The True Story of Constantine II of Scotland | The Last Kingdom

A lot of you may know Constantine II from The Last Kingdom, but today, I will be telling you about his real life and history. Historians have compared Constantine to Scotland's equivalent of Alfred the Great. He married members of his family into Viking war bands and would bring some peace. However, during the 10th century, there was very little in writing to record the details and events of Most of the written sources during that period are either in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle or the Irish Annals. However, the Chronicle of the Kings of Alba, a Scottish chronicle, also covers some events in Scotland. Prior to Constantine's reign, Scotland had been dominated by the Viking kings of the Irish Sea, known to history as the Ui Aemar, who were the grandsons of Ivar the Boneless. During his reign, Constantine himself would face Viking raids from the north and west as well. He would also face an expanding Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Wessex, while he was trying to establish the kingdom of Alba. Constantine was an early king of Scotland, known in the 10th century by its Gaelic name, Alba. Constantine's grandfather, Kenneth, is traditionally considered the founder of Scotland, which was then known as Alba, although he bore the title King of Picts. The change of title from King of Picts to King of Alba is significant, as during this period Scotland slowly became the kingdom we see today. Constantine's date of birth has not been recorded, but we can estimate when he was born. His father, the King of the Picts, was killed in the year 878, so Constantine could not have been born any later than the year after his father's death. Constantine's life would begin in exile alongside his cousin Donald. The boys had been taken to Ireland as their aunt had married a very powerful Irish king, ruling over the medieval kingdom of Eilech. Constantine would grow up there, but it was a Gaelic court, and the boys would become immersed in its culture and language. They were educated in nearby monasteries, but vast changes were happening in their homeland of Scotland. Constantine's cousin Donald would soon return to Scotland, and would assume the throne in around the year 899. It is said in a chronicle of the Kings of Alba, that the Northmen wasted Pictland at this time. Wars with the Viking kings would continue, and Donald was probably killed in the fighting in the year 900. Constantine would then succeed him as king. However, the kingdom Constantine inherited was plagued with strife. The Norsemen already controlled most of the islands surrounding the coast, and they held influence over many other kingdoms, such as Strathclyde, York and Dublin. The empire of the grandsons of Ivar the Boneless stretched ever far. Constantine became a king in his early twenties, Pictland had been completely destroyed by the Vikings, and two years into his reign, Ivar the Younger of Dublin returned to Scotland to seize Dunkeld, where Saint Columba's holy relics were being kept, and to take control of the rich farmlands around the River Tay. Constantine would gather an army, and he would meet Ivar in battle in the year 904. Ivar the Younger would be slain in battle, and his army was massacred. Following Constantine's military success, he wanted to improve his kingdom, as Pictland would soon disappear into the mist of time, as Constantine remodelled the church along Gaelic principles, and he also brought in a system of earls to defend the kingdom more efficiently. The kingdom was also officially renamed Alba, Pictland was nothing but ash, an ancient kingdom destroyed by the Northmen, whose name would soon fade. The language was soon forgotten, however Constantine did preserve the Pictish standing stones. Constantine's kingdom of Alba was small, and it didn't engulf the entirety of Scotland, but he had ambitions, and they would lay to the south. Although Constantine was a Christian, he married his daughter to the pagan King Olaf in Dublin. This alliance ensured that the west coast of Strathclyde was not attacked by the Vikings based in Ireland. In the year 870, Ivar the Boneless had besieged the fortress of Dumbarton Rock, the capital of Strathclyde. He had stormed into the castle, and sold many of its people into slavery. Constantine did not want history to repeat itself. Constantine would also make an alliance with the kingdom of Northumbria, which back in the 10th century spanned from York as far north as modern day Edinburgh. In the year 918, he joined forces with Ildred of Bambra, who would seek assistance from Constantine to fight against Ragnall, a Viking leader who ruled Northumbria and the Isle of Man. He was grandson of Ivar and a member of the Uyghur dynasty. The Historia de Sancto Cuthberto also adds that Englishmen fought alongside the Northmen. The Annals of Ulster informs us that the Norse army divided itself into four columns. This face-off would culminate in the Battle of Corbridge in 918 on the banks of the River Tyne. The Scots would charge into battle and would savagely destroy the first three columns, but were ambushed by the last. This unit had remained hidden behind a hill and was commanded by Ragnall. The Scots, however, managed to avoid slaughter. This indecisive battle allowed Ragnall to proclaim himself the King of York. However, after the year 920, Edward the Elder forced Ragnall to acknowledge his rule. While neither of the kings may have been happy with this compromise, they both didn't live long enough to break their treaty. Ragnall would die in the year 921 and was succeeded by his cousin Citriga, another grandson of Ivar. Edward, the King of Wessex, would also die in the year 924, who was followed by his son Æthelstan as king. There was a growing power looming in the south. Æthelstan, the son of Edward the Elder, was determined to