Style of the Scottish sovereign

Examples of the earliest styles are primarily found in sources originating from Ireland. For the earlier medieval period, the Annals of Ulster (AU) and Annals of Tigernach (AT) derive from the Iona Chronicle, a chronicle kept in Scotland. The Annals of Innisfallen are less reliable, and the forms given in that source, when in doubt, do not need to be trusted. Other sources used here are the Annals of Connacht (AC) and the Chronicon Scotorum (CS) The style almost always King's name, followed by patronymic, followed by title. The source of each style is given in brackets, followed by the year under which it follows (s.a. = sub anno); it is usually the year in which the king died. Until the eleventh century, there is no one fixed term for Scotland in Gaelic. Before tenth century, the kings the area now comprising modern Scotland are either "of Picts", "of Fortriu" or "of Alba", standardising after 900; but the rulers of Moray, not by historiographical tradition called "King", are called king in the sources; moreover, they are sometimes called "kings of Alba".

The Poppleton manuscript preserves a grant supposedly made by King Nechtan to the monastery of St. Brigid at Abernethy, c. early sixth century:

• Latin: Nectonius magnus filius Uuirp rex omnium prouiciarum Pictorum
  • English: 'Great Nechtan, son of Uurp, King of all the provinces of the Picts'

In the Scottish period, the charter styles vary at first, but later become more formulaic. Here are some examples from the early charter period. The Roman numeral which follows is the number given to the charter in Archibald C. Lawrie's Early Scottish Charters: Prior to A.D. 1153, (Glasgow, 1905):

• Machbet filius Finlach et Gruoch filia Bodhe, rex et regina Scottorum (Lawrie, V.)
  • English: 'Macbeth son of Findláech and Gruoch daughter of Bodhe, King and Queen of the Scots'. Source is the Registrum of the Priory of St Andrews, and the document is a Latin translation from an earlier Gaelic document, so the rex Scottorum style is not reliable
• Malcolmus Dei gratia Scottorum basileus (X)
  • 'Malcolm by the Grace of God, High King of the Scots'
• Edgarus Dei gratia Rex Scottorum (XVII: 1095)
  • 'Edgar by the Grace of God, King of the Scots'
• Alexander Dei gratia Rex Scottorum (XXVII)
  • 'Alexander by the Grace of God, King of the Scots'
• David Dei gratia Rex Scotiae (LXIX)
  • 'David by the Grace of God, King of Scotland'
• David Dei gratia Rex Scottorum (CIV)
  • 'David by the Grace of God, King of the Scots'

From David I onwards, the royal style is either rex Scottorum or rex Scotiae.

In the late Middle Ages the styles rex Scottorum ('king of the Scots') and rex Scotiae ('king of Scotland') were used interchangeably. Similarly, the monarchs of England could be referred to as the "king of the English" as indeed Edward II of England was in the Declaration of Arbroath (1320). King of the Scots was used in "The Declaration of the Clergy in favour of Robert the Bruce" (1334), as it was in the charter by which Edward Balliol ceded the southern counties of Scotland to England. However, in many other documents King of Scotland was the preferred style, including "The Letter of the Magnates of Scotland to the King of France" (1308), "The Settlement of Succession on Robert the Bruce" (1315), the Treaty of Corbeuil (1326), the Treaty of Edinburgh–Northampton (1328), the Papal Bull authorising the anointing of Scottish Kings (1329) and the Treaty of Berwick (1357). This remained the case until the last three monarchs of Scotland, William II, Mary II and Anne, who became Queen of Great Britain following the Acts of Union 1707.

Scottish monarchs were addressed as "Your Grace" before the Acts of Union of 1707, when Scotland became part of the Kingdom of Great Britain. From then on, British monarchs were addressed as "Your Majesty".

1. ^ , Anderson, Kings, (1973), p. 249

• Anderson, Marjorie O., Kings and Kingship in Early Scotland, (Edinburgh, 1973)
• Lawrie, Archibald C., Early Scottish Charters: Prior to A.D. 1153, (Glasgow, 1905):

• Annals of Tigernach
• Annals of Ulster
• Chronicon Scotorum
• Gaelic Notes on the Book of Deer