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The House of Alpin is a dynasty of Scottish kings that ruled Scotland from 843 to 1058. Its name derives from Alpin of Kyntire, king of Dalriada, the first ruler to unify Scotland, shortly before his death. His descendants would be Alpin kings of Scotland.
The history of the House of Alpin in punctuated by endemic civil war and unrest, as well as conflicts with the neighbouring Picts and England. Of the 19 kings of the House, only the first two died natural deaths in control of the kingdom. The rest were deposed and, the great majority killed, either in battles or assassinated during coups. A possible explanation for the violence observed in this period is the tanistry rule of succession. With this laws, the king was elected from the pool of nobles of the royal family, instead of the automathic inheritance of the eldest son. The system ultimately resulted in continuous conspiracy and intrigue for power. William Shakespeare's play Macbeth was loosely inspired in this period characterized by unrest, particularly in the rule of Macbeth I of Scotland.
The following dynasty of Scottish kings was the House of Dunkeld, which started with Malcolm III of Scotland, a son of Duncan I.
Kings of the House of Alpin
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Period = from:840 till:1060
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from:843 till:858 text:Kenneth I
from:858 till:862 text:Donald I
from:862 till:877 text:Constantine I
from:877 till:878 text:Aedh
from:878 till:889 shift:(25,10) text:Eochaid~&~Giric
from:889 till:900 text:Donald II
from:900 till:943 text:Constantine II
from:943 till:954 text:Malcolm I
from:954 till:962 text:Indulf
from:962 till:966 text:Dubh
from:966 till:971 text:Culen
from:971 till:995 text:Kenneth II
from:995 till:997 text:Constantine III
from:997 till:1005 text:Kenneth III
from:1005 till:1034 text:Malcolm II
from:1034 till:1040 text:Duncan I
from:1040 till:1057 text:Macbeth
from:1057 till:1058 text:Lulach
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- Kenneth I, r.843-858
- Donald I, r.858-862
- Constantine I, r.862-877
- Aedh, r.877-878
- Eochaid and Giric, r.878-889
- Donald II, r.889-900
- Constantine II, r.900-943
- Malcolm I, r.943-954
- Indulf, r.954-962
- Dubh, r.962-966
- Culen, r.966-971
- Kenneth II, r.971-995
- Constantine III, r.995-997
- Kenneth III, r.997-1005
- Malcolm II, r.1005-1034
- Duncan I, r.1034-1040
- Macbeth, r.1040-1057
- Lulach, r.1057-1058
- See also
- History of Scotland - Scottish monarchs family tree
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