Óengus I
King of the Picts from 732 to 761 / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Óengus son of Fergus (Pictish: *Onuist map Vurguist;[note 1] Old Irish: Óengus mac Fergusso, lit. 'Angus son of Fergus'; died 761) was king of the Picts from 732 until his death in 761. His reign can be reconstructed in some detail from a variety of sources. The unprecedented territorial gains he made from coast to coast, and the legacy he left, mean Óengus can be considered the first king of what would become Scotland.
Óengus mac Fergusa | |
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![]() The figure of the Old Testament King David shown killing a lion on the St Andrews Sarcophagus is thought to represent King Óengus. The figure is dressed as a Roman emperor of Late Antiquity and wears a fibula like that of the Emperor Justinian on the mosaic at San Vitale, Ravenna.[1][2][3] | |
King of the Picts | |
Reign | 732–761 |
Predecessor | Nechtan III |
Successor | Talorgan II |
Died | 761 |
Issue | Bridei Talorgan |
House | Óengus |
Wresting power from his rivals, Óengus became the chief king in Pictland following a period of civil war in the late 720s.
The most powerful ruler in Scotland for more than two decades, kings from Óengus's family dominated Pictland for a century, until defeat at the hands of Vikings in 839 began a new period of instability, ending with the coming to power of another Pictish dynasty, that of Cináed mac Ailpín.[5][6]