kingdom · British Isles
Kingdom of Fortriu
Origins
Fortriu takes its name from the Verturiones, listed by Ammianus Marcellinus in the 360s as one of the two main peoples of the Picts. In early Irish annals 'king of Fortriu' became the title of the most powerful Pictish rulers. Long located in Strathearn, it is now usually placed around Moray and Easter Ross, following work by Alex Woolf.
Rule and society
Kings of Fortriu built an over-kingship across Pictland. Bridei son of Beli destroyed the Northumbrian army at Dun Nechtain in 685, ending English dominance in the north. Óengus son of Fergus, from 729 to 761, defeated rivals and even campaigned against Dál Riata and Strathclyde. Major centres included the fortress of Burghead and the monastery of Portmahomack. Later kings such as Constantín son of Fergus also ruled Dál Riata.
Decline and legacy
In 839 a Viking army killed the king of Fortriu, Eóganán, with many nobles. In the aftermath Cináed mac Ailpín seized power, and Fortriu merged into the Gaelic kingdom of Alba around 900. The region later re-emerged as the province of Moray.
Lineage
On the connections map
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- Kingdom of Fortriu was part of Kingdom of the Picts300 CE – 900 CE
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Cite this page
- APA
- The Epoch Institute. (2026). Kingdom of Fortriu. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/kingdom-of-fortriu
- MLA
- “Kingdom of Fortriu.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/kingdom-of-fortriu. Accessed .
- Chicago
- The Epoch Institute. “Kingdom of Fortriu.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/kingdom-of-fortriu.
- Harvard
- The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Kingdom of Fortriu’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/kingdom-of-fortriu (Accessed: ).
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