Kingdom of the Isles

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Territory of the Kingdom of the Isles towards the end of the 11th century (light red)

The Kingdom of the Islands (also Kingdom of Man and the Islands ) was a dominion in the North Atlantic that existed from about the 9th century to the end of the 13th century and included the Hebrides , the Isle of Man and parts of Argyll . In the Nordic region , the area was designated as Suðreyjar (Southern Islands) to demarcate the Orkney and Shetland extensive Norðreyjar (Northern Islands) . From this old Norse name Suðreyjar came the Latin name Sodor in the course of the Middle Agesand the English name Sudreys emerged. In some later sources, the islands are also referred to as the Kingdom of Mann and the Isles .

The kingdom did not consistently exist as a unit between the 9th and 13th centuries. The kings of the islands ruled the islands independently at times, but most of the time the kings of the islands were ruled by Norwegian, Irish, English or Scottish rulers. At times, both Scottish and Norwegian rulers claimed the islands for themselves.

The history of the Kingdom of the Islands begins with the influence of the Norwegian Vikings in the late 8th century, but until the middle of the 10th century the sources of the respective kings of the islands remain sparse and contradictory. Characteristic of this time are armed conflicts with the rulers in Ireland and attempts by Norwegian rulers to secure influence over the islands. Around 1100 a powerful new dynasty appeared, which traces its beginning back to Somerled MacGillebrigte. After his death in 1164, the kingdom was divided into two parts, ruled over by Somerled's descendants, the MacDonalds, MacDougalls and MacRuaris dynasties. With the Treaty of Perth between Scotland and Norway in 1266, the Kingdom of the Isles became part of the Kingdom of Scotland. Historians put a definite end to the Kingdom of the Isles with the date 1336, when a descendant of Somerleds, John of Islay, first used the title dominus Insularum or Lord of the Isles (instead of “King of the Isles”).

Geographical location

The Hebrides, which lie parallel to the west coast of Scotland and comprise around 500 islands of various sizes, of which the smaller ones are not inhabited, were initially counted as part of the Kingdom of the Islands. The twenty to thirty largest islands form two main groups, the Inner and Outer Hebrides . The Outer Hebrides are about 60 kilometers west of mainland Scotland and include the islands of Lewis , Harris , Berneray , the Uists , Benbecula and Barra , among others . The Inner Hebrides are closer to the mainland and are usually divided into three groups: the Isle of Skye with neighboring islands, the group around the Isle of Mull , including the islands of Staffa and Iona , and the group around Islay . The Kingdom of the Isles also included the islands in the Firth of Clyde and the Isle of Man and was able to extend its influence to the coast of Argyll .

Orkney and Shetland are more than 180 kilometers from the Hebrides and were not part of the Kingdom of the Isles, but remained directly under Norwegian rule.

history

Early history and first Viking incursions

Historical sources relating to the inhabitants of the islands in the north-west of what is now Scotland are sparse or non-existent until the eighth century. Historians believe that residents of the islands were Picts because the natives of Scotland's north were Picts, but this is by no means certain, according to historian Alex Woolf. Archaeological digs on Orkney have revealed sculptures and art typical of the Pictish mainland, suggesting that Orkney was Pictish. Similar evidence, however, is lacking for Skye and the Outer Hebrides, with the exception of a few finds that indicate a sporadic connection to the Pictish heartland, but not sufficient to substantiate a greater integration of the islands into Pictish dominion areas. Woolf assumes that until 850 the region on and around the Hebrides had no kings or highly developed tribal principalities, because this would not have escaped the chroniclers of Iona.

The presence of a monastery on the island of Iona is well documented between the 6th and 9th centuries.

In the eighth century, English sources such as the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle report the first raids by Danish and Norwegian Vikings in Britain, the first being the attack and sacking of Lindisfarne Monastery in 793 on the north-east coast of England. Irish annals report raids on Skye 795 and Iona 795, and again 802 and 806. After the raid in 806, some of the monks on Iona decided to flee to Kells , but some of the monks apparently stayed behind because 845, 878 and More looting followed in 986.

It did not stop with looting, but the Vikings finally established themselves and settled on the islands. Especially for the Isle of Man, a Scandinavian influence is proven by extensive archaeological finds and secured by place name research . Settlements may have started as early as 80000 and migration continued in waves until the late 9th century when County Orkney was founded by the Northmen. The extent to which the Vikings settled the Hebrides is less well documented than on Man, Orkney or Shetland. Viking tombs are known from the Isle of Man, Lewis, Tiree, Colonsay, Oronsay and Islay. Place names that go back to Old Norse are documented, but far less extensive than on Orkney or Shetland. After all, the Scandinavian influence on the islands in the west of Scotland was so great that a new name for them appears in the sources in the 9th century: Innse Gall , the "Islands of Strangers", whereby the strangers may have been the Scandinavians.

First rulers and kings of the islands

The first names of individuals bearing the name of lord or king of the islands began to appear in the late 9th century, but historical sources for many of these rulers are sparse or unreliable. One of the first people with this title was Godfrey MacFergus or Gofraid mac Fergusa, the ruler of Airgialla in Northern Ireland and the legendary ancestor of the MacDonald clan of the Hebrides. He died in 851 and was referred to by Irish chroniclers as toiseach Innse Gall (Lord of the Hebrides). Historian Alex Woolf, however, considers the designation of Gofraid as ruler of the islands to be propaganda by the MacDonald clan from the 14th century.

One of the first people documented under the title rí Innse Gall (King of the Hebrides) is Godfrey or Gofraid mac Arailt. He appears in Welsh sources reporting that he devastated Anglesey and Dyfed in Wales. Irish sources record his death in 989 and refer to him as King of the Hebrides, although his sphere of influence may have included the Hebrides and the Isle of Man. After the death of Godfrey and his brother Maccus, the Counts of Orkney, the kings of Alba , Dublin and Leinster seem to have wrestled for influence on the islands. In 1072 the Irish Annals of Tigers report the death of Diarmait mac Maíl na mBó, who is known as King of the Hebrides, Dublin and Leinster.

A turning point in the history of the islands is the conquest of the Isle of Man by Godred Corvan in 1079, with which a dynasty of Scandinavian origin came to power. Godred managed to subjugate Dublin and a larger part of Leinster as well. He was chased from Ireland in 1094 and died on Islay in 1095 . It is noteworthy that Godred managed to establish an island kingdom that included the western islands of Scotland. Godred's granddaughter Ragnhild later married Somerled of Argyll, establishing a dynasty of sea kings in the Hebrides.

Between 1095 and 1114, Norse and Irish forces, as well as rulers of the Isle of Man, fought for supremacy over the islands. In 1098 the islands came under direct Norwegian supremacy for a short time when King Magnus III. of Norway first conquered Orkney and installed his son there as Earl and then plundered south through the Hebrides. On the Isle of Man, he captured Lagman , the son of Godred, and presumably took control of the islands. Despite a treaty in 1098 between Magnus and King Edgar of Scotland, which formally handed over control of the Hebrides to the Norwegians, the Norwegians could not maintain suzerainty because they were barely able to control the Islands to show presence. After Magnus' death in 1103, Lagman managed to regain control of the islands. From 1115 Olaf , Langman's brother, came to power, who ruled the islands for 40 years.

Somerled and his descendants

Around 1140 a king of the islands appears in the sources, about whose origin and rise to power nothing is known: Somerled MacGillebrigte. Somerled succeeded in wresting power from the King of Man in 1156. Researchers believe that Somerled was both Scottish and Nordic in origin. Shortly before 1150 he married Ragnhald or Raghnailt, daughter of Olaf, king of Man and the islands. When King David I of Scotland and King Olaf died in 1153 , a power vacuum was created that Somerled used to gain control of the southern part of the islands. In 1158 Somerled defeated Goraidh, who ruled the northern part of the islands, and was now king of the Ins Gall , the island kingdom from the Isle of Man to Lewis in the northern Hebrides.

Somerled died in 1164 while attempting an invasion of mainland Scotland. Somerled's influence on the history of the islands was significant as he ruled over a contiguous kingdom that stretched from the Isle of Man to the Isle of Skye and included parts of mainland Scotland from Kintyre to Ardnamurchan . In Irish sources Somerled is referred to as rí Inse Gall & Cind tire , King of the Hebrides and of Kintyre. Somerled founded a dynasty , the MacSorleys, whose members still co-determined the fate of the islands 350 years after his death.

After Somerled's death in 1164, the southern part of his kingdom was again taken over by the kings of the Isle of Man, while the northern part of the kingdom was divided between his descendants. Due to internal conflicts in Scotland and civil war in Norway, the islands received little attention from Scotland or Norway, so that Somerled's descendants, the MacSorleys, were able to establish themselves as relatively independent rulers of the Hebrides.

One of Somerled's most notable sons was Ranald, who ruled Islay, Jura, and Kintyre, and Morvern and Ardnamurchan. In early documents to Ranald "King of the Indies and Mr. Argyll and Kintyre" calls while in later documents the title of "Lord of the Isles" ( lord of the isles used). After Ranald's death around 1192, the early 13th century in the Hebrides was marked by war between the descendants of Somerled, with Norwegian and Scottish powers and the rulers of Man also trying to exert influence. King Olaf von Man eventually sought the support of the Norwegian King Hakon in 1229, who sent a force led by a man named Uspak to conquer and pacify the islands. Uspak's rule as king over the islands ended with his death in 1230, after which a new generation of MacSorleys regained power over the islands, which ruled parts of the islands as kings under Norwegian suzerainty.

Peace of Perth 1266 and Consequences

From 1249 to 1266, the MacSorleys tried to rule the islands as independently as possible, while both the Scottish and Norwegian kings demanded loyalty from them. The attempts of Scotland and Norway to gain supremacy over the islands culminated in armed conflicts over a number of years. The Norwegian-Scottish War finally ended with the Peace of Perth in 1266 between King Magnus VI. of Norway and King Alexander III. of Scotland. Through the peace treaty, the Isle of Man and the Hebrides became part of the Kingdom of Scotland. The date 1266 is significant for the Kingdom of the Islands, because it ended the Kingdom of the Islands as a more or less independent domain.

The descendants of Somerled's dynasty, the MacSorleys, split into three family clans, the MacDougalls, the MacDonalds, and the MacRuaries. Even after the end of the Kingdom of the Isles and the integration of the Hebrides, Man and surrounding areas into the Kingdom of Scotland, the three families retained great influence on the islands. In the 14th century, the Scottish King Robert I subjected northwest Scotland to administrative reform, so that the islands also became part of a Scottish sheriff cathedral , and parts of the islands and Argyll were re-assigned as fiefdoms . John, son of Angus Óg MacDonald, called himself dominus Insularum or Lord of the Isles ("Lord of the Isles") in 1336 ; under this title he and his descendants ruled the islands until the 15th century.

Sources

The source situation for the north-west of Scotland and the Kingdom of the Isles is difficult. Although there are some medieval sources for Scotland, the main emphasis is on the Lowlands , with events in the Highlands and the Scottish Isles being barely mentioned between 1100 and 1300. Historians have turned to a variety of sources to reconstruct the events in the north-west of Scotland and the Isles and incomplete materials such as annals , sagas , records , poems , family trees and clan histories from Scottish, Irish, Nordic and English sources as well as from the Isle of Man. The sources vary in reliability, especially the legends, family trees and clan stories must be viewed with caution.

The only truly contemporary Scottish chronicles from the period are the Chronicle of Melrose and Chronicle of Holyrood , both marginally concerned with events in the Kingdom of the Isles. The only source that comes from the territory of the Kingdom of the Isles and is almost contemporary is the Chronicles of Mann from the 13th century. Their chronology , however, has been questioned by historians, and it tends to portray Somerled's descendants in a negative light. The main Irish sources are Irish annals. Nordic sources are two sagas that were written on the basis of older oral tradition after 1200: the Orkneyinga saga and Hakon's saga. Further sources are later, not contemporary Scottish chroniclers such as John Fordun (approx. 1380) or Walter Bower , Abbot of Inchcolm (approx. 1445).

