In the meantime Brutus had consummated his marriage with his wife Ignoge. By her he had three sons called Locrinus, Kamber and Albanactus, all of whom were to become famous. When their father finally died, in the twenty-third year after his landing, these three sons buried him inside the walls of the town which he had founded. They divided the kingdom of Britain between them in such a way that each succeeded to Brutus in one particular district. Locrinus, who was the first-born, inherited the part of the island which was afterwards called Loegria after him. Kamber received the region which is on the further bank of the River Severn, the part which is now known as Wales but which was for a long time after his death called Kambria from his name. As a result the people of that country still call themselves Kambri today in the Welsh tongue. Albanactus, the youngest, took the region which is nowadays called Scotland in our language. He called it Albany, after his own name. [II.1]

The three main divisions of the island of Britain, according to Geoffrey, are all derived from the names of the sons of Brutus: ALBANY, or Scotland, is named for Albanactus, the youngest. Tatlock sees Geoffrey’s preference for Albania, over the common usage of his day, Scotia, as a kind of deliberate archaism, p. 8; however, his sense of what constitutes the territory of Albany/ Scotland is, Tatlock writes, very much that of his own period, p. 9. He is vague and occasionally confused about the borders and areas that would have applied in the period he is describing.

Like LOEGRIA and KAMBRIA, Albany tends to appear in the early sections of the Historia in the context of struggles for power over the whole of the island:

Eventually, when these three had reigned in peace and harmony for a long time, Humber, the King of the Huns, landed in Albany. He met Albanactus in battle, killed him and forced the people of his country to flee to Locrinus. [II.1]

ALCLUD is an important city in early Albany:

Ebraucus also founded the city of Alclud over in Albany; and the castle of Mount Agned, which is now called the Maidens’ Castle and the Dolorous Mountain. [II.7]

Albany is mentioned in passing in Geoffrey's version of the story of Leir, as Maglaurus, Duke of Albany, is one of the king's sons-in-law [II.12]. While it seems that Leir rules all of Britain, it is clear that after his death there are many kingdoms; Staterius is mentioned as King of Albany, until he is killed by Dunvallo Molmutius, who then becomes king of the entire island [II.17]. Later, when the island is once again divided, this time between Brennius and Belinus, Albany is a site of conflict:

A few days passed and then Brennius managed to reassemble his ships and land on the coast of Albany. When he learned that his wife and certain of his men had been captured and that his brother had wrested the kingdom of Northumbria from him during his absence, Brennius sent messengers to Belinus to demand that his territory and his bride should both be handed back to him. He swore that if this were not done he would ravage the whole island from sea to sea and that, what is more, he would kill his brother if only the opportunity arose of meeting him on the field of battle. When Belinus learned this, he flatly refused what was demanded. He called together the entire military force of the island and advanced into Albany ready to meet Brennius in battle. [III.3]

What follows is the battle of the forest of CALATERIUM. Albany next appears in the title of one of Cassivelaunus’s allies, Cridous of Albany [IV.3]. It then appears in relation to the settlement of the Pict in CAITHNESS:

Marius, the son of Arvirargus, succeeded him the kingship. He was a man of great prudence and wisdom. A little later on in his reign a certain King of the Picts called Sodric came from Scythia with a large fleet and landed in the northern part of Britain which is called Albany. He began to ravage Marius's lands. Marius thereupon collected his men together and marched to meet Sodric. He fought a number of battles against him and finally won a great victory. In token of his triumph Marius set up a stone in the district, which was afterwards called Westmorland after him. The inscription carved on it records his memory down to this very day. Once Sodric was killed and the people who had come with him were beaten, Marius gave them the part of Albany called Caithness to live in. The land had been desert and untilled for many a long day, for no one lived there. Since they had no wives, the Picts asked the Britons for their daughters and kinswomen; but the Britons refused to marry off their womenfolk to such manner of men. Having suffered this rebuff, the Picts crossed over to Ireland and married women from that country. [IV.17]

