Scottish Royal Succession

The Scottish royal family can trace an unbroken descent from about 500 AD, when Fergus mac Ercc, leader of a group of Irish from Dál Riata called the Scots, came across and settled in the Argyllshire area. They called their kingdom Dál Riata, but the name Scots and Scotland came into use from them. This Scottish royal family eventually became kings of the Pictish area through a combination of conquest and intermarriage. The Pictish throne was inherited through the female line, and it is possible that Alpin or Kenneth gained a claim to the Pictish throne through a Pictish mother in about the early ninth century. The areas of Strathclyde and Lothian were absorbed later.
There was not a strict inheritance by primogeniture (succession of the eldest son) until the twelfth century. For much of the earlier period, the succession alternated between two branches of the royal family. Kings were usually succeeded by brothers or cousins, not sons (who were often too young).

Rulers of Scotland are always referred to as King/Queen of Scots, not as King/Queen of Scotland.

The dates in the chart refer to reign years, and the dates in the early part of the chart are all approximate. Scots rulers are shown in bold capitals, kings of other countries are also in capitals.

                                   ?Ercc
                          ___________|_____________
                          |                       |
                     FERGUS MOR                Loarn
                      c500-501                    |
                          |                       V
                     DOMANGART I
                      c501-507
              ____________|_____________
              |                        |
           COMGALL                  GABRÁN
          c507-538                 c538-558
              |                        |
          CONALL I                  ÁEDÁN
          c558-574                 c574-606
                                       |
                                   EOCHAID I
                                    606-629
       ________________________________|_______
       |                |                     |
     Conne        DOMNALL BREAC          CONALL II
       |             629-642               642-c659
       |                |                _____|_________
       |                |                |             |
    FERCHAR       DOMANGART II    DOMNALL II   MAEL DUIN
    c642-649        c659-673         c689-696      c673-689
                        |
                    EOCHAID II
                    c696-697
                        |
                   EOCHAID III
                    c721-733
                        |_______________________
                        |                      |
                    ÁED FIND               FERGUS
                     748-778                778-781
                        |
                    Eochaid IV = ?a Pictish princess
                               |
                            AILPÍN = ?a Pictish princess
                           c837-840 |
                   _________________|________________________
                   |                                        |
         KENNETH I mac Alpin                           DONALD I
                834-859                                  859-863
             ______|_____________________________           |
             |                 |                |           |
         daughter       CONSTANTINE I       AEDH      GIRIC I
             |              863-877          877-878     878-889
             |                 |                |
         EOCHAID         DONALD II     CONSTANTINE II
          878-889           889-900          900-942
                               |                |
                          MALCOLM I         INDULF
                            942-954          954-962
       ________________________|                |
       |                    |                   |
     DUBH              KENNETH II          CUILEAN
    962-967              971-995             967-971
       |                    |                   |
  KENNETH III         MALCOLM II       CONSTANTINE III
    997-1005            1005-1034            995-997
   ____|_______             |
   |          |             |
GIRIC II   Boedhe         Bethoc = Crinan of Dunkeld
997-1005      |____               |______
                  |                     |
Gillacomgain = Gruoch = MACBETH     DUNCAN I
             |         1040-1057    1034-1040
        _____|               ___________|_____________________
        |                    |                               |
     LULACH        1 = MALCOLM III = St Margaret      DONALD III Ban
    1057-1058         |  1058-1093   |                  1093-94,1094-97
        ______________| _____________|______________________
        |               |          |            |          |
     DUNCAN II      EDGAR   ALEXANDER I   DAVID I   Matilda = HENRY I
       1094         1097-1107  1107-1124    1124-1153           of England
                                                |
                                     Henry, Earl of Huntingdon
                  ______________________________|______
                  |             |                     |
             MALCOLM IV    WILLIAM I      David, Earl of Huntingdon
              1153-1165     1165-1214                 |
               _________________|   __________________|_____
               |                    |                      |
          ALEXANDER II         Margaret = Alan of     Isabella = Robert
            1214-1249             ________| Galloway             | Bruce
                |                 |                              |
          ALEXANDER III     Devorguilla = John             Robert Bruce
            1249-1286               ______| Balliol              |
                |                   |                            |
   ERIC II  = Margaret       JOHN BALLIOL              Robert Bruce
  of Norway |                 1292-1296                   |
            |                     |                       |
   MARGARET, Maid         EDWARD BALLIOL   Isobel = ROBERT I = Elizabeth
      of Norway               1332-1341              |  BRUCE   |
      1286-1290                                      | 1306-1329 |
                                                     |           |
                            Walter the Steward = Marjorie    DAVID II
                                               |          1329-32,1341-71
                                               |
                                       ROBERT II Stewart
                                           1371-1390
                                               |
                     Annabella Drummond = ROBERT III
                                        |  1390-1406
                                        |
                                     JAMES I
                                    1406-1437
                                        |
                                    JAMES II
                                    1437-1460
                                        |
                     HENRY VII      JAMES III
                     of England     1460-1488
                          |               |
        Archibald (2) = Margaret = (1) JAMES IV
         Douglas      |   Tudor  |    1488-1513
             _________|          |
             |                   |
Matthew = Margaret  Mary of =  JAMES V  ~ Margaret Erskine
 Stuart |            Guise  | 1513-1547  :
        |                   |            :
       Henry Stuart, =   MARY        James Stewart,     James Stewart,
       Lord Darnley  | 1542-1567    1st Earl of Moray    Lord of Doune
                     |                      |                 |
                 JAMES VI              Elizabeth = James Stewart,
                 1567-1625                        | 2nd Earl of Moray
      _______________|                            |
      |              |                James Stewart, 3rd Earl of Moray
  Elizabeth      CHARLES I
      |          1625-1649
      |         _____|_______________________________
      |         |           |                       |
   Sophia   CHARLES II   Mary     Anne Hyde = JAMES VII = Mary of Modena
  = Ernest  1649-1685       |                | 1685-1689   |
 of Hanover                 |            ____|________     |________
      |                     |            |           |             |
  GEORGE I         WILLIAM II/III = MARY II     ANNE      James Edward,
  1714-1727              1689-1702    1689-1694  1702-1714   'Old Pretender'
      |                                           _________________|
      |                                           |              |
  GEORGE II                               Charles Edward,  Henry, Cardinal
  1727-1760                               'Young Pretender'       York
      |__________________________
               |                |
       Frederick, Prince   William, Duke
           of Wales        of Cumberland
               |
          GEORGE III
           1760-1820
       ________|______________________________
       |                  |                  |
    GEORGE IV       WILLIAM IV         Edward, Duke
    1820-1830         1830-1837             of Kent
                                             |
                                         VICTORIA
                                         1837-1901
                                             |
                                         EDWARD VII
                                         1901-1910
                                             |
                                          GEORGE V
                                         1910-1936
                                _____________|______
                                |                  |
                           EDWARD VIII       GEORGE VI
                              1936             1936-1952
                                                   |
                                              ELIZABETH II
                                               1952-

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Created: 10 August 1999
Last modified: 30 March 2000

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