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Cuilén (also ''Culén, Cuilean'', anglicized Colin; died 971) was an early
King of Alba The monarch of Scotland was the head of state of the Kingdom of Scotland. According to tradition, the first King of Scots was Kenneth I MacAlpin (), who founded the state in 843. Historically, the Kingdom of Scotland is thought to have grow ...
(
Scotland Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...
). He was a son of Illulb mac Custantín, King of Alba, after whom he is known by the patronymic mac Illuilb (also ''mac Iduilb'', ''mac Ilduilb'' etc.) of Clann Áeda meic Cináeda, a branch of the Alpínid dynasty. During the 10th century, the Alpínids rotated the kingship of Alba between two main dynastic branches. Dub mac Maíl Choluim, a member of a rival branch of the kindred, seems to have succeeded after Illulb's death in 962. Cuilén soon after challenged him but was defeated in 965. Dub was eventually expelled and slain in 966/967. Whether Cuilén was responsible for his death is uncertain. Following Dub's fall, Cuilén appears to have ruled as undisputed king from 966–971. Little is known of Cuilén's short reign other than his own death in 971. According to various sources, he and his brother, Eochaid, were slain by
Britons British people or Britons, also known colloquially as Brits, are the citizens of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the British Overseas Territories, and the Crown dependencies.: British nationality law governs m ...
. Some sources identify Cuilén's killer as Rhydderch ap Dyfnwal, a man whose daughter had been abducted and raped by the king. Rhydderch was evidently a man of eminent standing, and seems to have been a son of Dyfnwal ab Owain, King of Strathclyde, and could have possibly ruled the Cumbrian
Kingdom of Strathclyde Strathclyde (lit. "Strath of the River Clyde", and Strað-Clota in Old English), was a Brittonic successor state of the Roman Empire and one of the early medieval kingdoms of the Britons, located in the region the Welsh tribes referred to as ...
at the time of Cuilén's death. After Cuilén's assassination, the kingship of Alba may have been assumed by another member of Clann Áeda meic Cináeda, Cináed mac Maíl Choluim, a man who appears to have launched a retaliatory raid against the Cumbrians. There is evidence indicating that Cináed faced considerable opposition from Cuilén's brother, Amlaíb, a man who was accorded the title King of Alba in Irish sources recording his death at Cináed's hands in 977. Cuilén's son, Custantín, eventually succeeded Cináed as king. There is evidence to suggest that Cuilén had another son, Máel Coluim.


Name

Cuilén was one of three sons of Illulb mac Custantín, King of Alba (died 962). The two other sons were Eochaid (died 971) and Amlaíb (died 977). Illulb was in turn a son of Custantín mac Áeda, King of Alba (died 952), a man who possessed strong connections with the Scandinavian dynasty of Dublin. There is evidence to suggest that some of Custantín's descendants bore Scandinavian names. For instance, Illulb's name could be either a
Gaelicised Gaelicisation, or Gaelicization, is the act or process of making something Gaelic, or gaining characteristics of the '' Gaels'', a sub-branch of celticisation. The Gaels are an ethno-linguistic group, traditionally viewed as having spread from ...
form of the
Old English Old English (, ), or Anglo-Saxon, is the earliest recorded form of the English language, spoken in England and southern and eastern Scotland in the early Middle Ages. It was brought to Great Britain by Anglo-Saxon settlers in the mid-5th c ...
personal name ''
Eadwulf Eadwulf (sometimes Eadulf) is an Anglo-Saxon male name. Notable people with the name include: * Eadwulf of Elmham, a 10th-century Bishop of Elmham * Eadwulf of Hereford (died 830s), Bishop of Hereford * Eadwulf I of Northumbria, king of Northumbr ...
'', or a Gaelicised form of the
Old Norse Old Norse, Old Nordic, or Old Scandinavian, is a stage of development of North Germanic dialects before their final divergence into separate Nordic languages. Old Norse was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and their overseas settlemen ...
personal name ''Hildulfr''. If the latter possibility is indeed correct, Illulb's name could indicate that his mother was a member of a Scandinavian kindred. Likewise, Amlaíb's name could represent a form of the Gaelic personal name '' Amalgaid'', or else a Gaelicised form of an Old Norse personal name '' Óláfr''. Therefore, Amlaíb's name could indicate that his mother was a member of a Scandinavian kindred as well, and perhaps a descendant of Amlaíb Cúarán (died 980/981) or Amlaíb mac Gofraid (died 941). Woolf (2007) p. 206. Further evidence of Scandinavian influence on the contemporary Scottish court may be a possible
epithet An epithet (, ), also byname, is a descriptive term (word or phrase) known for accompanying or occurring in place of a name and having entered common usage. It has various shades of meaning when applied to seemingly real or fictitious people, di ...
accorded to Cuilén by the ninth–twelfth-century ''
Chronicle of the Kings of Alba The ''Chronicle of the Kings of Alba'', or ''Scottish Chronicle'', is a short written chronicle of the Kings of Alba, covering the period from the time of Kenneth MacAlpin (Cináed mac Ailpín) (d. 858) until the reign of Kenneth II (Cináed mac ...
''. In one instance, this source records Cuilén's name as "''Culenri ''". Most likely this is just Cuilén Ríg - Ríg (modern Gaelic: rìgh) being the Gaelic word for 'king'. Whilst it has also been suggested that this word represents the Old Norse ''hringr'', meaning " ring" or " ring-giver", Broun (2015c). the name instead may be corrupted from a scribal error, and the word itself might refer to something else.


