Bridei son of Maelchon (died 586) was

King of the Picts The list of kings of the Picts is based on the Pictish Chronicle king lists. These are late documents and do not record the dates when the kings reigned. The various surviving lists disagree in places as to the names of kings, and the lengths ...

from 554 to 584. Sources are vague or contradictory regarding him, but it is believed that his court was near

Loch Ness Loch Ness (; ) is a large freshwater loch in the Scottish Highlands. It takes its name from the River Ness, which flows from the northern end. Loch Ness is best known for claimed sightings of the cryptozoology, cryptozoological Loch Ness Mons ...

and that he may have been a

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

. Several contemporaries also claimed the title "King of the Picts". He died in the mid-580s, possibly in battle, and was succeeded by Gartnait son of Domelch.

Historical sources

Bridei son of Maelchon was King of the Picts until his death around A.D. 584–586. Other forms of his name include Brude son of Melcho and, in Irish sources, Bruide son of Maelchú and Bruidhe son of Maelchon. He was first mentioned in the

Irish annals A number of Irish annals, of which the earliest was the Chronicle of Ireland, were compiled up to and shortly after the end of the 17th century. Annals were originally a means by which monks determined the yearly chronology of feast days. Over ti ...

from 558 to 560, where the ''

Annals of Ulster The ''Annals of Ulster'' () are annals of History of Ireland, 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 Luin� ...

'' report "the migration before Máelchú's son, King Bruide". An earlier entry, reporting the death of "Bruide son of Máelchú" in the ''Annals of Ulster'' for 505 is presumed to be an error. The Ulster annalist does not say who fled, but the later ''

Annals of Tigernach The ''Annals of Tigernach'' (Abbreviation, abbr. AT, ) are chronicles probably originating in Clonmacnoise, Ireland. The language is a mixture of Latin language, Latin and Old Irish, Old and Middle Irish. Many of the pre-historic entries come f ...

'' refers to "the flight of the Scots before Bruide son of Máelchú" in 558. This uncertainty has provoked considerable speculation; in one version the ''Annals of Ulster'' is said to associate this with the death of Gabrán mac Domangairt.

Personal life

Bridei is suggested to have been the son of

Maelgwn Gwynedd Maelgwn Gwynedd (; died c. 547)Based on Phillimore's (1888) reconstruction of the dating of the '' Annales Cambriae'' (A Text). was King of Gwynedd during the early 6th century. Surviving records suggest he held a pre-eminent position among t ...

by John Morris in his ''The Age of Arthur'', where he is referred to in passing as "... Bridei, son of Maelgwn, the mighty king of north Wales, ...". Though the book has been a commercial success, it is disparaged by historians as an unreliable source of "misleading and misguided" information. Bridei's death was reported in the 580s, perhaps in battle against Pictish rivals in Circinn, an area thought to correspond with the Mearns. The lists of kings in the ''

Pictish Chronicle The Pictish Chronicle is a name used to refer to a pseudo-historical account of the kings of the Picts beginning many thousand years before history was recorded in Pictavia and ending after Pictavia had been enveloped by Scotland. Version A The ...

'' agree that Bridei was followed by Gartnait son of Domelch (Garnait II).

Political life

Bridei appears in

Adomnán Adomnán or Adamnán of Iona (; , ''Adomnanus''; 624 – 704), also known as Eunan ( ; from ), was an abbot of Iona Abbey ( 679–704), hagiographer, statesman, canon jurist, and Christian saint, saint. He was the author of the ''Life ...

's '' Life of Saint Columba'' as a contemporary and as one of the chief kings in Scotland. Adomnán's account of Bridei is problematic as it does not mention whether Bridei was already a Christian, and if not, whether Columba converted him. The archaeological discoveries at Portmahomack, showing that there was a monastic community there from around 550, provide some support for the idea that Bridei was either already a Christian, at least in name, or was converted by Columba. Bridei was not the only "king of the Picts" during his lifetime. The death of Galam Cennalath — called "Cennalath, king of the Picts" — is recorded in 580 in the ''Annals of Ulster,'' four years before Bridei's death. In addition, Adomnán mentions the presence of the "under-king of

Orkney Orkney (), also known as the Orkney Islands, is an archipelago off the north coast of mainland Scotland. The plural name the Orkneys is also sometimes used, but locals now consider it outdated. Part of the Northern Isles along with Shetland, ...

" at Bridei's court. The ''Annals of Ulster'' report two expeditions to Orkney during Bridei's reign, in 580 and 581. The location of the court of Bridei's kingdom is not certain. Adomnán's account states that after leaving the royal court, Columba came to the River Ness and that the court was located atop a steep rock. Accordingly, it has been suggested that Bridei's chief residence was at Craig Phadrig, which is to the west of the modern city of

Inverness Inverness (; ; from the , meaning "Mouth of the River Ness") is a city in the Scottish Highlands, having been granted city status in 2000. It is the administrative centre for The Highland Council and is regarded as the capital of the Highland ...

and overlooks the Beauly Firth. Excavation at Craig Phadrig has shown that its ramparts were in a poor state of repair during Bridei's time, however, and it is, therefore, unlikely to have been a royal fortress during the period. Bridei's kingdom may also have corresponded with what would later become

Fortriu Fortriu (; ; ; ) was a Pictish kingdom recorded between the 4th and 10th centuries. It was traditionally believed to be located in and around Strathearn in central Scotland, but is more likely to have been based in the north, in the Moray and ...

Popular culture

Juliet Marillier's trilogy '' The Bridei Chronicles'' is written as a combination of history, fiction, and informed guesswork regarding this king's rise to power and rule. Her novels also describe events in the life of Bridei III.

References

Sources

* Adomnán of Iona; ''Life of St Columba'', tr. and ed. Richard Sharpe, Penguin, London, 1995. * * Anderson, Alan Orr; ''Early Sources of Scottish History A.D. 500–1286'', volume 1. Reprinted with corrections, Paul Watkins, Stamford, 1990. * Anderson, Marjorie Ogilvie, ''Kings and Kingship in Early Scotland'', Scottish Academic Press, Edinburgh, revised edition, 1980. * Smyth, Alfred P.; ''Warlords and Holy Men: Scotland A.D. 80–1000'', Edinburgh University Press, Edinburgh, 1984.

External links

CELT: Corpus of Electronic Texts
at

University College Cork University College Cork – National University of Ireland, Cork (UCC) () is a constituent university of the National University of Ireland, and located in Cork (city), Cork. The university was founded in 1845 as one of three Queen's Universit ...

includes the ''Annals of Ulster'', ''Tigernach'', ''the Four Masters'' and ''Innisfallen'', the ''Chronicon Scotorum'', the ''Lebor Bretnach'' (which includes the ''Duan Albanach''), Genealogies, and various Saints' Lives. Most are translated into English or translations are in progress.
Bede's Ecclesiastical History and the Continuation of Bede (pdf)
a
CCEL
translated by A. M. Sellar.
Tarbat Discovery Programme
with reports on excavations at Portmahomack. {{DEFAULTSORT:Bridei 01 Of The Picts 6th-century births 580s deaths Pictish monarchs 6th-century Scottish monarchs