Indulf of Scotland
Idulb mac Causantín (anglicised Indulf) (died 962) was king of Scots from 954. He was the son of Causantín mac Áeda.
Idulb is a Old Irish name derived from either the Old Norse name Hildulfr or the Old English name Eadwulf. Idulb was later rendered Indulf under Old French influence.[1]
John of Fordun and others supposed that Idulb had been king of Strathclyde in the reign of his predecessor, based on their understanding that the kingdom of Strathclyde had become a part of the kingdom of Alba in the 940s. This, however, is no longer accepted.[2]
The Chronicle of the Kings of Alba says: "In his time oppidum Eden", usually identified as Edinburgh,[3] "was evacuated, and abandoned to the Scots until the present day." This has been read as indicating that Lothian or some large part of it, fell to Idulb at this time. However, the conquest of Lothian is likely to have been a process rather than a single event, and the frontier between the lands of the kings of Alba and Bernicia may have lain south and east of Edinburgh many years before Idulb's reign.[4]
Idulb's death is reported by the Chronicon Scotorum in 962, the Chronicle of the Kings of Alba adding that he was killed fighting Vikings near Cullen. The Prophecy of Berchán, however, claims that he died "in the house of the same holy apostle, where his father [died]", that is at the céli dé monastery of St Andrews. He was buried on Iona.[5]
Idulb was succeeded by Dub mac Maíl Coluim, son of his predecessor. His sons Cuilén and Amlaíb were later kings. Eochaid, a third son, was killed with Cuilén by the men of Strathclyde in 971.
Notes
- ^ Of the two, Norse seems the more likely. It is known a sister of Idulb married Amlaíb mac Gofraidh of the Uí Ímair and one of Idulb's sons was named Amlaíb.
- ^ Duncan, pp.40–41.
- ^ Duncan, p. 24; Early Sources, p.468, note 4.
- ^ Duncan, p. 247ndash;25; Smyth, pp. 221–223.
- ^ Early Sources, pp. 468–471; Duncan, p. 20 follows the Chronicle.
References
- Anderson, Alan Orr, Early Sources of Scottish History A.D 500–1286, volume 1. Reprinted with corrections. Paul Watkins, Stamford, 1990. ISBN 1-871615-03-8
- Duncan, A.A.M., The Kingship of the Scots 842–1292: Succession and Independence. Edinburgh University Press, Edinburgh, 2002. ISBN 0-7486-1626-8
- Smyth, Alfred P. Warlords and Holy Men: Scotland AD 80-1000. Reprinted, Edinburgh: Edinburgh UP, 1998. ISBN 0-7486-0100-7
| Preceded by: Máel Coluim mac Domnaill |
King of Scots 954–962 |
Succeeded by: Dub mac Maíl Coluim |
