Was Bridei Mac Beli a king of southern or northern Pictland?

Bridei Mac Beli was a prince of Strathclyde, who claimed the Pictish kingship around 672AD. He was famous for winning the battle of Dunnichen against the Northumbrian Angles in 685AD. The battle is actually referred to as the battle of Dun Nechtain or Nechtansmere. Bridei Mac Beli would have grown up at the fort on Dumbarton rock, which was the capital of Strathclyde. Dumbarton rock overlooks the River Clyde and the River Leven, which runs down from Loch Lomond to the north. It’s located at the southern end of the highland line, whilst Dunottar is located at the north eastern end on the coast. Bridei Mac Beli was a Brythonic prince and would have spoken a language similar to Welsh. His grandfather was called Neithon or Nechtan, which is a Pictish name. He was a king of Strathclyde and may have also been a king of the Picts. Neithon was the son of Guipno. The name Guipno may be derived from Vipno or Fibno. It was the Welsh version of Vipno, just as the name Gododdin is the Welsh version of the Votadini. Fib was one of the Pictish provinces, which is modern day Fife. As such, Neithon ap Guipno may have come from southern Pictland. The village of Dunnichen is in Angus, just to the north of Fife. The name Dunnichen is derived from Dun Nechtain. Dun Nechtain may have been named after Neithon ap Guipno or another Pictish king like Nechtan son of Erp. The Picts had a matrilineal system of succession, so Bridei Mac Beli may have had a mother or grandmother who was a Pictish princess. Bridei was also supposedly a cousin of Ecgfrith, the king of Northumbria who invaded Pictland. It has been suggested that Beli married a Northumbrian princess. Ecgfrith was the son of Oswiu. Oswiu had two brothers, Oswald and Eanfrith. The three princes spent their time in exile on the isle of Iona. Eanfrith married a Pictish princess. They had a son called Talorgan who became a king of the Picts. He reigned for around four years.

Bridei Mac Beli claimed the Pictish kingship in 672AD, the year after the battle of the Two Rivers where the Picts were defeated by the Northumbrians. The Picts were led by Drust son of Dungal at the battle of the Two Rivers. Dungal is a Gaelic name which may be associated with the Cenel Loairn of Dalriada. The Cenel Loairn may have had ties with the northern Picts. As such, Drust son of Dungal may have been a king of the northern Picts. In 681AD, the Annals of Ulster mention the siege of Dun Foither, which is Dunottar. Dunottar would have been an outpost of the southern Picts, on the border with northern Pictland. It’s more likely that it was being besieged by the northern Picts. There’s an assumption that Bridei Mac Beli was besieging Dunottar. However, there’s no mention of who was besieging Dunottar in the Irish annals. It’s therefore possible that Bridei Mac Beli was being attacked by the northern Picts. Bridei won the siege and raided the Orkney islands in revenge in 682AD. The Orkney islands would have been a spiritual centre for the northern Picts, so it’s more likely that it was attacked by a king of the southern Picts. Aedan Mac Gabran, the 6^th century king of Dalriada, campaigned in the area of the Orkney islands. Dunottar is closer to the Orkney islands than Dunadd, the capital of Dalriada. In 683AD, the Annals of Ulster mention the siege of Dundurn on the western frontier with Dalriada. Dunadd is besieged in the same year. The Gaels were probably besieging Dundurn. Again, Bridei Mac Beli would have won the siege. Bridei would have consolidated his power in Pictland. It’s therefore possible that Dalriada and the northern Picts had an alliance against Bridei Mac Beli.

King Ecgfrith felt threatened by Bridei Mac Beli’s rise to power. He didn’t want a strong Pictland on his northern border. A strong southern Pictland would have been more of a threat than a strong northern Pictland. Northern Pictland was simply further away. Some historians have argued that the Northumbrians were the overlords of southern Pictland. The Northumbrian victory at the battle of the Two Rivers would not have resulted in the conquest of southern Pictland. The battle may have taken place in the area of Stirling. The Northumbrians may have annexed the area of Stirling and Fife. The Northumbrian bishop of the Picts was based at Abercorn on the southern shore of the Firth of Forth. He fled from Abercorn following the battle of Dun Nechtain. This suggests that the Northumbrians didn’t have much control over southern Pictland at all.

