Bridei filius Mailcon xxx.annis regnavit. In octavo anno regni cius baptizatus est sancto a Columba.

Bridei, son of Mailcon ruled for 30 years. In the eighth year of his reign he was baptised by St. Columba.

So the Pictish Chronicles record the reign of Bridei I who ruled as king of the Picts from 556 to 586 after his cousin, Galam, with whom he’d shared rule for one year, abdicated. That Bridei was a very powerful king is evidenced by the fact that he was able to defeat the Scots and laid waste to the Scottish holdings in the west in 557. Mailcon, his father, may be the Maelgwn who was the ruler of Gwyned condemned by Gildas and died in 547.

The concept of royal centers in the Pictish kingdom grew from a loose confederation of tribal groups in or about the 3rd century and became a major political and landowning force until they were taken over by the Scots in the 9th century. Most of what we know about the historical Pictish kings comes from three sources - the already mentioned Pictish Chronicles, the Venerable Bede and St. Columba’s Life by his biographer, Adamnan.

Bede describes a nation that was geographically divided by the Mounth into Southern and Northern regions whose lands were ruled in turn by lords, sub kings and at the top, a high king. Bridei was a powerful king north of the Mounth as evidenced by the obvious wealth of his fortress on top of Creag Phadriag, Inverness, remains of which can still be seen. We know it was large enough to house the royal family, advisors and slaves and was also large enough to house hostages taken as a means to insure the loyalty of and Orcadian sub-king.

The large wooden doors were barred against Columba when visiting the king on his first mission. Adamnan, Columba’s biographer, tells of how Bridei “elated by the pride of royalty, acted haughtily, and would not open his gates on the first arrival of the blessed man’. After making the sign of the cross, Columba then knocked at and laid his hand on the doors which flew open of their own accord. From that day forward, Bridei held Columba in high regard we are told. Adamnan also describes Bridei’s other powerful asset: his Druid, Broichan, who was consulted in augury, the keeper of knowledge and laws and who could raise and still storms. Since Columba needed translators to speak to the king so it appears that the Picts didn’t speak at least the Gael version of the Celtic language

__________________________________

Sources:

The Pictish Chronicle

The Life of St. Columba, Founcer of Hy, Written by Admanan, Ninth Abbot of that Monastary, ed. by William Reeves