The Sueno stone - A final showdown between the Gaels and the Picts

In 843AD, Kenneth Mac Alpin united Dalriada and Pictland, establishing the kingdom of Alba. Kenneth Mac Alpin was a king of Dalriada who claimed the Pictish kingship through his mother, who was a Pictish princess. However, there is very little information as to how this actually took place. It was a chaotic time in the history of Alba and Scotland. The Vikings were raiding Dalriada and Pictland. In 839AD, there was a famous battle where the Gaels and the Picts were defeated by the Vikings. A Pictish king and his brother and a king of Dalriada were killed in the battle. According to the Annals of Ulster,

“The heathens won a battle against the men of Fortriu, and Eóganán son of Aengus, Bran son of Óengus, Aed son of Boanta, and others almost innumerable fell there.”

This led to a vacuum of power in Pictland. The Pictish king, Uurad, succeeded Eoganan and ruled for 3 years. He was followed by his son, Bridei, who ruled for only one year. Bridei was followed by 3 other kings who all ruled for short periods of time. Most of them seem to have been sons of Uurad. This suggests that the sons of Uurad were vying for control of Pictland. Drust son of Uurad was the last king of Pictland before Kenneth Mac Alpin, ruling for 3 years.

So how did Kenneth Mac Alpin claim the Pictish kingship? Was it a peaceful process? Or did he have to defeat rivals in battle? The Declaration of Arbroath of 1320 explains that the Gaels ‘utterly destroyed’ the Picts. According to the Declaration of Arbroath,

“The Britons they first drove out, the Picts they utterly destroyed, and, even though very often assailed by the Norwegians, the Danes and the English, they took possession of that home with many victories and untold efforts …”

The Chronicles of the Kings of Alba, dated to around the 12^th century, provides a similar version of events. However, it also provides religious reasons for the conquest of the Picts. According to the Chronicles of the Kings of Alba,

“Pictland was named after the Picts, whom, as we have said, Kenneth destroyed; for God deigned to make them alien from, and void of, their heritage, by reason of their wickedness; because they not only spurned the Lord's mass and precept, but also refused to be held equal to others in the law of justice.”

There is also a medieval legend which explains that Kenneth Mac Alpin invited the Pictish king, Drust, and his nobles to a banquet at Scone where they were slaughtered. This was known as the ‘treachery of Scone’. However, these events are disputed by historians. The legend appears in a number of historical sources including the ‘Prophecy of Berchan’, a poem dated to around the 11^th century, and the ‘Instructions for Princes’ by Gerald of Wales, dated to around the 12^th century.

In the town of Forres, close to the Pictish promontory fort of Burghead, there is a fascinating Pictish stone called the Sueno stone. The stone is around 6 metres high and dates to around the 9^th century. It commemorates a battle and the style of the carving suggests it was raised at the end of the Pictish period. At the top of the stone, there appears to be a Pictish beastie. In a previous post, I explained that the Pictish beastie may be a symbol of royal descent e.g. the symbol of a prince or princess. However, the Pictish beastie isn’t visible any longer.

The warriors on the stone look quite unique compared to other Pictish stones. It’s possible that they were Gaelic warriors. There are also piles of bodies which have been beheaded. So what battle is commemorated on this stone? It could very well be a battle between Kenneth Mac Alpin and the Pictish king, Drust. Kenneth Mac Alpin may have received support from the southern Picts and fought a battle with Drust and the northern Picts in Moray close to Forres. Kenneth Mac Alpin would have placed the Pictish beastie at the top of the Sueno stone to demonstrate his claim to the Pictish throne.

However, this is just one theory. The legend of the treachery of Scone is interesting. If there is any truth to this legend, the actual events may have been quite different. Drust and his nobles may have been invited to Scone for peace talks. Perhaps to discuss terms and a power sharing agreement where Kenneth Mac Alpin would be king of southern Pictland and Dalriada and Drust would be king of northern Pictland. However, for one reason or another, the talks broke down and the Picts were slaughtered in a clash between the two factions. Kenneth Mac Alpin would have then invaded northern Pictland and defeated any remaining resistance in Moray.

Of course, Kenneth Mac Alpin may have inherited Pictland peacefully. However, the fact that Drust only ruled for 3 years suggests that he was deposed either in battle or killed by Kenneth Mac Alpin and the Gaels.    

As the Scots themselves admitted in the Declaration of Arbroath and the Chronicle of the Kings of Alba that the Picts were destroyed, we can assume that Kenneth Mac Alpin used force to unite Dalriada and Pictland. As this was the 9^th century, we probably shouldn’t be too surprised.

In the decades which followed, Pictland was gradually absorbed into the kingdom of Alba. The Pictish provinces became semi-independent ‘Mormaerdoms’. A Mormaer was appointed who ruled as a local chief or king. The word Mormaer simply means ‘great steward’ in Gaelic. The Gaels settled in Pictish lands and brought their language and culture with them. However, the process of Gaelicisation began a lot earlier with the arrival of Christianity in Pictland.

During his reign, Kenneth Mac Alpin raided the Northumbrians in the Lothians on 6 occasions and sacked Dunbar and Melrose. The Britons of Strathclyde raided Dunblane and the Vikings raided Alba all the way to Dunkeld. Kenneth also brought St Columbas relics to Dunkeld from Iona and brought the stone of destiny to Scone.

Although the Picts may have been defeated in battle by Kenneth Mac Alpin, we shouldn’t assume that the Picts were completely destroyed by the Gaels. Kenneth Mac Alpin’s official title was ‘king of the Picts’. Pictland was a northern empire of sorts and Dalriada may have even been a vassal state. The earlier Pictish king, Angus Mac Fergus, sacked Dalriada in the 8^th century. Furthermore, Kenneth Mac Alpin wouldn’t have been able to claim the Pictish kingship without the support of some of the Picts.