Transport yourself back up to a thousand years and explore historical buildings as they may have appeared in the past.
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'. |
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. |
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 |
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 |
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