List of Kings of Strathclyde
Encyclopedia
The list of the kings of Strathclyde concerns the kings of Alt Clut, later Strathclyde
, a Brythonic
kingdom in what is now western Scotland
.
The kingdom was ruled from Dumbarton Rock, Alt Clut, the Brythonic name of the rock, until around 870 when the rock was captured and sacked by Norse-Gaels
from the kingdom of Dublin after a four-month siege. Thereafter the centre of the kingdom moved to Govan
, previously a religious centre. The kingdom is also known as Cumbria after 870, and indeed may have ruled parts of the modern English region of Cumbria
in the 10th and 11th centuries. In the 11th century the kingdom of Alba
conquered Strathclyde. It remained a distinctive area, with different laws, using the Cumbric language
alongside Gaelic
, until the 12th century.
The sources for this king-list are problematic. The earliest source is Adomnán's Life of Saint Columba
, which refers to Roderc son of Tothail as reigning in the Rock of Clyde—almost certainly Dumbarton Rock. It is known that Roderc (or Riderc) was a contemporary of Columba, but the date of his death, dependent on the 12th century Life of Kentigern and an entry in the Annales Cambriae
an.CLX+9 Conthigirni obitus...., is unreliable.
The next earliest source is the so-called Iona Chronicle, compiled c. 650–750, deduced from Scottish entries in the Chronicle of Ireland
which were later copied into the Annals of Tigernach
(AT) and the Annals of Ulster
(AU). This preserves information for kings of Alclut from the mid 7th to the mid 8th century, beginning with Gure(i)t regis Alo Cluathe (AU), Domnall mac Auin (AT,AU) Bili mac Elphine (AT,AU) and Taudar mac Bile (AT), were all noted as 'kings of Alclut'. In addition to this, we have a poem preserved in the 10th century Life of Adomnán which refers to Brude, king of the Picts
, as being the son of Bile, king of Alclut.
From this later period too (9th–10th c.) are several Welsh sources, particularly the genealogies in Harley 3859
, which have been too readily accepted at face value. Whatever else they tell us, they do not confirm that someone who was the father of a king was also a king: thus, none of the individuals listed in them can be said to be 'king of Alclut' without corroboration. Furthermore, it is not clear what the sources for these genealogies were, and to what extent they are independent and factual, or how much they relied on much the same evidence we have today; and, if they lacked information, whether they supplied it.
The Annales Cambriae note s.a. CCX+6 (c.760) Dunnagual filius Teudubr, who may be the son of Taudar mac Bile of the Annals of Tigernach. The Annales Cambriae does not specify his status, but he may plausibly have been king at Alclut. The following three individuals in the Harleian genealogy, Eugein, Riderch and Dumnagual, are unattested elsewhere. These are repetitions of three of the most famous names in the canon, and it must be suspected that they were supplied to fill a gap in the genealogical record. The insertion of Rotri between Dumnagual and Teudubr is a modern error based on a misinterpretation of Annales Cambriae: s.a. CCX (754) Rotri, rex Brittonum, moritur. This Rhodri is almost certainly Rhodri Molwynog (“bald and grey”) m. Idwal Iwrch, a prince of Gwynedd.
It was perhaps believed by the 8th century that Saint Patrick
's Coroticus was king at Alclut (the headings added later at Armagh to the chapters of Muirchu's Life of the late 7th c. give Coroticus the title Rex Aloo), but there is no witness for this in Patrick's own writings. Cinuit and Dumnagual hen are ancestor figures, the former bearing a truncated form of the sept name Kynwydyon (pre-form *Cunetiones), and are totemistic figures in the genealogy. The name Clinoch is improbable and may be a scribal error for Cliuoc, or Gliuoc.
