Donald I (King of Scotland)

Donald was born around 812 on the island of Iona ^[3] . He was the son of King Dal Riad Alpin II and the younger brother of King Kenneth I , who died in February 858. Kenneth had two sons, but according to the system of inheritance in the kingdom, the tanistries in the lands, which later became known as the “kingdom of Alba,” the monarch was inherited not by the eldest son, but by brother Donald ^{[2] [4]} .

Although Donald’s later sources are called “the king of Alba” (Scotland), in his moderns “ Annals of Ulster ” Donald, like Kenneth and his sons, bears the title of “king of the Picts”. Perhaps this title implied claims from Kenneth and his immediate successors to all the lands in which the Picts lived, but there is very little evidence of how far Kenneth and Donald’s possessions were extended ^[2] .

The main Scottish source for the biography of Donald is the . It is preserved in a manuscript of the fourteenth century, known as the “ ”, and describes events relating to the reign of the first livestock kings from Kenneth I to Kenneth II (d. 995). Originally it was just a list of kings with dates of government, but in the 10th century, details of the government were added to it ^{[5] [6] [7]} .

According to the “Annals of Ulster” and the “Chronicle of the Kings of Alba,” Donald reigned for four years (according to other sources, three years and three months). During his reign, laws created by King Dal Riad Aed (the so-called "laws of Aed") spread in the kingdom. Since the sources reported that the laws were promulgated, not created, the researchers suggest that they were a combination of customary Irish law, which Donald extended to Pictland. Their text has not been preserved, but it is possible that they are identical to the so-called "Macalpin laws", which were known in Scotland in the 13th century. Also during the reign of Donald, , Boyce and Buchan ^{[2] [8]} were fortified.

Donald died on April 13, 862. The place of his death in the "Chronicle of the Kings of Alba" is Kinnbellator Palace, but it is not certain where this palace was located. More recent chronicles say that Donald died in Ratinveramone; according to the historian , this place was a “fort at the mouth of the ” in Perthshire . Perhaps, we are talking about the same place, located not far from Forteviot, which, according to archaeological research, could be the royal residence at this time. Donald was buried in the royal tomb on the island of Iona ^[2] .

Donald was succeeded by his nephew Constantine I , the eldest son of Kenneth I ^[2] .

Some researchers hypothesized that King Girik was the son of Donald, but the source’s father called Dungala ^[2] . In addition, it was suggested that Duncan could be married to a Pictish princess, but there is no documentary evidence of this hypothesis ^{[9] [10]} .

• Donald // Encyclopedic Dictionary of Brockhaus and Efron : in 86 tons (82 tons and 4 extra). - SPb. , 1890-1907.
• Pict Chronicle .
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• Titler PF History of Scotland. From Picts to Bryusov / Translation from English. Stuart E. A. .. - SPb. : EURASIA, 2016. - 610 p. - 300 copies - ISBN 978-5-91852-160-1 .
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• Anderson MO Kenneth I (Cináed mac Alpin, Kenneth Macalpine) (d. 858) // Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. - Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2004–2014.
• Mackay AJG Donald V // Dictionary of National Biography / Edited by Leslie Stephen. - London: Elder Smith & Co, 1888. - Vol. Xv. Diamond - Drake. - P. 207-208.
• Weir Alison. Britain's Royal Families: The Complete Genealogy. - London: The Bodley Head, 1999. - 400 p. - ISBN 978-0099539735 .
• Dumville D. The Chronicle of the Kings of Alba // Taylor S. Kings, clerics and chronicles in Scotland 500–1297. - Dublin: Four Courts Press, 2000. - p. 73–86. - ISBN 1-85182-516-9 .
• Woolf Alex. From Pictland to Alba: Scotland, 789-1070. - Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2007. - 320 p. - ISBN 0748612343 .

• SCOTLAND, KINGS (English) . Foundation for Medieval Genealogy. The date of circulation is January 5, 2019. Archived on February 11, 2012.
• Donald I, King of Alba (Eng.) . Thepeerage. The appeal date is January 5, 2019.