The

Kingdom of the Isles The Kingdom of the Isles, also known as Sodor, was a Norse–Gaelic kingdom comprising the Isle of Man, the Hebrides and the islands of the Clyde from the 9th to the 13th centuries. The islands were known in Old Norse as the , or "Southern I ...

comprised the

Hebrides The Hebrides ( ; , ; ) are the largest archipelago in the United Kingdom, off the west coast of the Scotland, Scottish mainland. The islands fall into two main groups, based on their proximity to the mainland: the Inner Hebrides, Inner and Ou ...

, the islands of the Firth of Clyde and the

Isle of Man The Isle of Man ( , also ), or Mann ( ), is a self-governing British Crown Dependency in the Irish Sea, between Great Britain and Ireland. As head of state, Charles III holds the title Lord of Mann and is represented by a Lieutenant Govern ...

from the 9th to the 13th centuries AD. The islands were known to the Norse as the , or "Southern Isles" as distinct from the or

Northern Isles The Northern Isles (; ; ) are a chain (or archipelago) of Island, islands of Scotland, located off the north coast of the Scottish mainland. The climate is cool and temperate and highly influenced by the surrounding seas. There are two main is ...

Orkney Orkney (), also known as the Orkney Islands, is an archipelago off the north coast of mainland Scotland. The plural name the Orkneys is also sometimes used, but locals now consider it outdated. Part of the Northern Isles along with Shetland, ...

and

Shetland Shetland (until 1975 spelled Zetland), also called the Shetland Islands, is an archipelago in Scotland lying between Orkney, the Faroe Islands, and Norway, marking the northernmost region of the United Kingdom. The islands lie about to the ...

. The historical record is incomplete and the kingdom was probably not a continuous entity throughout the entire period. The islands concerned are sometimes referred to as the "Kingdom of Mann and the Isles", although only some of the later rulers claimed that title. At times the rulers were independent of external control, although for much of the period they had overlords in Norway, Ireland, England, Scotland or Orkney. At times there also appear to have been competing claims for all or parts of the territory. The islands involved have a total land area of over and extend for more than from north to south. Viking influence in the area commenced in the late 8th century, and whilst there is no doubt that the

Uí Ímair The Uí Ímair (; meaning ‘''scions of Ivar’''), also known as the Ivar dynasty or Ivarids, was a Norse-Gael dynasty which ruled much of the Irish Sea region, the Kingdom of Dublin, the western coast of Scotland, including the Hebrides and ...

dynasty played a prominent role in this early period, the records for the dates and details of the rulers are speculative until the mid-10th century. Hostility between the Kings of the Isles and the rulers of Ireland, and intervention by the crown of Norway (either directly or through their vassals the

Earls of Orkney Earl of Orkney, historically Jarl of Orkney, is a title of nobility encompassing the archipelagoes of Orkney and Shetland, which comprise the Northern Isles of Scotland. Originally founded by Norse invaders, the status of the rulers of the N ...

) were recurring themes. Invasion by

Magnus Barelegs Magnus III Olafsson (Old Norse: ''Magnús Óláfsson'', Norwegian: ''Magnus Olavsson''; 1073 – 24 August 1103), better known as Magnus Barefoot (Old Norse: ''Magnús berfœttr'', Norwegian: ''Magnus Berrføtt''), was the King of Norway ...

in the late 11th century resulted in a brief period of direct Norwegian rule over the kingdom, but soon the descendants of Godred Crovan re-asserted a further period of largely independent overlordship. This came to an end with the emergence of

Somerled Somerled (died 1164), known in Middle Irish as Somairle, Somhairle, and Somhairlidh, and in Old Norse as Sumarliði , was a mid-12th-century Norse-Gaelic lord who, through marital alliance and military conquest, rose in prominence to create the ...

, on whose death in 1164 the kingdom was split in two. Just over a century later the islands became part of the

Kingdom of Scotland The Kingdom of Scotland was a sovereign state in northwest Europe, traditionally said to have been founded in 843. Its territories expanded and shrank, but it came to occupy the northern third of the island of Great Britain, sharing a Anglo-Sc ...

