TheOriginsoftheNationofScotland

JenniferLott
HST171:Europe,4001400

Inthefirstparagraphsoftheprefaceof
ChroniclesofthePictsChroniclesoftheScots
andOtherEarlyMemorialsofScottishHistory
,WilliamF.Skenedescribesthecreationofthe
firstformalrecordofScottishhistory,whenJohnofForduncomposedfivebooksontheorigins
andhistoryofScotlanduptothedeathofDavidtheFirst.1TherecordsofearlyScottishhistory
beforeJohnofFordun'sbooksarescarceand,asAlanOrrAndersonsays,insufficientto
provideacontinuousnarrative,throughouttheearlymiddleage.2Indeed,piecingtogethera
cohesivetimelineoftheoriginsofScotlandanditspeopleisadifficulttask,onewith

many
obstaclesthathavestumpedhistoriansforyearsandyet,itispossibletotracetheScottish
nationtoitsroots.
AccordingtoScottishlegendasdescribedbyFordun,andbrieflymentionedinthe
PictishChronicles,theScottishpeopleweredescendedfromamanbythenameofGaythelos,
sonofNeolus,kingofGreece.3InthedaysofMoses,GaythelostraveledtoEgypt,wherehe
marriedScota,thedaughterofthePharaoh.4AfterthepartingoftheRedSea,thepeopleof
EgyptexiledGaythelos.5Gaythelos,Scota,andtheirfollowerstraveledtotheregionwhichis

WilliamSkene,
ChroniclesofthePictsChroniclesoftheScotsandOtherEarlyMemorialsofScottishHistory
(Edinburgh:H.M.GeneralRegisterHouse,1867),ix.

AlanOrrAnderson,
EarlySourcesofScottishHistory,A.D.500to1286
(Edinburgh:OliverandBoyd,1922),
viii.

SusanAbernathy."Scota:MotheroftheScottishPeople."
AncientHistoryEtCetera.
November21,2013.
AccessedMay23,2015.http://etc.ancient.eu/2013/11/21/scotamotherofthescottishpeople/.

Weeks,T.H."THEPICTISHCHRONICLE,"AccessedMay23,2015.
http://www.kjhskj75z.talktalk.net/pictish.html.

Ibid.

nowSpain,whereGaythelosdeclaredhimselfkingoftheScots.6 Thesepeoplemigratedto
IrelandandtheregionofArgyll.7ThepeopleinArgyllbecameknownastheScotti,from
whichthenameofthemodernnationisderived.8
Thisaccountishardlyareliablesource.Thereareseveraldifferingversionsofthis
legend,andastheeventsofthetaletakeplaceinthedaysoftheOldTestament,no
contemporaryrecordsofthestoryexist.Still,thereisvalueinthischronicle,andtheremaybe
morefacttoitthanonewouldassume.RecentDNAevidencesuggeststhattheancestorsofthe
presentdayIrishpeoplecamefromtheIberianpeninsula.9Thereisalsosomecorrelationwith
newtheoriesproposedbyhistoriansinrecentyears,particularlyinrelationtotheancestryofthe
Gaels.Perhapshistoriansshouldgivethelegendtheyhaddismissedasnothingmorethan
fairytaleabitmorecredit.
However,tounderstandScotland'sorigins,onemustfirstbefamiliarwithPictland,a
barbariannationlocatednorthofBritain,thencalled
Britannia
.ThePictsweredescendedfrom
thegroupoftribesknownastheCaledonians,derivedfrom
Caledonia,
theRomannameforthe
regiontheyinhabited(thefirstrecordeduseofthisnamewasinapoembytheRomanwriter
LucaninA.D.64).10TheCaledoniansprovedtobeaworthyopponent,andafterseveralfailed
attemptstogaincontroloftheregion,theRomansbuiltHadrian'swalltokeepthetribesfrom

Ibid.

Ibid.

Ibid.

Ibid.

10

EncyclopaediaBritannica.
11thed.Vol.4.

(CambridgeUniversityPress,1911)987.

attackingtheirRomanbaseatCorbridgeinNorthumberland.11 Afterthewallwaserected,the
twosidesmaintainedpeaceforoveracentury,anditwasduringthistimethatthenortherntribes
unitedtobecomethePictishnation,withthenameoriginatingfromtheLatinword
Picti
,or
paintedpeople.12
Afterthisperiodofpeace,however,PictlandwasinvadedbyatribeknownastheGaels.
TheearliestsourcehistorianshaveontheGaelsdatesbacktothetenthcenturythissource
claimsthattheGaelsoriginatedinIrelandand,underKingFergusMor,conqueredArgyllfrom
thePicts,thoughthisaccounthasrecentlybeencalledintoquestion.13 TheIrishandtheGaels
didnotsharestylesofarchitectureordress,anditisnowsupposed,basedonthearcheological
evidence,thattheGaelshadbeeninArgylllongbeforeKingFergus,andsharedcommon
ancestry,language,andculturewiththeIrish.14Thisnewtheorysupportstheaforementioned
accountofthelegendary
Scotti
whomigratedtoArgyllfromSpainatthesametimeasthe
settlersinIreland.
Regardlessoftheirorigins,however,itwasinArgyllthattheGaelsestablishedthe
KingdomofDalriada.15TheGaelsofDalriada(or
DlRiata
)arealsoreferredtoastheScots.

11

"Scotland'sHistory."
EducationScotlandFoghlamAlba,
AccessedMay23,2015.
http://www.educationscotland.gov.uk/scotlandshistory/index.asp.

Johnson,Ben."TheRomansinScotland."
HistoricUK,
AccessedMay26,2015.
http://www.historicuk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofScotland/RomansinScotland/.
12

13

"KingdomoftheGaels."
BBCNews,
AccessedMay23,2015.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/scotland/history/articles/kingdom_of_the_gaels/.

