Who and when was the very first Scottish king?

Answer 1

Kenneth Macalpin (Kenneth I) became the first recognised King of Scotland in 843 (although the name Scotland had no meaning then) and ruled till 860. The Scotti tribe of North Ireland settled on the west coast of Scotland in the 6th century and called their new kingdom Dalriada. Kenneth became King of Dalriada in 840. He was the first to be both King of Dalriada and King of the Picts (the indigenous population of Scotland at that time) through marriage to the daughter of a Pictish Chief and to sire an heir to the throne. There were Kings of both Dalriada and Pictland before Kenneth but none could hold on to it long enough to produce an heir thus starting a new lineage.