Alpín was king of 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 ...

from 726-728, together with Drest. The

Pictish Chronicle The Pictish Chronicle is a name used to refer to a pseudo-historical account 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. Version A The ...

king lists give Alpín and Drest a five-year joint rule. In 724,

Nechtan mac Der-Ilei Nechtan mac Der-Ilei or Nechtan mac Dargarto (Old Irish ''Nechtan mac Der-Ilei'' or ''Nechtan mac Dargarto'') (before 686–732) was king of the Picts 706–724 and 728–729. He succeeded his brother Bridei in 706. He is associated with significa ...

is reported in the

Annals of Tigernach The ''Annals of Tigernach'' ( abbr. AT, ga, Annála Tiarnaigh) are chronicles probably originating in Clonmacnoise, Ireland. The language is a mixture of Latin and Old and Middle Irish. Many of the pre-historic entries come from the 12th-cent ...

to have abdicated in favour of Drest, entering a monastery. Alpín, who is associated with Drest in the

king lists, is not mentioned at this time. In 726, the Annals of Tigernach report that "Drest was cast from the kingdom of the Picts; and Alpín reigned in his stead." In 728–729, a war in Pictland involving Alpín, Drest, Nechtan and

Óengus In Irish mythology, Aengus or Óengus is one of the Tuatha Dé Danann and probably originally a god associated with youth, love,Ó hÓgáin, Dáithí. ''Myth, Legend & Romance: An encyclopedia of the Irish folk tradition''. Prentice-Hall Press, ...

is reported in various sources. Alpín appears to have been the initial opponent of Nechtan and Óengus. He was first defeated by Óengus at Monaidh Craeb, for which Monicrieffe near

Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...

has been suggested, where his son was killed. A second defeat led to Alpín's flight and Nechtan being restored as king. Drest was killed the following year, but Alpín's fate is not known. Whether this Alpín has any connection to the "Elffin son of Crup" who the

Annals of Ulster The ''Annals of Ulster'' ( ga, Annála Uladh) are annals of medieval Ireland. The entries span the years from 431 AD to 1540 AD. The entries up to 1489 AD were compiled in the late 15th century by the scribe Ruaidhrí Ó Luinín, ...

say was besieged in 742, by whom is not said, is not known. Likewise, whether there is any connection between this Alpín and the

Alpín mac Echdach 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 created in the 10th century to supposedly connect the kings of Alba (Scotland) to legen ...

who may have ruled in

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 ...

in the 730s is also unknown.

Anderson Anderson or Andersson may refer to: Companies * Anderson (Carriage), a company that manufactured automobiles from 1907 to 1910 * Anderson Electric, an early 20th-century electric car * Anderson Greenwood, an industrial manufacturer * Anderson ...

notes that the capture of "Elén son of Corp and of Conamail son of Cano" is recorded by the ''

circa Circa is a word of Latin origin meaning 'approximately'. Circa or CIRCA may also refer to: * CIRCA (art platform), art platform based in London * Circa (band), a progressive rock supergroup * Circa (company), an American skateboard footwear com ...

673. This Conamail was probably the Conamail son of Cano killed in 705. If the report of 742 refers to this Alpín, then his father's name was Crup. Some versions of the Pictish Chronicle king lists include a king named Alpín son of Feret or Feredach, but this appears to be the later king, Alpín II, Alpín son of Uuroid. The small number of sources which refer to a king named Alpín son of Óengus, again probably refer to Alpín II.''Early Sources'', p. cxxxv, note 7 & p. cxxvii, note 1.

Notes

References

* Anderson, Alan Orr, ''Early Sources of Scottish History A.D 500–1286'', volume 1. Reprinted with corrections. Paul Watkins, Stamford, 1990.

External links

CELT: Corpus of Electronic Texts
at

University College Cork University College Cork – National University of Ireland, Cork (UCC) ( ga, Coláiste na hOllscoile Corcaigh) is a constituent university of the National University of Ireland, and located in Cork. The university was founded in 1845 as one of ...

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.
Annals of Clonmacnoise
a

{{DEFAULTSORT:Alpin 01 Of The Picts 7th-century deaths Pictish monarchs 8th-century Scottish monarchs Year of birth unknown