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King Eochaid Buide mac Áedáin
Generation: 1
Generation: 2
Generation: 3
Generation: 4
Generation: 5
Generation: 6
Generation: 7
Generation: 8
1. King Eochaid Buide mac Áedáin was born est 565; died in ca 629. Other Events and Attributes:
- Accession: ca 609; King of Dál Riata
Notes:
Eochaid Buide—also written Eochu Buide or Eochaidh Buidhe—was the son and successor of Áedán mac Gabráin. His nickname Buide means “yellow,” probably referring to blond or yellowish hair.
Eochaid was apparently one of Áedán’s younger sons. Adomnán’s Life of Columba relates that Áedán asked Saint Columba which of his sons would succeed him. Columba predicted that the older sons—Artúr, Eochaid Find and Domangart—would die in battle.
When Áedán’s younger sons were brought forward, Eochaid Buide reportedly ran into Columba’s lap. Columba blessed him and declared that he would become king and that his sons would reign after him. Although written as a saintly prophecy, it preserves the important historical fact that Eochaid succeeded his father. (Adomnán’s Life of Columba, Book I, Chapter 8)
Eochaid Buide should not be confused with his older brother Eochaid Find, who was reportedly killed fighting the Miathi.
Much less is recorded about Eochaid’s reign than about his father’s. He apparently maintained Dál Riata through a difficult period following Áedán’s defeat by the Angles at Degsastan.
During his reign, the exiled Northumbrian princes Oswald and Oswiu, sons of Æthelfrith, lived among the Gaels and Picts. They may have received protection or fosterage at Eochaid’s court, although Bede does not specifically name Eochaid. Oswald learned Gaelic and became a Christian during this exile, later bringing missionaries from Iona to Northumbria.
Near the end of Eochaid’s reign, Connad Cerr may have acted as a subordinate or co-king. Connad was killed around 629 at the Battle of Fid Eóin, where Dál Riata suffered a major defeat against the Cruithin of northeastern Ireland.
Death and the “King of the Picts” mystery - The Annals of Ulster record: “Death of Echaid Buide son of Aedán, king of the Picts.”
The entry appears under the annalistic year 629, though reconstructed chronologies sometimes move the event to approximately 631 or 632. (Annals of Ulster, U629). Eochaid does not appear in the surviving Pictish king lists. Therefore, “king of the Picts” might indicate:- Temporary authority over some Pictish territory;
- Recognition of Dál Riata’s political influence;
- Confusion in the annalistic source; or
- A later copying error.
It is safest to identify him as king of Dál Riata, not definitively as king of all the Picts.
Family/Spouse: Unknown. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]
Children:
- 2. King Domnall Brecc of Dalriada
was born est 615; died in 642.
Generation: 2
2. King Domnall Brecc of Dalriada
(1.Eochaid1) was born est 615; died in 642. Family/Spouse: Unknown. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]
Children:
- 3. Domongart of Dalriada
was born est 640.
- 3. Domongart of Dalriada
Generation: 3
3. Domongart of Dalriada
(2.Domnall2, 1.Eochaid1) was born est 640. Family/Spouse: Unknown. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]
Children:
- 4. King Eochaid II of Dalriada
was born est 665; died in 697.
- 4. King Eochaid II of Dalriada
Generation: 4
4. King Eochaid II of Dalriada
(3.Domongart3, 2.Domnall2, 1.Eochaid1) was born est 665; died in 697. Family/Spouse: Unknown. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]
Children:
- 5. King Eochaid III of Dalriada
was born est 695.
- 5. King Eochaid III of Dalriada
Generation: 5
5. King Eochaid III of Dalriada
(4.Eochaid4, 3.Domongart3, 2.Domnall2, 1.Eochaid1) was born est 695. Family/Spouse: Unknown. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]
Children:
- 6. King Ethafind of Scots
was born est 730; died in 778.
- 6. King Ethafind of Scots
Generation: 6
6. King Ethafind of Scots
(5.Eochaid5, 4.Eochaid4, 3.Domongart3, 2.Domnall2, 1.Eochaid1) was born est 730; died in 778. Family/Spouse: Unknown. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]
Children:
- 7. King Eochaid IV of Scotland
was born about 747; died in 819.
- 7. King Eochaid IV of Scotland
Generation: 7
7. King Eochaid IV of Scotland
(6.Ethafind6, 5.Eochaid5, 4.Eochaid4, 3.Domongart3, 2.Domnall2, 1.Eochaid1) was born about 747; died in 819. Family/Spouse: Princess Fergusa of Dalriada. Fergusa (daughter of King Fergus of Dalriada) was born about 755. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]
Children:
- 8. King Alpin of Scotland
was born about 778; died on 20 Jul 834 in Galloway, Scotland.
- 8. King Alpin of Scotland
Generation: 8
8. King Alpin of Scotland
(7.Eochaid7, 6.Ethafind6, 5.Eochaid5, 4.Eochaid4, 3.Domongart3, 2.Domnall2, 1.Eochaid1) was born about 778; died on 20 Jul 834 in Galloway, Scotland. Family/Spouse: Unknown. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]
Children:
- 9. King Kenneth Mac Alpin of the Picts
was born in 810 in Scotland; died on 6 Feb 859 in Forteviot, Perthshire, Scotland.
- 9. King Kenneth Mac Alpin of the Picts
