Gartnait son of Donuel
King of the Picts from 657 to 663
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Gartnait son of Donuel (Old Irish: Gartnait mac Domnaill or Gartnait mac Dúngail; died 663) was king of the Picts from 657 until 663.
| Gartnait son of Donuel | |
|---|---|
| King of the Picts | |
| Reign | 657–663 |
| Predecessor | Talorgan I |
| Successor | Drest VI |
| Died | 663 |
| Father | Possibly Domnall Brecc |
He succeeded Talorgan son of Eanfrith on the latter's death in 657.[1] Like his predecessor Talorgan and his successor Drest son of Donuel, Gartnait reigned as a puppet king under the Northumbrian king Oswiu.[2] Gartnait and Drest may have been sons of Domnall Brecc, who was king of Dál Riata from c. 629 until he was killed in 642.[2]
The Northumbrian writer Bede implies that Oswiu subdued "the greater part of the Picts" in 658,[3] suggesting Oswiu launched an offensive against the Picts after the death of his nephew Talorgan in 657.[4] The Pictish Chronicle king lists give Gartnait a reign of five, six or six and a half years, corresponding with the notice of his death in the Annals of Ulster and the Annals of Tigernach in 663.[5]
The king lists record that he was succeeded by his brother Drest, though Oswiu may have forced an interregnum on the kingdom from 663 to 666.[4] Gartnait son of Donuel may be the Gartnait whose family are recorded by the Annals of Ulster and the Annals of Tigernach going to Ireland in 668.[5]
