In 841 Kenneth MacAlpin became King of Dalriada. MacAlpin was a descendent of Fergus Mor, 6th-century ruler of Kintyre. He was also a fearsome warrior and managed to unite the people of other kingdoms to face their common foe; the Vikings. MacAlpin's mother was a Pictish princess, so he was able to claim the crown of both Dalriada and Pictland. Together these kingdoms were known as Alba.
Kenneth MacAlpin was king of Alba for 16 years. During that time he defended the land against Viking raiders, but also against the Angles of Bernicia (roughly equivalent to modern Northumberland). He died in 859 AD and was buried on Iona.
His remarkable rise coincided with the disappearance of the Picts as a distinct entity. The Pictish kingdom simply ceased to be a force after MacAlpin united the kingdoms of Dalriada and Pictland. As an aside, the new kingdom of Alba gave its name to the dukedom of Albany, the title given to the eldest son of the Scottish king from the 15th century.
