IntroductionMark A. Hall, Alexandra Sanmark, Jane Geddes and Oisín PlumbI: Scotland from pagan rulers to Christian kingsPowerful Place(s): elite power and the central place complexes of early medieval northern BritainGordon NobleIdentifying the development of local power centres in Pictland and AlbaNick EvansLords of The Dance: materialising sacral leadership in early medieval ScotlandMark A. HallThe St Andrews Sarcophagus: shrine for an anointed king?Jane GeddesCharacterising early medieval Royal Sites: Scotland in an Insular contextEwan CampbellKings’ feet or the marks of angels? Footprints in stone revisitedThomas Owen ClancyMemories of Pictish secular power in places of Christian ritualOisín PlumbII: Aspects of kingship in Scotland’s Insular and European neighboursFæsted-Harreby-Sønder Hygum: a power centre in southern JutlandLars GrundvadKings’ Seats or Royal Residences? Thoughts about Scandinavian ‘central places’Jan-Henrik FallgrenLocal communities and the rise of polities in the Tyne-Forth region (c 400–850 AD)Celia OrsiniThe visual prominence and accessibility of the early medieval great hall complex at Yeavering, Northumberland, EnglandBrian Buchanan, Sarah Semple, Tudor SkinnerRoyal nunneries as centres of power: a comparison of Anglo-Saxon and Pictish evidenceBarbara YorkeThe importance of St Michael’s Workington within the 10th-century Hiberno-Scandinavian polityCaroline PatersonKings on the move: the case of the Viking Great ArmyShane McLeodOrigins of the Tøglag metre and the royal power rituals at the court of Knútr inn RíkiJakub MorawiecRoyal uses of ‘Sites of Memory’ in the Viking Age and modern NorwayKarl Christian Alvestad and Anne Irene RiisøyThe Stone of SconeDavid H. CaldwellRoyal power and folklore in early medieval Wales and the microcosm of LlangorseMark RedknapMedieval kings and kingship, and the rituals that define them, continue to captivate both scholars and the wider public. This interdisciplinary volume offers a Europe-wide perspective on early medieval kingship, with a particular focus on Scotland. What types of royal sites existed in the early medieval period in Scotland, and how did they vary regionally? Can we trace these sites in placenames? What rituals and other activities were associated with these sites, and what purposes did they serve? These and other questions are explored in the papers gathered together in this interdisciplinary volume. Drawing together experts in archaeology, history, placenames, folklore, poetry, and art history, the volume unpacks the story of early medieval kingship in Scotland against a European backdrop and across multiple scales, from multi-site regions and the mobile exercise of kingship, to single-site landscapes, analysis of significant objects, and the memorialisation of stories through tradition. Framed by recent archaeological excavations in Scotland, Wales, Ireland, England, and Scandinavia, this book presents a rich and innovative approach to the study of kingship in the early medieval period.