Battle of the Isle of Man (1158)
Encyclopedia
The Battle of the Isle of Man was a battle fought in 1158 between the Norse
Gofraidh mac Amhlaibh (Godred II), King of Mann and the Isles and Celtic Somhairle MacGillebride (Somerled)
, King of Cinn Tìre (Kintyre)
, Argyll
and Lorne, on the Isle of Man
.
Somerled sailed his fleet of 53 birlinn
s into Ramsey Bay and set about attacking the forces of Godred II and plundering the Isle of Man. Godred II left the Isle of Man and went in search of support in England
, Scotland
and Norway
to retaliate against Somerled.
As a result of the victory, Somerled seized the Kingdom of Mann and the Isles for himself. He paid a visit to Norway in 1158 and visited Inge, the King of Norway
obtaining confirmation of the right to King of Mann and the Isles. Somerled held the title until his death in 1164 at the battle of Renfrew
, whereupon Godred II was reinstated as the King of Mann and the Isles.
Norsemen
Norsemen is used to refer to the group of people as a whole who spoke what is now called the Old Norse language belonging to the North Germanic branch of Indo-European languages, especially Norwegian, Icelandic, Faroese, Swedish and Danish in their earlier forms.The meaning of Norseman was "people...
Gofraidh mac Amhlaibh (Godred II), King of Mann and the Isles and Celtic Somhairle MacGillebride (Somerled)
Somerled
Somerled was a military and political leader of the Scottish Isles in the 12th century who was known in Gaelic as rí Innse Gall . His father was Gillebride...
, King of Cinn Tìre (Kintyre)
Kintyre
Kintyre is a peninsula in western Scotland, in the southwest of Argyll and Bute. The region stretches approximately 30 miles , from the Mull of Kintyre in the south, to East Loch Tarbert in the north...
, Argyll
Argyll
Argyll , archaically Argyle , is a region of western Scotland corresponding with most of the part of ancient Dál Riata that was located on the island of Great Britain, and in a historical context can be used to mean the entire western coast between the Mull of Kintyre and Cape Wrath...
and Lorne, on the Isle of Man
Isle of Man
The Isle of Man , otherwise known simply as Mann , is a self-governing British Crown Dependency, located in the Irish Sea between the islands of Great Britain and Ireland, within the British Isles. The head of state is Queen Elizabeth II, who holds the title of Lord of Mann. The Lord of Mann is...
.
Somerled sailed his fleet of 53 birlinn
Birlinn
The birlinn was a type of boat used especially in the Hebrides and West Highlands of Scotland in the Middle Ages. The Birlinn is a Norse-Gaelic variant on the Norse longship. Variants of the name in English and Lowland Scots include "berlin" and "birling". It probably derives ultimately from the...
s into Ramsey Bay and set about attacking the forces of Godred II and plundering the Isle of Man. Godred II left the Isle of Man and went in search of support in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
and Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
to retaliate against Somerled.
As a result of the victory, Somerled seized the Kingdom of Mann and the Isles for himself. He paid a visit to Norway in 1158 and visited Inge, the King of Norway
Inge I of Norway
Inge Haraldsson was king of Norway from 1136 to 1161. Inge’s reign fell within the start of the period known in Norwegian history as the civil war era. He was never the sole ruler of the country. He is often known as Inge the Hunchback , because of his physical disability...
obtaining confirmation of the right to King of Mann and the Isles. Somerled held the title until his death in 1164 at the battle of Renfrew
Battle of Renfrew
The Battle of Renfrew in 1164 was a significant engagement near Renfrew, Scotland. The army of King Malcolm IV of Scotland led by Walter fitz Alan was attacked by forces led by Somerled mac Gillebride , including the Celtic King of Mann and the Isles, King of Argyll, Cinn Tìre and Lorne...
, whereupon Godred II was reinstated as the King of Mann and the Isles.