The Alpínid dynasty

Cuilén and his immediate family were members of the ruling Alpínid dynasty, the patrilineal descendants of
Cináed mac Ailpín, King of the Picts Kenneth MacAlpin ( mga, Cináed mac Ailpin, label=Medieval Gaelic, gd, Coinneach mac Ailpein, label=Modern Scottish Gaelic; 810 – 13 February 858) or Kenneth I was King of Dál Riada (841–850), King of the Picts (843–858), and the Ki ...
(died 858). The root of this kindred's remarkable early success laid in its ability to successfully rotate the royal succession amongst its members. For example, Illulb's father—a member of the Clann Áeda meic Cináeda branch of the dynasty—succeeded Domnall mac Causantín (died 900)—a member of the Clann Custantín meic Cináeda branch—and following a remarkable reign of forty years resigned the kingship to this man's son, Máel Coluim mac Domnaill (died 954). Cuilén's father succeeded to the kingship following Máel Coluim's demise, and ruled as king until his own death in 962. The record of Illulb's fall at the hands of an invading Scandinavian host is the last time Irish and Scottish sources note
Viking Vikings ; non, víkingr is the modern name given to seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway and Sweden), who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded and se ...
encroachment into the kingdom. The Scandinavian
Kingdom of York Scandinavian York ( non, Jórvík) Viking Yorkshire or Norwegian York is a term used by historians for the south of Northumbria (modern-day Yorkshire) during the period of the late 9th century and first half of the 10th century, when it was ...
had collapsed by the 950s, and the warbands of the kings of Dublin seem to have ceased their overseas adventures during this period as well. Unlike English monarchs who had to endure Viking depredations from the 980s to the 1010s, the kings of Alba were left in relative peace from about the time of Illulb's fall. Free from such outside threats, however, the Alpínids seem to have struggled amongst themselves. Duncan (2002) p. 20.


