Kenneth MacAlpin: King of the Picts and Legendary Founder of Scotia
There is scarcely any concrete information about the man widely credited with the foundation of medieval Scotia, the precursor to today’s Scotland. There are facts about battles that occurred and kingdoms that were defeated. Yet about the man himself, there is little more than legend. In the 1200 years since the reign of Cináed mac Ailpín (anglicized to Kenneth MacAlpin), his legend has only grown. The King of the Picts now seems to have been caught up in the Stone of Destiny also known as the Holy Grail. Yet beneath all of the extraordinary claims about the 9th century Scot, there is a real-life man who faced impossible odds to save his people and found a country.