, following the 1266

Treaty of Perth The Treaty of Perth, signed 2 July 1266, ended military conflict between Magnus the Lawmender of Norway and Alexander III of Scotland over possession of the Hebrides and the Isle of Man. The Hebrides and the Isle of Man had become Norwegian t ...

. The

orthography An orthography is a set of convention (norm), conventions for writing a language, including norms of spelling, punctuation, Word#Word boundaries, word boundaries, capitalization, hyphenation, and Emphasis (typography), emphasis. Most national ...

of the rulers' names is complicated as

Old Norse Old Norse, also referred to as Old Nordic or Old Scandinavian, was a stage of development of North Germanic languages, North Germanic dialects before their final divergence into separate Nordic languages. Old Norse was spoken by inhabitants ...

and

Gaelic Gaelic (pronounced for Irish Gaelic and for Scots Gaelic) is an adjective that means "pertaining to the Gaels". It may refer to: Languages * Gaelic languages or Goidelic languages, a linguistic group that is one of the two branches of the Insul ...

were both spoken throughout the region for much of period under consideration. Thus a single individual might be referred to as ''Rognvaldr'' in Icelandic sources, ''Rag(h)nall'' in Gaelic, ''Reginaldus'' in

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

and perhaps "Rognvald" or "Reginald" in English language sources. Dumbarton Rock and Castle - geograph

9th and early 10th centuries

During this period the historical record is particularly sparse and these early entries must be considered as somewhat speculative. It is also possible that Eiríkr, King of York from 947–948 and 952–5, was a ruler in the islands at some stage in the mid-10th century. Eiríkr is believed by some authorities to be synonymous with the saga character

Eric Bloodaxe Eric Haraldsson ( , ; c.930−954), nicknamed Bloodaxe ( , ) and Brother-Slayer (), was a Norwegians#Viking Age, Norwegian king. He ruled as List of Norwegian monarchs, King of Norway from 932 to 934, and twice as List of monarchs of Northumbr ...

, although the connection is questioned by Downham (2007), who argues that the former was an Uí Ímair dynast rather than a son of

Harald Fairhair Harald Fairhair (; – ) was a Norwegian king. According to traditions current in Norway and Iceland in the eleventh and twelfth centuries, he reigned from 872 to 930 and was the first Monarchy of Norway, King of Norway. Supposedly, two ...

. A raid on

Northumbria Northumbria () was an early medieval Heptarchy, kingdom in what is now Northern England and Scottish Lowlands, South Scotland. The name derives from the Old English meaning "the people or province north of the Humber", as opposed to the Sout ...

in 949, the purpose of which may have been either to support or oppose the kingship of

Amlaíb Cuarán Amlaíb mac Sitric (d. 980; ), commonly called Amlaíb Cuarán (O.N.: ), was a 10th-century Norse-Gael who was King of Northumbria and Dublin. His byname, ''cuarán'', is usually translated as "sandal". His name appears in a variety of anglic ...

is described as ''predam albidosorum idem nannindisi'' in the ''

Chronicle of the Kings of Alba The ''Chronicle of the Kings of Alba'', or ''Scottish Chronicle'', is a short written chronicle covering the period from the time of Kenneth MacAlpin (Cináed mac Ailpín) (d. 858) until the reign of Kenneth II (Cináed mac Maíl Coluim) (r. 971� ...

''.

Alfred P. Smyth Professor Alfred P. Smyth (1 July 1942 – 16 October 2016) was an Irish-born historian specialising in the mediaeval history of the British Isles. In 2002 he was named Dean of Arts and Humanities at Canterbury Christ Church University College, h ...

translated this as "the raid of the men from beyond the spine of Britain, that is, of the islands."