Contested kingship and kin-strife

There is some uncertainty regarding the succession after Illulb's demise. On one hand, he may well have been succeeded by Máel Coluim's son, Dub (died 966/967). Such a chronology is certainly evinced by the fourteenth-century '' Chronica gentis Scotorum'' and various king lists. The twelfth-century '' Prophecy of Berchán'', on the other hand, states that the kingship was temporarily shared by Dub and Cuilén. If correct, this source could indicate that neither man had been strong enough to displace the other in the immediate aftermath of Illulb's passing. Although the Alpínid branches represented by Illulb and Dub seem to have maintained peace throughout Illulb's reign, inter-dynastic conflict clearly erupted in the years that followed. The ''Chronicle of the Kings of Alba'' may indicate that Dub spent much of his reign contending with Cuilén. Certainly, this source states that the two battled each other on ''Dorsum Crup'', where Dúnchad,
Abbot of Dunkeld The Bishop of Dunkeld is the ecclesiastical head of the Diocese of Dunkeld, one of the largest and more important of Scotland's 13 medieval bishoprics, whose first recorded bishop is an early 12th-century cleric named Cormac. However, the first ...
(died 965), and Dubdon, ''satrap'' of Atholl (died 965) were slain. The battle seems to have taken place at Duncrub, possibly the same site as the first-century Battle of Mons Graupius. The conflict itself is attested by the fifteenth–sixteenth-century ''
Annals of Ulster The ''Annals of Ulster'' ( ga, Annála Uladh) are annals of medieval Ireland. The entries span the years from 431 AD to 1540 AD. The entries up to 1489 AD were compiled in the late 15th century by the scribe Ruaidhrí Ó Luinín, ...
'' in 965, in an entry recording Dúnchad's fall in a clash between the men of Alba. Although the ''Chronicle of the Kings of Alba'' states that Dub attained the victory, the same source reports that he was later expelled from the kingdom. The ''Annals of Ulster'' reports Dub's death in 967. According to the so-called "X" group of king lists, Dub was killed at Forres and his body was hidden under a bridge at Kinloss during a
solar eclipse A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between Earth and the Sun, thereby obscuring the view of the Sun from a small part of the Earth, totally or partially. Such an alignment occurs during an eclipse season, approximately every six month ...
. Duncan (2002) p. 21. The account of Dub's death preserved by the fifteenth-century '' Orygynale Cronykil of Scotland'', and ''Chronica gentis Scotorum'' also associate the king's fall with an eclipse. If these sources are to be believed, Dub would seem to have fallen before the solar eclipse of 20 July 966. There is reason to suspect that the inscriptions displayed upon
Sueno's Stone Sueno's Stone is a Picto-Scottish Class III standing stone on the north-easterly edge of Forres in Moray and is the largest surviving Pictish style cross-slab stone of its type in Scotland, standing in height. It is situated on a raised bank ...
, alongside the Kinloss road at Forres, commemorate the final defeat and death of Dub. One of the panels of this remarkable monument appears to show corpses and heads lying under an arch which may well represent a bridge. One of the heads is framed, which may be that of Dub himself. Although the stone does not appear to make reference to an eclipse, it is possible that such an event was inserted into the traditional account as a means to improve the tale. If so, the aforesaid date recorded by the ''Annals of Ulster'' may well be correct. The chronology of Dub's death could be evidence that his downfall came after Cuilén's consolidation of the kingship. Although it is conceivable that Dub was slain in favour of his successor, this may not necessarily have been the case Broun (2015d); Hudson, BT (1994) p. 92.—certainly Cuilén is not stated to have been responsible for his death—and it is possible that events transpired without Cuilén's interference.


