Ellis MacVey
Donor
Your challenge is to create an alternate history scenario where the Picts survive up to the present day, at least in a small region. Let's see what you come up with!
AHC: Pictland
- Thread starter Ellis MacVey
- Start date
Well, it's pretty much "easy" once you get rid of the Viking Age or at least significantly change how it happened in Scotland (basically, you get rid of its social-economical causes such as Abassid crisis, Carolingian outburst, etc. which is basically a no or low-Islam TL if you want to really crush the notion in the egg)
Picts still dominated the northern Britain region by the VIIIth century, under some form of high-kingship on which Scots and Brittons were only part of. IOTL, Viking raids destabilized a lot of local structures (more or less litterally beheading local chiefdoms and kingships), destabilizing enough regional geopolitics that it gave Dal Riata's kings a leading role they were far from systematically having in the VIIIth and early IXth, filling the vaacum.
The main problem at this point is more Northumbria's possible revival and interest on controlling/clientelizing a significant part of Pictland, which could be done more or less efficiently with rear alliance with other Saxon contenders for hegemony.
But while an important mix with Saxons, Britons and critically Gaels would be bound to happen (in the last cases, probably happening already), without Vikings to "break" Pictish dominance by crushing their state-building and controlling their coastline, you might have IOTL Scottish peoples considering themselves as "Pictish" instead.
Going with an early PoD:
The confederated Pictish tribes, led by whoever that Calgacus dude was, manage to defeat the Roman Empire's forces at the Battle of Mons Graupius, replicating the success of Arminius some decades before. They follow up on their victory and proceed to capture Eboracum, Deva, and the rest of the northern portions of Roman Britain, which the Romans are unwilling to defend. In the subsequent period after peace, the Picts unite under a Vercingetorix-like figure, perhaps Calgacus himself or a descendant, forming the (mostly ideological) basis of a kingdom in the northern half of Britain.
But note that, as a result of migrations, trade, and observing nearby societies, what constitutes "Pictish" culture would surely change over time.
The confederated Pictish tribes, led by whoever that Calgacus dude was, manage to defeat the Roman Empire's forces at the Battle of Mons Graupius, replicating the success of Arminius some decades before. They follow up on their victory and proceed to capture Eboracum, Deva, and the rest of the northern portions of Roman Britain, which the Romans are unwilling to defend. In the subsequent period after peace, the Picts unite under a Vercingetorix-like figure, perhaps Calgacus himself or a descendant, forming the (mostly ideological) basis of a kingdom in the northern half of Britain.
But note that, as a result of migrations, trade, and observing nearby societies, what constitutes "Pictish" culture would surely change over time.
@GauchoBadger
Picts, as a confederation of peoples, probably didn't exist as such in the Ist century CE. There's probably a connection to be made between Maiatai, Votadini or Calidones from one hand, Votadini, Dumnoii, Venicones, Vacomagi and Taixali on the other hand and the Pictish ensemble but like what happened in the Rhine or Danube limes, Picts as a coalition/political-buidling sphere was a result of the Roman presence and provincial stability, just like Goths.
(cf. From Caledonia to Pictland - Scotland to 795 by James E.Fraser)
Picts, as a confederation of peoples, probably didn't exist as such in the Ist century CE. There's probably a connection to be made between Maiatai, Votadini or Calidones from one hand, Votadini, Dumnoii, Venicones, Vacomagi and Taixali on the other hand and the Pictish ensemble but like what happened in the Rhine or Danube limes, Picts as a coalition/political-buidling sphere was a result of the Roman presence and provincial stability, just like Goths.
(cf. From Caledonia to Pictland - Scotland to 795 by James E.Fraser)
Well, darn. Might be that i'm confusing the Picts with the earlier Caledonians.
Not that it's that of a big issue : Pictish ethnogenesis might be comparatively simpler (essentially mixing Brittonic/Gaelic and whatnot into a limited territory) than most of European Barbarians. But I think it may comes down to several vulgarization or even history textbooks conflating Caledonians peoples with Picts because as we know all, Barbaricum was a political and ethnographic stasis bubble.