Late 10th and 11th centuries

Early rulers of Mann

Various rulers have been identified as ruling Man, but not the Isles as a whole. The

may have fallen under Norse rule in the 870s, and paradoxically they may have brought the

Gaelic language The Goidelic ( ) or Gaelic languages (; ; ) form one of the two groups of Insular Celtic languages, the other being the Brittonic languages. Goidelic languages historically formed a dialect continuum stretching from Ireland through the Isle o ...

with them. The island has produced a more densely distributed Viking Age archaeology than anywhere else in the British Isles, but the written records for this time period are poor. There then follows a period when it is likely that the Western Isles and Mann were jointly held by rulers of the House of Ímar (see above). Downham (2007) suggests Lagmann Godredson may have "wielded power in Man" and possibly even have been king but was expelled sometime after 1005, perhaps by

Brian Bóruma Brian Boru (; modern ; 23 April 1014) was the High King of Ireland from 1002 to 1014. He ended the domination of the High Kingship of Ireland by the Uí Néill, and is likely responsible for ending Viking invasions of Ireland. Brian Boru is me ...

. This may indicate that the Earls of Orkney did not control Man itself in the early 11th century. Echmarcach mac Ragnaill and his successors certainly did control Mann, but the extent of their rule over the islands of the Clyde and the Hebrides is not clear. Óláfr mac Lagmann (or Lagmainn) is recorded as having been killed at Clontarf in 1014, fighting with "warriors from the Hebrides".Downham (2007) pp. 132–33 The period 1095–1098 seems to have been politically unsettled, culminating in a Manx civil war between the north and south of the island. A battle at Santwat between the northerners under Jarl Óttar and the southerners under Macmaras (or MacManus) in 1098 resulted in the deaths of both leaders.''The Chronicle of Man and the Sudreys'' (1874) p. 57

Early rulers of the Hebrides

Irish mythology Irish mythology is the body of myths indigenous to the island of Ireland. It was originally Oral tradition, passed down orally in the Prehistoric Ireland, prehistoric era. In the History of Ireland (795–1169), early medieval era, myths were ...

the

Outer Hebrides The Outer Hebrides ( ) or Western Isles ( , or ), sometimes known as the Long Isle or Long Island (), is an Archipelago, island chain off the west coast of mainland Scotland. It is the longest archipelago in the British Isles. The islan ...

were the home of the

Fomorians The Fomorians or Fomori (, Modern ) are a supernatural race in Irish mythology, who are often portrayed as hostile and monstrous beings. Originally they were said to come from under the sea or the earth. Later, they were portrayed as sea raider ...

, described as "huge and ugly" and "ship men of the sea". They were pirates, extracting tribute from the coasts of Ireland and one of their kings was Indech mac Dé Domnand (i.e. Indech, son of the goddess Domnu, who ruled over the deep seas). Indech is also mentioned in the ''

Cath Maige Tuired ''Cath Maige Tuired'' (modern spelling: ''Cath Maighe Tuireadh''; ) is the name of two saga texts of the Mythological Cycle of Irish mythology. It refers to two separate battles in Connacht: the first in the territory of Conmhaícne Cúile Tu ...

'' along with Balor grandson of Nét, his rival who is described as ''righ na n-Innsi'' ('king of the Isles'), which may have meant the king of the

Inner Hebrides The Inner Hebrides ( ; ) is an archipelago off the west coast of mainland Scotland, to the south east of the Outer Hebrides. Together these two island chains form the Hebrides, which experience a mild oceanic climate. The Inner Hebrides compri ...

. Together they "gathered all the forces from Lochlainn westwards into Ireland to impose their tribute and their rule over them."Ó Corráin (1998) p. 17 Various later rulers such as

Gebeachan Gebeachan (died 937), also known as Gébennach, and Gebechán, was a tenth-century King of the Isles. He seems to have been a subordinate to Amlaíb mac Gofraid, King of Dublin, and is recorded to have fought and died at the Battle of Brunanbur ...

are also mentioned in early sources as having a role of some kind over unspecified areas of the northern part of the Kingdom of the Isles.