literature

  • David William Hunter Marshall: The Sudreys in early Viking times . Jackson, Wylie, Glasgow 1929.
  • R. Andrew McDonald: The Kingdom of the Isles: Scotland's Western Seaboard, c.1100 - c.1330 . Tuckwell Press, East Linton 1997, ISBN 1-898410-85-2 .
  • PA Munch: The Chronicle of Man and the Sudreys . Brøgger & Christie, Christiania 1860.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Regesta Norvegica: kronologisk Fortegnelse over Dokumenter vedkommende Norge, Nordmænd og den norske Kirkeprovins. 2: 1264-1300 . Christiania 1898, ISBN 82-7061-271-5 , p. 38 .
  2. ↑ Suðreyjar in the Norske Lexikon store - accessed on November 24, 2013
  3. ↑ Ralph Tuchtenhagen: Small history of Norway . Munich 2009, ISBN 978-3-406-58453-4 , pp. 33 .
  4. ^ R. Andrew McDonald: The Kingdom of the Isles: Scotland's Western Seaboard, c.1100 - c.1330 . Tuckwell Press, East Linton 1997, ISBN 1-898410-85-2 , p. 2.
  5. ^ R. Andrew McDonald: The Kingdom of the Isles: Scotland's Western Seaboard, c.1100 - c.1330 . Tuckwell Press, East Linton 1997, ISBN 1-898410-85-2 , pp. 10-11.
  6. ↑ Alex Woolf: From Pictland to Alba 789-1070. Edinburgh University Press, Edinburgh 2007, ISBN 978-0-7486-1234-5 , pp. 12-13.
  7. ^ R. Andrew McDonald: The Kingdom of the Isles: Scotland's Western Seaboard, c.1100 - c.1330 . Tuckwell Press, East Linton 1997, ISBN 1-898410-85-2 , p. 26.
  8. ^ DM Hadley: The Vikings in England: Settlement, society and culture. Manchester University Press, Manchester 2006, ISBN 978-0-7190-5982-7 , pp. 276-277.
  9. ^ R. Andrew McDonald: The Kingdom of the Isles: Scotland's Western Seaboard, c.1100 - c.1330 . Tuckwell Press, East Linton 1997, ISBN 1-898410-85-2 , pp. 27-28.
  10. ↑ Alex Woolf: From Pictland to Alba 789-1070. Edinburgh University Press, Edinburgh 2007, ISBN 978-0-7486-1234-5 , p. 299.
  11. ^ R. Andrew McDonald: The Kingdom of the Isles: Scotland's Western Seaboard, c.1100 - c.1330 . Tuckwell Press, East Linton 1997, ISBN 1-898410-85-2 , pp. 30-31.
  12. ^ R. Andrew McDonald: The Kingdom of the Isles: Scotland's Western Seaboard, c.1100 - c.1330 . Tuckwell Press, East Linton 1997, ISBN 1-898410-85-2 , pp. 33-34.
  13. ^ R. Andrew McDonald: The Kingdom of the Isles: Scotland's Western Seaboard, c.1100 - c.1330 . Tuckwell Press, East Linton 1997, ISBN 1-898410-85-2 , pp. 33-39.
  14. ^ R. Andrew McDonald: The Kingdom of the Isles: Scotland's Western Seaboard, c.1100 - c.1330 . Tuckwell Press, East Linton 1997, ISBN 1-898410-85-2 , pp. 39-60.
  15. ^ R. Andrew McDonald: The Kingdom of the Isles: Scotland's Western Seaboard, c.1100 - c.1330 . Tuckwell Press, East Linton 1997, ISBN 1-898410-85-2 , pp. 65-67.
  16. ^ R. Andrew McDonald: The Kingdom of the Isles: Scotland's Western Seaboard, c.1100 - c.1330 . Tuckwell Press, East Linton 1997, ISBN 1-898410-85-2 , pp. 67-69.
  17. ^ R. Andrew McDonald: The Kingdom of the Isles: Scotland's Western Seaboard, c.1100 - c.1330 . Tuckwell Press, East Linton 1997, ISBN 1-898410-85-2 , pp. 73-74.
  18. ^ R. Andrew McDonald: The Kingdom of the Isles: Scotland's Western Seaboard, c.1100 - c.1330 . Tuckwell Press, East Linton 1997, ISBN 1-898410-85-2 , pp. 89-91, 98-99.
  19. ^ R. Andrew McDonald: The Kingdom of the Isles: Scotland's Western Seaboard, c.1100 - c.1330 . Tuckwell Press, East Linton 1997, ISBN 1-898410-85-2 , pp. 116-121.
  20. ^ R. Andrew McDonald: The Kingdom of the Isles: Scotland's Western Seaboard, c.1100 - c.1330 . Tuckwell Press, East Linton 1997, ISBN 1-898410-85-2 , pp. 136, 186-187.
  21. ^ R. Andrew McDonald: The Kingdom of the Isles: Scotland's Western Seaboard, c.1100 - c.1330 . Tuckwell Press, East Linton 1997, ISBN 1-898410-85-2 , pp. 4-6.