History of Clan MacAlpine Contributed by MacAlpine Society The history of the Royal Clan MacAlpine is ancient. In fact, our Clan claims the distinction of being the most ancient and the most purely Celtic of the Highland clans. The Clan reached its peak of power and influence at a time when no written record was kept, leaving only the vague history of tradition. This has led some to conclude, erroneously, that the Clan MacAlpine never existed. Yet, the voices of the bards (ancient oral historians) cannot be silenced and evidence of the Clan’s existence and significance abounds. Kenneth MacAlpin became the first King of Scotland in AD 843 when he united the Scots and the Picts. He was the son of King Alpin and the descendant of a long line of Dalriadic Kings. His direct male descendants ruled Scotland for the next 200 years and every Sovereign of Scotland since, including Queen Elizabeth, today, has had his Royal blood coursing through their veins. It is from him that our Clan takes its name, and, thus, he is considered our first Chief. Of course, as King he was Chief of Chiefs and this is reflected in the name of our Society newsletter. But, certainly, he was the Chief of his own family branch, his “Clan.” From King Alpin and King Kenneth, several powerful branches emerged, eventually becoming formidable Clans in their own right. This group or family of related clans, of which Clan MacAlpine is certainly a part, is known as Siol Alpine. The history of Clan MacAlpine is shrouded in Scotland's distant past and is debated by scholars. We argue that the most likely chain of events is that one of King Kenneth’s chieftains, another descendant of King Alpin, was the next Chief, followed by alternating Alpin descendants, including some descended through King Kenneth. But, never again would the offices of Clan Chief and King of Scotland be held simultaneously. King Kenneth undoubtedly brought many of his family advisors and clansmen with him when he moved his capital from Argyllshire, the traditional seat of the Clan, to Scone, in Perthshire, leaving behind others to look after his interests in Argyll. Thus was created the Chiefship of Clan MacAlpine separate from the Kingship of Scotland. The Clan seat in Argyll became an outpost on the old frontier of a New Kingdom. What happened thereafter is unclear. Perhaps potential successors to the throne were sent to Argyll as Clan Chief, in order to sharpen their skills by managing the family interests there, before taking their successive turns as King. If so, it appears many were involved in the assassinations of sitting Kings, or the revenge thereof, as the history of MacAlpin descendants is littered with murder after murder, by one family member against another, in order to secure the throne. It may have been that several of these plots were launched from Argyll. Perhaps, after one such exchange, the Argyll Chief and his supporting clansmen were decimated in battle by a relative from Scone who sought to ensure that the Clan would be unable to pose a future threat but, also leaving it “broken.” Or, perhaps disenfranchised potential successors were sent to Argyll by the sitting King to keep them at a safe distance, busy defending against Viking raiders with little support from the Palace in Scone, in an attempt to minimize threats from his competitors. The position of Chief of the Clan MacAlpine seat in Argyll may have come to be known as an undesirable assignment. As such, the powers in Scone may have viewed the Clan’s holdings there merely as a source from which to repay local clan Chiefs for political favors. With the lands exhausted and the Chiefship unwanted, the MacAlpine clansmen and their families would have had no choice but to offer allegiance to other local clan Chiefs. Next Page