Picts, Gaels and Scots

Early historic Scotland-from the fifth to the tenth century AD-was home to a variety of diverse peoples and cultures, all competing for land and supremacy. Yet by the eleventh century, it had become a single, unified kingdom, known as Alba, under a stable and successful monarchy. How did this happen, and when?

At the heart of this mystery lies the extraordinary influence of the Picts and of their neighbors, the Gaels-originally immigrants from Ireland.