King Ecgfrith decided to invade Pictland and deal with Bridei Mac Beli. He led his army straight into Angus, where Bridei may have been based. Angus and the Mearns was probably the Pictish province of Circinn. At Forfar, there are three ancient Pictish hillforts on the ridges of hills, which run parallel to each other to the east of the town. These are Finavon hill, Turin hill and Dunnichen hill. However, there’s no actual evidence that there was a hillfort on Dunnichen hill. The Caterthun hillforts are further up the Strathmore valley to the north east. King Ecgfrith would have led his army straight into the hornet’s nest. There’s much more evidence to suggest that the battle of Dun Nechtain took place at Dunnichen, rather than Dunachton in Strathspey which has also been suggested. It’s unlikely that the Northumbrians would have marched up to Aberdeenshire and down Strathspey or the alternative route through Atholl in the highlands. I’ve written a previous blogpost on the location of the battle.

An old Irish poem explains that Bridei Mac Beli was fighting for his grandfather’s inheritance. This would presumably be Neithon ap Guipno. If Dunnichen is named after Neithon ap Guipno, then Angus and the Mearns may have been Bridei Mac Beli’s kingdom. It’s also significant that the battle probably took place in Angus. The two Pictish kings, Bridei Mac Derilei and Nechtan Mac Derilei, may have been the grandsons of Bridei Mac Beli. Nechtan Mac Derilei was probably a king of southern Pictland as he had an alliance with Angus Mac Fergus.

Bridei Mac Beli was the first Pictish king to be referred to as a king of Fortrenn. Fortrenn was one of the Pictish provinces. It was also the name for the whole of Pictland. The battle of Dunnichen was a decisive victory, which would have united the southern and northern Picts. The name Fortrenn may have been applied to the whole of Pictland around this time. There is significant evidence to suggest that power shifted to southern Pictland at some point. There are many Class I Pictish stones with the pagan symbols in Aberdeenshire. However, there are very few Class II Pictish stones. There are many Class II stones in Angus at places like Meigle, Aberlemno and St Vigeans. The Class II stones with the Christian crosses date to around the 7^th to 9^thcenturies. The province of Angus or Circinn would have been a centre of power during the time of Bridei Mac Beli and following his reign. It’s difficult to determine where Bridei Mac Beli would have been based. However, I would suggest the White Caterthun hillfort. It rivals Tap o’ Noth in Aberdeenshire and it’s located on the southern boundary of the highlands.

Historians have recently suggested that Moray was the province of Fortrenn. However, this is based on a verse in the Prophecy of Berchan, a poem which dates to the 11^thcentury. It’s unclear how this proves without doubt that Moray was Fortrenn. Strathearn or Gowrie are much more likely candidates. By the late 8^th century, Forteviot in Strathearn appears to have been the capital of Pictland. The Pictish king, Caustantin son of Fergus, who ruled from around 790 to 820AD, was probably based at Forteviot. Caustantin is referred to as a king of Fortrenn in the historical sources. His nephews, Eoganan and Bran, were killed in a battle with the Vikings. In 843AD, Kenneth Mac Alpin claimed the Pictish kingship and was based at Forteviot.

There is just a final point worth making. There’s a rectangle and N rod symbol on the Dunnichen battle stone at Aberlemno. This symbol is found mostly in Strathspey and the surrounding area on the Class I Pictish stones. This suggests that the king who commissioned the battle stone at Aberlemno may have been descended from a Pictish tribe based in Strathspey. This is an interesting connection to Strathspey, but it doesn’t necessarily mean the battle took place in Strathspey.