Drest was

king King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king. *In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...

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 e ...

from 724 until 726. He succeeded

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 ...

when the latter abdicated and entered a

monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone ( hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer whi ...

in 724. Neither the Annals of Ulster, nor 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-centur ...

, name Drest's father. The earlier versions of the Pictish Chronicle king lists simply name "Drest and Elpin" as kings after Nechtan. However, a late version, which includes Nechtan's second reign in 728–729, makes Drest's father one Talorgan. This version includes the otherwise unknown Carnach son of Ferach and Óengus son of Bridei, and is generally not such as would inspire great confidence. Since Nechtan abdicated in favour of Drest, some kinship between them seems probable. A number of Nechtan's sons are reported to have died, so that Drest, whether a nephew, a son-in-law or cousin may have been Nechtan's nearest male kin. It may be that Drest was the son of the Talorg son of Drostan, "brother of Nechtan" — a half-brother or, perhaps a foster-brother — who had been imprisoned in 713. Whatever his descent, Drest's rule appears to have been quickly challenged. In 725, Simul son of Drest was imprisoned, but by whom is unknown. In 726 Nechtan was imprisoned by Drest, following which Alpín, the Elpin of the king lists, deposed Drest. By 728 it appears that Drest, Nechtan, Alpín and Óengus mac Fergusa were engaged in a war for the Pictish throne. Drest was killed in battle against Óengus at ''Dromo Dergg Blathuug'' (possibly Drumderg, near Blairgowrie) in 729. Whether there is any relationship between this Drest and the Talorgan son of Drest, king of

Atholl Atholl or Athole ( gd, Athall; Old Gaelic ''Athfhotla'') is a large historical division in the Scottish Highlands, bordering (in anti-clockwise order, from Northeast) Marr, Badenoch, Lochaber, Breadalbane, Strathearn, Perth, and Gowrie. H ...

, who was killed by drowning in 739, can only be speculation. Drest, Talorgan and their variants are common Pictish names, too common for any argument on the basis of anthroponymy to be entirely convincing.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Drest 07 Of The Picts Pictish monarchs 729 deaths 8th-century Scottish monarchs Year of birth unknown Monarchs killed in action