Constantine I, king of the Picts and Scots

Please see Dr. J White-Phillips: Rhun ap Arthgal and His Family; http://www.ancientwalesstudies.org/id274.html. (Steven Ferry, June 26, 2021.)

Please see Dr. J White-Phillips: Who Was 'Greg, King of the Picts'? ; http://www.ancientwalesstudies.org/id275.html. (Steven Ferry, June 27, 2021.)

Biography in the Dictionary of National Biography (1987) "Constantine I"

Wikipedia page about "Causantín mac Cináeda" (updated12 Mar 2022)

Fife Place-name Data: Inverdovat

‘(Settlement at) mouth of the *Dovat’. The Dovat, which no longer exists as such.

In the year 876 the Annals of Ulster record the death of ‘Constantine son of Kenneth, king of the Picts’ (Custantin m. Cinaedha rex Pictorum) (AU s.a. 876). The annals do not give a place for his death, nor a cause, but other sources do. In three regnal lists of Scottish kings it is stated that Constantine was killed by Norwegians ‘in a battle in Inverdufatha’.[221] Skene identified this place with Inverdovat, and hazarded an analysis of the name as G inbhir dubh àtha ‘the inver of the black ford’ (Celtic Scotland i, 327–8). This identification is plausible,[222] although the analysis is unlikely, since the name probably contains the name of the burn, the *Dovat.[223] Skene also suggests (loc. cit.) that the ‘pile of stones beside the road from Inverdovat to St Andrews’ (congeries lapidum juxta viam de Inverdoveth versus Sanctum Andream)[224] is a ‘record of [i.e. a memorial or monument to] the battle in which Constantine was killed’, a speculation which is much less plausible than that which connects Inverdovat with the location of the battle, since a pile of stones is also a standard way of marking a medieval boundary.

Constantine’s death is also recorded in the Prophecy of Berchán, ‘on a Thursday in a pool (or pools) of blood, on the shore of Inbhir Dubh-Roda’ (Dia dardáin na linn fola for traigh Inbhir Dubh-Roda),[225] which is clearly another version of the regnal lists’ Inverdufatha etc., but which has undergone a different re-analysis, as if containing OG rót,[226] interpreted by Skene as ‘inver of the black road’ (Celtic Scotland i, 328).

Walter Bower in the 1440s quotes the verse chronicle, which gives the name of the battle as Nigra Specus i.e. ‘black cave or chasm’ (Scotichron. Bk. 4, ch. 15, vol. 2, 312–13), and a little later as Nigra Specus ‘Black Chasm’ (Bk. iv, ch. 16, vol. 2, 316). Bower has added to the margin of his working copy that he found in an old chronicle that Constantine, after he had ruled for 20 years, was killed by Norwegians in the battle of Inverdovat (bello de Invirduschak) (loc. cit.). The notes (ibid. p. 464) state that this Black Chasm ‘is traditionally identified with Constantine’s Cave CRA near Fife Ness’ (for which see s.n. PNF 3), but correctly points out that this is unlikely. Nevertheless, by the time Boece wrote his history of Scotland in the 1520s the idea of a cave as the place of Constantine’s death was firmly established,[227] vividly expressed in William Stewart’s metrical version of Boece (completed 1535):

And Constantyne in handis also tane;
And to ane coif wes had into that tyde,
Into ane craig that stude be the se syde,
And for dispyte into that samin steid,
With ane wod-ax thair tha straik of his heid.
The Blak Cove than wes callit, I hard sa,
The Feindis Coif is callit now this da.[228]

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Constantine spent most of his reign fighting to consolidate and expand upon the Kingdom of Scotland created when Kenneth I had brought together the crowns of the Scots and the Picts to form the beginnings of what became known as Alba. To the south he battled against the King of Strathclyde. This culminated when he arranged the death of the King of Strathclyde in 872. He replaced him with his own brother in law, Rhun: effectively making Strathclyde a subordinate kingdom to Alba.

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King of Picts Scots. King of Alba between 862 and 877. Beheaded in battle by Vikings.

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Constantine I, King of Alba

    Constantine I, King of Alba was born in 836.1 He was the son of Kenneth I 'the Hardy', King of Alba. He died in 877 at Inverdorat, the Black Cove, Angus, Scotland, killed in action against the Danes.2 He was buried at Isle of Iona, Argyllshire, Scotland.2

    He was also known as Causantín mac Cináeda.3 He gained the title of  King Constantine of the Picts and Scots. He succeeded to the title of  King Constantine I of Alba in 863.4 

    Most of his reign was spent in beating off Viking assults or attempting to extend his authority southwards. Although he ordered the murder of King Artgal (his brother in law and the refugee ruler of Strathclyde) in 871, sometimes he bought peace with his enemies by paying tribute. King of the Scots and Picts for 14 years and was killed in a battle with the Danes at Inverdovat. He has an extensive biographical entry in the  Dictionary of National Biography.5

