Editing Constantine II of Scotland (section)

== Return of the Uí Ímair ==
Following the events at Scone, there is little of substance reported for a decade. A story in the ''Fragmentary Annals of Ireland'', perhaps referring to events sometime after 911, claims that [[Æthelflæd]], who ruled in [[Mercia]], allied with the [[Irish people|Irish]] and northern rulers against the Norsemen on the Irish sea coasts of [[Northumbria]]. The ''Annals of Ulster'' record the defeat of an Irish fleet from the kingdom of [[Ulaid]] by Vikings "on the coast of England" at about this time.<ref>Higham, ''Kingdom of Northumbria'', pp. 185–186; ''Fragmentary Annals of Ireland'', FA 429; ''Annals of Ulster'', s.a. 913.</ref>

In this period the ''Chronicle of the Kings of Alba'' reports the death of [[Cormac mac Cuilennáin]], [[king of Munster]], in the eighth year of Constantine's reign.<ref>The ''Annals of Ulster'' states that Cormac died on {{Nowrap|13 September}} 908; Woolf, pp. 127–129.</ref> This is followed by an undated entry which was formerly read as "In his time Domnall [i.e. Dyfnwal], king of the [Strathclyde] Britons died, and Domnall son of Áed was elected". This was thought to record the election of a brother of Constantine named Domnall to the kingship of the Britons of Strathclyde and was seen as early evidence of the domination of Strathclyde by the kings of Alba. The entry in question is now read as "... Dyfnwal ... and Domnall son Áed [[king of Ailech]] died", this [[Domnall mac Áeda|Domnall]] being a son of [[Áed Findliath]] who died on 21 March 915.<ref>Domnall's death is recorded by the ''Annals of Ulster''. For the re-reading by Benjamin Hudson, see Woolf, ''Pictland to Alba'', pp. 127–129, 152–157; Dumville, "Chronicle of the Kings of Alba", p. 77. Smyth, ''Warlords and Holy Men'', pp. 222–223, is typical of the interpretation found in older works. The phrase in question reads "''et Dunenaldus filius Ede elig<sub>7</sub>''".</ref> Finally, the deaths of [[Flann Sinna]] and [[Niall Glúndub]] are recorded.<ref>The ''Annals of Ulster'' record the death of Flann on 25 May 916 and that of Niall on 14 September 919; Woolf, pp. 127–129.</ref>

There are more reports of Viking fleets in the [[Irish Sea]] from 914 onwards. By 916 fleets under [[Sihtric Cáech]] and [[Ragnall ua Ímair|Ragnall]], said to be grandsons of Ímar (that is, they belonged to the same [[Uí Ímair]] kindred as the Ímar who was killed in 904), were very active in [[Ireland]]. Sihtric inflicted a heavy defeat on the armies of [[Leinster]] and retook Dublin in 917.<ref>Hart, "Sihtric Cáech"; Hart "Ragnall"; Woolf, ''Pictland to Alba'', pp. 138–141; ''Annals of Ulster'', s.a. 914–917.</ref> The following year Ragnall appears to have returned across the Irish Sea intent on establishing himself as king at [[York]].<ref>Woolf, ''Pictland to Alba'', p. 142; ''Annals of Ulster'', s.a. 918.</ref> The only precisely dated event in the summer of 918 is the death of Æthelflæd of Mercia on 12 June 918 at [[Tamworth, Staffordshire]]. Æthelflæd had been negotiating with the Northumbrians to obtain their submission, but her death put an end to this and her successor, her brother [[Edward the Elder]], was occupied with securing control of [[Mercia]].<ref>Higham, ''Kingdom of Northumbria'', pp. 186–188; Swanton, ''Anglo-Saxon Chronicle'', p. 105, Ms. C, s.a. 918, 919.</ref>

[[Image:Dere Street.JPG|thumb|[[Dere Street]]; Corbridge is just south of [[Hadrian's Wall]] in the centre of the map]]

The northern part of [[Northumbria]], and perhaps the whole kingdom, had probably been ruled by [[Ealdred I of Bamburgh|Ealdred]] son of [[Eadwulf I of Bamburgh|Eadulf]] since 913.<ref>Keynes, "Rulers of the English"; Woolf, ''Pictland to Alba'', pp. 138–141.</ref> Faced with Ragnall's invasion, Ealdred came north seeking assistance from Constantine. The two advanced south to face Ragnall, and this led to a battle somewhere on the banks of the [[River Tyne]], probably at [[Corbridge]] where [[Dere Street]] crosses the river. The [[Battle of Corbridge]] appears to have been indecisive; the ''Chronicle of the Kings of Alba'' is alone in giving Constantine the victory.<ref>There is disagreement as to whether there was one battle at Corbridge in the 910s or two. The ''Annals of Ulster'', s.a. 918, the ''Fragmentary Annals of Ireland'', and the ''Chronicle of the Kings of Alba'', report only one battle. The idea that there were two rests on the ''[[Historia de Sancto Cuthberto]]'', for which see Anderson, ''Scottish Annals'', p. 64. The question is discussed by Woolf, ''Pictland to Alba'', pp. 142–144; Stenton, ''Anglo-Saxon England'', pp. 332–333.</ref>

The report of the battle in the ''Annals of Ulster'' says that none of the kings or [[mormaer]]s among the men of Alba were killed. This is the first surviving use of the word mormaer; other than the knowledge that Constantine's kingdom had its own bishop or bishops and royal villas, this is the only hint to the institutions of the kingdom.<ref>For Mormaers, see Woolf, ''Pictland to Alba'', pp 342–350; Smyth, ''Warlords and Holy Men'', pp. 219–220. For the later institutions of the kingdom of Alba, see {{citation |last=Barrow |first=G. W. S. |author-link=G. W. S. Barrow |title=The Kingdom of the Scots. Government, Church and Society from the eleventh to the fourteenth century |edition=2nd |year=2003 |location=Edinburgh |publisher=[[Edinburgh University Press]] |isbn=0-7486-1803-1 |pages=1–67}}</ref>

After Corbridge, Ragnall enjoyed only a short respite. In the south, Alfred's son Edward had rapidly secured control of Mercia and had a [[burh]] constructed at [[Bakewell]] in the [[Peak District]] from which his armies could easily strike north. An army from [[Dublin]] led by Ragnall's kinsman Sihtric struck at north-western Mercia in 919, but in 920 or 921 Edward met with Ragnall and other kings. The ''Anglo-Saxon Chronicle'' states that these kings "chose Edward as father and lord". Among the other kings present were Constantine, Ealdred son of Eadwulf, and the king of Strathclyde, [[Owain ap Dyfnwal (fl. 934)|Owain ap Dyfnwal]]. Here, again, a new term appears in the record, the ''Anglo-Saxon Chronicle'' for the first time using the word ''scottas'', from which Scots derives, to describe the inhabitants of Constantine's kingdom in its report of these events.<ref>Stenton, ''Anglo-Saxon England'', pp. 333–335; Swanton, ''Anglo-Saxon Chronicle'', p. 104, Ms. A, s.a. 924; Woolf, ''Pictland to Alba'', pp. 145–147.</ref>

Edward died in 924. His realms appear to have been divided with the West Saxons recognising [[Ælfweard of Wessex|Ælfweard]] while the Mercians chose [[Æthelstan]] who had been raised at Æthelflæd's court. Ælfweard died within weeks of his father and Æthelstan was inaugurated as king of all of Edward's lands in 925.<ref>Keynes, "Rulers of the English", p. 514; Miller, "Æthelstan"; Stenton, ''Anglo-Saxon England'', p. 339.</ref>