List of Scottish monarchs

The monarch of Scotland was the head of state of the Kingdom of Scotland. According to tradition, Kenneth I MacAlpin was the founder and first King of the Kingdom of Scotland. The Kingdom of the Picts just became known as the Kingdom of Alba in Scottish Gaelic, which later became known in Scots and English as Scotland; the terms are retained in both languages to this day. By the late 11th century at the very latest, Scottish kings were using the term rex Scottorum, or King of Scots, to refer to themselves in Latin.
The Kingdom of Scotland relinquished its sovereignty and independence when it unified with the Kingdom of England to form a single Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. Thus, Queen Anne became the last monarch of the ancient kingdoms of Scotland and England and the first of Great Britain, although the kingdoms had shared a monarch since 1603. Her uncle Charles II was the last monarch to be crowned in Scotland, at Scone in 1651. He had a second coronation in England ten years later.

Heraldry

List of monarchs of Scotland

House of Alpin (848–1034)

The reign of Kenneth MacAlpin begins what is often called the House of Alpin, an entirely modern concept. The descendants of Kenneth MacAlpin were divided into two branches; the crown would alternate between the two, the death of a king from one branch often hastened by war or assassination by a pretender from the other. Malcolm II was the last king of the House of Alpin; in his reign, he successfully crushed all opposition to him and, having no sons, was able to pass the crown to his daughter's son, Duncan I, who inaugurated the House of Dunkeld.

Modern English name Reign	Epithet	Title	Dynastic status
Kenneth I MacAlpin 843/848 – 13 February 858	An Ferbasach,		son of Alpin, king of Dál Riata
Donald I 858 – 13 April 862			son of Alpin, king of Dál Riata, and brother of Kenneth I
Constantine I 862–877	An Finn-Shoichleach,		Son of Kenneth I
Áed 877–878			Son of Kenneth I
Giric 878–889	Mac Rath,		Son of Donald I?
Eochaid 878–889?*			grandson of Kenneth I*
Donald II 889–900	Dásachtach,		Son of Constantine I
Constantine II 900–943	An Midhaise,		Son of Áed
Malcolm I 943–954	An Bodhbhdercc,		Son of Donald II
Indulf 954–962	An Ionsaighthigh,		Son of Constantine II
Dub / Dubh or Duff 962–967	Dén,		Son of Malcolm I
Cuilén 967–971	An Fionn,		Son of Indulf
Amlaíb 973–977¤			Son of Indulf
Kenneth II 971–995	An Fionnghalach,		Son of Malcolm I
Constantine III 995–997			Son of Cuilén
Kenneth III 997 – 25 March 1005	An Donn,		Son of Dub
Malcolm II 1005–1034	Forranach,		Son of Kenneth II

*Eochiad was a son of Run, King of Strathclyde, but his mother was a daughter of Kenneth I. Evidence of his reign is unclear. He may have never actually been king and if he was, he was co-king with Giric.
¤Amlaíb is known only by a reference to his death in 977, which reports him as King of Alba; since Kenneth II is known to have still been King in 972–973, Amlaíb must have taken power between 973 and 977.

House of Dunkeld (1034–1040)

Duncan succeeded to the throne as the maternal grandson of Malcolm II. The House of Dunkeld was therefore closely related to the House of Alpin. Duncan was killed in battle by Macbeth, another maternal grandson of Malcolm II.

Modern English name Reign	Epithet	Title	Marriage	Dynastic status
Duncan I 1034–1040			Suthen at least two sons	Grandson of Malcolm II

House of Moray (1040–1058)

Macbeth came to power in 1040 after killing Duncan I in battle and had a long and relatively successful reign. Macbeth may have been a maternal grandson of Malcolm II and thus possibly a cousin of Duncan. He married Gruoch in 1032, who may have had a claim to the Scottish throne herself, being the granddaughter of either Kenneth II or Kenneth III. In a series of battles between 1057 and 1058, Duncan's son Malcolm III defeated and killed Macbeth and Macbeth's stepson and heir Lulach and became the king, thereby passing the throne back to the House of Dunkeld.