Child of Constantine I, King of Alba 1.Donald II, King of Alba+ d. 900

Citations 1.[S2299] John Warburg, "re: Kings of Scotland," e-mail message to Darryl Roger Lundy, 28 May 2007. Hereinafter cited as "re: Kings of Scotland." 2.[S11] Alison Weir, Britain's Royal Families: The Complete Genealogy (London, U.K.: The Bodley Head, 1999), page 168. Hereinafter cited as Britain's Royal Families. 3.[S130] Wikipedia, online http;//www.wikipedia.org. Hereinafter cited as Wikipedia. 4.[S11] Alison Weir, Britain's Royal Families, page 167. 5.[S18] Matthew H.C.G., editor, Dictionary of National Biography on CD-ROM (Oxford, U.K.: Oxford University Press, 1995), reference "Constantine I, -879". Hereinafter cited as Dictionary of National Biography

http://thepeerage.com/p10290.htm#i102891

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Reigned 862-877
Notes ◦Donald was his only son.

Causantín or Constantín mac Cináeda (in Modern Gaelic, Còiseam mac Choinnich; died 877) was a king of the Picts. He is often known as Constantine I, in reference to his place in modern lists of kings of Scots, though contemporary sources described Causantín only as a Pictish king. A son of Cináed mac Ailpín ("Kenneth MacAlpin"), he succeeded his uncle Domnall mac Ailpín as Pictish king following the latter's death on 13 April 862. It is likely that Causantín's (Constantine I) reign witnessed increased activity by Vikings, based in Ireland, in Northumbria and in northern Britain. He died fighting one such invasion.

This is an excerpt from the article Constantine I, King of Scots from the Wikipedia free encyclopedia. A list of authors is available at Wikipedia

Sources 1.[S327] Lakey - Genealogy, Gilbert Marlow Lakey, (http://members.cox.net/benchrest/Genealogy.html)

2.[S370] Kings & Queens, Neil Grant, (pub 2003 by HarperCollinsPublishers Hammersmith London W6 8JB), p8 (Reliability: 3)

3.[S410] Pedigrees of the Scottish Clans, John D McLaughlin, (http://members.aol.com/lochlan4/pedigree.htm), Genelaig Albanensium - (Pedigree of the Kings of Scotland) (Reliability: 3)

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Causantín or Constantín mac Cináeda was a king of the Picts. He is often known as Constantine I, in reference to his place in modern lists of kings of Scots, though contemporary sources described Causantín only as a Pictish king. A son of Cináed mac Ailpín ("Kenneth MacAlpin"), he succeeded his uncle Domnall mac Ailpín as Pictish king following the latter's death on 13 April 862. It is likely that Causantín's (Constantine I) reign witnessed increased activity by Vikings, based in Ireland, in Northumbria and in northern Britain. He died fighting one such invasion.

In 875, the Chronicle and the Annals of Ulster again report a Viking army in Pictland. A battle, fought near Dollar, was a heavy defeat for the Picts; the Annals of Ulster say that "a great slaughter of the Picts resulted". In 877, shortly after building a new church for the Culdees at St Andrews, Causantín was captured and executed (or perhaps killed in battle) after defending against Viking raiders. Although there is agreement on the time and general manner of his death, it is not clear where this happened. Some believe he was beheaded on a Fife beach, following a battle at Fife Ness, near Crail. William Forbes Skene reads the Chronicle as placing Causantín's death at Inverdovat (by Newport-on-Tay), which appears to match the Prophecy of Berchán. The account in the Chronicle of Melrose names the place as the "Black Cave," and John of Fordun calls it the "Black Den". Causantín was buried on Iona.

Causantín's son Domnall and his descendants represented the main line of the kings of Alba and later Scotland.

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Constantine spent most of his reign fighting to consolidate and expand upon the Kingdom of Scotland created when Kenneth I had brought together the crowns of the Scots and the Picts to form the beginnings of what became known as Alba. To the south he battled against the King of Strathclyde. This culminated when he arranged the death of the King of Strathclyde in 872. He replaced him with his own brother in law, Rhun: effectively making Strathclyde a subordinate kingdom to Alba.