Reign and death

Cuilén's undisputed reign seems to have spanned from 966 to 971. As far as surviving sources record, Cuilén's reign appears to have been relatively uneventful. Walker (2013) ch. 4. His death in 971 is noted by several sources. According to the ''Chronicle of the Kings of Alba'', Cuilén and his brother, Eochaid (died 971), were killed by Britons. The ''Annals of Ulster'' also reports that Cuilén fell in battle against Britons, whilst the twelfth-century '' Chronicon Scotorum'' specifies that Britons killed him within a burning house. The ''Chronicle of the Kings of Alba'' locates Cuilén's fall to "''Ybandonia''". Although this might refer to Abington in
South Lanarkshire gd, Siorrachd Lannraig a Deas , image_skyline = , image_flag = , image_shield = Arms_slanarkshire.jpg , image_blank_emblem = Slanarks.jpg , blank_emblem_type = Council logo , image_map ...
, a more likely location may be preserved by the twelfth–thirteenth-century ''
Chronicle of Melrose The ''Chronicle of Melrose'' is a medieval chronicle from the Cottonian Manuscript, Faustina B. ix within the British Museum. It was written by unknown authors, though evidence in the writing shows that it most likely was written by the monks at ...
''. This source states that Cuilén was killed at "''Loinas''", a
placename Toponymy, toponymics, or toponomastics is the study of '' toponyms'' (proper names of places, also known as place names and geographic names), including their origins, meanings, usage and types. Toponym is the general term for a proper name of ...
which seems to refer to either
Lothian Lothian (; sco, Lowden, Loudan, -en, -o(u)n; gd, Lodainn ) is a region of the Scottish Lowlands, lying between the southern shore of the Firth of Forth and the Lammermuir Hills and the Moorfoot Hills. The principal settlement is the Scot ...
or
the Lennox The Lennox ( gd, Leamhnachd, ) is a region of Scotland centred on The Vale of Leven, including its great loch: Loch Lomond. The Gaelic name of the river is ''Leamhn'', meaning ''the smooth stream'', which anglicises to ''Leven'' (as Gaelic ...
, both plausible locations for an outbreak of hostilities between Scots and Britons. Clarkson (2010) ch. 9. In fact, "''Ybandonia''" itself could well refer to Lothian, or the Lennox. The account of Cuilén's demise preserved by the ''Prophecy of Berchán'' is somewhat different. According to this source, Cuilén met his end whilst "seeking a foreign land", which could indicate that he was attempting to lift taxes from the Cumbrians. The ''Chronicle of the Kings of Alba'' reports that Cuilén's killer was a certain Rhydderch ap Dyfnwal ( fl. 971), a man who slew Cuilén for the sake of his own daughter. The thirteenth-century ''Verse Chronicle'', the ''Chronicle of Melrose'', and ''Chronica gentis Scotorum'' likewise identify Cuilén's killer as Rhydderch, the father of an abducted daughter raped by the king. There is reason to suspect that Cuilén's killer was a son of Dyfnwal ab Owain, King of Strathclyde (died 975). Although there is no specific evidence that Rhydderch was himself a king, the fact that Cuilén was involved with his daughter, coupled with the fact that his warband was evidently strong enough to overcome that of Cuilén, suggests that Rhydderch must have been a man of eminent standing. At about the time of Cuilén's demise, a granddaughter of Dyfnwal could well have been in her teens or twenties, and it is possible that the recorded events refer to a visit by the King of Alba to the court of the
King of Strathclyde The list of the kings of Strathclyde concerns the kings of Alt Clut, later Strathclyde, a Brythonic kingdom in what is now western Scotland. The kingdom was ruled from Dumbarton Rock, ''Alt Clut'', the Brythonic name of the rock, until arou ...
. Such a visit may have taken place in the context of Cuilén exercising his lordship over the Britons. His dramatic death suggests that the Scots severely overstepped the bounds of hospitality, and could indicate that Rhydderch was compelled to fire his own hall. Certainly, such killings are not unknown in Icelandic and Irish sources. The Lothian placename of
West Linton West Linton ( gd, Liontan Ruairidh) is a village and civil parish in southern Scotland, on the A702. It was formerly in the county of Peeblesshire, but since local government re-organisation in the mid-1990s it is now part of Scottish Border ...
appears as ''Lyntun Ruderic'' in the twelfth century. The fact that the place name seems to refer to a man named Rhydderch could indicate that this was the place where Cuilén and Eochaid met their end. Another way in which Cuilén may have met his end concerns the record of his father's earlier seizure of
Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian on the southern shore o ...
preserved by the ''Chronicle of the Kings of Alba''. The fact that this conquest would have likely included at least part of Lothian, coupled with the evidence locating Cuilén's demise to the same area, could indicate that Cuilén was slain in the midst of exercising overlordship of this contested territory. If so, the records that link Rhydderch with the
regicide Regicide is the purposeful killing of a monarch or sovereign of a polity and is often associated with the usurpation of power. A regicide can also be the person responsible for the killing. The word comes from the Latin roots of ''regis ...
could reveal that this wronged father exploited Cuilén's vulnerable position in the region, and that Rhydderch seized the opportunity to avenge his daughter. Although the ''Chronicle of the Kings of Alba'' reports that Dub's brother, Cináed mac Maíl Choluim (died 995), was the next King of Alba, Irish sources—such as royal genealogies, the fourteenth-century ''
Annals of Tigernach The ''Annals of Tigernach'' (abbr. AT, ga, Annála Tiarnaigh) are chronicles probably originating in Clonmacnoise, Ireland. The language is a mixture of Latin and Old and Middle Irish. Many of the pre-historic entries come from the 12th-cent ...
'', and the ''Annals of Ulster''—appear to reveal that Amlaíb possessed the kingship before his death at Cináed's hands. Whilst Cináed may well have initially succeeded to the kingship, it seems that Amlaíb was able to mount a successful—if only temporary—bid for the throne. Certainly, the aforesaid annal-entries style Amlaíb a king and accord Cináed a mere patronymic name. Amlaíb's tenure is not attested by any Scottish king list, and it would appear that his reign was indeed brief, perhaps dating from 971/976–977. One possibility is that the kingship had been shared between Amlaíb and Cináed until the former's death. This revolving succession within the Alpínid dynasty reveals that the inter-dynastic struggle between Cuilén and Dub was continued by their respective brothers. As for Cuilén's other brother, Eochaid, this man's death with Cuilén seems to be evidence of his prominent position within the kingdom. The fact that Amlaíb reigned after his brother's death likewise appears to indicate that he too played an important part in Cuilén's regime. One of Cináed's first acts as king was evidently an invasion of the Kingdom of Strathclyde. This campaign could well have been a retaliatory response to Cuilén's killing, carried out in the context of crushing a British affront to Scottish authority. In any event, Cináed's invasion ended in defeat, a fact which coupled with Cuilén's killing reveals that the Kingdom of Strathclyde was indeed a power to be reckoned with.