12th and 13th centuries

Kings of Mann and the Isles

Godred the Black's dictatorial style appears to have made him very unpopular with the Islesmen, and the powerful barons of the isles began plotting with an emerging and forceful figure –

Lord of Argyll The sovereign or feudal lordship of Argyle was the holding of the senior branch of descendants of Somerled (''Somhairle''), this branch becoming soon known as Clan MacDougall Construction of the Lordship of Argyll-Lorne essentially started with ...

. When Godred heard of this he engaged Somerled's forces in the naval

Battle of Epiphany The Battle of Epiphany was a naval battle fought on 5–6 January or 12 January 1156, between the Norse Godred Olafsson (Godred the Black), King of the Isles and the Norse-Gaelic Somhairle MacGillebride (Somerled), King of Cinn Tìre (Kintyre ...

in 1156. There was no clear victor, but it was subsequently agreed that Godred would remain the ruler of Man and the northern Hebrides, whilst Somerled's young sons would nominally control the southern Inner Hebrides, Kintyre and the islands of the Clyde under their father's supervision. Two years later Somerled's invasion of the Isle of Man caused Godred to flee to Norway, leaving the former as the undisputed ruler of the entire realm.Gregory (1881) pp. 9–17 Following the death of Somerled in 1164 Godred re-took possession of his pre-1158 territories in Mann and the north and the southern isles were distributed amongst Somerled's sons as had been previously agreed: Dubgall received Mull,

Coll Coll (; )Mac an Tàilleir (2003) p. 31 is an island located west of the Isle of Mull and northeast of Tiree in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. Coll is known for its sandy beaches, which rise to form large sand dunes, for its corncrakes, and fo ...

Tiree Tiree (; , ) is the most westerly island in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. The low-lying island, southwest of Coll, has an area of and a population of around 650. The land is highly fertile, and crofting, alongside tourism, and fishing are ...

and Jura; Islay and Kintyre went to

Ragnall Ragnall is a village and civil parish in Nottinghamshire, England. At the time of the 2001 census it had a population of 102, increasing to 146 at the 2011 census (with Fledborough), and falling to 88 for the 2021 census. It is located on ...

; Bute to Aonghas, with Arran possibly divided between him and Reginald. '' The Chronicle of Man and the Sudreys'' lamented that Somerled's marriage to Ragnhildis, daughter of Olave the Red, had been "the cause of the ruin of the whole kingdom of the Isles".

Kings of Mann and the North Isles

In a precursor to 1263, Norwegian forces invaded in 1230 in response to dynastic struggles amongst Godred the Black's descendants. The ''

Chronicle of Lanercost The ''Lanercost Chronicle'' is a northern English history covering the years 1201 to 1346. It covers the Wars of Scottish Independence, but it is also highly digressive and as such provides insights into English life in the thirteenth century as w ...

'' states that a Norwegian fleet sailed down the west coast of Scotland with Óspakr-Hákon, who had been appointed "King of the Suðreyjar" by the King of Norway (and who may have been a son of Dubgall mac Somairle).Sellar (2000) pp. 194, 202 His forces took Rothesay Castle, hacking through the walls with their axes. The ''

Eirspennill ''Eirspennill'', also known as AM 47 fol, is a medieval manuscript which contains copies of four sagas: ''Heimskringla'', ''Sverris saga'', ''Böglunga sögur'', and ''Hákonar saga Hákonarsonar''. The manuscript is considered to date to the earl ...

'' version of ''

Hákonar saga Hákonarsonar ''Hákonar saga Hákonarsonar'' ("The Saga of Haakon Haakonarson") or ''Hákonar saga gamla'' ("The Saga of Old Haakon") is an Old Norse Kings' Saga, telling the story of the life and reign of King Haakon Haakonarson of Norway. Content and styl ...

'' states that the fleet then sailed to Kintyre where Óspakr-Hákon fell ill and died. Olaf the Black then took control of the fleet, and led it to the Isle of Man. He and

Gofraid Donn is an Irish masculine given name, arising in the Old Irish and Middle Irish/ Middle Gaelic languages, as , and later partially Anglicised as Goffraid. ' corresponds to the Old Norse ', cognate with Gottfried or ', and Galfrid or '. ''Gofraid'' ...

