Talorgan I

Who was Talorgan I?

Talorcan mac Enfret was a King of the Picts from 653 to 657. He was the son of Eanfrith of Bernicia, who had fled into exile among the Picts after his father, Æthelfrith of Northumbria, was killed around the year 616. Eanfrith married a Pictish princess, and their son was Talorcan.

Talorcan became king in 653; in the next year, he defeated and killed Dúnchad mac Conaing, king of the Dál Riata, in battle at Strath Ethairt. It has been suggested that this battle may have been part of a traditional "inaugural raid" against hostile neighbors to mark the beginning of a king's rule. Talorcan was the nephew of the powerful Oswiu of Northumbria; Oswiu is reported by Bede to have "for the most part subdued and made tributary" the Picts, and it is possible that Talorcan was subject to Oswiu.