Interment and offspring

Cuilén appears to have been buried at
St Andrews St Andrews ( la, S. Andrea(s); sco, Saunt Aundraes; gd, Cill Rìmhinn) is a town on the east coast of Fife in Scotland, southeast of Dundee and northeast of Edinburgh. St Andrews had a recorded population of 16,800 , making it Fife's fourt ...
, the site of his father's burial. According to the ''Prophecy of Berchán'', he was laid to rest "above the edge of the wave", a location which seems to refer to St Andrews. In other sources, he is sometimes stated to have been buried on
Iona Iona (; gd, Ì Chaluim Chille (IPA: �iːˈxaɫ̪ɯimˈçiʎə, sometimes simply ''Ì''; sco, Iona) is a small island in the Inner Hebrides, off the Ross of Mull on the western coast of Scotland. It is mainly known for Iona Abbey, though the ...
. After an apparent two decade lull in the aforesaid Alpínid kin-strife, Cuilén's son, Custantín (died 997), eventually became king after Cináed's assassination in 995. Custantín had no known male offspring. He was the last of Clann Áeda meic Cináeda to hold the kingship, or even appear on record. There is a possibility that Cuilén had another son, a certain Máel Coluim mac Cuiléin who appears in a note preserved in the ninth–twelfth-century ''
Book of Deer The ''Book of Deer'' (''Leabhar Dhèir'' in Gaelic) (Cambridge University Library, MS. Ii.6.32) is a 10th-century Latin Gospel Book with early 12th-century additions in Latin, Old Irish and Scottish Gaelic. It contains the earliest surviv ...
'' detailing donors to the monastery of Deer. Certainly, ''Cuilén'' was a relatively rare personal name. However, none of the names that precede his in the note can be linked to known historical personages, making such an identification questionable. Nevertheless, the names that are recorded immediately after this man are certainly identifiable with known royal figures: Máel Coluim mac Cináeda (died 1034), Máel Coluim mac Maíl Brigte (died 1029), and Máel Snechta mac Lulaig (died 1085). If Máel Coluim mac Cuiléin was indeed a son of Cuilén, this attestation could reveal that he represented Clann Áeda meic Cináeda for a time during Cináed's reign (971–995).


