Despite the defeat, Constantine's participation in Brunanburh is significant. It demonstrates his ambition to challenge English hegemony and protect Scottish sovereignty, as well as the complexity of alliances among Norse, Gaelic, and Brittonic rulers in this period.

Constantine was also a devout Christian ruler, and under his reign, the Church in Scotland began to play a more prominent role in state affairs. He supported monastic communities and appears to have used ecclesiastical institutions to help solidify royal authority.

In the later years of his reign, Constantine retired from secular rule and entered religious life, an act not uncommon among Christian monarchs of the time. Around 943 AD, he abdicated the throne in favor of Malcolm I, the son of his predecessor Donald II. Constantine then became an abbot, possibly at St. Andrews, a key religious center in medieval Scotland.

Legacy

Constantine II reigned for over 40 years, making him one of the longest-reigning early Scottish monarchs. His reign saw the Kingdom of Alba emerge more clearly from the earlier Pictish and Gaelic traditions and begin to assume the contours of what would eventually become the Kingdom of Scotland.

His rule laid the groundwork for the consolidation of the Scottish monarchy and the gradual extension of royal control over the highlands, lowlands, and outlying territories. Though not always victorious in battle, Constantine's efforts to maintain independence in the face of powerful external threats helped preserve a distinct Scottish identity during a critical phase of its formation.

In Scottish history, Constantine II stands as a symbol of resilience and kingship during an era of transformation. He ruled not as an emperor in the Roman sense, but his influence and endurance in a chaotic political landscape render his title as a ruler of an emergent Scottish kingdom just as impactful. shutdown123