Early Life and Ascension to the Throne
Constantine II was born around the late 9th century, the son of Áed, the King of the Picts. The Picts were one of the primary ethnic groups in northern Britain, living in what is now modern-day Scotland. Constantine’s family was part of the royal line of the Picts, a kingdom that had traditionally held power in northern and central Scotland. His rise to the throne was a result of both his royal lineage and the circumstances of the time.
In the late 9th century, Scotland was undergoing a transformation. The Pictish Kingdom was beginning to merge with the kingdom of the Scots, whose heartland lay in the western part of Scotland. In 843, Kenneth MacAlpin, the king of the Scots, succeeded in uniting the two peoples through conquest and political marriage. This created a unified Kingdom of the Scots, and the descendants of Kenneth MacAlpin would go on to rule Scotland for centuries.
The exact circumstances of Constantine II’s ascension to the throne are not entirely clear, but it is believed that he became king following the death of his cousin, Donald II, in 900. Constantine’s reign came at a time of growing external threats, particularly from the Vikings, and internal challenges from rival factions within the Scottish aristocracy. shutdown123