Modern English name Reign	Epithet	Title	Marriage	Dynastic status
Macbeth 1040–1057	Rí Deircc		Gruoch of Scotland no children	Son of Mormaer Findláech Grandson of Malcolm II Cousin of Duncan I
Lulach 1057–1058	Tairbith - Fatuus		Unknown two children	Son of Gille Coemgáin, Mormaer of Moray and Gruoch of Scotland Step-son of Macbeth Great-grandson of Kenneth II or Kenneth III through his mother

House of Dunkeld (restored) (1058–1286)

In a series of battles between 1057 and 1058, Duncan's son Malcolm III defeated and killed Macbeth and Macbeth's stepson and heir Lulach, claiming the throne. The dynastic feuds did not end there: on Malcolm III's death in battle, his brother Donald III, known as "Bán", claimed the throne, expelling Malcolm III's sons from Scotland. A civil war in the family ensued, with Donald III opposed by Malcolm III's other sons, led first by Duncan II and then by Edgar and backed by the Kingdom of England. Edgar triumphed, sending his uncle and brother to monasteries. After the reign of David I, the Scottish throne was passed according to rules of primogeniture, moving from father to son, or where not possible, brother to brother. Alexander III was the last ruler from the house of Dunkeld, and having no sons, the throne was inherited by his granddaughter Margaret, Maid of Norway.

Modern English name Reign	Epithet	Title	Marriage	Dynastic status
Malcolm III 1058–1093	Cenn Mór		Ingibiorg Finnsdottir three sons Margaret of Wessex 1070 eight children	Son of Duncan I
Donald III 1093–1097	Bán,		Unknown at least one daughter	Son of Duncan I
Duncan II 1094			Ethelreda of Northumbria one son	Son of Malcolm III
Edgar 1097–1107	Probus,		-	Son of Malcolm III
Alexander I 1107–1124			Sybilla of Normandy no children	Son of Malcolm III
David I 1124–1153			Maud, Countess of Huntingdon 1113 four children	Son of Malcolm III
Malcolm IV 1153–1165	Virgo - Cenn Mór,		-	Grandson of David I
William I 1165–1214	"the Lion" - Garbh,		Ermengarde de Beaumont Woodstock Palace, Oxford, England 5 September 1186 four children	Grandson of David I
Alexander II 1214–1249	"the Peaceful"		Joan of England York Minster, England 21 June 1221 no children Marie de Coucy Roxburgh 15 May 1239 one son	Son of William I
Alexander III 1249–1286			Margaret of England York Minster, England 25 December 1251 three children Yolande de Dreux Jedburgh Abbey 15 October 1285 no children	Son of Alexander II

House of Sverre (1286–1290)

inherited the throne in 1286, but died in 1290 in Orkney on her way to be crowned. During her absence, Scotland was ruled by a set of guardians. After her death, Scotland entered a period of interregnum, where 13 contenders fought for the throne and ultimately, John Balliol succeeded.
The status of Margaret, as a Scottish monarch is debated by historians. She was never crowned, and her contemporaries in Scotland described her as "queen" very rarely, referring to her instead as Scotland's "lady", "heir", or "lady and heir". On the other hand, documents issued from late 1286 no longer refer to the "king whosoever he may be", indicating that the throne may have been regarded as already occupied by Margaret. In modern historiography she is nearly unanimously called "queen", and reference books give 19 March 1286, the date of Alexander III's death, as the start of her reign.

Name	Birth	Death	Dynastic status
Margaret the Maid of Norway 1286–1290	Tønsberg, Norway daughter of Eric II of Norway and Margaret of Scotland	September/October 1290 St Margaret's Hope, Orkney aged 7	Granddaughter of Alexander III through his daughter