Talorgan son of Eanfrith (; died 657) was a

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 653 to 657. As with his successors Gartnait son of Donuel and Drest son of Donuel, he reigned as a

puppet king A puppet ruler is someone who holds a title of political authority, but is loyal to or controlled by outside persons or groups. When a foreign government wields such outside control, the puppet ruler's territory is referred to as a puppet state. ...

under the

Northumbria Northumbria () was an early medieval Heptarchy, kingdom in what is now Northern England and Scottish Lowlands, South Scotland. The name derives from the Old English meaning "the people or province north of the Humber", as opposed to the Sout ...

n king

Oswiu Oswiu, also known as Oswy or Oswig (; c. 612 – 15 February 670), was King of Bernicia from 642 and of Northumbria from 654 until his death. He is notable for his role at the Synod of Whitby in 664, which ultimately brought the church in Northu ...

. Talorgan was the son of Eanfrith of Bernicia, who had fled into exile among the Picts after his father, the Bernician king

Æthelfrith Æthelfrith (died ) was King of Bernicia from c. 593 until his death around 616 AD at the Battle of the River Idle. He became the first Bernician king to also rule the neighboring land of Deira, giving him an important place in the developme ...

, was killed around the year 616. Talorgan's mother is likely to have been a member of a powerful Pictish royal dynasty, and may have been the sister of his predecessor Talorg son of Uuid, as "Talorgan" is a

diminutive A diminutive is a word obtained by modifying a root word to convey a slighter degree of its root meaning, either to convey the smallness of the object or quality named, or to convey a sense of intimacy or endearment, and sometimes to belittle s ...

meaning "Little Talorg". Talorgan may have claimed Pictish kingship through his mother, but his rule may also have been because he was the nephew of Oswiu at a time Oswiu was ruling Northumbria. Talorgan was probably imposed upon the southern Picts by Oswiu, as part of his policy of expansion and domination in northern Britain. Talorgan became king in 653, probably with a powerbase within the southern Pictish territory south 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 ...

, which was also probably the home territory of his predecessor Talorg. In the next year, he defeated and killed

Dúnchad mac Conaing Dúnchad mac Conaing (or Dúnchad mac Dubáin) (died 654) was king of Dál Riata (modern western Scotland). He was joint ruler with Conall Crandomna until he was defeated and killed by Talorgan son of Eanfrith, king of the Picts The Picts ...

, king of the

Dál Riata Dál Riata or Dál Riada (also Dalriada) () was a Gaels, Gaelic Monarchy, kingdom that encompassed the Inner Hebrides, western seaboard of Scotland and north-eastern Ireland, on each side of the North Channel (Great Britain and Ireland), North ...

, at the Battle of Strathyre. This may have been part of a traditional "inaugural raid" against hostile neighbours to mark the beginning of a king's rule. Talorgan's death in 657 may have seen Oswiu launch an offensive against the Picts, as Bede implies that Oswiu's subduing "the greater part of the Picts" took place in 658.

References

Bibliography

* * * * * 657 deaths Pictish monarchs 7th-century Scottish monarchs Year of birth unknown Royal House of Northumbria {{Scotland-royal-stub