Pictish kings ruled in northern and eastern
Scotland. In 843
A.D., tradition records the replacement of the Pictish kingdom by the
Kingdom of Alba, although the
Irish annals continue to use
Picts and
Fortriu for half a century after 843. The king lists are thought to have been compiled in the early 8th century, probably by 724, placing them in the reigns of the sons of
Der-Ilei,
Bridei and
Nechtan. Irish annals (the
Annals of Ulster,
Annals of Innisfallen) refer to some kings as
king of Fortriu or
king of Alba. The kings listed are thought to represent overkings of the Picts, at least from the time of
Bridei, son of Maelchon, onwards. In addition to these overkings, many less powerful subject kings existed, of whom only a very few are known from the historical record. Mythical kings of the Picts are listed in the
Lebor Bretnach's account of the origins of the
Cruithne. The list begins with Cruithne, son of Cing, who is reported to be "father of the Picts". The account of the
Pictish Chronicle then splits into four lists of names: • The first is a list of the sons of Cruithne; • The second is a list of early kings with no distinguishing information other than dates; • The third is another list of early kings with neither stories nor dates, all of whom have two names that begin with "Brude". It is possible that "Brude" is an ancient title for "king" from another source, which was misinterpreted as a name by the compiler (cf. Skene p.cv); • The fourth is a list of later kings. The first of these to be attested in an independent source is
Galam Cennalath. The dates given here are drawn from early sources unless specifically noted otherwise. The relationships between kings are less than certain and rely on modern readings of the sources. == Names ==