The Kings of Man: Start of a dynasty
RECORD: The Chronicles of Mann. Below: The Chronicles tell us that Olaf II, the great grandson of Godred Crovan, was buried at Rushen Abbey in 1237 AD. This skeleton was discovered at Rushen Abbey. It was displayed at the old museum there and labelled The Skeleton of King Olaf II. Could these really be the bones of a king of Man and the Isles? When the bones were examined by an expert in the 1990s, it was revealed that there was more than one persons skeleton laid out. The bones of a man had been mixed up with some bones of a woman and a child. There are no clues as to when or why this might have happened, so for now, we have to treat the interpretation with caution
In our second feature on Manx National Heritage’s latest exhibition ‘The Forgotten Kingdom’, we take a look at the Kings of Man, starting with Godred Crovan. Read on to find out more about the start of a dynasty known as the Kingdom of Man and the Isles.
The dominance of the Kingdom of Man and the Isles was consolidated in 1079 AD by Godred Crovan.
Twice he unsuccessfully fought the Manx ruler, Fingal, until eventually gaining control after defeating the Manx forces at Sky Hill near Ramsey.
Crovan expanded his influence to rule Dublin as well as Man and the Scottish isles.
He died on Islay in 1095 AD after a 16-year reign.
The Kingdom of Man and the Isles was now a force to be reckoned with and Crovan’s descendants were to rule for almost 200 years – but not in peace.
Lagman, Crovan’s eldest son, ruled for seven years but faced rebellion from his own brother, Harald.
Lagman mutilated and blinded Harald, but soon regretted his actions and abdicated the kingdom. Crovan’s youngest son, Olaf, was too young to assume the throne, so the kingdom was put in the guardianship of a man named Donald.
The Chronicles say that Donald ‘ruled ruthlessly for three years’ until being driven out by the chiefs of the Isles.
With the kingdom on the verge of chaos, the king of Norway stepped in. King Magnus Barefoot sent Ingemund, a Norwegian lord, to take over the kingdom and the chieftains were ready to welcome him.
The Chronicles record that he and his followers ‘indulged in rapine and orgies, violating the chastity of matrons and maidens, and devoted themselves to every other variety of entertainment and pleasure of the flesh’.
This was too much even for the chieftains, and one night, they burned Ingemund to death, together with all his men.
Click here for the first part of this series.
King Magnus of Norway assembled 160 ships and sailed to and conquered Orkney. He then travelled down through the kingdom, taking each island in turn.
On reaching Man, he declared it a place of great beauty and decided to stay. But Magnus was complacent when he attempted to conquer Ireland.
Leaving his ships and protection behind, Magnus was killed by Irishmen and his six year reign in Norway and the kingdom came to a grisly end.
The Crovan dynasty returned. Maintaining relationships with potential allies and enemies was a politically astute move and Olaf, Crovan’s youngest son, had been living at the court of Henry I in England.
When Olaf took the crown of the Kingdom in 1102 AD, he became a popular, wise and devout ruler for the next 40 years, though he was not without fault.
The Chronicles state, he ‘over-indulged in the domestic vice of kings’. But it wasn’t this that would be his downfall, it was his nephews instead.
The Battle of the Brothers
In 1188 AD, Reginald Godredsson, ‘a sturdy man and of maturer years’ became King of Man and the Isles.
He was chosen by the Manx people over his 10-year-old brother, Olaf II. For the next 40 years, the brothers battled over the title of King of Man and the Isles.
Olaf II was given the Isle of Lewis, but the Chronicles say ‘he lived there leading a poor sort of life’.
Although his request for more adequate land was dismissed, Reginald began to be wary of his younger brother.
To remove any threat to his crown, Reginald tricked Olaf II into meeting him, had him bound in chains and imprisoned in Scotland.
In 1214 AD, King William of Scotland ordered all prisoners to be freed. Olaf II was nearly 30 years old when he returned to Man and was ‘peaceably received’ by Reginald.
But family tensions remained and after an unsuccessful murder attempt by Reginald’s son in 1224 AD, Olaf II brought 32 ships to Ronaldsway.