The most famous figure in the list after Roderc is Eugein map Beli, who is no doubt intended to be Ohan (AT) or Hoan (AU) a king of the Britons who slew Domnall Brecc
in an ambush in Strathcarron in 642. This battle is the subject of an awdl in the Y Gododdin
collection, but in the poem the victor is not named, only said to be a grandson of Neithon (according to an emmended reading of the surviving versions of the text). The poem describes this surprise attack as being launched from a fort above Strathcarron, and it seems likely that Dumyat is intended, a hillfort associated with the Maeatae
, who had been attacked a generation earlier by Domnall Brecc's formidable grandfather, Áedán mac Gabráin
. It seems likely, therefore, that Ohan/Hoan was a king of the Stirlingshire
Britons, and that his action avenged the earlier attack by Áedán. There is no reason to associate Ohan with Alclut, but the genealogist probably felt there was no harm in inserting such a prestigious character, and his grandfather, into the genealogy, particularly if there was a substantial gap to fill between Roderc and Guret, and he may possibly have been the father of Domnall (although the name Ohan/Hoan/Auin/Eugein is very common). It may well be that Ohan's action led to a decline in the power of the Cenél nGabráin and subsequent reoccupation of Dunbartonshire
by the British under Gureit. (see now Fraser 2008)
The final puzzle is the identity of Eugein's father Beli. It is to be suspected that this individual is a ghost provoked by the poem in the Life of Adomnán. It is likely that, if there is any truth in the poem, Brude's father was Bili mac Elphine who died in 722, and that his son predeceased him in 693. There is in fact no need to posit another Beli, except to fill another gap in the generations. To take a thoroughly sceptical view of the available evidence, this suggests possibly five distinct dynasties. The first is of the later 6th century, represented by Roderc; the second of the mid 7th century, represented by Guret; the third of the late 7th century, represented by Domnall mac Auin; the fourth of the mid 8th century, represented by the descendants of Elfin; the fifth of the late 9th century, represented by Arthgal and his son, whose kingdom was probably not centered on Alclut.
Subsequently incorporated into Alba, or Scotland. See List of Monarchs of Scotland
Kingdom of Strathclyde
Strathclyde , originally Brythonic Ystrad Clud, was one of the early medieval kingdoms of the celtic people called the Britons in the Hen Ogledd, the Brythonic-speaking parts of what is now southern Scotland and northern England. The kingdom developed during the post-Roman period...
, a Brythonic
Brythonic languages
The Brythonic or Brittonic languages form one of the two branches of the Insular Celtic language family, the other being Goidelic. The name Brythonic was derived by Welsh Celticist John Rhys from the Welsh word Brython, meaning an indigenous Briton as opposed to an Anglo-Saxon or Gael...
kingdom in what is now western Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
.
The kingdom was ruled from Dumbarton Rock, Alt Clut, the Brythonic name of the rock, until around 870 when the rock was captured and sacked by Norse-Gaels
Norse-Gaels
The Norse–Gaels were a people who dominated much of the Irish Sea region, including the Isle of Man, and western Scotland for a part of the Middle Ages; they were of Gaelic and Scandinavian origin and as a whole exhibited a great deal of Gaelic and Norse cultural syncretism...
from the kingdom of Dublin after a four-month siege. Thereafter the centre of the kingdom moved to Govan
Govan
Govan is a district and former burgh now part of southwest City of Glasgow, Scotland. It is situated west of Glasgow city centre, on the south bank of the River Clyde, opposite the mouth of the River Kelvin and the district of Partick....
, previously a religious centre. The kingdom is also known as Cumbria after 870, and indeed may have ruled parts of the modern English region of Cumbria
Cumbria
Cumbria , is a non-metropolitan county in North West England. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local authority, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. Cumbria's largest settlement and county town is Carlisle. It consists of six districts, and in...
in the 10th and 11th centuries. In the 11th century the kingdom of Alba
Kingdom of Alba
The name Kingdom of Alba pertains to the Kingdom of Scotland between the deaths of Donald II in 900, and of Alexander III in 1286 which then led indirectly to the Scottish Wars of Independence...
conquered Strathclyde. It remained a distinctive area, with different laws, using the Cumbric language
Cumbric language
Cumbric was a variety of the Celtic British language spoken during the Early Middle Ages in the Hen Ogledd or "Old North", or what is now northern England and southern Lowland Scotland, the area anciently known as Cumbria. It was closely related to Old Welsh and the other Brythonic languages...
alongside Gaelic
Scottish Gaelic language
Scottish Gaelic is a Celtic language native to Scotland. A member of the Goidelic branch of the Celtic languages, Scottish Gaelic, like Modern Irish and Manx, developed out of Middle Irish, and thus descends ultimately from Primitive Irish....
