Scone Palace - The Moot Hill where Scottish
monarchs
were crowned is located in the grounds of the Palace |
It is considered unlikely that Kenneth
was ever crowned king, he certainly did not get the papal blessing
as this did not happen to a Scottish king until David II in
1329. Kenneth's importance in Scottish history lies in the fact
that he is traditionally seen as the monarch who became the
first king to unite the Picts and Scots. As usual with early
history there is more than a touch of myth and legend surrounding
him. It is not even true that he united the Picts and Scots
for the first time, as several kings had already done so. The
significance of Kenneth's reign is that after him the Picts
and Scots stayed united. |
Kenneth has a reputation for having been skilful in politics as
well as warfare, for at this time being a successful warrior was
the only way to hold on to power. It is said that he was proclaimed
king at Scone, a masterstroke as this was in the centre of Pictish
territory, and brought with him the Stone of Destiny.
Due to an absence of written records we do not know what happened
to the Picts after this time - apart from their carved stones, some
jewellery, and a few (possible) graves and settlement sites the
Pictish culture vanishes from history. The future of the land was
now Scottish. |
History Books on this time period:
| Author |
Title |
Published |
Price |
Order
Now From: |
| Duncan, A. A. M. |
The Edinburgh History of Scotland: Vol 1 The
Making of the Kingdom |
1975 |
£15.99 |
Amazon.co.uk |
| Scotland: the Making of the Kingdom is the first "straight"
history of Scotland from pre-history to 1286 to be published
since 1862. It starts with the evidence on pre-historic
and Roman Scotland and covers in some detail the incursions
and amalgamations of races who made up the Celtic Kingdom,
the impact of the Vikings and the forging of a single
kingdom. Professor Duncan looks at the Anglo-Norman influence
on Scotland and gives a full account of Anglo-Scottish
relations up to 1214. The growth of towns is discussed
together with the expansion of trade and the place of
Scottish evidence in the evolution of rural and urban
society in north-west Europe. The closing chapters narrate
the progress which made possible the establishment of
an efficient and unoppressive administrative system. |
 |
|
| Smyth, A. P. |
Warlords & Holy Men: Scotland AD80-1000 |
1989 |
£9.95
or
$20.00 |
Amazon.co.uk
or
Amazon.com |
| Basing his work strongly on documentary and archaeological
sources, Alfred Smyth covers traditional topics in a thoroughly
unconventional manner. Winner of the 1985 Spring Book
Award for Literature, this lively account of the first
millenium in Scotland has become a standard textbook on
the period and was reprinted in 1998. |
 |
|
Historical Fiction Books on Kenneth
| Author |
Title |
Published |
Price |
Order
Now From: |
| Tranter, Nigel |
Kenneth |
|
£5.99 |
Amazon.co.uk |
| Kenneth mac Alpin - the first King of Scotland. |
|
|
|
