By the later 10th century, the Scottish throne was the object of bitter rivalry between two competing branches of the royal family. On the one side were the descendants of King Constantine I (d.876), and on the other were the successors of Constantine’s brother, Kind Aed (d.878). The succession swung between these two lineages, but in 971, the crown wasMaíl Choluim), who managed to put a temporary halt to the infighting by ruling for more than 24 years.