Artgal of Alt Clut
Encyclopedia
Artgal was a king of Alt Clut
(modern Dumbarton Rock) and Strathclyde (the Clyde Valley), a Brythonic
kingdom in the Hen Ogledd
or "Old North" of Britain
, for some time in the mid-9th century. Artgal's reign is notable in that he is the first certain king of Alt Clut since Dumnagual III of Alt Clut
a century before. He was killed in 872, evidently with the consent of Constantín mac Cináeda, King of the Picts at the time. He is thought to have been succeeded by his son Run
.
, Artgal was the son of Dumnagual IV
, probably his predecessor as king. At some point his son Run
married the daughter of Kenneth mac Alpin, thus becoming Constantín mac Cináeda's brother in law. The Britons
of Strathclyde besieged Dunblane
during the mid-9th century, probably during the later part of Kenneth's reign around 849. This attack, the first recorded offensive by the Britons for many years, may have been led by Artgal, though it may have been occurred under his father Dumnagual.
Both the Welsh and Gaelic sources report the siege and sack of Alt Clut by Norsemen
under Amlaíb Conung
and Ímar
, the Kings of Dublin
, in 870. Artgal was presumably king at this time. After a siege of four months, the Britons' well dried up, allowing the Norse to gain the upper hand and destroy the citadel. Amlaíb and Ímar returned to Ireland with many prisoners, and Artgal was probably among them. The Annals of Ulster
report that he was killed, presumably by the Norse, with the consent of Constantín mac Cináeda in 872. The same entry styles him rex Britanorum Sratha Cluade, i.e. "King of the Britons of Strathclyde", the first documented use of the term Strathclyde. If the marriage between Artgal's son Run and Constantín's sister had occurred or been arranged by that time, it may have bolstered Constantín's claim of overlordship over Strathclyde. The Harleian genealogies indicate that Run succeeded his father as king, though the dates of his reign are unknown.
Kingdom of Strathclyde
Strathclyde , originally Brythonic Ystrad Clud, was one of the early medieval kingdoms of the celtic people called the Britons in the Hen Ogledd, the Brythonic-speaking parts of what is now southern Scotland and northern England. The kingdom developed during the post-Roman period...
(modern Dumbarton Rock) and Strathclyde (the Clyde Valley), a Brythonic
Britons (historical)
The Britons were the Celtic people culturally dominating Great Britain from the Iron Age through the Early Middle Ages. They spoke the Insular Celtic language known as British or Brythonic...
kingdom in the Hen Ogledd
Hen Ogledd
Yr Hen Ogledd is a Welsh term used by scholars to refer to those parts of what is now northern England and southern Scotland in the years between 500 and the Viking invasions of c. 800, with particular interest in the Brythonic-speaking peoples who lived there.The term is derived from heroic...
or "Old North" of Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
, for some time in the mid-9th century. Artgal's reign is notable in that he is the first certain king of Alt Clut since Dumnagual III of Alt Clut
Dumnagual III of Alt Clut
Dumnagual III was the ruler of Alt Clut, later known as Strathclyde , for some time in the mid-eighth century . According to the Harleian genealogies, he was the son of Teudebur, one of his predecessors as king...
a century before. He was killed in 872, evidently with the consent of Constantín mac Cináeda, King of the Picts at the time. He is thought to have been succeeded by his son Run
Run of Alt Clut
Run was probably a ruler of Alt Clut and Strathclyde , a Brythonic kingdom in the Hen Ogledd or "Old North" of Britain...
.
Life
According to the Harleian genealogiesHarleian genealogies
The Harleian genealogies are a collection of Old Welsh genealogies preserved in British Library, Harleian MS 3859. Part of the Harleian Collection, the manuscript, which also contains the Annales Cambriae and a version of the Historia Brittonum, has been dated to c. 1100, although a date of c.1200...
, Artgal was the son of Dumnagual IV
Dumnagual IV of Alt Clut
Dumnagual IV was a 9th-century British figure thought to have been a ruler of Alt Clut, the kingdom later known as Strathclyde . According to the Harleian genealogies, he was the son of his predecessor Riderch II, the grandson of Eugein II, and the great-grandson of King Dumnagual III of Alt Clut...
, probably his predecessor as king. At some point his son Run
Run of Alt Clut
Run was probably a ruler of Alt Clut and Strathclyde , a Brythonic kingdom in the Hen Ogledd or "Old North" of Britain...
married the daughter of Kenneth mac Alpin, thus becoming Constantín mac Cináeda's brother in law. The Britons
Britons (historical)
The Britons were the Celtic people culturally dominating Great Britain from the Iron Age through the Early Middle Ages. They spoke the Insular Celtic language known as British or Brythonic...
of Strathclyde besieged Dunblane
Dunblane
Dunblane is a small cathedral city and former burgh north of Stirling in the Stirling council area of Scotland. The town is situated off the A9 road, on the way north to Perth. Its main landmark is Dunblane Cathedral and the Allan Water runs through the town centre, with the Cathedral and the High...
during the mid-9th century, probably during the later part of Kenneth's reign around 849. This attack, the first recorded offensive by the Britons for many years, may have been led by Artgal, though it may have been occurred under his father Dumnagual.
Both the Welsh and Gaelic sources report the siege and sack of Alt Clut by Norsemen
Norsemen
Norsemen is used to refer to the group of people as a whole who spoke what is now called the Old Norse language belonging to the North Germanic branch of Indo-European languages, especially Norwegian, Icelandic, Faroese, Swedish and Danish in their earlier forms.The meaning of Norseman was "people...
under Amlaíb Conung
Amlaíb Conung
Amlaíb Conung was a Norse or Norse-Gael leader in Ireland and Scotland in the years after 850. Together with his brothers Ímar and Auisle he appears frequently in the Irish annals....
and Ímar
Ivar the Boneless
Ivar Ragnarsson nicknamed the Boneless , was a Viking leader and by reputation also a berserker. By the late 11th century he was known as a son of the powerful Ragnar Lodbrok, ruler of an area probably comprising parts of modern-day Denmark and Sweden.-Invader:In the autumn of AD 865, with his...
, the Kings of Dublin
Kings of Dublin
The Vikings invaded the territory around Dublin in the 9th century, establishing the Norse Kingdom of Dublin, the earliest and longest lasting Norse kingdom in all of Europe outside of Scandinavia, excepting the so-called Kingdom of Mann and the Isles. This corresponded to most of present-day...
, in 870. Artgal was presumably king at this time. After a siege of four months, the Britons' well dried up, allowing the Norse to gain the upper hand and destroy the citadel. Amlaíb and Ímar returned to Ireland with many prisoners, and Artgal was probably among them. The Annals of Ulster
Annals of Ulster
The Annals of Ulster are annals of medieval Ireland. The entries span the years between AD 431 to AD 1540. The entries up to AD 1489 were compiled in the late 15th century by the scribe Ruaidhrí Ó Luinín, under his patron Cathal Óg Mac Maghnusa on the island of Belle Isle on Lough Erne in the...
report that he was killed, presumably by the Norse, with the consent of Constantín mac Cináeda in 872. The same entry styles him rex Britanorum Sratha Cluade, i.e. "King of the Britons of Strathclyde", the first documented use of the term Strathclyde. If the marriage between Artgal's son Run and Constantín's sister had occurred or been arranged by that time, it may have bolstered Constantín's claim of overlordship over Strathclyde. The Harleian genealogies indicate that Run succeeded his father as king, though the dates of his reign are unknown.