello, Fausto, "Note storiche sull’Epistola ad Milites Corotici di San Patrizio". In Atti della Accademia Peloritana dei Pericolanti, classe di Lettere, Filosofia e Belle Arti 84 (2008): pp. 275–285. [journal article in Italian]