Domnall mac Causantín (
Modern Gaelic: , IPA:
t̪oːvnəɫ̪ˈmaʰkˈxoːʃɪm,
anglicised
Anglicisation is the process by which a place or person becomes influenced by English culture or British culture, or a process of cultural and/or linguistic change in which something non-English becomes English. It can also refer to the influen ...
as Donald II (died 900), was
King of the Picts or
King of Alba in the late 9th century.
He was the son of
Constantine I
Constantine I ( , ; la, Flavius Valerius Constantinus, ; ; 27 February 22 May 337), also known as Constantine the Great, was Roman emperor from AD 306 to 337, the first one to convert to Christianity. Born in Naissus, Dacia Mediterranea ...
(Causantín mac Cináeda).
Donald is given the
epithet
An epithet (, ), also byname, is a descriptive term (word or phrase) known for accompanying or occurring in place of a name and having entered common usage. It has various shades of meaning when applied to seemingly real or fictitious people, di ...
Dásachtach, "the Madman", by the ''
Prophecy of Berchán
In religion, a prophecy is a message that has been communicated to a person (typically called a ''prophet'') by a supernatural entity. Prophecies are a feature of many cultures and belief systems and usually contain divine will or law, or prete ...
''.
Life
Donald became king on the death or deposition of
Giric (Giric mac Dúngail), the date of which is not certainly known but usually placed in 889.
The ''
Chronicle of the Kings of Alba'' reports:
It has been suggested that the attack on Dunnottar, rather than being a small raid by a handful of pirates, may be associated with the ravaging of Scotland attributed to
Harald Fairhair in the ''
Heimskringla''. The Prophecy of Berchán places Donald's death at Dunnottar, but appears to attribute it to Gaels rather than Norsemen; other sources report he died at
Forres. Donald's death is dated to 900 by 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, ...
and the
Chronicon Scotorum
''Chronicon Scotorum'', also known as ''Chronicum Scotorum'', is a medieval Irish chronicle.
Overview
According to Nollaig Ó Muraíle, it is "a collection of annals belonging to the ' Clonmacnoise group', covering the period from prehistoric tim ...
, where he is called ''king of Alba'', rather than ''king of the Picts''. He was buried on
Iona
Iona (; gd, Ì Chaluim Chille (IPA: iːˈxaɫ̪ɯimˈçiʎə, sometimes simply ''Ì''; sco, Iona) is a small island in the Inner Hebrides, off the Ross of Mull on the western coast of Scotland. It is mainly known for Iona Abbey, though there ...
. Like his father, Constantine, he died a violent death at a premature age.
The change from ''king of the Picts'' to ''king of Alba'' is seen as indicating a step towards the kingdom of the Scots, but historians, while divided as to when this change should be placed, do not generally attribute it to Donald in view of his epithet. The consensus view is that the key changes occurred in the reign of
Constantine II (Causantín mac Áeda), but the reign of Giric has also been proposed.
The Chronicle of the Kings of Alba has Donald succeeded by his cousin Constantine II. Donald's son
Malcolm
Malcolm, Malcom, Máel Coluim, or Maol Choluim may refer to:
People
* Malcolm (given name), includes a list of people and fictional characters
* Clan Malcolm
* Maol Choluim de Innerpeffray, 14th-century bishop-elect of Dunkeld
Nobility
* Máel C ...
(Máel Coluim mac Domnall) was later king as Malcolm I.
The Prophecy of Berchán appears to suggest that another king reigned for a short while between Donald II and Constantine II, saying "half a day will he take sovereignty". Possible confirmation of this exists in the Chronicon Scotorum, where the death of "Ead, king of the Picts" in battle against the
Uí Ímair is reported in 904. This, however, is thought to be an error, referring perhaps to
Ædwulf, the ruler of
Bernicia, whose death is reported in 913 by the other
Irish annals
A number of Irish annals, of which the earliest was the Chronicle of Ireland, were compiled up to and shortly after the end of the 17th century. Annals were originally a means by which monks determined the yearly chronology of feast days. Over t ...
.
[''ESSH'', p. 304, note 8; however, the Annals of Ulster, s.a. 904, report the death of Ímar ua Ímair (Ivar grandson of Ivar) in Fortriu in 904, making it possible that Ead (Áed ?) was a king, if not the High King.]
See also
*
Kingdom of Alba
*
Origins of the Kingdom of Alba
Notes
References
*
Anderson, Alan Orr, ''Early Sources of Scottish History A.D 500–1286'', volume 1. Reprinted with corrections. Stamford: Paul Watkins, 1990.
*
Anderson, Marjorie Ogilvie, ''Kings and Kingship in Early Scotland.'' Edinburgh: Scottish Academic Press, revised edition 1980.
*
Broun, Dauvit, "National identity: 1: early medieval and the formation of Alba" in Michael Lynch (ed.) ''The Oxford Companion to Scottish History.'' Oxford UP, Oxford, 2001.
*
Duncan, A. A. M., ''The Kingship of the Scots 842–1292: Succession and Independence.'', Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2002.
*
* Smyth, Alfred P., ''Warlords and Holy Men: Scotland AD 80-1000.'' Reprinted, Edinburgh: Edinburgh UP, 1998.
*
Sturluson, Snorri, ''Heimskringla: History of the Kings of Norway'', tr. Lee M. Hollander. Reprinted University of Texas Press, Austin, 1992.
*
Woolf, Alex, "Constantine II" in Michael Lynch (ed.) op. cit.
External links
CELT: Corpus of Electronic Textsat
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
{{DEFAULTSORT:Donald 02 of Scotland
9th-century births
900 deaths
Year of birth unknown
House of Alpin
9th-century Scottish monarchs
Burials at Iona Abbey
Gaelic monarchs in Scotland