List of rulers of the Kingdom of the Isles facts for kids

The Kingdom of the Isles was a group of islands that included the Hebrides, the islands in the Firth of Clyde, and the Isle of Man. This kingdom existed from the 800s to the 1200s AD. The Norse people called these islands the Suðreyjar, meaning "Southern Isles." This was to tell them apart from the Norðreyjar, or Northern Isles, which were Orkney and Shetland.

We don't have all the historical records, so the kingdom might not have been a continuous, single country for the whole time. Sometimes, people called it the "Kingdom of Mann and the Isles," but only some later rulers actually used that title. At times, the rulers were independent, meaning they didn't answer to anyone else. However, for much of the time, they had powerful overlords from Norway, Ireland, England, Scotland, or Orkney. Sometimes, different people also fought over who should control parts of the islands. These islands cover a large area, stretching over 500 kilometers (about 310 miles) from north to south.

Viking influence in the area began in the late 700s. The Uí Ímair family was very important during this early time. However, the exact dates and details about the rulers are mostly guesses until the mid-900s. There were often conflicts between the Kings of the Isles and the rulers of Ireland. Also, the King of Norway (or their powerful servants, the Earls of Orkney) often got involved in island affairs.

When Magnus Barelegs invaded in the late 1000s, Norway directly ruled the kingdom for a short time. But soon, the descendants of Godred Crovan took back control, and the islands were mostly independent again. This independence ended when Somerled rose to power. After Somerled died in 1164, the kingdom split into two parts. Just over a century later, in 1266, the islands became part of the Kingdom of Scotland after the Treaty of Perth.

The spelling of the rulers' names can be tricky because both Old Norse and Gaelic languages were spoken in the region for a long time. So, one person might be called Rognvaldr in Icelandic, Rag(h)nall in Gaelic, Reginaldus in Latin, and "Rognvald" or "Reginald" in English.

Early Viking Rulers (800s - early 900s)

Signature page from the Annals of the Four Masters

During this time, historical records are very scarce, so these early entries are mostly based on guesses.

Some historians think Eiríkr, who was King of York from 947–948 and 952–5, might have ruled in the islands at some point in the mid-900s.

Kings of Mann and the Isles (Late 900s - 1000s)

A coin from Dublin, made around 1050, showing Sihtric.

19th-century picture of Magnus Barefoot's soldiers in Ireland.

Rulers of Just Mann

The preserved remains of the Oseberg ship in the Viking Ship Museum in Oslo.

The Isle of Man might have come under Norse rule in the 870s. Interestingly, the Norse people might have brought the Gaelic language with them to the island. Mann has more Viking Age archaeological sites than anywhere else in the British Isles, but written records from this time are poor.

After this, the Western Isles and Mann were likely ruled together by the House of Ímar (mentioned above). Some historians suggest Lagmann Godredson might have "held power in Man" and even been king, but was forced out sometime after 1005, perhaps by Brian Bóruma. This might mean the Earls of Orkney did not control Mann itself in the early 1000s. Echmarcach mac Ragnaill and those who came after him definitely controlled Mann, but it's not clear how much they ruled over the islands of the Clyde and the Hebrides. Óláfr mac Lagmann was killed at Clontarf in 1014, fighting with "warriors from the Hebrides."

The years 1095–1098 were politically unstable, ending in a civil war on the Isle of Man between the north and south. A battle at Santwat in 1098 between the northerners led by Jarl Óttar and the southerners led by Macmaras (or MacManus) resulted in both leaders dying.

Rulers of Just the Hebrides

Modern Dumbarton Castle, where Ímar and Amlaíb Conung laid siege in the 800s.

In Irish mythology, the Outer Hebrides were home to the Fomorians, who were described as "huge and ugly" sea people. They were pirates who demanded payments from the coasts of Ireland. One of their kings was Indech mac Dé Domnand, son of the goddess Domnu, who ruled the deep seas. Indech is also mentioned in the Cath Maige Tuired with Balor, who is called righ na n-Innsi ('king of the Isles'), which might have meant the king of the Inner Hebrides. Together, they "gathered all the forces from Lochlainn westwards into Ireland to demand tribute and rule over them."

