King of Mann
Encyclopedia
The King of Mann was the title taken between 1237 and 1504 by the various rulers, both sovereign
and suzerain
, over the Kingdom of Mann – the Isle of Man
which is located in the Irish Sea
, at the centre of the British Isles
.
Since the emergence of Somerled
and his descendants
in the 12th century, the Manx kings began to lose territory and power in the Hebrides
. Before the reigns of the three sons of Olaf the Black, the Manx kings styled themselves "King of the Isles". Although by the time of the reigns of Olaf's sons, the kings began to style themselves "King of Mann and the Isles".
renounced all English claims over the Isle of Man, and recognised it as an independent kingdom under its then King, William Montacute, 1st Earl of Salisbury
.
William le Scrope
was the last King of Mann in this line, claiming descent from the House of Godred Crovan
, the earlier Norse Rulers.
William le Scrope was executed for treason for his support of Richard II
in his struggle with Henry Bolingbroke, who defeated Richard and became Henry IV
. Le Scrope's possessions, including the Isle of Man, passed to the Crown.
, had recognised Mann as an independent kingdom, Henry IV did not directly claim the Manx throne, but instead proclaimed that he had vanquished it by conquest
, which in international legal theory at that time vanquished any existing constitutional arrangements. He then on 19 October 1399 granted the Island, as a fiefdom beneath the English Crown, to Henry Percy, 1st Earl of Northumberland
together with wide-ranging powers of government and associated regalities, together with the style of 'Lord of Man', in a position of feudality and thus without sovereignty
. Despite this, Percy styled himself as 'King of Mann'.
Following Percy's treasonous rebellion, Henry IV granted the suzerainty
of the Isle of Man, on similar terms but only for the term of his life, to Sir John Stanley
in 1405. In addition, but separate from the power of governance over the Island, John Stanley was also granted the patronage of the Diocese of Sodor and Man
.
Those letters-patent were voided and re-granted on 6 April 1406, the difference being that the grant was inheritable and had a different feudal fee, the service of which comprised rendering homage
and a tribute
of two falcons to all future Kings of England on their coronation
s.
, did not take the style
'King', and he and his successors were generally known instead as 'Lord of Mann
'. However, the Latin style Rex Manniae et Insularum (King of Mann and the Isles) continued to be occasionally used in official documents until at least the 17th century.
In 1765 the title was revested
in the Crown
of the United Kingdom
, thus today the title 'Lord of Mann' is used by Queen Elizabeth II
.
Sovereignty
Sovereignty is the quality of having supreme, independent authority over a geographic area, such as a territory. It can be found in a power to rule and make law that rests on a political fact for which no purely legal explanation can be provided...
and suzerain
Suzerainty
Suzerainty occurs where a region or people is a tributary to a more powerful entity which controls its foreign affairs while allowing the tributary vassal state some limited domestic autonomy. The dominant entity in the suzerainty relationship, or the more powerful entity itself, is called a...
, over the Kingdom of Mann – 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...
which is located in the Irish Sea
Irish Sea
The Irish Sea separates the islands of Ireland and Great Britain. It is connected to the Celtic Sea in the south by St George's Channel, and to the Atlantic Ocean in the north by the North Channel. Anglesey is the largest island within the Irish Sea, followed by the Isle of Man...
, at the centre of the British Isles
British Isles
The British Isles are a group of islands off the northwest coast of continental Europe that include the islands of Great Britain and Ireland and over six thousand smaller isles. There are two sovereign states located on the islands: the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and...
.
Kingdom of Mann and the Isles (before 1237)
- See Kingdom of the IslesKingdom of the IslesThe Kingdom of the Isles comprised the Hebrides, the islands of the Firth of Clyde and the Isle of Man from the 9th to the 13th centuries AD. The islands were known to the Norse as the Suðreyjar, or "Southern Isles" as distinct from the Norðreyjar or Northern Isles of Orkney and Shetland...
Since the emergence of 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...
and his descendants
Clann Somhairle
Clann Somhairle refers to those Scottish and Irish dynasties descending from the famous Norse-Gaelic leader Somerled, King of Mann and the Isles. Primarily they are the Clan Donald, formerly known as the Lord of the Isles, and the mainland Clan MacDougall, and all their numerous branches...
in the 12th century, the Manx kings began to lose territory and power in the Hebrides
Hebrides
The Hebrides comprise a widespread and diverse archipelago off the west coast of Scotland. There are two main groups: the Inner and Outer Hebrides. These islands have a long history of occupation dating back to the Mesolithic and the culture of the residents has been affected by the successive...
. Before the reigns of the three sons of Olaf the Black, the Manx kings styled themselves "King of the Isles". Although by the time of the reigns of Olaf's sons, the kings began to style themselves "King of Mann and the Isles".
