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Medieval People

Rulers
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Rulers of Scotland (843 .. 1513)

Early Middle Ages

The Kings of Alba (843 - 1058)

From
Date		 Ruler Relationship to Predecessor To
Date		 Comments
843 Kenneth I - 858 Kenneth 'MacAlpin' is tradionally regarded as the first ruler of the Scottish nation, known as Alba. He was the ruler of Dal Riata, an area of the west coast of Scotland, and the ruler of the Picts whose leaders were killed either be Kenneth or during Viking raids.
858 Donald I Brother 862 Very little is know about the short reign of Donald.
862 Constantine I Nephew 877 Viking raids increased greatly during Constantine's reign.
877 Aed Brother 878 Aed'd reign only lasted for one year as it is believed he was killed by Giric who succeed him.
878 Giric / Eochaid Eochaid was Aed's nephew 889 Giric and Eochaid shared the rule of Alba. Giric was older and may have acted as stepfather to Eochaid.
889 Donald II - 900 Donald overthrew Giric and Eochaid to become the King of Alba.
900 Constantine II Cousin 943 Constantine's reign was one of the longest of all the Scottish kings and lasted 43 years. In his old age he abdicated in favour of his nephew Malcolm.
943 Malcolm I Nephew 954 Malcolm gave shelter to Vikings driven out of York by Edmund of Wessex. He agreed to stop supporting the Vikings in exchange of land in northern England. A reign filled with conflicts resulted in his death in battle.
954 Indulph Son of Constantine II 962 Indulph abdicated and retired to a monastery after a reign of eight years full of conflict with Vikings and the English. He was called out of retirement to fight the Danes and was killed in battle.
962 Dubh/Duff - 966 The reign of Duff is noted for civil war. When Duff favoured his cousin Donald rather than Cuilean as the next heir a civil was broke out. Duff was killed and Cuilean became king.
966 Culen/Cuilean/Colin - 971 Cuilean's reign was short as he was killed in battle.
971 Kenneth II - 995 Kenneth was a son of Malcolm I. He attempted to strengthen Alba against Viking invasions and rival Scottish lords. Kenneth also attempted to change the Scottish laws of succession to secure the throne for his heirs. But this may have been the reason real for his assassination by Lady Finella who was said to have wanted revenge for her son's death.
995 Constantine III - 997 Constantine's reign only lated for tow years. His reign was contested by Kenneth McDuff who became king after the daeth of Constantine.
997 Kenneth III - 1005
1005 Malcolm II - 1034
1034 Duncan I Grandson 1040 Duncan was killed in battle fighting men led by Macbeth.
1040 Macbeth Cousin 1057 Shakespeare's play is based on this Scottish King. Macbeth was killed by Malcolm, the son of Duncan.
1057 Lulach Stepson 1058 Lulach was the stepson of Macbeth and became king of the Scots after Macbeth was killed by Malcolm. Lulach was assassinated and Malcolm became the next king. Lulach was known as the 'fool' or the 'simple'.
The Kings of Alba (843 - 1058)
Name:
Kenneth I
Reign:
843 to 858
Kenneth 'MacAlpin' is tradionally regarded as the first ruler of the Scottish nation, known as Alba. He was the ruler of Dal Riata, an area of the west coast of Scotland, and the ruler of the Picts whose leaders were killed either be Kenneth or during Viking raids.
Name:
Donald I
Reign:
858 to 862
Very little is know about the short reign of Donald.
Name:
Constantine I
Reign:
862 to 877
Viking raids increased greatly during Constantine's reign.
Name:
Aed
Reign:
877 to 878
Aed'd reign only lasted for one year as it is believed he was killed by Giric who succeed him.
Name:
Giric
 / Eochaid
Reign:
878 to 889
Giric and Eochaid shared the rule of Alba. Giric was older and may have acted as stepfather to Eochaid.
Name:
Donald II
Reign:
889 to 900
Donald overthrew Giric and Eochaid to become the King of Alba.;
Name:
Constantine II
Reign:
900 to 943
Constantine's reign was one of the longest of all the Scottish kings and lasted 43 years. In his old age he abdicated in favour of his nephew Malcolm.
Name:
Malcolm I
Reign:
943 to 954
Malcolm gave shelter to Vikings driven out of York by Edmund of Wessex. He agreed to stop supporting the Vikings in exchange of land in northern England. A reign filled with conflicts resulted in his death in battle.
Name:
Indulph
Reign:
945 to 962
Indulph abdicated and retired to a monastery after a reign of eight years full of conflict with Vikings and the English. He was called out of retirement to fight the Danes and was killed in battle.
Name:
Dubh/Duff
Reign:
962 to 966
The reign of Duff is noted for civil war. When Duff favoured his cousin Donald rather than Cuilean as the next heir a civil was broke out. Duff was killed and Cuilean became king.
Name:
Culen/Cuilean/Colin
Reign:
966 to 971
Cuilean's reign was short as he was killed in battle.
Name:
Kenneth II
Reign:
971 to 995
Kenneth was a son of Malcolm I. He attempted to strengthen Alba against Viking invasions and rival Scottish lords. Kenneth also attempted to change the Scottish laws of succession to secure the throne for his heirs. But this may have been the reason real for his assassination by Lady Finella who was said to have wanted revenge for her son's death.
Name:
Constantine III
Reign:
995 to 997
 
