Earl of Orkney facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Earldom of Orkney
Arms of the Earl of Orkney
Creation date	c. 872
Monarch	King Harald I
First holder	Sigurd Eysteinsson
Present holder	Peter St. John
Heir apparent	Oliver St. John
Extinction date	1472 (first creation) 1614 (second creation)
Seat(s)	Earl's Palace, Kirkwall
Former seat(s)	Brough of Birsay Earl's Palace, Birsay

Ruins on the Brough of Birsay, once the home of the early Norse jarls of Orkney. The Brough is now a tidal island, but it used to be connected to Mainland Orkney by a narrow strip of land.

The Earl of Orkney, also known as the Jarl of Orkney in old times, is a special noble title. It covers the islands of Orkney and Shetland, which are part of the Northern Isles of Scotland.

These rulers were first set up by Norse (Viking) people. In 1195, their role as Norwegian vassals (meaning they served the Norwegian king) became official. The old Norse word jarl is similar to "earl." However, a Norwegian jarl was not exactly the same as an earl in other places.

In the early days, the jarls had a lot of freedom. By the late 11th century, the Jarl of Orkney became the most important person in medieval Norway, after the king himself.

The jarls also sometimes answered to the kings of Scotland for parts of their land in mainland Scotland, like Caithness and Sutherland. In 1232, a Scottish family took over from the original Norse family. But the islands still officially belonged to Norway. Later, other Scottish families, like the Sinclair family, held the title. During their time, Orkney and Shetland became part of Scotland.

A second earldom was created in 1581 by James VI of Scotland. This was for his half-uncle Robert Stewart. But after only two people held the title, it was taken away in 1614. A third earldom was created in 1696, and this title still exists today. However, these later earls had very little to do with Orkney itself.

Norse Jarls: The First Rulers

Rognvald Eysteinsson, the Jarl of Møre, who lived around 865–890, is sometimes seen as the first founder of the jarldom. The Orkneyinga saga (a historical story) says that King Harald Finehair gave him control over Orkney and Shetland. But it doesn't clearly say he held the title himself. Another old text, the Heimskringla, says Rognvald's brother Sigurd was the first to officially be called a jarl.

Sigurd's son, Guthorm, ruled for only a year and had no children. Then Rognvald's son, Hallad, took over. But he couldn't stop Danish raids on Orkney. So, he gave up the title and went back to Norway, which people found quite funny.

Torf-Einarr then managed to defeat the Danes. He started a family line that ruled the islands for many centuries. Some historians believe that Torf-Einarr was the first true Earl of Orkney.

Another idea is that Sigurd “the Stout” Hlodvirsson, who was Torf-Einarr's great-grandson, might have been the first Jarl. This is because some old writings suggest Orkney wasn't fully taken over until the time of Harald Hardrada (who ruled Norway from 1043 to 1066). We don't have exact dates for many of these early jarls, except for Sigurd the Stout, who died in 1014.

If Torf-Einarr was a real historical figure, then almost all the jarls who came after him were his descendants. The only exception was Sigurd Magnusson. His father, Magnus Barelegs, made him jarl for a short time. Sigurd later became King Sigurd I of Norway.

One of the main sources of information about these jarls is the Orkneyinga saga. This saga is a very important historical and literary record for Scotland. A key event in the saga is the death of Jarl Magnus Erlendsson, who later became known as Saint Magnus, around 1115. The last part of the saga tells the long story of Jarl Rögnvald Kali Kolsson and Sweyn Asleifsson.

After Jarl Jon Haraldsson passed away about sixty years later, Magnus, son of Gille Brigte became the first of the Scottish earls. He might have been related to Jarl Rögnvald Kali Kolsson, but this isn't fully proven. The line of Norse jarls is said to have ended when Jarl Magnus II was given his title by Haakon IV of Norway around 1236.

Scottish Jarls Under Norwegian Rule

After the Norse jarls ended in 1230, the history of Orkney becomes less clear. The first jarl known to hold the title after this was Magnus II. Even though later jarls were related, each one had to be personally chosen by the Norwegian king. The title wasn't simply passed down from parent to child.

The Angus Jarls

Strathearn and Sinclair Jarls

Arms of the old Earldom of Orkney.

After Magnus Jonsson's death, there was a gap before a new jarl was chosen. It's thought that Magnus might have had a young heir who passed away. Also, figuring out the family connections for new jarls took a lot of time. Around ten years after Magnus died, the title was given to Maol Íosa. He was a distant relative of Earl Gilbert and ruled Orkney and Caithness from 1330 to 1350. He had daughters but no sons.