, until the 12th century.
Kings of Alt Clut
Various authorities have suggested a king-list as follows:- Ceretic GuleticCeretic of Alt ClutCeretic Guletic of Alt Clut was a king of Alt Clut 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...
(late 5th century) - CinuitCinuit of Alt ClutCinuit may have been an early king of Alt Clut, later known as Strathclyde, a Brythonic kingdom in the Hen Ogledd or "Old North" of Britain. The Harleian genealogies indicate that he was the son of Ceretic Guletic, who may be identified with the warlord Ceredig rebuked by Saint Patrick in one of...
- Dumnagual HenDumnagual I of Alt ClutDumnagual I, also known as Dumnagual Hen , was a ruler of the Brythonic kingdom of Alt Clut , later known as Strathclyde, probably sometime in the early 6th century. His biography is vague, but he was regarded as an important ancestor figure for several kingly lines in the Hen Ogledd or "Old North"...
- ClinochClinoch of Alt ClutClinoch is thought to have been a ruler of Alt Clut , the Brythonic kingdom later known as Strathclyde, some time in the 6th century. The Harleian genealogies name Clinoch as the son of Dumnagual Hen, his probable predecessor as King of Alt Clut, and the father of Tutagual, his probable successor...
- TutagualTutagual of Alt ClutTutagual is thought to have been a ruler of Alt Clut , later known as Strathclyde, a Brythonic kingdom in the Hen Ogledd or "Old North" of Britain...
(middle 6th century) - Riderch HaelRiderch I of Alt ClutRiderch I , commonly known as Riderch or Rhydderch Hael , was a ruler of Alt Clut and the greater region later known as Strathclyde, a Brittonic kingdom that existed on the valley of the River Clyde in Scotland during the British Sub-Roman period...
(fl.FloruitFloruit , abbreviated fl. , is a Latin verb meaning "flourished", denoting the period of time during which something was active...
562–593) (perhaps died 612) - Constantine
- NeithonNeithon of Alt ClutNeithon was a 7th-century ruler of Alt Clut, the Brittonic kingdom later known as Strathclyde . According to the Harleian genealogies, he was the son of Guipno map Dumnagual Hen. Alfred Smyth suggests he is the same man as King Nechtan the Great of the Picts, and perhaps the Nechtan son of Canu...
- Beli IBeli I of Alt ClutBeli I was a ruler of Alt Clut , the Brythonic kingdom later known as Strathclyde, some time in the 7th century. Very little is known of him, but his family appears to have been very well connected in northern Britain....
- Eugein map BeliEugein I of Alt ClutEugein I was a ruler of Alt Clut , the kingdom later known as Strathclyde, sometime in the mid-7th century. According to the Harleian genealogies, he was the son of Beli I, presumably his predecessor as king, and the father of Elfin, who ruled sometime later...
(fl. 642) - GuretGuret of Alt ClutGuret was a ruler of Alt Clut, the Brythonic kingdom later known as Strathclyde, during the mid-7th century. He is known only from an obituary note in the Annals of Ulster, which records Mors Gureit regis Alo Cluathe under the year 658...
(died 658) - ElfinElfin of Alt ClutElfin was a ruler of Alt Clut, the Brythonic kingdom later known as Strathclyde, sometime in the later 7th century. According to the Harleian genealogies, he was the son of Eugein I, one of his predecessors as king, and the father of Beli II, who ruled some time later...
- Dumnagual IIDumnagual II of Alt ClutDumnagual II was a ruler of Alt Clut, the British kingdom later known as Strathclyde , for sometime in the late seventh century. He is known only from his death notice in the Irish annals. The Annals of Ulster, under the year 694, has Domnall m. Auin, rex Alo Cluathe, moritur...