unite England under the House of Wessex and he had a vision of himself, as master of all Britain, dreaming of what no Roman, Viking or Saxon king had ever done before. Æthelstan would marry his sister to Citriga and the two kings agreed not to invade each other's kingdoms. The following year however, Citriga died and Æthelstan would seize this opportunity. Duthryff, another grandson of Ivar, led a fleet from Dublin to try to take the throne, but Æthelstan's forces smashed his embattle and York was in the hands of the Saxons. This was the first time a southern king had taken control of the north. This was met with resistance by the Northumbrians, who had always resisted southern rule. However, King Constantine of Alba, along with Highwell the Good of Wales, Ildred of Bambra and King Owain of Strathclyde would accept Æthelstan's overlordship. This would lead to seven years of peace in the north. Æthelstan had become the first king of all the Anglo-Saxon peoples, and in effect, an overlord of Britain. During the height of Æthelstan's reign, from the year 925 and onwards, rulers from Wales and Scotland attended his court. In the year 934, Ildred of Bambra would die. Æthelstan and Constantine would dispute over the Northumbrian territory. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle briefly records the expedition of Æthelstan to Scotland, but without explanation. Æthelstan's army began gathering in Winchester in May 934. Æthelstan would then bring the might of his vast new kingdom with him. Four Welsh kings would accompany him, along with thirteen earls. The invasion was launched by land and sea. According to the 12th century chronicler Simeon of Durham, his land forces ravaged as far north as Dunater, while the fleet raided Cathnes. According to legend, Constantine recognised the power of Æthelstan and was faced with a difficult decision – to meet him in battle and risk defeat, or surrender the kingship of Scotland. He instead chose to take refuge in the impregnable fortress of Dunater, and the ensuing siege led to an agreement. According to John of Worcester, a son of Constantine was given as a hostage to Æthelstan after his raids in Scotland, and Constantine himself accompanied the English king on his return south. No battles were recorded during the campaign, and the chronicles do not record the outcome. However, the following year in 935, Constantine was in England again at Æthelstan's court, however Constantine must have been weary of Æthelstan's growing power and influence, as the House of Wessex had a chokehold over most of Britain. Following the invasion of Scotland, Constantine knew that Æthelstan could only be defeated if he allied himself with the Viking kings of Dublin and other kings that no longer wanted to be vassals of King Æthelstan. Olaf Guthriemsen, the King of Dublin, and Owain the King of Strathclyde, and Constantine, agreed to set aside whatever historical and political differences they had, in order to destroy Æthelstan. In the year 937, Olaf sailed from Dublin with his army to join forces with Owain and Constantine. The invading armies entered England in two waves, Constantine and Owain coming from the north, raiding on their way south, while Olaf's forces would join them along the way. Æthelstan and his army would travel north through Mercia, where he met the invading forces of Scots and Vikings at Brunumburra. According to the Anglo-Saxon chronicle, the battle lasted all day. Both sides would fight valiantly, but there were never so many dead people in one place in England's history. There was a period of prolonged fighting before Æthelstan's army began to overwhelm the invaders. Æthelstan's forces would then give chase, slaying many enemy troops. According to the Annals of Ulster, the battle was described as great, lamentable, and horrible, and records that several thousands of Norsemen fell. Among the casualties were five kings and seven earls from Olaf's family. Constantine also lost several friends and family, including his son. The Battle of Brunumburra is also an Old English poem which describes the battle. The poem concludes by comparing the battle to those fought in earlier stages of English history. Never before this were more men in this island slain, by the sword's edge, as books and aged sages. Confirm, since Angles and Saxons sailed here, from the east sought the Britons over the wide seas. Since those warsmiths hammered the Welsh, and earls, eager for glory, overran the land. Æthelstan's victory prevented the dissolution of England, but it also failed to unite the island, as he had done previously. Scotland would remain independent. By the early 940s, Constantine was an old man, in his late 60s or 70s. With the death of King Æthelstan in the year 939, Constantine could now focus on the affairs of his own kingdom. Constantine had one remaining son, named Indolf, but the people wanted Constantine's nephew, Malcolm, to succeed to the throne. The Prophecy of Bershan is a historical poem that states that Constantine abdicated in the year 943 and entered a monastery to live out the rest of his days as a monk, leaving the kingdom to Malcolm. The chronicle of the and in his old age, being decrepit, took the staff and served the Lord, and he gave up his kingdom to Mael, the son of Domhnall. The monastery he went to is assumed to have been that of St. Andrews. Constantine's death is recorded in 952 in the Irish Annals, his son Indolf would become king after Malcolm's death. Constantine's political legacy was the creation of a new form of Scottish kingship. His legacy also lasts in that he resisted Saxon rule, going to war against his overlord Æthelstan in the name of Scottish independence. So let me know what you think of Constantine in the comment sections down below. If you enjoyed the video, make sure to like, subscribe and share, and I'll see you all soon for another history profile.