Clann Áeda meic Cináeda power centre

The remarkable rotating succession of the Alpínid dynasty was similar to that practiced in
Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel, the Irish Sea, and St George's Channel. Ireland is the s ...
by the
Cenél nEógain Cenél is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Cenél Conaill, the name of the "kindred" or descendants of Conall Gulban, son of Niall Noígiallach defined by oral and recorded history * Cenél nEógain (in English, Cenel Eogan) i ...
and
Clann Cholmáin Clann Cholmáin is the dynasty descended from Colmán Már mac Diarmato, son of Diarmait mac Cerbaill. Part of the Southern Uí Néill — they were the kings of Mide (Meath) — they traced their descent to Niall Noígiallach and hi ...
branches of the
Uí Néill The Uí Néill (Irish pronunciation: ; meaning "descendants of Niall") are Irish dynasties who claim descent from Niall Noígíallach (Niall of the Nine Hostages), a historical King of Tara who died c. 405. They are generally divided into th ...
, a dominant Irish kindred that monopolised the kingship of Tara between the eighth- and tenth centuries. This alternation amongst the Uí Néill was facilitated by the considerable distance between the two segments. The inability of either branch to dominate the other, and therefore cut off their rivals from key resources, enabled such a rotating scheme to succeed. The similarities between the regulated Irish and Scottish successions suggest that the power centres of the two Alpínid branches were also separated. By the early eleventh century, after the final fall of Clann Áeda meic Cináeda, the opposing Clann Custantín meic Cináeda branch faced challenges to the kingship from the
Moray Moray () gd, Moireibh or ') is one of the 32 local government council areas of Scotland. It lies in the north-east of the country, with a coastline on the Moray Firth, and borders the council areas of Aberdeenshire and Highland. Between 1975 ...
-based Clann Ruaidrí. McGuigan (2015) pp. 274–275; Woolf (2007) p. 224; Ross, AD (2003) pp. 140–141; Woolf (2000) pp. 154–157. This could indicate that Clann Áeda meic Cináeda was similarly seated north of the
Mounth The Mounth ( ) is the broad upland in northeast Scotland between the Highland Boundary and the River Dee, at the eastern end of the Grampians. Name and etymology The name ''Mounth'' is ultimately of Pictish origin. The name is derived from ' ...
in Moray, with the power base of Clann Custantín meic Cináeda situated in the south. That the latter kindred was hostile to the men of the north may be evidenced by the record of Máel Coluim mac Domnaill's invasion of Moray preserved by the ''Chronicle of the Kings of Alba''. Furthermore, both this dynast and his son, Dub, are stated by ''Chronica gentis Scotorum'' to have been killed by Moravians. In contrast to these records of conflict, there is no evidence of hostility between Clann Áeda meic Cináeda and the men of Moray. On the other hand, the fact that king lists locate Dub's demise to Forres might indicate that Clann Custantín meic Cináeda was instead based in the north. McGuigan (2015) pp. 256, 275–276. Moreover, the fact that the ''Prophecy of Berchán'' records that Custantín mac Áeda retired to St Andrews, a site where his descendants, Illulb and Cuilén, are also said to have been buried, coupled with the location of Cuilén's death in the south against the Cumbrians, could reveal that Clann Áeda meic Cináeda was centred south of the Mounth. Such a location may also be evidenced by the aforesaid deaths of the Abbot of Dunkeld and the ''satrap'' of Atholl, men who seem to have fallen supporting the cause of Cuilén against Dub. Charles-Edwards (2008) p. 183; Hudson, BT (1998b) pp. 151, 159; Anderson (1922) pp. 472–473; Skene (1867) p. 10.


Notes


Citations


References


Primary sources

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Secondary sources

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Cuilen 971 deaths 10th-century Scottish monarchs 10th-century murdered monarchs Assassinated royalty Assassinated Scottish people House of Alpin Gaels