Cultural contacts and ethnic origins in Viking Age Wales and northern Britain: the case of Albanus, Britain's first inhabitant and Scottish ancestor
Nicholas J. Evans
Albanus, an eponymous ancestor for the kingdom of Alba, provides example extent to which creation ethnic identity was accompanied by new ideas about origins, replaced previous accounts. Through analysis Historia Brittonum’s textual tradition and Welsh knowledge early Roman history medieval groups, this article establishes that Albanus added Brittonum in late ninth or tenth century as ancestral figure Alba northern Britain. This potentially a result shared political situations Gwynedd, (formerly Pictland) Strathclyde relation Scandinavian power at time, encouraged contacts spread Alba-based ideology Gwynedd. The later development idea its significance itself, Geoffrey Monmouth's account English claims supremacy over Scotland are also traced.
Journal of Medieval History|Repository@Hull (Worktribe) (University of Hull)|Repository@Hull (Worktribe) (University of Hull)