Scotland in the early Middle Ages, between the end of Roman authority in
southern and central Britain from around 400 and
the rise of the
kingdom of Alba in 900, was divided into a series of kingdoms. Of these the four most important to emerge were the
Picts, the Scots of
Dál Riata, the Britons of
Alt Clut and the Anglian kingdom of
Bernicia. After the arrival of the
Vikings in the late 8th century, Scandinavian rulers and colonies were established along parts of the coasts and in the islands. In the 9th century the Scots and Picts were combined under the
House of Alpin to form a single kingdom which formed the basis of the
kingdom of Scotland.