Drest VII.

Drest († 729 with Dromo Dergg Blathuug) was King of the Picts from 724 to 726 . He followed Nechtan mac Der-Ilei when he abdicated and entered a monastery in 724.

Neither the Ulster Annals nor the Tiger Annals named Drest's father. The older versions of the Pictish Chronicle simply list the names "Drest and Elpin" as kings after Nechtan. According to a later version, however, which mentions Nechtan's second reign in the years 728-729, a valley organ was the father of Drest. This version also names the otherwise unknown Carnach, son of Ferach, and Óengus, son of Bridei, and appears generally unreliable.

Since Nechtan abdicated in favor of Drest, a relationship between them seems likely. Numerous sons of Nechtan are said to have died before their father, so that Drest, whether he was a nephew, son-in-law or cousin of Nechtan, should have been his closest male relative. Drest was possibly the son of that Talorg, son of Drostan, "brother of Nechtan" - a half brother or perhaps a foster brother - who had been imprisoned in 713.

Whatever ancestry Drest may have been, his rule seems to have been quickly disputed. In 725 Simul, son of Drest, was imprisoned, but it is not known who issued the arrest warrant. 726 Nechtan was captured by Drest, after which Alpín , the Elpin of the king lists, deposed the Drest.

In 728 Drest, Nechtan, Alpín and Óengus mac Fergusa seem to have been involved in a fight for the Pictish throne. Drest was killed in 729 fighting against Óengus at Dromo Dergg Blathuug (possibly Drumderg, near Blairgowrie ).

It can only be surmised that there is a relationship between the Drest treated here and that Talorgan, son of Drest, king of Atholl , who was killed by drowning in 739. Drest, Talorgan and their variants are common Pictish names; they are too common for anthroponymy- based reasoning to be completely convincing.

personal data
SURNAME	Drest VII.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	King of the Picts
DATE OF BIRTH	7th century or 8th century
DATE OF DEATH	729
Place of death	at Dromo Dergg Blathuug