The story of the Picts settling a desert area may be compared to that of the Basclenses who pass through ORKNEY on their way finally to Ireland. Tatlock suggests that Geoffrey got the idea for the triumphal stone in WESTMORLAND from William of Malmesbury's description, in the Gesta Pontificum (1125), of a vaulted hall in CARLISLE with the inscription “Marii Victoriae.” He also points out that the general name Westmoringaland appears as early as 966 in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, and notes that there would of course have been many inscribed Roman stones in the general area (p. 20). Today, the Senhouse Roman Museum at Maryport displays a large collection of Roman altars and stones from the area.

Like the other major divisions of the island, Albany is often subject to ecclesiastical as well as to military settlements:

Parishes were apportioned off, Deira being placed under the Metropolitan of York, along with Albany, for the great River Humber divides these two from Loegria. [IV.19]

The territory is an important frontier in the Roman wars:

In the end Severus drove the Britons beyond Deira into Albany, where, with Sulgenius as their leader, they resisted with might and main, often inflicting immense slaughter on both the Romans and their own countrymen, for Severus took with him as auxiliaries all the island peoples he could find, and as a result frequently left the field as victor. The Emperor was annoyed at this revolt by Sulgenius. He ordered a rampart to be constructed between Deira and Albany, to prevent Sulgenius from pressing his attack closer home. A tax was levied and they built their wall from sea to sea. For many years afterwards it held back the attacks of the enemy. [V.2]

The area is the scene of the struggle, in this period, between Conanus and Maximianus:

When Conanus Meriadocus saw this, he was more angry than you would have thought possible. He went off to Albany and busied himself in raising an army, so that he could molest Maximianus. Once he had collected a force together, he crossed the Humber and ravaged the lands on both sides of that river. [V.11]

The reign of Conanus also sees the Hunnish invasions, again in Albany:

As soon as Wanius and Melga, the leaders of the abominable Picts and Huns, who favoured the cause of Gracianus and Valentinianus, learned that the island of Britain was denuded of all its armed soldiery, they hurried off in that direction as fast as they could go. First they made a treaty with the neighbouring islands and then they landed in Albany. They drew up their line of march and then invaded the kingdom, which had no one to rule or defend it. [V.16]

The wall between DEIRA and Albany is important to Geoffrey. He returns to it again in the dying days of Roman presence in Britain, after the Romans have defeated a marauding horde of Picts, Huns, Scots, Norwegians, and Danes:

As soon as the legion had freed the prostrate people from this fearful maltreatment, the population was ordered to construct a wall from one sea to the other, to divide Albany from Deira. This wall was erected by a great crowd of workmen, as a deterrent which should hold off their enemies and as a real protection for the inhabitants of the country. Albany had been completely devastated by the barbarians who had landed there, for when hostile people came they looked upon that country as a convenient lurking-place. The local inhabitants therefore pressed on with the work and finished their wall, using private funds and public ones which they had collected. [VI.1]

The departure of the Romans nevertheless sees the swift overrunning of the island:

The moment the Romans said good-bye and went away, apparently never to return, the enemies whom I have mentioned reappeared once more from the ships in which they had sailed off to Ireland. They brought with them other companies of Scots and Picts, with Norwegians, Danes and all the rest whom they had under command, and seized the whole of Albany up to the Wall. [VI.3]

Albany then becomes the focus of Pictish attacks on the Britons, in the time of Vortigern [VI.9]:

Soon afterwards the Picts assembled a huge army, crossed the borders from Albany, and began to ravage the northern parts of the idland. As soon as this was announced to Vortigern, he collected his own soldiers together and crossed the Humber to meet the Picts. [VI.10]

Like the Picts, the Saxons invade the area repeatedly:

Octa put himself in the centre of this huge army and invaded the northern provinces. He went on satiating his lust for cruelty until he had destroyed all the towns and strong-points from Albany as far as York. Finally, just as he had begun to besiege that town, Utherpendragon arrived with the entire strength of his kingdom and met Octa in a pitched battle. The Saxons resisted manfully. They remained unbroken in the face of the assaults by the Britons and in the end they drove their enemy back in flight. [VIII.18]

[Octa and Eosa] came back with an immense fleet and more men than could ever be counted. They invaded certain parts of Albany and busied themselves in burning the cities there and the citizens inside them. [VIII.21]

Finally, when, after exhaustive discussions, they had abandoned all hope of ever escaping, messengers returned from Germany to say that they had brought with them to Albany six hundred ships which were commanded by Cheldric and loaded with brave soldiery. [IX.1]

The last reference above takes place when Arthur is besieging YORK. Arthur eventually turns his attention to Albany, marching to ALCLUD to the aid of his nephew Hoel:

As soon as King Arthur had gained the upper hand, he ordered Cador, the Duke of Cornwall, to pursue the Saxons, while he himself hurried off in the direction of Albany. It had reached his ears that the Scots and the Picts had besieged his nephew Hoel in the town of Alclud, where, as I have explained already, Arthur had left him because of his poor health. Arthur therefore hastened to his nephew's assistance, for he was afraid that Hoel might be captured by the barbarians.... Once peace was restored... Cador set out for Alclud. Arthur had already freed the town from the harassing attentions of the barbarians. He now led his army to Moray, where the Scots and the Picts were under siege. [IX.5-6]

Auguselus, King of Albany (which Geoffrey notes is now called Scotland), attends Arthur’s plenary court [IX.12], where it is clear that Albany is a significant kingdom:

As soon as Arthur was enrobed, he was conducted with due pomp to the church of the metropolitan see. On his right side and on his left there were two archbishops to support him. Four Kings, of Albany, Cornwall, Demetia and Venedotia, preceded him, as was their right, bearing before him four golden swords. [IX.13]

Auguselus of Albany later appears as one of Arthur's allies against Rome [IX.18; X.6], and dies at the Battle of RICHBOROUGH:

Surrounded by his enormous army, in which he placed his hope, Mordred marched to meet Arthur as soon as the latter landed at Richborough. In the battle which ensued Mordred inflicted great slaughter on those who were trying to land. Auguselus, the King of Albany, and Gawain, the King's nephew, died that day, together with many others too numerous to describe. [XI.1]

After Arthur, Albany appears again in the final struggles between Britons and Saxons:

War broke out between [Cadwallo and Edwin]. Their men harassed each other in a long series of forays, and then finally the two met face to face on the farther side of the Humber. A battle was fought in which Cadwallo lost many thousands of men and was himself put to flight. He marched at great speed through Albany and then crossed to the island of Ireland. [XII.4]

... the odious race gathered a vast horde of its men and women together. They landed in parts of Northumbria and occupied the waste lands from Albany to Cornwall. There was no local inhabitant left alive to stop them, except for a few little pockets of Britons who had stayed behind, living precariously in Wales, in remote recesses of the woods. From that time on the power of the Britons came to an end in the islands, and the Angles began to reign. [XII.16]

Albany features in the Prophecies of Merlin, in ways which suggest its troubled border history:

Albany will be angry: calling her near neighbours to her, she shall give herself up entirely to bloodshed. Between her jaws there will be found a bit which was forged in the Bay of Armorica. The Eagle of the Broken Covenant shall paint it with gold and will rejoice in her third nesting.

A Mountain Ox shall put on a Wolf's head and grind its teeth white in the Severn's workshop. The Ox will collect round itself the flocks of Albany and those of Wales; and this company will drain the Thames dry as it drinks.

A Farmer from Albany shall take their place and down his back a Snake shall hang. He will spend his time ploughing the earth, so that the harvests of his homeland may grow white; but the Snake will busy itself in scattering poison, to prevent the green corn from ever coming to harvest. [VII.4]