Nechtan II of the Picts
Encyclopedia
Nechtan grandson of Uerb, was king of the Picts
from 597 to around 620. It has been suggested that this Nechtan is the same person as the Neithon
who ruled the kingdom of Alt Clut
.
According to the Pictish Chronicle
, Nechtan reigned for 20 or 21 years. While the death of his predecessor Gartnait
is given in 597 by the Annals of Tigernach
, the death of Nechtan is not certainly recorded. He may be the Nechtan son of Canu whose death appears in the Annals of Ulster
for 621, although this would be difficult to reconcile with the idea that he was Neithon son of Guipno son of Dumnagual Hen
of Alt Clut.
It has been suggested that the Canu or Cano referred to in the Annals of Ulster is the Canu Garb named by Senchus fer n-Alban
, making this Nechtan the grandson of Gartnait II
, who has been suggested as a son of Áedán mac Gabráin
of Dál Riata
.
It is uncertain whether it is this Nechtan or Nechtan I
who should be linked with the foundation of the monastery at Abernethy, but since this Nechtan reigned after the foundation of Iona
by Columba
, ties with Irish monastic houses are more plausible in his reign. The account of Abernethy's foundation in the Pictish Chronicle, in a version likely compiled by the monks of Abernethy, is as follows, with Nechtan I as the subject:
Andrew of Wyntoun
's Orygynale Cronykil of Scotland, while confusing this Nechtan with Nechtan mac Der-Ilei
, who reigned a century later and was also famous as a builder of churches, claims that he founded "a cathedral" dedicated to Saint Boniface
at Rosemarkie
on the Black Isle
. A monastery at nearby Portmahomack
, dated to the late 6th century, could be as late as the reign of Nechtan, although it is probably earlier.
Picts
The Picts were a group of Late Iron Age and Early Mediaeval people living in what is now eastern and northern Scotland. There is an association with the distribution of brochs, place names beginning 'Pit-', for instance Pitlochry, and Pictish stones. They are recorded from before the Roman conquest...
from 597 to around 620. It has been suggested that this Nechtan is the same person as the Neithon
Neithon of Alt Clut
Neithon 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...
who ruled the kingdom of Alt Clut
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...
.
According to the Pictish Chronicle
Pictish Chronicle
The Pictish Chronicle is a name often given by historians to a list of the kings of the Picts beginning many thousand years before history was recorded in Pictavia and ending after Pictavia had been enveloped by Scotland...
, Nechtan reigned for 20 or 21 years. While the death of his predecessor Gartnait
Gartnait IV of the Picts
Gartnait was king of the Picts.He succeeded Talorgan mac Enfret on the latter's death in 657...
is given in 597 by 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....
, the death of Nechtan is not certainly recorded. He may be the Nechtan son of Canu whose death appears in 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...
for 621, although this would be difficult to reconcile with the idea that he was Neithon son of Guipno son of Dumnagual Hen
Dumnagual I of Alt Clut
Dumnagual 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"...
of Alt Clut.
It has been suggested that the Canu or Cano referred to in the Annals of Ulster is the Canu Garb named by Senchus fer n-Alban
Senchus fer n-Alban
The Senchus Fer n-Alban is an Old Irish medieval text, believed to have been compiled in the 10th century. It may have been derived from earlier documents of the 7th century which are presumed to have been written in Latin...
, making this Nechtan the grandson of Gartnait II
Gartnait II of the Picts
Gartnait son of Domelch was a king of the Picts.The Pictish Chronicle king lists contained in the Poppleton Manuscript have Gartnait following Bridei son of Maelchon whose death c. 584 is recorded by the Irish annals...
, who has been suggested as a son of 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...
of Dál Riata
Dál Riata
Dál Riata was a Gaelic overkingdom on the western coast of Scotland with some territory on the northeast coast of Ireland...
.
It is uncertain whether it is this Nechtan or Nechtan I
Nechtan I of the Picts
Nechtan son of Erip was a king of the Picts. The Pictish Chronicle king lists claim that he was the brother of Drest.The king lists supply a number of epithets for Nechtan: Morbet and Celchamoth and the Latin Magnus . He is said to have reigned for twenty-four years...
who should be linked with the foundation of the monastery at Abernethy, but since this Nechtan reigned after the foundation of Iona
Iona
Iona is a small island in the Inner Hebrides off the western coast of Scotland. It was a centre of Irish monasticism for four centuries and is today renowned for its tranquility and natural beauty. It is a popular tourist destination and a place for retreats...
by 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...
, ties with Irish monastic houses are more plausible in his reign. The account of Abernethy's foundation in the Pictish Chronicle, in a version likely compiled by the monks of Abernethy, is as follows, with Nechtan I as the subject:
"So Nectonius the Great, Uuirp's son, the king of all the provinces of the Picts, offered to Saint Brigid, to the day of judgement, Abernethy, with its territories ... Now the cause of the offering was this. Nectonius, living in a life of exile, when his brother Drest expelled him to IrelandIrelandIreland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, begged Saint Brigid to beseech God for him. And she prayed for him, and said: "If thou reach thy country, the Lord will have pity on thee. Thou shalt possess in peace the kingdom of the Picts."
Andrew of Wyntoun
Andrew of Wyntoun
Andrew Wyntoun, known as Andrew of Wyntoun was a Scottish poet, a canon and prior of Loch Leven on St Serf's Inch and later, a canon of St...
's Orygynale Cronykil of Scotland, while confusing this Nechtan with Nechtan mac Der-Ilei
Nechtan IV of the Picts
Nechtan mac Der-Ilei or Nechtan mac Dargarto was king of the Picts in the early 8th century. He succeeded his brother Bridei in 706. He is associated with significant religious reforms in Pictland. He abdicated in 724 in favour of his nephew and became a monk...
, who reigned a century later and was also famous as a builder of churches, claims that he founded "a cathedral" dedicated to Saint Boniface
Saint Boniface
Saint Boniface , the Apostle of the Germans, born Winfrid, Wynfrith, or Wynfryth in the kingdom of Wessex, probably at Crediton , was a missionary who propagated Christianity in the Frankish Empire during the 8th century. He is the patron saint of Germany and the first archbishop of Mainz...
at Rosemarkie
Rosemarkie
Rosemarkie is a village on the south coast of the Black Isle peninsula in northern Scotland.-Geography:Rosemarkie lies a quarter of a mile east of the town of Fortrose...
on the Black Isle
Black Isle
The Black Isle is an eastern area of the Highland local government council area of Scotland, within the county of Ross and Cromarty. The name nearly always includes the article "the"....
. A monastery at nearby Portmahomack
Portmahomack
Portmahomack is a small fishing village in Easter Ross, Scotland. It is situated in the Tarbat Peninsula in the parish of Tarbat. Tarbat Ness Lighthouse is about three miles from the village at the end of the Tarbat Peninsula. Ballone Castle lies about a mile from the village...
, dated to the late 6th century, could be as late as the reign of Nechtan, although it is probably earlier.
External links
- CELT: Corpus of Electronic Texts at University College Cork includes the Annals of Ulster, Tigernach, the Four Masters and Innisfallen, the Chronicon Scotorum, the Lebor Bretnach (which includes the Duan Albanach), Genealogies, and various Saints' Lives. Most are translated into English, or translations are in progress.
- Pictish Chronicle