Kenneth II
Kenneth II was the King of Scotland from 971 to 995, Prince Malcolm’s older brother, and Princess Katharine's uncle.
History
Kenneth was the second son of King Maol Chalvim I, half-brother to Duff and Prince Malcolm both. He shared Duff's fortunes loyally in their struggles with King Indulf and his son Culen over the Scottish throne from 954 until 967, when Duff was slain in battle against Culen and Kenneth and his family had to flee to England and enter exile there. ("The Reach", "The Draw", "The Oath", "The Promise", "The Dream")
In 971, after entering an alliance with the Wyvern Clan of gargoyles, Kenneth returned to Scotland, overthrew Culen, and became King. On the night of his coronation, Kenneth bestowed Wyvern Hill to his brother, Prince Malcolm. Due to Wyvern's strategic importance as a gateway to Scotland, he sent the King's Architect, Brother Valdez, to direct the construction of a castle there. ("The Reach", "The Oath", "The Promise")
Kenneth reigned until 995. In his old age, he began to dote on the Lady Finella, who did not return his feelings for her. Constantine, the ambitious son of Culen, took advantage of this to dupe Finella into holding a secret meeting with him in the drying-house, where she could tell him in private that she wished to marry Constantine instead of him. [1] When Kenneth entered, Constantine took him by surprise and murdered him. ("Avalon" Part One)
Kenneth had one son, Maol Chalvim, who later on became King of Scotland as Maol Chalvim II from 1005 to 1034.
Appearances
- "Awakening: Part Two" (Mentioned Only)
- "Avalon" Part One (First Appearance)
- "The Gate" (Mentioned Only)
- "The Reach"
- "The Draw"
- "The Oath"
- "The Promise" (Mentioned Only)
- "The Dream"
- "The Pledge"
Real World Background
Kenneth II was a historical monarch, who was indeed murdered in 995. The traditional account of his death varies from that given in Gargoyles, however. According to Scottish chroniclers, Kenneth had angered his nobles by wishing to pass the throne on to his son Maol Chalvim, contrary to tradition; in 10th century Scotland, the monarchy was not hereditary. They joined forces with Finella, who in this account hated Kenneth for having slain her son, and arranged his death through a complex mechanical device. Kenneth, after a big dinner at Finella's house (with much wine to drink) was led into a room in which stood a statue holding a golden apple. When he took the apple from the statue, at Finella's request, it triggered several crossbows concealed inside the statue, which shot their bolts at him with lethal consequences.
Production Background
Voice Actor: W. Morgan Sheppard
Details about Kenneth II bestowing Castle Wyvern to Prince Malcolm were first detailed in the Gargoyles Series Bible. [2]
See Also
- Kenneth II at Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia
