Olaf I of the Isle of Man
Encyclopedia
Olaf Godredsson sometimes known in secondary sources as Olaf I, was a 12th century ruler of the Isle of Man
and the Hebrides
. Some secondary sources style Olaf "King of Mann
", or "King of Mann and the Isles". However these terms are anachronisms, and Olaf styled himself "King of the Isles".
, founder of the Crovan dynasty
which ruled the Isle of Man
and parts of the Hebrides
until the mid 13th century. The ancestry of Godred is uncertain. The Chronicle of Mann
describes him in Latin
as filius Haraldi nigri de ysland, and it is possible that "ysland" may refer to Iceland
. Within the Annals of Tigernach
, he is given the Gaelic patronymic
mac mic Arailt, which may mean that he was a son, or nephew
, of Ivar Haraldsson, King of Dublin (d. 1054). Ivar was a grandson of the celebrated Olaf Cuaran, King of Dublin, King of Northumbria (d. 981), a second generation Uí Ímair
dynast. Godred died in 1095, after ruling the Kingdom of the Isles
for over 15 years. A period of confusion followed Godred's death before Olaf took control of the kingdom.
Part of Olaf's youth was spent at the court of Henry I, King of England.
Little is known of the ecclesiastical history of the Kingdom of the Isles until Olaf's appointment of Wimund
as Bishop of the Isles
, in 1134. One of the most important ecclesiastical events in the history of the kingdom was the foundation of Rushen Abbey
, in 1134, with a grant of lands from Olaf to the Abbot of Furness. Another key ecclesiastical event was the foundation of the Archbishopric of Nidaros, a metropolitan see centred in Norway. In time this archbishopric, founded in 1152/53, incorporated 11 bishoprics within and outwith Norway. One of these bishoprics
encompassed the domain of the Kingdom of the Isles, and was created by a papal decree in 1154. This bishopric mirrored the political reality of the Kingdom of the Isles, due to its similar geographical boundaries and its subjection to Norway; it also further to strengthened the link between the Kingdom of the Isles and Norway. The original grant of Olaf's gave the English Cistercian house of Furness
the right to elect a Bishop of the Isles
, and several of the early Abbots of Rushen held that position.
During the whole of the Scandinavian period the isles remained nominally under the suzerainty
of the kings of Norway
, but the Norwegians only occasionally asserted it with any vigour.
; and Affreca, daughter of Fergus
, Lord of Galloway. The Chronicle of Mann states that it was by Affreca that Olaf had his son and successor Godred. The chronicle also records that Olaf had several concubines, and by them had sons Ragnvald, Lagman, and Harald. Olaf is also stated to have had many daughters by his concubines; one of whom married Somerled
, Lord of Argyll
.
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...
and 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...
. Some secondary sources style Olaf "King of Mann
King of Mann
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....
", or "King of Mann and the Isles". However these terms are anachronisms, and Olaf styled himself "King of the Isles".
Ancestry
Olaf was a younger son of Godred CrovanGodred 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:...
, founder of the Crovan dynasty
Crovan dynasty
The Crovan dynasty, from the late 11th century to the mid 13th century, was the ruling family of an insular kingdom known variously in secondary sources as the Kingdom of Mann, the Kingdom of the Isles, and the Kingdom of Mann and the Isles...
which ruled 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...
and parts of 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...
until the mid 13th century. The ancestry of Godred is uncertain. The Chronicle of Mann
Chronicle of Mann
The Chronicles of the Kings of Mann and the Isles or Manx Chronicle is a medieval Latin manuscript relating the early history of the Isle of Man....
describes him in Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
as filius Haraldi nigri de ysland, and it is possible that "ysland" may refer to Iceland
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
. Within the Annals of Tigernach
Annals of Tigernach
The Annals of Tigernach is a chronicle probably originating in Clonmacnoise, Ireland. The language is a mixture of Latin and Old and Middle Irish....
, he is given the Gaelic patronymic
Patronymic
A patronym, or patronymic, is a component of a personal name based on the name of one's father, grandfather or an even earlier male ancestor. A component of a name based on the name of one's mother or a female ancestor is a matronymic. Each is a means of conveying lineage.In many areas patronyms...
mac mic Arailt, which may mean that he was a son, or nephew
Nephew
Nephew is a son of one's sibling or sibling-in-law, and niece is a daughter of one's sibling or a sibling-in-law. Sons and daughters of siblings-in-law are also informally referred to as nephews and nieces respectively, even though there is no blood relation...
