Domnall mac Ailpín
King of the Picts from 858 to 862
About Domnall mac Ailpín
Lived 812 – 862 (aged 49–50). Domnall mac Ailpín was a king.
Domnall mac Ailpín (Modern Gaelic: Dòmhnall mac Ailpein ), anglicised sometimes as Donald MacAlpin and known in most modern regnal lists as Donald I (812 – 13 April 862), was King of the Picts from 858 to 862. He followed his brother Kenneth I to the Pictish throne. He was posthumously given the epithet "Drechruaidh" (of the Ruddy Countenance) by the Duan Albanach.
Reign The Chronicle of the Kings of Alba says that Domnall reigned for four years, matching the notices in the Annals of Ulster of his brother's death on 8 February 858 and his own in April 862. The Chronicle notes:
The laws of Áed Find are entirely lost, but it has been assumed that, like the laws attributed to Giric of Scotland and Constantine II (Causantín mac Áeda), these related to the church and in particular to granting the privileges and immunities common elsewhere. The significance of Forteviot as the site of this law-making, along with Kenneth's death there and Constantine's later gathering at nearby Scone, may point to this as being the heartland of the sons of Alpín's support.
The Chronicle of Melrose says of Domnall, "in war he was a vigorous soldier ... he is said to have been assassinated at Scone." No other source reports Domnall's death by violence.
The Prophecy of Berchán may refer to Domnall in stanzas 123–124:
Although Domnall is generally supposed to have been childless, it has been suggested that Giric was a son of Domnall, reading his patronym as mac Domnaill rather than the commonly supposed mac Dúngail. This, however, is not widely accepted.
Domnall died, either at the palace of Cinnbelachoir (location unknown), or at Rathinveralmond (also unknown, and maybe the same place, presumed to be near the junction of the Almond and the Tay, near Scone). He was buried on Iona.
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Important facts
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King of AlbaFamily & relationships
Contemporaries
People whose lives overlapped Domnall mac Ailpín's
Frequently asked questions
Who was Domnall mac Ailpín?
King of the Picts from 858 to 862
When was Domnall mac Ailpín born?
Domnall mac Ailpín was born in 812 in Iona.
When did Domnall mac Ailpín die?
Domnall mac Ailpín died on 13 April 862 in Perthshire.
What was Domnall mac Ailpín's occupation?
Domnall mac Ailpín was a king.
Sources & further reading
· Wikipedia: Domnall mac Ailpín
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Domnall mac Ailpín. https://biography.guide/domnall-mac-ailpin/
MLA: "Domnall mac Ailpín." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/domnall-mac-ailpin/.
Chicago: "Domnall mac Ailpín." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/domnall-mac-ailpin/.
Data last updated: 2026-09-24 · Spot an error? Report a correction.
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