14

Ibid.

15

"HistoryofScotland|ScottishHistory."
Scotland.org,
AccessedMay23,2015.

16

ThistermisassumedtohavebeenusedasaderogatorytermbytheRomanstodescribethe

Gaels,whowereseenaspiratesinBritannia.17
ThePictsandtheGaelswerehostiletooneanother,andfoughtforpoweroverthe
region.However,theywereforcedtounitewhen,intheeighthcentury,theKingdomof
DalriadafelltoVikinginvasion. 18AfterthefallofDalriadaandthedeathofKingUenatthe
handsoftheVikings,KennethmacAlpinclaimedthethrone.19 Supposedly,hismotherwasa
Pictishprincess,andthusheclaimedboththePictishandGaelicthrones.20Thisledtothe
formationoftheKingdomofAlba.
Itseemsthat,aftertheunificationofthesetwotribes,thePictsdisappeared.21Gaelic
influencehadbeenincreasinglyprominentinthePictishregions,andaftertheywereunited
underoneking,Pictishcultureallbutceasedtoexist.22ItwastheGaeliccultureandlanguage
thatprevailedintheKingdomofAlba.ThisnewlyformedkingdomcontinuedtofaceViking
threats,butitsunificationstrengtheneditenoughtoresistbeingovertaken,andeventually
VikingsettlersassimilatedtotheGaelicways,becomingyetanotherpartoftheancestryof

16

Scotland'sHistory.
EducationScotland.

17

KingdomoftheGaels.
BBCNews.

18

HistoryofScotland.
Scotland.org

19

Scotland'sHistory.
EducationScotland.

20
21

Ibid.
"KingdomofthePicts."
BBCNews,
AccessedMay23,2015.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/scotland/history/articles/kingdom_of_the_picts/.

22

Ibid.

presentdayScotland.23
ThetermKingdomofAlbagenerallyreferstotheperiodoftheregion'shistory
betweenthedeathofConstantinIIintheyear900andthedeathofAlexanderIIIin1286before
thewarsofScottishindependence.24OnewellknownmonarchoftheKingdomofAlbawas
Macbeth.HisreignwasmadefamousbyShakespeare'sbloodydramatizationofhistimein
power,butthefactsarefarlessvillainous.Macbethwaskilledin1057andlatervillifiedasa
usurper.25
WhenAlexanderIIIdied,helefthisdaughter,threeyearoldMargaret,ashisonlyheir.26
Afterherdeathattheageofseven,theScotswereleftwithoutaruler.KingEdwardIof
EnglanddeclaredhimselfoverlordofScotlandatthistimeandchosethenewKingofScotland,
JohnBalloil.27WhenScotlandrefusedtofightagainsttheFrenchalongsidetheEnglish,it
sparkedtheWarsofIndependence.28
ScotlanddidnotachieveitsindependencefromBritainuntilthedeathofEdwardIIIin
1377,afterthebeginningofStuartdynasty,afamilyofScottishrulerswhowouldholdthe

23

Scotland'sHistory.
EducationScotland.

24

Ibid.

25

Ibid.

26

Ibid.

27

Ibid.

28

Ibid.

thronethroughoutallofScotland'sindependence.29
ScotlandcontinuedtoshapehistoryastheStuartdynastyleditthroughtheRenaissance.
ThelastkingintheBritishIslestodieinbattlewasJamesIV,fatherofMary,QueenofScots.
Marybecameapowerfulruler,brieflybecomingtheQueenConsortofFrance,beforeher
executionafterplottingtotaketheEnglishthronefromhercousin,ElizabethI.Afterthedeathof
Elizabethin1603,Mary'ssonJamesVIinheritedtheEnglishcrown,becomingtherulerof
EnglandaswellasScotland.Still,itwasnotuntilthebeginningoftheeighteenthcenturythat
EnglandandScotlandunitedtobecometheKingdomofGreatBritain.30
Scotland'shistoryisonethathasstumpedeventheexpertsforhundredsofyears.So
muchofitisdistinguishedbyitslegendsandmyths.Separatingfactfromfictionisachallenge
thateventhebestofexpertshavetroubleovercoming.Still,onethingisplainlyclear:Scotland
anditspeopleareanamalgamationofseveraloftheancientculturesofthePicts,Gaels,Vikings,
andEnglish.Scotlandcanhardlyclaimapure,noblebloodline,andthedarkbitsofitshistory
mayoutweightitslightbutthenationofScotlandcanlayclaimtoarich,vibrant,diverse
culture,formedovercenturiesthroughbraveryandstrength.Itisimpossibleforanyonetothink
otherwise.

29

Ibid.

30

Ibid

WorksCited
Abernathy,Susan."Scota:MotheroftheScottishPeople."AncientHistoryEtCetera.November
21,2013.AccessedMay23,2015.

Anderson,AlanOrr.EarlySourcesofScottishHistory,A.D.500to1286.Edinburgh:Oliver
andBoyd,1922.

"HistoryofScotland|ScottishHistory."Scotland.org.AccessedMay23,2015.

Johnson,Ben."TheRomansinScotland."HistoricUK.AccessedMay23,2015.

"KingdomoftheGaels."BBCNews.AccessedMay23,2015.

"KingdomofthePicts."BBCNews.AccessedMay23,2015.

"Scotland'sHistory."EducationScotlandFoghlamAlba.AccessedMay23,2015.

Skene,W.F.ChroniclesofthePicts,ChroniclesoftheScotsandOtherEarlyMemorialsof
ScottishHistory.Edinburgh:H.M.GeneralRegisterHouse,1867.

Weeks,T.H."THEPICTISHCHRONICLE."AccessedMay23,2015.