Monarchs of Scotland (842–1707)

The first subject described by the Oxford DNB as king in Scotland was Kenneth I. He became king of Dalriada in western Scotland, usually identified with Argyll, in 840, in succession to his father Alpin (d. 840) [see under Dál Riata, kings of], and king of the Picts [see Picts, kings of the] in 842, thereby extending his rule over an undefined part of central Scotland north of the Forth and Clyde. Kenneth's successors extended the kingdom to include, by the reign of Malcolm II, most of modern Scotland. Malcolm is the first of the line to be described by the Oxford DNB as king of Scots.

The throne of Scotland was vacant between the death of Alexander III in 1286 and the appointment of John as king by Edward I of England in 1292; Edward deposed John in 1296, and the throne was again vacant until assumed by Robert I in 1306. Traditionally regarded as a queen of Scots, Margaret, the Maid of Norway, is included here, though she was not recognized as queen in Scotland during her lifetime.

From the reign of David II Scottish monarchs appear to have begun their reigns on the day after their predecessor's death and, from James IV onwards, the day of their predecessor's death, with the exception of Mary I, who was styled princess until her coronation.

James VI became James I, king of England and Ireland, in 1603, and assumed the title king of Great Britain in 1604. As he and several of his successors following the union of the crowns began and ended their reigns on different dates in England and Scotland, separate lists have been maintained up until the Act of Union in 1707. Thereafter British monarchs combined rule of Scotland with England and Wales as part of Great Britain.

Subheadings group the rulers by dynasty. There is no agreed convention for dividing the monarchs of Scotland before the interregnum of 1286, but this list groups them as ‘Descendants of Alpin’ to 1040, the ‘House of Moray’ between 1040 and 1058, and ‘Descendants of Duncan I’ subsequently. The list is ordered chronologically by date of accession.