Culen (Scotland)
Culen ( Cuilén mac Iduilb ; † 971 ) was Scottish king from 967 until his death. He was the son of King Indulf and third cousin of both his predecessor Dubh and his successor Kenneth II. Other traditional names are Cuilean , Colin and Culen the puppy (a tautology because Cuilean also means puppy in Gaelic).
Culen was the third successive king to ascend the Scottish throne because the respective predecessor had been murdered. After Dubh's body was discovered under the Kinloss Bridge near Forres , it was widely believed that the assassins had been hired by Culen.
The new monarch had two sons, the future King Constantine III. as well as Malcolm. Nothing is known about the latter apart from the year of his death in 1002.
Culen was assassinated in Lothian in 971 by Riderch, the under-king of Strathclyde . This act was in revenge for the rape of Riderch's daughter by Culen and for the murder of his brother during a campaign with which Culen wanted to regain control of Strathclyde. Culen was thus the fourth king to be murdered in a row.
See also
Individual evidence
- ^ A b Ross, Stewart: Monarchs of Scotland. Lochar Publishing, 1990. ISBN 0-948403-38-1 , p. 29
Web links
- Biography on www.fmg.ac (English)
- Cuilean, King of Alba, on thepeerage.com , accessed July 26, 2015.
| predecessor | Office | successor |
|---|---|---|
| Dubh |
King of Scotland 967–971 |
Kenneth II. |
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Culen |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Cuilén mac Illuilb; Cuilean; Colin; Culen the puppy |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | King of Scotland |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 10th century |
| DATE OF DEATH | 971 |