The expansion of the kingdom of Strathclyde

Abstract

The kingdom of S trathclyde was focused on the C lyde valley and ruled by a Brittonic‐speaking dynasty. Historians have traditionally argued that the kingdom expanded southwards in the early tenth century, with the result that there was a revival of Brittonic language. Several scholars have recently challenged this interpretation, but in this article I defend the view that S trathclyde expanded southwards, and I propose a new model for the process. I argue that the kings of S trathclyde took submissions from the local nobility, who included N orthumbrian and G aelic‐ S candinavian magnates. This accounts for the multicultural nature of the kingdom in its heyday.