Other later rulers, like Gebeachan, are also mentioned in early records as having some kind of power over unknown areas in the northern part of the Kingdom of the Isles.

The Kingdom Splits (1100s - 1200s)

The Bishop's Palace, Kirkwall in Orkney, where Haakon Haakonarson, the last Norwegian king to rule the Sudreyjar, died in 1263.

Kings of Mann and the Isles

Godred the Black ruled very strictly, which made him unpopular with the people of the Isles. The powerful lords of the islands began to secretly plan with a new, strong leader named Somerled, Lord of Argyll. When Godred heard about this, he fought Somerled's forces in a naval battle in 1156. There was no clear winner, but they agreed that Godred would keep ruling Mann and the northern Hebrides. Somerled's young sons would officially control the southern Inner Hebrides, Kintyre, and the islands of the Clyde, with their father watching over them. Two years later, Somerled invaded the Isle of Man, causing Godred to flee to Norway. This made Somerled the undisputed ruler of the entire kingdom.

After Somerled died in 1164, Godred took back his lands in Mann and the north. The southern islands were given to Somerled's sons as they had agreed: Dubgall received Mull, Coll, Tiree, and Jura; Islay and Kintyre went to Ragnall; Bute went to Aonghas, with Arran possibly divided between him and Reginald. The Chronicle of Man and the Sudreys complained that Somerled's marriage to Ragnhildis, Olave the Red's daughter, had "ruined the whole kingdom of the Isles."

Kings of Mann and the North Isles

The Manx Sword of State is often said to belong to Olaf the Black, but modern research shows it's from a much later time.

In 1230, Norwegian forces invaded because of family fights among Godred the Black's descendants. The Chronicle of Lanercost says a Norwegian fleet sailed down the west coast of Scotland with Óspakr-Hákon, who had been made "King of the Suðreyjar" by the King of Norway. His forces captured Rothesay Castle, breaking through the walls with their axes. The Eirspennill version of Hákonar saga Hákonarsonar states that the fleet then sailed to Kintyre, where Óspakr-Hákon became sick and died. Olaf the Black then took control of the fleet and led it to the Isle of Man. He and Gofraid Donn, the son of Raghnall mac Gofraidh, divided the kingdom. Gofraid Donn kept Mann, and Olaf controlled the northern islands. A short time later, Gofraid Donn was killed, possibly on Lewis.

On May 30, 1249, Ragnvald Olafsson was killed in a field near the Church of the Holy Trinity at Rushen by a knight named Ívarr and his followers. The Chronicle of Lanercost says he had ruled for only 27 days. Harald Godredsson then took the kingship, but he was called to Norway the next year and effectively lost his power. Magnus Olafsson was the last of the Norse kings to rule Mann. After he died, Mann became part of the Kingdom of Scotland.

Kings of the South Isles

The Suðreyjar around 1200: showing the lands of the Crovan dynasty and the descendants of Somerled.

The 1780 Anecdotes of Olave the Black (based on Hákonar saga Hákonarsonar) say there were three Sudreyan kings at one time who were "of the family of Somerled" and "very disloyal to King Haco." It's not completely clear which three kings are meant. They include Dubgall "Screech" mac Dubgaill and his brother Donnchadh, and either Eóghan of Argyll "who was king afterwards," or possibly an unknown "relative of theirs, called Somerled, [who] was then also a King in the Sudreys." This Somerled, who died in 1230, might have been a brother or cousin of Dubgall and Donnchadh.

Ragnall mac Somairle's son, Ruaidhri mac Raghnaill, might have been the "king of the Isles" mentioned in Irish records as being killed fighting the English at the Battle of Ballyshannon in 1247. Ruaidhri's direct descendants, Dubhghall and Ailean, who ruled Garmoran and the Uists, are usually not given king titles by Scottish sources. However, the Icelandic Annals recorded for the year 1249 that: "Dubhghall took kingship in the Sudreys." Norse sources also say that Eóghan of Argyll held kingship, but King Haakon took it back when Eóghan refused to join Haakon's trips against Scotland.

See also

• List of Manx consorts
• Lists of monarchs in the British Isles
• Lord of the Isles