Ceretic of Alt Clut

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Ceretic Guletic of Alt Clut was a king of Alt Clut (modern Dumbarton) in the fifth century. He appears in the writings of St. Patrick with the Latin name Corocticus, and this appearance in a contemporary historical source makes him the first historical king. Of Patrick's two surviving letters, one is addressed to this Corocticus, and in it Patrick lambasts the milites Coroctici ("warband of Ceretic") for his involvement with the Picts and the Scots, and for selling newly-Christianized Gaels into the hands of the Picts. Ceretic's dates therefore depend on the conclusions of the vast scholarship devoted to discovering the floruit of St Patrick, but the sometime in the fifth century is probably safe. Ceretic appears also in the Harleian genealogies of the rulers of Alt Clut, from which we know his father (Cynloyp), grandfather (Cinhil) and great-grandfather (Cluim).[1] It is from the latter source that we get his nickname, Guletic ("Land-holder"). In the Book of Armagh, he is called Coirthech rex Aloo, "Ceretic, King of the Height [of the Clyde]" [2]

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ Harleian genealogy 5; see also, Williams, Smyth, and Kirby (eds.), A Biographical Dictionary of Dark Age Britain, (London, 1991), s.v. "Ceretic", pp. 78-8
  2. ^ Alan MacQuarrie, "The Kings of Strathclyde", in A. Grant & K.Stringer (eds.) Medieval Scotland: Crown, Lordship and Community, Essays Presented to G.W.S. Barrow, (Edinburgh, 1993), p. 3.

[edit] References

  • Smyth, Alfred, Warlords and Holy Men, (Edinburgh, 1984)
  • MacQuarrie, Alan, "The Kings of Strathclyde", in A. Grant & K.Stringer (eds.) Medieval Scotland: Crown, Lordship and Community, Essays Presented to G.W.S. Barrow, (Edinburgh, 1993), pp. 1-19.
  • Williams, Anne, Smyth, Alfred P., and Kirby, D.P., (eds.), A Biographical Dictionary of Dark Age Britain, (London, 1991), s.v. "Ceretic", pp. 78-8

[edit] External links

Regnal titles
Preceded by
Cynloyp?
King of Alt Clut
mid-400s
Succeeded by
Cinuit?
Languages