, the son of Raghnall mac Gofraidh, divided the kingdom between themselves, with the latter retaining Mann, and the former controlling the northern islands. A short time later Gofraid Donn was slain, possibly on Lewis. On 30 May 1249, Ragnvald Olafsson was slain in a meadow near the Church of the Holy Trinity at

Rushen Rushen ( ; ), formally Kirk Christ Rushen, is one of the seventeen historic parishes of the Isle of Man. It is located in the south of the island (part of the traditional ''South Side'' division) in the sheading of the same name. Administrat ...

by a

knight A knight is a person granted an honorary title of a knighthood by a head of state (including the pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church, or the country, especially in a military capacity. The concept of a knighthood ...

named Ívarr, along with several of the knight's followers. The ''Chronicle of Lanercost'' states that he had reigned for only 27 days. Harald Godredsson then seized the kingship, although he was summoned to Norway the following year and effectively dispossessed.Anderson (1922) pp. 553–554 Magnus Olafsson was the last of the Norse kings to rule Mann, which was absorbed into the Kingdom of Scotland on his death.

Kings of the South Isles

The 1780 ''Anecdotes of Olave the Black'' (which are based on ''Hákonar saga Hákonarsonar'') state that there were 3 ''Sudreyan'' kings all existing at one time who were "of the family of Somerled" and who were "very untrue to King Haco".Gregory (1881) p. 17 It is not entirely clear which three kings are being referred to. They include Dubgall "Screech" mac Dubgaill and his brother Donnchadh and either Eóghan of Argyll who "was king afterwards" or possibly an unknown "relation of theirs, called Somerled, howas then also a King in the Sudreys". This Somerled, who died in 1230, may have been a brother or cousin of Dubgall and Donnchadh. Ragnall mac Somairle's son, Ruaidhri mac Raghnaill may have been the "king of the Isles" who was recorded in the Irish chronicles as having been killed fighting against the English at the Battle of Ballyshannon in 1247. Ruaidhri's direct descendants Dubhghall and Ailean, who ruled

Garmoran Garmoran is an area of western Scotland. It lies at the south-western edge of the present Highland Region. It includes Knoydart, Morar, Moidart, Ardnamurchan, and the Small Isles. History The medieval lordship of Garmoran was ruled by the Mac ...

and the

Uist Uist is a group of six islands that are part of the Outer Hebridean Archipelago, which is part of the Outer Hebrides of Scotland. North Uist and South Uist ( or ; ) are two of the islands and are linked by causeways running via the isles of Ben ...

s are generally not given titles by Scottish sources. However the Icelandic Annals recorded for the year 1249 that: "Dubhghall took kingship in the Sudreys." Norse sources also refer to kingship being held by

Eóghan of Argyll Eóghan MacDubhghaill ( Anglicized: ''Ewan MacDougall'', ''Ewan of Argyll'' or ''Ewan of Lorne'') was a 13th-century Scottish nobleman and warrior who was styled "King of the Isles", "Lord of Argyll". He was the son of Donnchadh, son of Dubhgha ...

,Anderson (1922) vol. ii, p. 549 although this was rescinded by King Haakon when he refused to participate in the latter's expeditions against Scotland.

References

;Notes ;Footnotes ;General references *

Anderson, Alan Orr Alan Orr Anderson (1879–1958) was a Scottish historian and compiler. The son of Rev. John Anderson and Ann Masson, he was born in 1879. He was educated at Royal High School, Edinburgh, and the University of Edinburgh. In 1908, after fiv ...