The Chronicles say that ‘Man was given to Reginald in addition to his share…with the title of king. Olaf… received provisions from the people of Man and returned…to his share of the Isles’.
With little choice, Reginald had agreed to divide the kingdom.
Only a year later, Reginald set out to reclaim these territories through a military alliance with Alan, Lord of Galloway.
Deceiving the Manx people into giving him money, he offered this cash, along with his daughter, to Alan.
Outraged, the Manx rejected Reginald and made Olaf II their new king.
Reginald came to Man in 1228 AD and ‘with a large army…laid waste the entire southern part….plundered the churches, killed as many men as they were able to capture…the southern part of Man was practically reduced to a desert’.
Later that same year, Reginald ‘burnt up all the ships’ at St Patrick’s Isle belonging to Olaf II and travelled south. Despite (or because of) his devastation of the south, the people there pledged their allegiance to Reginald, whilst those in the north were loyal to Olaf II.
At Tynwald on St Valentine’s Day 1228 AD, Reginald and Olaf II faced each other with their men behind them, ready for battle.
Olaf II suddenly charged and his enemies fled, leaving Reginald to be found by some ‘wicked men’ and killed.
Despite some challenges, Olaf II remained King of Man and the Isles for a further nine years until his death on May 21, 1237.
The Chronicles report that he was ‘buried in St Mary’s Abbey, Rushen’.
The End of the Norse
The reign of Olaf I, pious son of Godred Crovan, came to a shocking end in 1152.
Harald, Olaf’s mutilated brother, had three sons.
In 1152 they travelled to Ramsey to demand half the kingdom from Olaf I. When Olaf I signalled the middle brother Reginald to come forward to talk, Reginald raised his hand supposedly in salute. Instead ‘he raised his gleaming axe...and with one blow cut off the king’s head’.
Man was divided up between the brothers, but not for long.
Olaf I’s son, Godred, took revenge on the three murderers and reigned for 14 years but an attempt in 1156 AD by the King of Kintyre, Somerled, to take control of the whole kingdom resulted in it being split between the two. Another challenger called Reginald reached the Isle of Man in 1172 AD, but was defeated by the Manx who remained loyal to their king.
Godred Olafsson eventually died on St Patrick’s Isle on November 10,1187, naming his son Olaf as his successor. But Olaf II was only 10 years old and the Manx worried that he was too weak to rule.
They turned to his brother, Reginald Godredsson, and from 1188 until his death in 1228 the two brothers fought over the crown.
Olaf II died nine years later and was buried at Rushen Abbey in 1237 AD.
His son Harald inherited the kingdom, but he refused to pay homage to King Haakon IV of Norway and was expelled from Man by King Haakon IV’s agents, ‘time and time again’.
When he eventually went to Norway, Harald was rewarded with the kingdom and Haakon’s daughter in marriage.
It was unfortunate then that Harald died in a shipwreck in 1249 AD, returning from Norway to his kingdom.
Harald’s brother Reginald reigned for less than a month, and on his death, Harald son of Godred Don, claimed the throne. In 1250 whilst on a trip to convince King Haakon IV of his worth, Harald was, according to the Chronicles, ‘detained…in Norway…never again…to return’.
Magnus, son of Olaf II, sailed to Man in 1252 AD and, the Chronicles say, ‘all the Manxmen received him gladly and made him their king’.
Two years later, King Haakon IV of Norway confirmed Magnus as king and, for the next 11 years, Magnus ruled. He died at Castle Rushen on 24 November 24, 1265.
The Crovan dynasty that began nearly 200 years earlier had ended, along with the regal connections between the Isle of Man and Norway.
The Chronicles of Magnus and his ancestors merely state that in the year 1266 the Kingdom of Man and the Isles was transferred to Alexander King of the Scots’.
Click here for the first part of this series.
Follow our next feature on ‘Queens, concubines and ordinary people’ in next week’s Examiner and visit the ‘Forgotten Kingdom Exhibition at the Manx Museum, sponsored by Lloyds TSB. Open Monday to Saturday, 10am to 5pm. Admission free.
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Weather for Isle of Man
Monday 20 May 2013
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