Kenneth III of Scotland
Kenneth III | |
---|---|
Dub , King of Alba |
Cináed mac Duib (
Reign and descendants
The primary sources concerning the life and "reign" of Giric include chronicle entries dating to the years 1251 and 1317. They can be found in The Chronicles of the Picts and Scots of
The only event reported in Kenneth's reign is the killing of Dúngal mac Cináeda by Gille Coemgáin mac Cináeda, by the
Kenneth III was killed in battle at
Kenneth's granddaughter,
The theory that Clan MacDuff were descendants of Kenneth III was based on their close connection to royalty.
Interpretation
During the 10th century, there were dynastic conflicts in Scotland between two rival lines of royalty: one descended from Causantín mac Cináeda (Constantine I, reigned 862–877), the other from his brother Áed mac Cináeda (reigned 877–878). John of Fordun claims that Kenneth II of Scotland (reigned 971–995) attempted to establish new succession rules, which would limit the right to the throne to his own descendants, excluding all other claimants. While Constantine III of Scotland (reigned 995–997) did manage to rise to the throne, he was the last known descendant of Áed. With his death, the rivalry between descendants of Causantin and Áed gave way to a rivalry between two new royal lines, both descended from Causantin.[15]
One line descended from Kenneth II and was represented by his son Malcolm II. The other line descended from his brother Dub, King of Scotland (reigned 962–967) and was represented by Kenneth III. Neither Constantine III nor Kenneth III were able to extend their control to Cumbria, which likely served as a stronghold and powerbase for Malcolm II. He was the legitimate heir according to the succession rules of Kenneth II. When Malcolm II managed to kill Kenneth III, it signified the triumph of his line. He continued to rule to 1034, enjoying a long reign and managed to leave the throne to his own descendants.[15]
However, the rivalry between the two lines survived Kenneth III. In 1033, Malcolm II killed a descendant of Kenneth III.
The contemporary
Kenneth in fiction
The death of Kenneth III is mentioned in Lewis Grassic Gibbon's novel Cloud Howe.
Notes
- ^ Cináed mac Duib is the Mediaeval Gaelic form.
- ^ The former is probable because later English-speaking sources called him "Grim"; Old Irish donn has similar meaning to Old English greimm, which means "power" or "authority"; see Skene, Chronicles, p. 98; Hudson, Celtic Kings, p. 105.
- ^ Duncan, p. 22;
- ^ Smyth, pp. 220–221 and 225; also ESSH, p.522, note 4.
- ^ Bannerman, MacDuff of Fife, p. 25-26
- ^ a b Bannerman, MacDuff of Fife, p. 22-26, 38
- ^ ESSH, p.520, note 5; Smyth, pp. 221–222, makes Gille Coemgáin the son of this Kenneth following ESSH, p. 580.
- ^ Annals of the Four Masters, online translation. Entry 998.14
- ^ Annals of Ulster, online translation. Entry U1035.2
- Prophecy of Berchánagree on the site of the battle; ESSH, pp 522–524. Duncan, p. 22, suggests that the killer's name should be read as Giric mac Cináeda, "Giric son of Kenneth", a brother of Malcolm. If not, this Giric was presumably also killed at about this time.
- ^ The exact date of death is unknown but by tradition it has been assigned to 25 March. (Dunbar, Sir Archibald Hamilton (1906). Scottish Kings: A Revised Chronology of Scottish History, 1005-1625, with Notices of the Principal Events, Tables of Regnal Years, Pedigrees, Tables, Calendars, Etc. D. Douglas. pp. 293.)
- ^ This Cináed and Boite's son, Smyth, pp. 220–221; Duncan, p. 32. See also ESSH, p. 571, note 7.
- ^ Annals of Ulster, online translation. Entry U1033.7
- ^ Duncan, pp. 102–103.
- ^ a b c d Smyth, Warlords and Holy Men: Scotland AD 80–1000, p. 224-227
- ^ Smyth, Warlords and Holy Men: Scotland AD 80–1000, p. 220
References
For primary sources see also External links below.
- ISBN 1-871615-03-8
- ISBN 0-7486-1110-X
- Duncan, A.A.M., The Kingship of the Scots 842–1292: Succession and Independence. Edinburgh University Press, Edinburgh, 2002. ISBN 0-7486-1626-8
- Harrison, Robert (2011), Macbeth: An Historical Novel of the Last Celtic King, ISBN 978-1462016129
- Smyth, Alfred P. Warlords and Holy Men: Scotland AD 80–1000. Reprinted, Edinburgh: Edinburgh UP, 1998. ISBN 0-7486-0100-7
External links
- Kenneth III at the official website of the British monarchy
- 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.
- (CKA) The Chronicle of the Kings of Alba