Magnus III. (Isle of Man)

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A 1256 from Magnus III. issued certificate

Magnus III. (also Magnus Olafsson ) († November 24, 1265 in Castle Rushen ) was a king of Man and the West Scottish Isles . He was the last Scandinavian ruler of the island kingdom that fell to Scotland after his death .

Origin and Conquest of Man

Magnus came from the originally Scandinavian family of the Godfreysons , who ruled the West Scottish islands under the sovereignty of the Norwegian kings since the 11th century. He was a younger son of King Olaf the Black . After the death of his father in 1237, his older brother Harald first became king of the Isle of Man and part of the West Scottish islands . After the death of his brother in 1248, the Scottish King Alexander II tried to conquer Man and the islands. The Scottish king fell ill during the campaign and died in 1249. For his underage son Alexander III. A regency council took over the government, which did not continue the war for the islands. Thereupon Magnus allied himself with Ewen Macdougall , the Lord of Argyll . With his help, he was able to conquer Man in 1250, which had meanwhile been occupied by Harald , a son of Godred Don and grandson of King Ragnvald .

Dominion over man

In 1253 Magnus traveled to Norway and swore to King Håkon VI. as loyalty to his overlord. Håkon then confirmed him as King of Man and the Isles. The English King Henry III. intervened in Scotland in the 1250s and advocated the rights of the Norwegian king over the West Scottish islands. Magnus now placed his kingdom under the protection of the English king, who knighted him in 1256 .

War with Scotland, submission and death

When the Norwegian king invaded the West Scottish islands with a fleet in 1263 , Magnus readily supported him. He gathered his fleet and joined the Norwegian fleet at the Isle of Skye . Together with the Norwegian fleet, he advanced into the Firth of Clyde . After an unsolved battle at Largs in early October, the Norwegians withdrew to Orkney in view of the impending autumn storms , where Håkon VI. died in December. Thereupon Alexander III prepared. himself a campaign against Man. Magnus had returned to Man and realized that he could not hold his own without the support of the Norwegian king. He met the Scottish king and submitted to him in Dumfries . Under the sovereignty of the Scottish King, he was allowed to remain King of Man. In the event of war, he was supposed to support the Scottish king with ten long boats . He died in November 1265 and was buried in the church of the Priory St Mary of Rushen .

Inheritance, marriage and offspring

After his death, the Scottish King forgave Man to his own son Alexander and had the island administered by bailiffs. In the Peace of Perth , the new Norwegian King Magnus VI. 1266 Man and the West Scottish Isles ceded to Scotland.

Magnus had married Maria , a daughter of Ewen Macdougall. He had at least one son, Godfrey . After his death, his widow first married the Scottish Earl of Strathearn . His son Godfrey was proclaimed king by the people of Man in 1275 after they had driven away the Scottish bailiffs and soldiers. In the same year, however, a Scottish army recaptured Man.

Web links

Commons : Magnús Óláfsson  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ AW Moore: A History of the Isle of Man . Vol. 1., Fisher Unwin, London 1900, p. 130.
  2. ↑ Michael Brown: The wars of Scotland, 1214-1371 . Edinburgh University Press, Edinburgh 2004, ISBN 0-7486-1237-8 , p. 81.
  3. ↑ Michael Brown: The wars of Scotland, 1214-1371 . Edinburgh University Press, Edinburgh 2004, ISBN 0-7486-1237-8 , p. 83.
  4. ^ AW Moore: A History of the Isle of Man . Vol. 1., Fisher Unwin, London 1900, p. 133.
  5. ^ A b Michael Brown: The wars of Scotland, 1214-1371 . Edinburgh University Press, Edinburgh 2004, ISBN 0-7486-1237-8 , p. 84.
  6. ^ AW Moore: A History of the Isle of Man . Vol. 1., Fisher Unwin, London 1900, p. 136.
  7. ↑ Michael Brown: The wars of Scotland, 1214-1371 . Edinburgh University Press, Edinburgh 2004, ISBN 0-7486-1237-8 , p. 85.
predecessor Office successor
Harald King of Mann
1250-1265 		Alexander
personal data
SURNAME Magnus III.
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Magnus Olafsson
BRIEF DESCRIPTION King of Man and the Isles
DATE OF BIRTH 13th Century
DATE OF DEATH November 24, 1265
Place of death Castle Rushen