Scottish Kings and Queens [ 2 ] Quiz

Answer: Donald I

Donald mac Alpin (r.858-862) was Kenneth's brother. At the time the Scottish monarchy was not decided by primogeniture (succession by the eldest son) but by the selection of the most able candidate. To be a candidate, a man (all the early monarchs were men) must have had a great-grandfather who had held the throne.

The high king (ard righ) was selected by the lesser kings (ri). Each high king would then nominate an heir (the tanist). Between 889 and 1034 the throne tended to alternate between the descendants of Constantine I, Kenneth's eldest son, and Aed (or Aedh), the second son.

This often made for a bloody and bitter succession.

Answer: Eochaid and Giric

The dates normally given for Eochaid and Giric's reign are 878-889. Giric was the son of Donald I while Eochaid was the grandson of Kenneth I, through his daughter, the wife of a king of Strathclyde. Records for the time are very vague and the exact nature of Eochaid and Giric's rule is unclear. It is generally thought that they ruled jointly. However, it is possible that they were rivals for the throne or that they divided the realm and one ruled in the north and one in the south.

Other examples of joint reigns are Donald III and Edmund, 1094-97 (again details of this reign are sketchy and many sources do not credit Edmund as a king at all), and William II and Mary II, 1688-1694.

Answer: David I

David I (r.1124-1153) was the youngest son of Malcolm Canmore and his second wife, Margaret of England. He was known as David the Saint for his support of the Church. His son, Henry of Huntingdon, had predeceased him and so he was succeeded by his eldest grandson, Malcolm IV.

It was during the reigns of Malcolm Canmore's sons that primogeniture became established as the mode of succession.

Answer: Alexander III

In 1098 the islands off the western seaboard of Scotland had been ceded to the Norwegians. Alexander III, like his father, had tried to claim these back for Scotland. In response, the Norwegian king, Haakon IV, set sail for Scotland. Haakon died after the battle on his journey back to Norway and in 1266 his successor concluded an agreement with King Alexander which allowed for the return of the islands to Scotland in return for a monetary tribute.

Answer: Dunbar

John was a weak and ineffective ruler who had been chosen as king over Robert Bruce largely because Edward thought he would be more malleable. John's defiance came too late, however. The Scottish nobles did not support him and he was deposed by Edward in 1296 and sent into exile.

This was the beginning of the Scottish Wars of Independence. Scotland would not have another king until Robert Bruce's grandson, another Robert Bruce, was crowned in 1306.

Answer: Edward

When King Robert the Bruce died in 1329 he left his son David, a 5 year old boy, as king. Edward III of England saw this as a perfect opportunity to restore English influence in Scotland and, despite the fact that his young sister Joanna was married to David, aided Edward Balliol's attempt to gain the Scottish throne.

The attempt ultimately proved fruitless but caused Scotland years more conflict and turmoil.

Answer: James III

James III was an unpopular king. His nobles disliked his low-born favourites and he may have been homosexual. At various times his own brothers and sons conspired against him. His eldest son, James, led the rebellion against him in 1488 which culminated at Sauchieburn. According to the most common story, after the battle King James was wounded and took refuge in a mill.

A man claiming to be a priest entered the mill and, on the pretence of helping the king, stabbed him to death instead. Prince James succeeded as James IV and afterwards always wore an iron belt as a public display of penitence for his involvement in his father's death.

Answer: James VI

Anne was the daughter of King Frederick II of Denmark. She and James were married by proxy in 1589 and then again in person the following year. The couple had three children who survived infancy: Henry Frederick, Elizabeth and Charles. The youngest, Charles, would eventually succeed to the thrones of England, Scotland and Ireland and was the last Scottish monarch to be born in Scotland.

The current British royal family are descended from Princess Elizabeth.

Answer: Scone

The Scots had originally sided with the English parliametarians during the English Civil War but, after handing over Charles I to their allies, the Scots were shocked and appalled when the king was executed. In response, they invited Prince Charles to be king in 1649.

He arrived in Scotland in 1650 and was crowned at Scone, the traditional coronation site of the Scottish kings, in early 1651. However, his defeat at the Battle of Worcester later that year meant he had to flee to the continent and he did not return until the Restoration in 1660.

Answer: Act of Security

Scotland and England were still at this time two separate nation-states, sharing one monarch. The succession in the early 18th century was a sticky issue. Anne's estimated eighteen pregnancies had not produced a child who had lived past eleven years of age. She did have a younger half-brother, James. However, his Roman Catholicism barred him from the succession in the eyes of the predominantly Protestant Scottish and English governments and parliaments. The English Act of Settlement settled the English succession on the descendants of Sophia daughter of Elizabeth Stuart, herself the daughter of James VI and I. However, the Scottish Act of Security asserted the right of the Scottish Parliament to pick their own king if they wished.

Fears over a divided succession were one of the driving factors which brought about the Union of the Parliaments under Anne in 1707 to create Great Britain.