Name:
Kenneth III
Reign:
997 to 1005
 
Name:
Malcolm II
Reign:
1005 to 1034
 
Name:
Duncan I
Reign:
1034 to 1040
 
Name:
Macbeth
Reign:
1040 to 1057
 
Name:
Lulach
Reign:
1057 to 1058
Lulach was the stepson of Macbeth and became king of the Scots after Macbeth was killed by Malcolm. Lulach was assassinated and Malcolm became the next king. Lulach was known as the 'fool' or the 'simple'.

High Middle Ages

The House of Canmore (1058 - 1290)

The House of Canmore (also known as the House of Dunkeld) was a royal dynasty that ruled Scotland from the late 11th century to the late 13th century. It traces its lineage to King Malcolm III, also known as Malcolm Canmore, whose reign marked a pivotal moment in Scottish history. Below is an overview of the significant kings of this house:

From
Date		 Ruler Relationship to Predecessor To
Date		 Comments
1058 Malcolm III Cousin of Macbeth 1093 Malcolm took the Scottish throne after killing the previous two rulers. He married Margaret, the daughter of Edmund of England. He was killed at Alnwick as he tried to invade England.
1093 Donald III Brother 1094 Donald was Malcolm's younger brother and took the throne by deposing Malcolm's sons. Donald himself was deposed by Duncan, his nephew with help from the English.
1094 May Duncan II Nephew 1094 November Duncan was killed by Edmund, his half-brother.
1094 Donald III (restored) - 1097 Once restored to the Scottish throne, Duncan ruled togther with Edmund.
1097 Edgar Nephew of Duncan II 1107 Edgar was placed on the Scottish thone with help from the English and became a vassal of William Rufus, the English king.
1107 Alexander I Brother 1124 Another Scottish king with ties to the English. He married an illegitimate daughter of Henry I of England.
1124 David I Brother 1153 David forged strong ties with England. His sister married King Henry I of England. David supported the claim of Matilda, the daughter of Henry, to the English throne. David gave large donations to the Scottish Church.
1153 Malcolm IV Grandson 1165 Malcolm handed back Northumbria and Cumbria back to the English under Henry II. He did not marry but is thought to have had an illegitimate son.
1165 William I (The Lyon) Brother 1214 William tried to invade England and supported France and the rebellious sons of King Henry II. William was captured and had to pay homage to the English King for his freedom.
1214 Alexander II Son 1249 Alexander married the daughter of King John of England and after a failed attempt to regain lost land renounced claims to the north of England.
1249 Alexander III Son 1286 Alexander reclaimed land that had been lost to Norway. He died without a male heir and succession fell to the ill-fated Maid of Norway.
1286 Margaret (Maid of Norway) Granddaughter 1290 As granddaughter of Alexander III, Margaret was chosen as heir to the Scottish throne. She died during the voyage from Norway.
The House of Canmore (1058 - 1290)
Name:
Malcolm III
Reign:
1058 to 1093
 
