Picts of Scotland

The Picts were a group of peoples living in what is now Scotland, north of the Firth of Forth, during the Early Middle Ages. Their name, Picti, appears in Roman records from the late 3rd century CE. Initially, the Picts were organized into several chiefdoms, but by the 7th century, the Kingdom of Fortriu became dominant, leading to a unified Pictish identity.

Pictland, as their territory is referred to by historians, saw significant cultural and political development. The Picts were known for their distinctive stones and symbols, and their society paralleled other early medieval groups in northern Europe. Archaeological evidence and medieval sources, such as the writings of Bede, hagiographies, and the Irish annals, provide insights into their culture and history. The Pictish language, an Insular Celtic language related to Brittonic, was gradually replaced by Middle Gaelic due to Gaelicisation starting in the late 9th century.

The Picts' territory, previously described by Roman geographers as the home of the Caledonii, included various tribes like the Verturiones, Taexali, and Venicones. By the 7th century, the Picts were tributary to the powerful Northumbrian kingdom until they secured a decisive victory at the Battle of Dun Nechtain in 685 under King Bridei mac Beli, halting Northumbrian expansion.

Dál Riata, a Gaelic kingdom, fell under Pictish control during the reign of Óengus mac Fergusa (729–761). Although it had its own kings from the 760s, it remained politically subordinate to the Picts. Attempts by the Picts to dominate the Britons of Alt Clut (Strathclyde) were less successful.

The Viking Age brought significant upheaval. The Vikings conquered and settled in various regions, including Caithness, Sutherland, and Galloway. They established the Kingdom of the Isles and, by the late 9th century, had weakened Northumbria and Strathclyde and founded the Kingdom of York. In 839, a major Viking battle resulted in the deaths of key Pictish and Dál Riatan kings, including Eógan mac Óengusa and Áed mac Boanta.

In the 840s, Kenneth MacAlpin (Cináed mac Ailpín) became king of the Picts. During the reign of his grandson, Caustantín mac Áeda (900–943), the region began to be referred to as the Kingdom of Alba, indicating a shift towards a Gaelic identity. By the 11th century, the inhabitants of northern Alba had become fully Gaelicised Scots, and Pictish identity faded from memory. This transformation was noted by 12th-century historians like Henry of Huntingdon, and the Picts later became a subject of myth and legend.