The earldom was then empty for about three years. After that, Erengisle Suneson held the title for a few years, but then his right to it ended before 1360. So, the jarldom was empty again. King Haakon VI of Norway was busy with other royal matters.

In 1375, King Haakon chose Alexander of Ard to be the next jarl. Alexander was the grandson of Maol Íosa's daughter Matilda. However, Alexander was only made "Lieutenant, Captain and Keeper" of Orkney for one year. This was like a trial period. If Haakon was happy with Alexander's actions, he would become the full jarl. But Haakon didn't make him jarl, possibly because Alexander couldn't stop the violence that had grown during the long time without a ruler. In 1379, the jarldom was given to another grandson of Maol Íosa, Henry Sinclair.

When James III of Scotland married Margaret of Denmark, her father, Christian I, the king of the Kalmar Union, couldn't pay her dowry (a payment from the bride's family) right away. Instead, he promised to pay later and offered the Norðreyjar (Orkney and Shetland) as a guarantee.

In 1470, James convinced William Sinclair to give up his rights to Orkney and Shetland. In return, William received land in Fife, Scotland. So, Orkney and Shetland technically remained a Norwegian Jarldom, but William's power was only over the mainland parts. The islands became "jarl-free." After a few years, it was clear the dowry wouldn't be paid. So, in 1472, James declared the Norðreyjar to be "forfeit" (meaning the title was taken away). This also meant the church in Caithness moved from being under Norway's church to Scotland's church.

Scottish Earls: Later Creations

Dukes of Orkney

• The next Orkney title was the dukedom of Orkney. This was given to James Hepburn, 4th Earl of Bothwell, who was married to Mary, Queen of Scots, in 1567. But later that year, he lost the title when Mary had to step down as queen.

Earls of Orkney, Second Creation

The second earldom was created by James VI of Scotland. These Stewart earls lived at Kirkwall Castle. This castle was built by Henry I Sinclair. It was torn down when the title was taken away in 1614.

Earls of Orkney, Third Creation (1696)

Earldom of Orkney (Third creation of 1696)
Blazon (description of the coat of arms).
Creation date	3 January 1696 (Third creation)
Monarch	William II of Scotland
Peerage	Peerage of Scotland
First holder	Lord George Hamilton
Present holder	Peter St John, 9th Earl of Orkney
Heir apparent	Oliver Robert St John, Viscount Kirkwall
Subsidiary titles	Viscount of Kirkwall Lord Dechmont

The most recent creation of the earldom was for Lord George Hamilton in 1696. He later became the first Field Marshal of Great Britain in 1735. The title was set up so it could be passed down through both male and female family lines.

The title then passed through the O'Brien family, then the Fitzmaurice family, and later to the St John family. The smaller titles of Viscount of Kirkwall and Lord Dechmont were also created at the same time.

None of these later earls seem to have any real connection to Orkney itself, other than the name of the title. For example, the current earl was born and lives in Canada.

The 9th Earl is the son of Frederick Oliver St John. Frederick was the son of Isabella Annie Fitzmaurice, who was the daughter of James Terence Fitzmaurice. James was the fifth son of the fifth Earl. The person expected to inherit the title next is the current earl's son, Oliver Robert St John (born in 1969). He holds the special title of Viscount Kirkwall.

Arms

Arms of the Earl of Orkney

Notes Coat of arms of the 8th earl. Crest 1st: A Sagittarius (a creature that is half-man, half-horse) walking, in its natural colors (FitzMaurice); 2nd: An old boat made of gold with blue flags, and from it grows an Oak Tree with fruit, cut by a saw, in natural colors with a gold frame (Hamilton). Escutcheon Divided into four main parts: 1st and 4th main parts, Silver with a red cross, on which is a gold ship with sails furled, and a top section of ermine (Fitz-Maurice); 2nd main part, divided into four smaller parts: 1st and 4th, Red with three ermine five-leafed flowers (Hamilton); 2nd, Silver with a black ship with sails furled (Arran); 3rd, Silver with a red heart crowned with gold, and on a blue top section, three silver five-pointed stars (Douglas); over all in the middle, a gold scallop shell for difference (for Lord George Hamilton, 1st Earl of Orkney); 3rd main part, divided into four smaller parts: 1st and 4th, Red with three lions walking and facing forward, half gold and half silver (O'Brien); 2nd, Silver with three red pointed shapes coming from the top; 3rd, Silver with a blue arrow head. Supporters On the right side, a blue antelope with gold horns and a gold chain around its neck. On the left side, a stag (male deer) in its natural colors with gold antlers and a gold chain around its neck. Each animal has an ermine five-leafed flower on its shoulder. Motto Through Courage.

Family tree

See also

• Mormaer of Caithness
• Viscount St John