(died 694) - Beli IIBeli II of Alt ClutBeli II of Alt Clut was the ruler of Alt Clut for some period in the early eighth century. According to the Harleian genealogies, he was the son of Elfin, one of his predecessors as king. We know from this genealogy that he was the father of Teudebur, his probably successor on the throne...
(died 722) - TeudeburTeudebur of Alt ClutTeudebur of Alt Clut was the ruler of Alt Clut , in the early-to-mid eighth century . According to the Harleian genealogies, he was the son of Beli II, his probable predecessor as king. Such information is confirmed by both the Irish and Welsh annals...
(died 752) - RotriRhodri Molwynog ap IdwalRhodri Molwynog ap Idwal was King of Gwynedd . This era in the history of Gwynedd was not notable, and given the lack of reliable information available, serious histories of Wales, such that as by Davies, do not mention Rhodri, while that of Lloyd mentions his name in passing only to quote the...
(died c. 754) - Dumnagual IIIDumnagual III of Alt ClutDumnagual III was the ruler of Alt Clut, later known as Strathclyde , for some time in the mid-eighth century . According to the Harleian genealogies, he was the son of Teudebur, one of his predecessors as king...
(died c. 760) - Eugein IIEugein II of Alt ClutEugein II may have been ruler of Alt Clut, the Brythonic kingdom later known as Strathclyde, for some time in the late-8th century. He is known only from the Harleian genealogies, which indicate that he was the son of King Dumnagual III of Alt Clut; there is no direct evidence that he ruled as king...
- Riderch IIRiderch II of Alt ClutRiderch II was, according to the Harleian genealogies, the son of Eugein II, the son of King Dumnagual III of Alt Clut. He is known only from this source, and there is no direct evidence he was king of Alt Clut , although he is usually regarded as such by scholars...
- Dumnagual IVDumnagual IV of Alt ClutDumnagual IV was a 9th-century British figure thought to have been a ruler of Alt Clut, the kingdom later known as Strathclyde . According to the Harleian genealogies, he was the son of his predecessor Riderch II, the grandson of Eugein II, and the great-grandson of King Dumnagual III of Alt Clut...
- ArtgalArtgal of Alt ClutArtgal was a king of Alt Clut and Strathclyde , a Brythonic kingdom in the Hen Ogledd or "Old North" of Britain, for some time in the mid-9th century. Artgal's reign is notable in that he is the first certain king of Alt Clut since Dumnagual III of Alt Clut a century before...
(died 872) - RunRun of Alt ClutRun was probably a ruler of Alt Clut and Strathclyde , a Brythonic kingdom in the Hen Ogledd or "Old North" of Britain...
(fl. 872–878)
The sources for this king-list are problematic. The earliest source is Adomnán's Life of Saint Columba
Saint Columba
-Saints:* Columba , Irish Christian saint who evangelized Scotland* Columba the Virgin, also known as Saint Columba of Cornwall* Columba of Sens* Columba of Spain* Columba of Terryglass* Sancta Columba -Schools:...
, which refers to Roderc son of Tothail as reigning in the Rock of Clyde—almost certainly Dumbarton Rock. It is known that Roderc (or Riderc) was a contemporary of Columba, but the date of his death, dependent on the 12th century Life of Kentigern and an entry in the Annales Cambriae
Annales Cambriae
Annales Cambriae, or The Annals of Wales, is the name given to a complex of Cambro-Latin chronicles deriving ultimately from a text compiled from diverse sources at St David's in Dyfed, Wales, not later than the 10th century...
an.CLX+9 Conthigirni obitus...., is unreliable.
The next earliest source is the so-called Iona Chronicle, compiled c. 650–750, deduced from Scottish entries in the Chronicle of Ireland
Chronicle of Ireland
The Chronicle of Ireland is the modern name for a hypothesized collection of ecclesiastical annals recording events in Ireland from 432 to 911 AD....
which were later copied into the Annals of Tigernach
Annals of Tigernach
The Annals of Tigernach is a chronicle probably originating in Clonmacnoise, Ireland. The language is a mixture of Latin and Old and Middle Irish....