(1922) ''Early Sources of Scottish History: A.D. 500 to 1286''. 2. Edinburgh. Oliver and Boyd. * Barrett, James H. "The Norse in Scotland" in Brink, Stefan (ed) (2008) ''The Viking World''. Abingdon. Routledge. * Coventry, Martin (2008) ''Castles of the Clans''. Musselburgh. Goblinshead. * Crawford, Barbara E. (1987) ''Scandinavian Scotland''. Leicester University Press. * Downham, Clare (2007)"England and the Irish Sea Zone in the Eleventh Century" ''Anglo-Norman Studies'', 26, pp. 55–73.https://www.academia.edu/1763453/England_and_the_Irish_Sea_Zone_in_the_Eleventh_Century * Downham, Clare (2007) ''Viking Kings of Britain and Ireland: The Dynasty of Ívarr to A.D. 1014''. Edinburgh. Dunedin Academic Press. * * * Etchingham, Colman (2001) "North Wales, Ireland and the Isles: the Insular Viking Zone". ''Peritia''. 15 pp. 145–87 * Gregory, Donald (1881) ''The History of the Western Highlands and Isles of Scotland 1493–1625.'' Edinburgh. Birlinn. 2008 reprint – originally published by Thomas D. Morrison. * Als
JSTOR
* Hunter, James (2000) ''Last of the Free: A History of the Highlands and Islands of Scotland''. Edinburgh. Mainstream. * Johnstone J. (ed) (1780)
Anecdotes Of Olave The Black, King Of Man, And The Hebridian Princes Of The Somerled Family (by Thordr) To Which Are Added Xviii. Eulogies On Haco King Of Norway, By Snorro Sturlson, Publ. With A Literal Version And Notes
'. Retrieved 27 December 2012. * McDonald, R. Andrew (1997) ''The Kingdom of the Isles: Scotland's Western Seaboard c. 1100 – c. 1336''. East Linton. Tuckwell Press. * McDonald, R. Andrew (2007) ''Manx Kingship in its Irish Sea setting, 1187–1229: King Rognavaldr and the Crovan dynasty''. Dublin. Four Courts Press. . *Marsden, John (2008) "Somerled and the Emergence of Gaelic Scotland". Edinburgh. Birlinn. *Munch, P.A. (ed) and Rev. Goss (tr) (1874

Volume 1. Douglas, Isle of Man. The Manx Society. Retrieved 9 January 2011. * Ó Corráin, Donnchadh (Mar 1979) "High-Kings, Vikings and Other Kings". ''Irish Historical Studies'' 22 No. 83 pp. 283–323. Irish Historical Studies Publications. * Ó Corráin, Donnchadh (1998)
Vikings in Ireland and Scotland in the Ninth Century
' CELT. Retrieved 27 December 2012. * Pálsson, Hermann and Edwards, Paul Geoffrey (1981). ''Orkneyinga Saga: The History of the Earls of Orkney''. Penguin Classics. *. * Sellar, William David Hamilton ''Hebridean sea kings: The successors of Somerled, 1164–1316'' in Cowan, Edward J. and McDonald, Russell Andrew (eds) (2000) ''Alba: Celtic Scotland in the middle ages''. Tuckwell Press. * Thomson, William P. L. (2008) ''The New History of Orkney''. Edinburgh. Birlinn. * Watson, W. J. (1994) ''The Celtic Place-Names of Scotland''. Edinburgh; Birlinn. . First published 1926. * Woolf, Alex (2005) "The origins and ancestry of Somerled: Gofraid mac Fergusa and 'The Annals of the Four Masters'". ''Mediaeval Scandinavia''. 15 pp. 199–213. * Woolf, Alex "The Age of the Sea-Kings: 900–1300" in Omand, Donald (2006) ''The Argyll Book''. Edinburgh. Birlinn. * Woolf, Alex (2007) ''From Pictland to Alba, 789–1070''. The New Edinburgh History of Scotland. Edinburgh University Press. {{DEFAULTSORT:Isles, Rulers of the Kingdom of The Lists of British monarchs

Monarchs A monarch () is a head of stateWebster's II New College Dictionary. "Monarch". Houghton Mifflin. Boston. 2001. p. 707. for life or until abdication, and therefore the head of state of a monarchy. A monarch may exercise the highest authority an ...

*Kingdom of the Isles * Norway–Scotland relations