Suzerainty of Norway (1237-1265)
- The Kings of Mann and the Isles were vassalVassalA vassal or feudatory is a person who has entered into a mutual obligation to a lord or monarch in the context of the feudal system in medieval Europe. The obligations often included military support and mutual protection, in exchange for certain privileges, usually including the grant of land held...
s of the Kings of Norway.- Harald Olafsson (1237–1248)
- Ragnald Olafsson (1249)
- Harald Godredson (1249–1252)
- Magnus Olafsson (1252–1265)
Independent kingdom (1333-1399)
On 9 August 1333 Edward IIIEdward III of England
Edward III was King of England from 1327 until his death and is noted for his military success. Restoring royal authority after the disastrous reign of his father, Edward II, Edward III went on to transform the Kingdom of England into one of the most formidable military powers in Europe...
renounced all English claims over the Isle of Man, and recognised it as an independent kingdom under its then King, William Montacute, 1st Earl of Salisbury
William Montacute, 1st Earl of Salisbury
William I Montagu, alias de Montacute, 1st Earl of Salisbury, 3rd Baron Montacute, King of Mann was an English nobleman and loyal servant of King Edward III....
.
William le Scrope
William le Scrope, 1st Earl of Wiltshire
Sir William le Scrope, 1st Earl of Wiltshire, King of Mann KG was a close supporter of King Richard II of England. He was a second son of Richard le Scrope, 1st Baron Scrope of Bolton.-Life:...
was the last King of Mann in this line, claiming descent from the House of Godred Crovan
Godred Crovan
Godred Crovan was a Norse-Gael ruler of Dublin, and King of Mann and the Isles in the second half of the 11th century. Godred's epithet Crovan may mean "white hand" . In Manx folklore he is known as King Orry.-Ancestry and early life:...
, the earlier Norse Rulers.
William le Scrope was executed for treason for his support of Richard II
Richard II of England
Richard II was King of England, a member of the House of Plantagenet and the last of its main-line kings. He ruled from 1377 until he was deposed in 1399. Richard was a son of Edward, the Black Prince, and was born during the reign of his grandfather, Edward III...
in his struggle with Henry Bolingbroke, who defeated Richard and became Henry IV
Henry IV of England
Henry IV was King of England and Lord of Ireland . He was the ninth King of England of the House of Plantagenet and also asserted his grandfather's claim to the title King of France. He was born at Bolingbroke Castle in Lincolnshire, hence his other name, Henry Bolingbroke...
. Le Scrope's possessions, including the Isle of Man, passed to the Crown.
Kings of Mann in this period
- William I de MontacuteWilliam Montacute, 1st Earl of SalisburyWilliam I Montagu, alias de Montacute, 1st Earl of Salisbury, 3rd Baron Montacute, King of Mann was an English nobleman and loyal servant of King Edward III....
(1333–1344) - William II de MontacuteWilliam Montacute, 2nd Earl of SalisburySir William II Montague, alias de Montacute, 2nd Earl of Salisbury, 4th Baron Montacute, King of Mann, KG was an English nobleman and commander in the English army during King Edward III's French campaigns in the Hundred Years War.He was born in Donyatt in Somerset, the eldest son of William...
(1344–1392) - William le ScropeWilliam le Scrope, 1st Earl of WiltshireSir William le Scrope, 1st Earl of Wiltshire, King of Mann KG was a close supporter of King Richard II of England. He was a second son of Richard le Scrope, 1st Baron Scrope of Bolton.-Life:...
(1392–1399)
English suzerainty (1399-1504)
As Henry's predecessor, Edward IIIEdward III of England
Edward III was King of England from 1327 until his death and is noted for his military success. Restoring royal authority after the disastrous reign of his father, Edward II, Edward III went on to transform the Kingdom of England into one of the most formidable military powers in Europe...
, had recognised Mann as an independent kingdom, Henry IV did not directly claim the Manx throne, but instead proclaimed that he had vanquished it by conquest
Right of conquest
The right of conquest is the right of a conqueror to territory taken by force of arms. It was traditionally a principle of international law which has in modern times gradually given way until its proscription after the Second World War when the crime of war of aggression was first codified in the...
, which in international legal theory at that time vanquished any existing constitutional arrangements. He then on 19 October 1399 granted the Island, as a fiefdom beneath the English Crown, to Henry Percy, 1st Earl of Northumberland
Henry Percy, 1st Earl of Northumberland
Henry Percy, 1st Earl of Northumberland, 4th Baron Percy, titular King of Mann, KG, Lord Marshal was the son of Henry de Percy, 3rd Baron Percy and a descendent of Henry III of England. His mother was Mary of Lancaster, daughter of Henry, 3rd Earl of Lancaster, son of Edmund, Earl of Leicester and...
together with wide-ranging powers of government and associated regalities, together with the style of 'Lord of Man', in a position of feudality and thus without sovereignty
Sovereignty
Sovereignty is the quality of having supreme, independent authority over a geographic area, such as a territory. It can be found in a power to rule and make law that rests on a political fact for which no purely legal explanation can be provided...
. Despite this, Percy styled himself as 'King of Mann'.