(AT) and the Annals of Ulster
Annals of Ulster
The Annals of Ulster are annals of medieval Ireland. The entries span the years between AD 431 to AD 1540. The entries up to AD 1489 were compiled in the late 15th century by the scribe Ruaidhrí Ó Luinín, under his patron Cathal Óg Mac Maghnusa on the island of Belle Isle on Lough Erne in the...
(AU). This preserves information for kings of Alclut from the mid 7th to the mid 8th century, beginning with Gure(i)t regis Alo Cluathe (AU), Domnall mac Auin (AT,AU) Bili mac Elphine (AT,AU) and Taudar mac Bile (AT), were all noted as 'kings of Alclut'. In addition to this, we have a poem preserved in the 10th century Life of Adomnán which refers to Brude, king of the Picts
Bridei III of the Picts
King Bridei III was king of Fortriu and overking of the Picts between 671 and his death in 693....
, as being the son of Bile, king of Alclut.
From this later period too (9th–10th c.) are several Welsh sources, particularly the genealogies in Harley 3859
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...
, which have been too readily accepted at face value. Whatever else they tell us, they do not confirm that someone who was the father of a king was also a king: thus, none of the individuals listed in them can be said to be 'king of Alclut' without corroboration. Furthermore, it is not clear what the sources for these genealogies were, and to what extent they are independent and factual, or how much they relied on much the same evidence we have today; and, if they lacked information, whether they supplied it.
The Annales Cambriae note s.a. CCX+6 (c.760) Dunnagual filius Teudubr, who may be the son of Taudar mac Bile of the Annals of Tigernach. The Annales Cambriae does not specify his status, but he may plausibly have been king at Alclut. The following three individuals in the Harleian genealogy, Eugein, Riderch and Dumnagual, are unattested elsewhere. These are repetitions of three of the most famous names in the canon, and it must be suspected that they were supplied to fill a gap in the genealogical record. The insertion of Rotri between Dumnagual and Teudubr is a modern error based on a misinterpretation of Annales Cambriae: s.a. CCX (754) Rotri, rex Brittonum, moritur. This Rhodri is almost certainly Rhodri Molwynog (“bald and grey”) m. Idwal Iwrch, a prince of Gwynedd.
It was perhaps believed by the 8th century that 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....
's Coroticus was king at Alclut (the headings added later at Armagh to the chapters of Muirchu's Life of the late 7th c. give Coroticus the title Rex Aloo), but there is no witness for this in Patrick's own writings. Cinuit and Dumnagual hen are ancestor figures, the former bearing a truncated form of the sept name Kynwydyon (pre-form *Cunetiones), and are totemistic figures in the genealogy. The name Clinoch is improbable and may be a scribal error for Cliuoc, or Gliuoc.
The most famous figure in the list after Roderc is Eugein map Beli, who is no doubt intended to be Ohan (AT) or Hoan (AU) a king of the Britons who slew Domnall Brecc
Domnall Brecc
Domnall Brecc was king of Dál Riata, in modern Scotland, from about 629 until 642...
in an ambush in Strathcarron in 642. This battle is the subject of an awdl in the Y Gododdin
Y Gododdin
Y Gododdin is a medieval Welsh poem consisting of a series of elegies to the men of the Britonnic kingdom of Gododdin and its allies who, according to the conventional interpretation, died fighting the Angles of Deira and Bernicia at a place named Catraeth...
collection, but in the poem the victor is not named, only said to be a grandson of Neithon (according to an emmended reading of the surviving versions of the text). The poem describes this surprise attack as being launched from a fort above Strathcarron, and it seems likely that Dumyat is intended, a hillfort associated with the Maeatae
Maeatae
The Maeatae were a confederation of tribes who lived probably beyond the Antonine Wall in Roman Britain. The historical sources are vague as to the exact region they inhabited....
