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flag of Scotland Map of Scotland showing major cities and towns, surrounding bodies of water including the Atlantic Ocean and North Sea, and borders with England and Northern Ireland. Insets highlight Scotland's location within the United Kingdom and the Shetland Islands. Major cities such as Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen, Dundee, and Inverness are labeled, along with key islands and coastal towns. Eilean Donan Castle, Scotland Map highlighting Scotland within the United Kingdom, showing its location in northern Great Britain with Edinburgh labeled, and surrounding countries including Ireland, France, Belgium, Netherlands, Germany, Denmark, and Norway. Major bodies of water such as the Atlantic Ocean, North Sea, and English Channel are also labeled. Ruins of St. Andrews Castle sit on a grassy cliff overlooking the ocean in Scotland, with stone walls and towers visible above the shoreline. Edinburgh Castle Physical map of Scotland highlighting major mountain ranges such as the Highlands and Southern Uplands, notable peaks including Ben Nevis and Ben Macdui, major lochs like Loch Ness and Loch Lomond, surrounding seas, and offshore island groups including the Hebrides, Orkney Islands, and Shetland Islands. Loch Ness, Scotland Ben Nevis rises above green hills and a cluster of houses, reflected in the calm water of Loch Linnhe near Fort William in the Scottish Highlands. The River Tweed flows over rocks beside a stone wall, with green trees lining the riverbank and hills visible in the background at Melrose, Scotland.
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Sovereigns of Scotland

in

Scotland

Written by
Ewen A. Cameron
Senior Lecturer, Department of Scottish History, University of Edinburgh, Scotland. Author of Land for the People? The British Government and the Scottish Highlands, c.1880–1930 and Charles Fraser...
Ewen A. CameronAll
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Britannica Editors
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....
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β€’History

The table provides a chronological list of the sovereigns of Scotland.

Sovereigns of Scotland1
name reign
1Knowledge about the early Scottish kings, until Malcolm II, is slim and is partly based on traditional lists of kings. The dating of reigns is thus inexact.
2Eochaid may have been a minor and Giric his guardian, or Giric may have been a usurper. Both appear in the lists of kings for the period.
3"Stewart" was the original spelling for the Scottish family, but, during the 16th century, French influence led to the adoption of the spelling Stuart (or Steuart), because of the absence of the letter "w" in the French alphabet.
4James VI of Scotland became also James I of England in 1603. Upon accession to the English throne, he styled himself "King of Great Britain" and was so proclaimed. Legally, however, he and his successors held separate English and Scottish kingships until the Act of Union of 1707, when the two kingdoms were united as the Kingdom of Great Britain.
Kenneth I MacAlpin 843–858
Donald I 858–862
Constantine I 862–877
Aed (Aodh) 877–878
Eochaid (Eocha) and Giric (Ciric)2 878–889
Donald II 889–900
Constantine II of Scotland
 Constantine II 900–943
Malcolm I of Scotland
 Malcolm I 943–954
Indulf, engraving by Bannerman
 Indulf 954–962
Dub 962–966
Culen 966–971
Kenneth II of Scotland
 Kenneth II 971–995
Constantine III
 Constantine III 995–997
Kenneth III of Scotland
 Kenneth III 997–1005
Malcolm II of Scotland, engraving by Bannerman
 Malcolm II 1005–34
Duncan I of Scotland
 Duncan I 1034–40
Macbeth
 Macbeth 1040–57
Lulach 1057–58
Malcolm III Canmore
 Malcolm III Canmore 1058–93
Donald Bane (Donalbane) 1093–94
Engraved portrait of Duncan II of Scotland, shown with curly hair and wearing a fur-trimmed garment inside an ornate oval frame.
 Duncan II 1093–94
Donald Bane (restored) 1094–97
Edgar 1097–1107
Engraved portrait of Alexander I of Scotland in profile, wearing armor and a headpiece, set within an oval decorative frame.
 Alexander I 1107–24
David I
 David I 1124–53
Malcolm IV of Scotland
 Malcolm IV 1153–65
William the Lion
 William I the Lion 1165–1214
Alexander II of Scotland
 Alexander II 1214–49
Alexander III of Scotland
 Alexander III 1249–86
Margaret, Maid of Norway 1286–90
Interregnum 1290–92
Engraved portrait of John de Balliol of Scotland in profile, wearing medieval armor and looking to the left.
 John de Balliol 1292–96
Interregnum 1296–1306
Robert the Bruce
 Robert I the Bruce 1306–29
Engraved portrait of David II of Scotland wearing a crown and fur-trimmed robe, with a beard and shoulder-length hair, facing slightly to his left.
 David II 1329–71
House of Stewart (Stuart)3
Robert II, coin, 14th century; in the British Museum
 Robert II 1371–90
King of the Scots
 Robert III 1390–1406
James I
 James I 1406–37
James II
 James II 1437–60
James III
 James III 1460–88
James IV
 James IV 1488–1513
James V
 James V 1513–42
Mary, Queen of Scots
 Mary, Queen of Scots 1542–67
Daniel Mytens: portrait of James I
 James VI4 1567–1625