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King of Picts Scots. King of Alba between 862 and 877. Beheaded in battle by Vikings. -------------------- Constantine I, King of Alba

Constantine I, King of Alba was born in 836.1 He was the son of Kenneth I 'the Hardy', King of Alba. He died in 877 at Inverdorat, the Black Cove, Angus, Scotland, killed in action against the Danes.2 He was buried at Isle of Iona, Argyllshire, Scotland.2 He was also known as Causantín mac Cináeda.3 He gained the title of King Constantine of the Picts and Scots. He succeeded to the title of King Constantine I of Alba in 863.4 Most of his reign was spent in beating off Viking assults or attempting to extend his authority southwards. Although he ordered the murder of King Artgal (his brother in law and the refugee ruler of Strathclyde) in 871, sometimes he bought peace with his enemies by paying tribute. King of the Scots and Picts for 14 years and was killed in a battle with the Danes at Inverdovat. He has an extensive biographical entry in the Dictionary of National Biography.5 Child of Constantine I, King of Alba 1.Donald II, King of Alba+ d. 900

Citations 1.[S2299] John Warburg, "re: Kings of Scotland," e-mail message to Darryl Roger Lundy, 28 May 2007. Hereinafter cited as "re: Kings of Scotland." 2.[S11] Alison Weir, Britain's Royal Families: The Complete Genealogy (London, U.K.: The Bodley Head, 1999), page 168. Hereinafter cited as Britain's Royal Families. 3.[S130] Wikipedia, online http;//www.wikipedia.org. Hereinafter cited as Wikipedia. 4.[S11] Alison Weir, Britain's Royal Families, page 167. 5.[S18] Matthew H.C.G., editor, Dictionary of National Biography on CD-ROM (Oxford, U.K.: Oxford University Press, 1995), reference "Constantine I, -879". Hereinafter cited as Dictionary of National Biography

http://thepeerage.com/p10290.htm#i102891 -------------------- Reigned 862-877

Notes ◦Donald was his only son.

Causantín or Constantín mac Cináeda (in Modern Gaelic, Còiseam mac Choinnich; died 877) was a king of the Picts. He is often known as Constantine I, in reference to his place in modern lists of kings of Scots, though contemporary sources described Causantín only as a Pictish king. A son of Cináed mac Ailpín ("Kenneth MacAlpin"), he succeeded his uncle Domnall mac Ailpín as Pictish king following the latter's death on 13 April 862. It is likely that Causantín's (Constantine I) reign witnessed increased activity by Vikings, based in Ireland, in Northumbria and in northern Britain. He died fighting one such invasion.

This is an excerpt from the article Constantine I, King of Scots from the Wikipedia free encyclopedia. A list of authors is available at Wikipedia

Sources 1.[S327] Lakey - Genealogy, Gilbert Marlow Lakey, (http://members.cox.net/benchrest/Genealogy.html)

2.[S370] Kings & Queens, Neil Grant, (pub 2003 by HarperCollinsPublishers Hammersmith London W6 8JB), p8 (Reliability: 3)

3.[S410] Pedigrees of the Scottish Clans, John D McLaughlin, (http://members.aol.com/lochlan4/pedigree.htm), Genelaig Albanensium - (Pedigree of the Kings of Scotland) (Reliability: 3)

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Causantín or Constantín mac Cináeda was a king of the Picts. He is often known as Constantine I, in reference to his place in modern lists of kings of Scots, though contemporary sources described Causantín only as a Pictish king. A son of Cináed mac Ailpín ("Kenneth MacAlpin"), he succeeded his uncle Domnall mac Ailpín as Pictish king following the latter's death on 13 April 862. It is likely that Causantín's (Constantine I) reign witnessed increased activity by Vikings, based in Ireland, in Northumbria and in northern Britain. He died fighting one such invasion.

In 875, the Chronicle and the Annals of Ulster again report a Viking army in Pictland. A battle, fought near Dollar, was a heavy defeat for the Picts; the Annals of Ulster say that "a great slaughter of the Picts resulted". In 877, shortly after building a new church for the Culdees at St Andrews, Causantín was captured and executed (or perhaps killed in battle) after defending against Viking raiders. Although there is agreement on the time and general manner of his death, it is not clear where this happened. Some believe he was beheaded on a Fife beach, following a battle at Fife Ness, near Crail. William Forbes Skene reads the Chronicle as placing Causantín's death at Inverdovat (by Newport-on-Tay), which appears to match the Prophecy of Berchán. The account in the Chronicle of Melrose names the place as the "Black Cave," and John of Fordun calls it the "Black Den". Causantín was buried on Iona.

Causantín's son Domnall and his descendants represented the main line of the kings of Alba and later Scotland. -------------------- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Causant%C3%ADn_mac_Cináeda

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Constantine I, (died c. 877, Inverdovat, Scot.) king of Scotland or Alba, the united kingdom of the Picts and Scots (862–877), who succeeded his uncle Donald I.

Constantine’s reign was occupied with conflicts with the Norsemen. Olaf the White, the Danish king of Dublin, laid waste the country of the Picts and Britons year after year; in the south the Danish leader Halfdan devastated Northumberland and Galloway. Constantine was probably slain at a battle at Inverdovat in Fife, at the hands of another band of northern marauders. His heir was his brother Aed, who was killed by the Scots after a year and was succeeded by a nephew, Eochaid.

Cite: Constantine I. (2016). In Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved from http://www.britannica.com/biography/Constantine-I-king-of-Scotland Find A Grave Memorial# 8615422