, who had been attacked a generation earlier by Domnall Brecc's formidable grandfather, Áedán mac Gabráin
Áedán mac Gabráin
Áedán mac Gabráin was a king of Dál Riata from circa 574 until his death, perhaps on 17 April 609. The kingdom of Dál Riata was situated in modern Argyll and Bute, Scotland, and parts of County Antrim, Ireland...
. It seems likely, therefore, that Ohan/Hoan was a king of the Stirlingshire
Stirlingshire
Stirlingshire or the County of Stirling is a registration county of Scotland, based around Stirling, the former county town. It borders Perthshire to the north, Clackmannanshire and West Lothian to the east, Lanarkshire to the south, and Dunbartonshire to the south-west.Until 1975 it was a county...
Britons, and that his action avenged the earlier attack by Áedán. There is no reason to associate Ohan with Alclut, but the genealogist probably felt there was no harm in inserting such a prestigious character, and his grandfather, into the genealogy, particularly if there was a substantial gap to fill between Roderc and Guret, and he may possibly have been the father of Domnall (although the name Ohan/Hoan/Auin/Eugein is very common). It may well be that Ohan's action led to a decline in the power of the Cenél nGabráin and subsequent reoccupation of Dunbartonshire
Dunbartonshire
Dunbartonshire or the County of Dumbarton is a lieutenancy area and registration county in the west central Lowlands of Scotland lying to the north of the River Clyde. Until 1975 it was a county used as a primary unit of local government with its county town and administrative centre at the town...
by the British under Gureit. (see now Fraser 2008)
The final puzzle is the identity of Eugein's father Beli. It is to be suspected that this individual is a ghost provoked by the poem in the Life of Adomnán. It is likely that, if there is any truth in the poem, Brude's father was Bili mac Elphine who died in 722, and that his son predeceased him in 693. There is in fact no need to posit another Beli, except to fill another gap in the generations. To take a thoroughly sceptical view of the available evidence, this suggests possibly five distinct dynasties. The first is of the later 6th century, represented by Roderc; the second of the mid 7th century, represented by Guret; the third of the late 7th century, represented by Domnall mac Auin; the fourth of the mid 8th century, represented by the descendants of Elfin; the fifth of the late 9th century, represented by Arthgal and his son, whose kingdom was probably not centered on Alclut.
Kingdom of Strathclyde or Cumbria
- EochaidEochaid of ScotlandEochaid mac Run, known in English simply as Eochaid, may have been king of the Picts from 878 to 889. He was a son of Run, King of Strathclyde, and his mother may have been a daughter of Kenneth MacAlpin...
(uncertain, also, uncertainly, king of AlbaKingdom of AlbaThe name Kingdom of Alba pertains to the Kingdom of Scotland between the deaths of Donald II in 900, and of Alexander III in 1286 which then led indirectly to the Scottish Wars of Independence...
to c. 889) - Dyfnwal I (died 908–916)
- Dyfnwal II
- Owen I (probably died 937 in the battle of BrunanburhBattle of BrunanburhThe Battle of Brunanburh was an English victory in 937 by the army of Æthelstan, King of England, and his brother Edmund over the combined armies of Olaf III Guthfrithson, the Norse-Gael King of Dublin, Constantine II, King of Scots, and Owen I, King of Strathclyde...
) - Dyfnwal III (941–971, died c. 975)
- ? Amdarch, killed Cuilén mac Iduilb, never called King
- Máel Coluim IMáel Coluim I of StrathclydeMáel Coluim I of Strathclyde was ruler of the Kingdom of Strathclyde, the probable son of one of his predecessor King Dyfnwal III of Strathclyde; he was brother of Amdarch, who possibly held the throne in 971....
- Owen II ("Owen the Bald", died c. 1018)
- Máel Coluim II (c. 1054)
- Unknown status
- DavidDavid I of ScotlandDavid I or Dabíd mac Maíl Choluim was a 12th-century ruler who was Prince of the Cumbrians and later King of the Scots...
(ascended c. 1113; became King of Scots c. 1124)
Subsequently incorporated into Alba, or Scotland. See List of Monarchs of Scotland