SCOTLAND, King Kenneth II of

Other Events and Attributes:

• Relation to Me: 33 GGF
• Web Address: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenneth_II_of_Scotland
• Name: Cináed mac Maíl Coluim (Modern Gaelic: Coinneach mac Mhaoil Chaluim[1] anglicised as Kenneth II, and nicknamed An Fionnghalach, "The Fratricide"
• Royalty & Nobility: Between 971 and 995; King of the Scots (Alba)

Notes:

He began his reign by ravaging the Britons, probably as an act of vengeance, but his name is also included among a group of northern and western kings said to have made submission to the Anglo-Saxon king Edgar in 973, perhaps at Chester; and the chronicler Roger of Wendover (Flores Historiarum, under the year 975) states that shortly afterward Kenneth received from Edgar all the land called Lothian (i.e., between the Tweed and the Forth rivers). This is the first mention of the River Tweed as the recognized border between England and Scotland. Kenneth was slain, apparently by his own subjects, at Fettercairn in the Mearns.

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John of Fordun, a 14th-century historian, narrates that Kenneth II, King of Scotland from 971 to 995, sought to alter the royal succession laws. His aim was to ensure his descendants' ascension to the throne, thereby excluding Constantine III and Kenneth III, also known as Gryme. These two, feeling threatened by Kenneth II's plans, conspired against him and roped in Lady Finella, daughter of Cuncar, Mormaer of Angus. Finella had her own vendetta against Kenneth II, who was responsible for her son's death.

The Chronicles of the Picts and Scots, compiled by William Forbes Skene, and dating back to the 12th and 13th centuries, corroborate the story of Finella's revenge on Kenneth II. However, these chronicles do not mention her connection to Constantine or Gryme. The Annals of Ulster, on the other hand, simply state that Kenneth II was deceitfully murdered, without specifying the perpetrator.

According to Fordun's account, Constantine III and Gryme were relentlessly plotting the king's and his son's demise. Kenneth II, while on a hunting trip near his residence, ventured into the woods and ended up in Fettercairn, where Finella lived. Finella, feigning loyalty, invited the king to her home, claiming she had critical information about a plot against him. She lured Kenneth II into a secluded cottage rigged with a deadly trap: a statue connected to crossbows. When Kenneth II touched the statue, he triggered the crossbows, which fatally shot him from all sides. Finella managed to flee and join her co-conspirators, Constantine III and Gryme. The king's hunting party later found his body but could not capture Finella. In retaliation, they burned down Fettercairn.

Historian Smyth regards the intricate plot and the mechanical trap as fictional embellishments but acknowledges the core truth of the narrative: Kenneth II's succession plans ultimately led to his assassination.

Died:
Probably murdered

Family/Spouse: Living. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

1. SCOTLAND, King Malcolm II of was born in 954; died on 25 Nov 1034 in Angus, Scotland.

Other Events and Attributes:

• Relation to Me: 34 GGF
• Royalty & Nobility: Between 943 and 954; King of the Scots

Notes:

Malcolm succeeded to the crown when his cousin Constantine II entered a monastery (943). He annexed Moray to the kingdom for the first time. After driving the Danes from York, the English king Edmund turned Cumbria over to Malcolm, apparently as a fief or seal of alliance. Later, when Norsemen again invaded the land, the Scots sent raids against the English, and in 954 the West Saxon king Eadred reunited the northern counties to his dominions. Malcolm was slain the same year during a rebellion in Moray.

Other Events and Attributes:

• Relation to Me: 35 GGF
• Royalty & Nobility: Between 889 and 900; King of the Picts, or of Alba (Scotland)

Notes:

His reign coincided with renewed invasions by the Danes, who came less to plunder and more to occupy the lands bordering Scotland and the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms. He was also embroiled in efforts to reduce the highland robber tribes. By one account he was slain at Dunnottar, meeting a Danish invasion; by another he died of infirmity brought on by his campaigns against the highlanders. He was succeeded by his cousin Constantine II.

Other Events and Attributes:

• Relation to Me: 36 GGF
• Name: Causantín or Constantín mac Cináeda
• Royalty & Nobility: Between 862 and 877; King of the Picts (Scotland)

Notes:

Constantine’s reign was occupied with conflicts with the Norsemen. Olaf the White, the Danish king of Dublin, laid waste the country of the Picts and Britons year after year; in the south the Danish leader Halfdan devastated Northumberland and Galloway. Constantine was probably slain at a battle at Inverdovat in Fife, at the hands of another band of northern marauders. His heir was his brother Aed, who was killed by the Scots after a year and was succeeded by a nephew, Eochaid.