Alpín mac Echdach was a supposed king of Dál Riata, an ancient kingdom that included parts of Ireland and Scotland. Alpín was included in a

pedigree chart A pedigree chart is a diagram that shows the occurrence and appearance of phenotypes of a particular gene or organism and its ancestors from one generation to the next, most commonly humans, show dogs, and race horses. Definition The word pedigre ...

created in the 10th century to supposedly connect the kings of

Alba ''Alba'' ( , ) is the Scottish Gaelic name for Scotland. It is also, in English language historiography, used to refer to the polity of Picts and Scottish people, Scots united in the ninth century as the Kingdom of Alba, until it developed i ...

(Scotland) to legendary

Dál Riata Dál Riata or Dál Riada (also Dalriada) () was a Gaelic kingdom that encompassed the western seaboard of Scotland and north-eastern Ireland, on each side of the North Channel. At its height in the 6th and 7th centuries, it covered what is now ...

n and Irish ancestors. In this pedigree, Alpín's father is

Eochaid Eochaid or Eochaidh (earlier Eochu or Eocho, sometimes Anglicised as Eochy, Achaius (disambiguation), Achaius or Haughey) is a popular medieval Irish language, Irish and Scottish Gaelic name deriving from Old Irish ''ech'', horse, borne by a variet ...

, an Irish name, yet he becomes the father of Cináed (

Kenneth MacAlpin Kenneth MacAlpin ( mga, Cináed mac Ailpin, label= Medieval Gaelic, gd, Coinneach mac Ailpein, label=Modern Scottish Gaelic; 810 – 13 February 858) or Kenneth I was King of Dál Riada (841–850), King of the Picts (843–858), and the K ...

) and

Domnall mac Ailpín Domnall mac Ailpín ( Modern Gaelic: ''Dòmhnall mac Ailpein''), anglicised sometimes as Donald MacAlpin and known in most modern regnal lists as Donald I (812 – 13 April 862), was King of the Picts from 858 to 862. He followed his brother ...

. Cináed and Alpín are the names of

Pictish Pictish is the extinct language, extinct Brittonic language spoken by the Picts, the people of eastern and northern Scotland from Late Antiquity to the Early Middle Ages. Virtually no direct attestations of Pictish remain, short of a limited num ...

kings in the 8th century: the brothers Ciniod and Elphin who ruled from 763 to 780.

Weir A weir or low head dam is a barrier across the width of a river that alters the flow characteristics of water and usually results in a change in the height of the river level. Weirs are also used to control the flow of water for outlets of l ...

states that Alpín succeeded his father Eochaid IV as King 'of Scotland' (

), and also became King of

Kintyre Kintyre ( gd, Cinn Tìre, ) is a peninsula in western Scotland, in the southwest of Argyll and Bute. The peninsula stretches about , from the Mull of Kintyre in the south to East and West Loch Tarbert in the north. The region immediately north ...

in March/August 834,

Alison Weir Alison Weir ( Matthews; born 1951) is a British author and public historian. She primarily writes about the history of English royal women and families, in the form of biographies that explore their historical setting. She has also written nu ...

, ''Britain's Royal Families: The Complete Genealogy'' (London, U.K.: The Bodley Head, 1999), page 165 thus establishing his power over a wide area of Scotland.

Parentage and death

The Chronicle of the Scottish historian

John of Fordun John of Fordun (before 1360 – c. 1384) was a Scottish chronicler. It is generally stated that he was born at Fordoun, Mearns. It is certain that he was a secular priest, and that he composed his history in the latter part of the 14th cen ...

records the succession of "''Alpin the son of Achay''" in 831, his reign of three years, and his defeat by the Picts "20 July". The 12th century '' Cronica Regum Scottorum'' lists "''Alpin filius Eochal venenosi iii, Kynedus filius Alpini primus rex Scottorum xvi…''" as kings, dated to the

9th century The 9th century was a period from 801 ( DCCCI) through 900 ( CM) in accordance with the Julian calendar. The Carolingian Renaissance and the Viking raids occurred within this period. In the Middle East, the House of Wisdom was founded in Abba ...

. Alpín's parentage is not stated in any of the earlier chronicles. Alpín's mother was the sister and heiress of Causantín mac Fergusa, King of the Picts. Alpín married a 'Scottish Princess', and fathered two sons. Alpín is chiefly remembered for his fatal war with the

Picts The Picts were a group of peoples who lived in what is now northern and eastern Scotland (north of the Firth of Forth) during Late Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages. Where they lived and what their culture was like can be inferred from ea ...

, who had seized upon and arrogated the Kingdom. Alpín resolved to remove the king, and met him with his forces near a village of

Angus Angus may refer to: Media * ''Angus'' (film), a 1995 film * ''Angus Og'' (comics), in the ''Daily Record'' Places Australia * Angus, New South Wales Canada * Angus, Ontario, a community in Essa, Ontario * East Angus, Quebec Scotland * An ...

, where the fight was maintained with great obstinacy, till the Pictish king was slain, whereby the Scots got the victory. However, a new king of "high descent and noble achievements" (possibly Drest) was elected king of the Picts, and turned the scale, and at

Galloway Galloway ( ; sco, Gallowa; la, Gallovidia) is a region in southwestern Scotland comprising the historic counties of Wigtownshire and Kirkcudbrightshire. It is administered as part of the council area of Dumfries and Galloway. A native or i ...

defeated and took King Alpín, anno 834, and put him with many of his nobles to death. It is said that Alpín's head was fastened to a pole, and carried about the Pictish army, and at last set up for spectacle in

Abernethy Abernethy may refer to: Places Scotland * Abernethy, Perth and Kinross, a village ** Abernethy (NBR) railway station, a former railway station in this village * Nethy Bridge, Highland, a village formerly known as Abernethy * Abernethy Forest, ...

, their chief town, which was afterwards severely revenged by the Scots, who called the place where he was slain Bas Alpin. Alpín died on 20 July or in August 834 when he was either killed whilst fighting the

or beheaded after the battle. His place of burial is not recorded. He was succeeded by his son

References

Kings of Dál Riata Medieval Gaels from Scotland {{Scotland-hist-stub