Following Percy's treasonous rebellion, Henry IV granted the suzerainty
Suzerainty
Suzerainty occurs where a region or people is a tributary to a more powerful entity which controls its foreign affairs while allowing the tributary vassal state some limited domestic autonomy. The dominant entity in the suzerainty relationship, or the more powerful entity itself, is called a...
of the Isle of Man, on similar terms but only for the term of his life, to Sir John Stanley
John I Stanley of the Isle of Man
Sir John I Stanley, KG was Lord Lieutenant of Ireland and titular King of Mann, the first of that name. The Stanley family later became the Earls of Derby and remained prominent in English history into modern times.-Early years:...
in 1405. In addition, but separate from the power of governance over the Island, John Stanley was also granted the patronage of the Diocese of Sodor and Man
Diocese of Sodor and Man
Sodor and Man is a diocese of the Church of England. Originally much larger, today it covers just the Isle of Man and its adjacent islets.-Early history:...
.
Those letters-patent were voided and re-granted on 6 April 1406, the difference being that the grant was inheritable and had a different feudal fee, the service of which comprised rendering homage
Homage
Homage is a show or demonstration of respect or dedication to someone or something, sometimes by simple declaration but often by some more oblique reference, artistic or poetic....
and a tribute
Tribute
A tribute is wealth, often in kind, that one party gives to another as a sign of respect or, as was often the case in historical contexts, of submission or allegiance. Various ancient states, which could be called suzerains, exacted tribute from areas they had conquered or threatened to conquer...
of two falcons to all future Kings of England on their coronation
Coronation
A coronation is a ceremony marking the formal investiture of a monarch and/or their consort with regal power, usually involving the placement of a crown upon their head and the presentation of other items of regalia...
s.
Kings of Mann in this period
- Henry Percy, 1st Earl of NorthumberlandHenry Percy, 1st Earl of NorthumberlandHenry Percy, 1st Earl of Northumberland, 4th Baron Percy, titular King of Mann, KG, Lord Marshal was the son of Henry de Percy, 3rd Baron Percy and a descendent of Henry III of England. His mother was Mary of Lancaster, daughter of Henry, 3rd Earl of Lancaster, son of Edmund, Earl of Leicester and...
(1399–1405) - John I StanleyJohn I Stanley of the Isle of ManSir John I Stanley, KG was Lord Lieutenant of Ireland and titular King of Mann, the first of that name. The Stanley family later became the Earls of Derby and remained prominent in English history into modern times.-Early years:...
(1405–1414) - John II StanleyJohn II Stanley of the Isle of ManSir John II Stanley was Knight, Sheriff of Anglesey, Constable of Carnarvon, Justice of Chester, Steward of Macclesfield and titular King of Mann, the second of that name.-Biography:...
(1414–1437) - Thomas Stanley, 1st Baron StanleyThomas Stanley, 1st Baron StanleyThomas Stanley, 1st Baron Stanley, titular King of Mann, KG , was an English politician.-Life:Stanley was the son of Sir John Stanley and Isabell Harington, daughter of Robert de Harington and Isabel Loring...
(1437–1459) - Thomas Stanley, 1st Earl of DerbyThomas Stanley, 1st Earl of DerbyThomas Stanley, 1st Earl of Derby, KG was titular King of Mann, an English nobleman and stepfather to King Henry VII of England...
(1459–1504)
Lord of Mann (1504–present)
The son of Thomas Stanley, 2nd Earl of DerbyThomas Stanley, 2nd Earl of Derby
Thomas Stanley, 2nd Earl of Derby was an English peer.-Parents:Derby was the eldest son of George Stanley and Joan Strange, 9th Baroness Strange and 5th Baroness Mohun. Thomas Stanley, 1st Earl of Derby was his grandfather...
, did not take the style
Style (manner of address)
A style of office, or honorific, is a legal, official, or recognized title. A style, by tradition or law, precedes a reference to a person who holds a post or political office, and is sometimes used to refer to the office itself. An honorific can also be awarded to an individual in a personal...
'King', and he and his successors were generally known instead as 'Lord of Mann
Lord of Mann
The title Lord of Mann is used on the Isle of Man to refer to Queen Elizabeth II, who is the island's Lord Proprietor and head of state.-Relationship with the Crown:The title is not correctly used on its own...
'. However, the Latin style Rex Manniae et Insularum (King of Mann and the Isles) continued to be occasionally used in official documents until at least the 17th century.
In 1765 the title was revested
Isle of Man Purchase Act 1765
The Isle of Man Purchase Act 1765 , also known as the Act of Revestment purchased the feudal rights of the Dukes of Atholl as Lords of Man over the Isle of Man, and revested them into the British Crown....
in the Crown
The Crown
The Crown is a corporation sole that in the Commonwealth realms and any provincial or state sub-divisions thereof represents the legal embodiment of governance, whether executive, legislative, or judicial...
of the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, thus today the title 'Lord of Mann' is used by Queen Elizabeth II
Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom
Elizabeth II is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize,...
.