Giric facts for kids

Giric mac Dúngail (in modern Scottish Gaelic: Griogair mac Dhunghail; lived around 878–889) was a king in early Scotland. He was known simply as Giric in English. People also called him Mac Rath, which means "Son of Fortune." He might have been a king of the Picts or the first king of Alba (an early name for Scotland).

Not much is known for sure about Giric's time as king. Old records from Ireland and England don't say much about him. The few details we have are confusing. Historians today still debate if Giric ruled alone or with another king named Eochaid. They also wonder about his family and whether he was a Pictish king or the first king of Scotland.

Even though we know little about him now, Giric was seen as a very important person in Scotland many centuries ago. Writers like John of Fordun and George Buchanan called him "King Gregory the Great." They even wrote stories that he conquered half of England and all of Ireland!

The Chronicle of Melrose and some versions of the Chronicle of the Kings of Alba say that Giric died in a place called Dundurn in Strathearn.

Understanding Giric's Name

Giric's name is linked to a saint named St. Cyricus. This saint was a young child who died as a martyr (someone who dies for their beliefs) a long time ago.

According to the Chronicles of the Kings of Scotland, St. Cyricus was Giric's special saint. This is because Giric's name sounds like "Ciricum," the Latin form of the saint's name. Also, the first church built for St. Cyricus was made during Giric's rule. This church was in a place called Ecclesgrieg, which is now St. Cyrus in Aberdeenshire.

St. Cyricus's special day is June 16. Around that day in 885, there was a solar eclipse. This eclipse became connected to Giric and Eochaid's rule. Not long after the eclipse, both kings "were expelled from the kingdom."

Giric and Eochaid: Their Connection

Historians have many ideas about how Eochaid and Giric were related. Giric was definitely older than Eochaid.

The Chronicle of the Kings of Alba, written in Latin, used a phrase alumnus ordinatorque to describe Giric's link to Eochaid. Some people translate this as "teacher and prime minister." Others translate alumnus as "foster-son." So, the phrase "Eochaid with his 'foster-son' was then thrown out of the kingdom" has been used.

Many popular history books and websites often say they were "cousins" or "first cousins once removed." However, this is just a guess. We don't know much about Giric's family background. Eochaid's father, Rhun, was a "king of the Britons." But little is known about Giric's father, Dungal. This might be why people guess Dungal wasn't from a royal family. One writer called Giric Eochaid's "rather shadowy kinsman," which means a relative whose exact connection isn't clear.

Some experts think their connection was more about politics than family. One idea is that Giric might not have been born into royalty. So, he might have used Eochaid as a "puppet king" (someone who rules but is controlled by another). Another expert, Sir John Rhys, thought Giric was a non-Celtic king of Pictish background. He believed Giric held the real power, while Eochaid ruled the Brythons in Fortrenn but was mostly under Giric's control.

What we do know is that in 878, Giric killed Aed, who was Eochaid's uncle. This happened "in battle" in a town called Nrurim, probably north of Stirling. After this, Giric and Eochaid ruled together for eleven years, no matter what their exact relationship was.

The Son of Fortune

The Prophecy of Berchán is an old poem from the 11th century. It tells the history of Scottish and Irish kings as if it were a prophecy (a prediction of the future). It's a tricky source because it calls kings by nicknames, not their real names.

This Prophecy is thought to be talking about Giric when it uses the nickname Mac Rath, which means "the Son of Fortune."

An entry about Giric in the Chronicle of the Kings of Alba might be a bit mixed up. It says:

And Eochaid, son of Run, the king of the Britons [of Strathclyde, and] grandson of Kenneth by his daughter reigned for eleven years; although other say that Giric, the son of another, reigned at this time, because he became Eochaid's foster-father and guardian.
And in [Eochaid's] second year, Áed, Niall's son, died; and his ninth year, on the very day of [St] Cyricus, an eclipse of the sun occurred. Eochaid with his foster-father was now expelled from the kingdom.

Here, Kenneth is Kenneth MacAlpin. Áed, Niall's son, is Áed Findliath, who died on November 20, 879. St. Cyrus's day was June 16, and a solar eclipse happened on that day in 885.

Giric: Gregory the Great

By the 12th century, Giric had become a legendary figure. People believed he freed the Scottish church from the Picts. They also told amazing stories that he conquered Ireland and most of England. Because of these tales, Giric became known as Gregory the Great.

This story appears in a version of the Chronicle of the Kings of Alba. It was added into Andrew of Wyntoun's Orygynale Cronykil of Scotland. In this version, Giric, or Grig, is called "Makdougall," son of Dúngal.

One common account of Giric says:

Giric, Dungal's son, reigned for twelve years; and he died in Dundurn, and was buried in Iona. He subdued to himself all Ireland, and nearly [all] England; and he was the first to give liberty to the Scottish church, which was in servitude up to that time, after the custom and fashion of the Picts.

In some versions of the story, Giric's conquests are said to be in Bernicia (part of England) instead of Ireland. Some historians see a link between this and another old text, the Historia de Sancto Cuthberto. This text says that after King Halfdan died, the people of Northumbria and the Vikings joined forces. They defeated a Scottish invasion led by King Guthfrith.

He Shall Rule Over Alba as One Lord

Historian A.A.M. Duncan believes that Giric and Eochaid did not rule together. He thinks Giric was the only king of the Picts. Duncan suggests that Giric claimed the throne because he was the son of Kenneth MacAlpin's daughter. He also thinks the report that Giric was Eochaid's guardian (alumpnus) was a mistake. It might have meant "uncle" (auunculus).

Another historian, A.P. Smyth, suggested that Giric was a nephew of Kenneth MacAlpin. He thought Giric was the son of Kenneth's brother, Donald MacAlpin. This idea might come from what was probably a mistake made by a scribe (someone who copied texts).

Some old records also mention a king named Causantín, son of Domnaill (or Dúngail), who is otherwise unknown. Finally, Benjamin Hudson has suggested that Giric was not from Kenneth MacAlpin's family line. Instead, he might have been from the House of Moray in the north. Hudson also believes that Giric's brother, Causantín, truly existed.

See also

In Spanish: Giric de Escocia para niños