Name:
Donald III
Reign:
1093 to 1094
 
Name:
Duncan II
Reign:
1094 May to 1094 November
 
Name:
Donald III
Reign:
1094 to 1097
 
Name:
Edgar
Reign:
1097 to 1107
 
Name:
Alexander I
Reign:
1107 to 1124
 
Name:
David I
Reign:
1124 to 1153
 
Name:
Malcolm IV
Reign:
1153 to 1165
 
Name:
William I (The Lyon)
Reign:
1165 to 1214
 
Name:
Alexander II
Reign:
1214 to 1249
 
Name:
Alexander III
Reign:
1249 to 1286
 
Name:
Margaret (Maid of Norway)
Reign:
1286 to 1290
 

Time of Conflict (1290 - 1371)

This period in Scottish history was marked by the Wars of Scottish Independence, political turmoil, and the emergence of the House of Bruce. Below is a list the Scottish kings from 1292 to 1371, spanning the conclusion of the Canmore dynasty and the rise of the Bruces and Stewarts:

From
Date		 Ruler Relationship to Predecessor To
Date		 Comments
1290 First Interregnum - 1292 During this period of time when Scotland had no monarch the country was governed by several influential bishops and earls.
1292 John Balliol - 1296
1296 Second Interregnum - 1306
1306 Robert I (The Bruce) - 1329 Crowned king in 1306 after murdering his rival, John Comyn, at Greyfriars Church. Bruce faced defeats and went into hiding, but rebounded to lead a successful resistance. he won a decisive victory against the English at the Battle of Bannockburn and negotiated the Treaty of Edinburgh-Northampton, which recognized Scotland's independence.
1329 David II Son of Robert the Bruce 1332 Fled to France at the age of 10 when Edward Balliol temporarily seized the throne. Returned to Scotland but was captured at the Battle of Neville's Cross.
1332 Edward Balliol - Nov to Dec
1332 Dec David II - 1333 Jun Released from captivity 10 years later and returned to Scotland.
1333 Edward Balliol - 1336
1336 David II - 1371
Time of Conflict (1290 - 1371)
Name:
First Interregnum
Reign:
1290 to 1292
 
Name:
John Balliol
Reign:
1292 to 1296
 
Name:
Second Interregnum
Reign:
1296 to 1306
 
Name:
Robert I (The Bruce)
Reign:
1306 to 1329
 
Name:
David II
Reign:
1329 to 1332
 
Name:
Edward Balliol
Reign:
1332 to Nov to Dec
 
Name:
David II
Reign:
1332 Dec to 1333 Jun
 
Name:
Edward Balliol
Reign:
1333 to 1336
 
Name:
David II
Reign:
1336 to 1371
 

The (partial) House of Stewart (1371 - 1625)

From
Date		 Ruler Relationship to Predecessor To
Date		 Comments
1371 Robert II - 1390 Robert became king at the age of 55. He was the son of Marjorie Bruce, the daughter of Robert the Bruce.
1390 Robert III Son 1406 Robert III was uanble to rule unaided due to an injury caused by the kick of a horse. He was assisted by his younger brother, the Duke of Albany.
1406 James I Son 1437 James fled Scotland to escape the clutches of his uncle, the Duke of Albany. Captured by the English, James remained in captivity for eighteen years before being released and becoming king.
1437 James II Son 1460 Became king at only six years old when his father was assassinated. The House of Douglas acted as regents. Was killed when a cannon exploded during a siege.
1460 James III Son 1488
1488 James IV - 1513
1513 James V - 1542
1542 Mary Stuart, Queen of Scots - 1567
1567 James VI - 1567
The (partial) House of Stewart (1371 - 1625)
Name:
Robert II
Reign:
1371 to 1390
 
Name:
Robert III
Reign:
1390 to 1406
 
Name:
James I
Reign:
1406 to 1437
 
Name:
James II
Reign:
1437 to 1460
 
Name:
James III
Reign:
1460 to 1488
 
Name:
James IV
Reign:
1488 to 1513
 
Name:
James V
Reign:
1513 to 1542
 
Name:
Mary Stuart, Queen of Scots
Reign:
1542 to 1567
 

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