, of Ivar Haraldsson, King of Dublin (d. 1054). Ivar was a grandson of the celebrated Olaf Cuaran, King of Dublin, King of Northumbria (d. 981), a second generation Uí Ímair
Uí Ímair
The Uí Ímair , or Dynasty of Ivar, were an enormous royal and imperial Norse dynasty who ruled Northern England, the Irish Sea region and Kingdom of Dublin, and the western coast of Scotland, including the Hebrides, from the mid 9th century, losing control of the first in the mid 10th, but the rest...
dynast. Godred died in 1095, after ruling the Kingdom of the Isles
Kingdom of the Isles
The 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...
for over 15 years. A period of confusion followed Godred's death before Olaf took control of the kingdom.
Part of Olaf's youth was spent at the court of Henry I, King of England.
Reign
According to the Chronicle of Mann, Olaf reigned for 40 years. The chronicle states that he was a peaceful monarch, and that that "all the kings of Ireland and Scotland as confederates in such a way that no one dared disturb the kingdom of the Isles during his lifetime".Little is known of the ecclesiastical history of the Kingdom of the Isles until Olaf's appointment of Wimund
Wimund
Wimund was a bishop who became a sea-faring war-lord adventurer in the years after 1147. His story is passed down to us by 12th-century English historian William of Newburgh in his Historia rerum anglicarum, Book I, Chapter 24 entitled "Of bishop Wimund, his life unbecoming a bishop, and how he was...
as Bishop of the Isles
Bishop of the Isles
The Bishop of the Isles or Bishop of Sodor was the ecclesiastical head of the Diocese of Sodor, one of Scotland's thirteen medieval bishoprics. The bishopric, encompasing both the Hebrides and Mann, probably traces its origins as an ecclesiastical unity to the careers of Olaf, King of the Isles,...
, in 1134. One of the most important ecclesiastical events in the history of the kingdom was the foundation of Rushen Abbey
Rushen Abbey
Rushen Abbey was an abbey on the Isle of Man, located near Ballasalla. Originally home for monks of the Savignac order, it soon came under Cistercian control and remained so until its dissolution. The abbey is located two miles from Castle Rushen; the most important political entity on the island...
, in 1134, with a grant of lands from Olaf to the Abbot of Furness. Another key ecclesiastical event was the foundation of the Archbishopric of Nidaros, a metropolitan see centred in Norway. In time this archbishopric, founded in 1152/53, incorporated 11 bishoprics within and outwith Norway. One of these bishoprics
Diocese of the Isles
The Diocese of the Isles or Sodor was one of the thirteen dioceses of medieval Scotland. The original seat of the bishopric appears to have been at Peel, on St Patrick's Isle, where indeed it continued to be under English overlordship; the Bishopric of the Isles as it was after the split was...
encompassed the domain of the Kingdom of the Isles, and was created by a papal decree in 1154. This bishopric mirrored the political reality of the Kingdom of the Isles, due to its similar geographical boundaries and its subjection to Norway; it also further to strengthened the link between the Kingdom of the Isles and Norway. The original grant of Olaf's gave the English Cistercian house of Furness
Furness Abbey
Furness Abbey, or St. Mary of Furness is a former monastery situated on the outskirts of the English town of Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria. The abbey dates back to 1123 and was once the second wealthiest and most powerful Cistercian monastery in the country, behind only Fountains Abbey in North...
the right to elect a Bishop of the Isles
Bishop of the Isles
The Bishop of the Isles or Bishop of Sodor was the ecclesiastical head of the Diocese of Sodor, one of Scotland's thirteen medieval bishoprics. The bishopric, encompasing both the Hebrides and Mann, probably traces its origins as an ecclesiastical unity to the careers of Olaf, King of the Isles,...
, and several of the early Abbots of Rushen held that position.
During the whole of the Scandinavian period the isles remained nominally under 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 kings of 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...
, but the Norwegians only occasionally asserted it with any vigour.
Family
Olaf is known to have married Ingebjorg, daughter of Hakon Paulsson, Earl of OrkneyEarl of Orkney
The Earl of Orkney was originally a Norse jarl ruling Orkney, Shetland and parts of Caithness and Sutherland. The Earls were periodically subject to the kings of Norway for the Northern Isles, and later also to the kings of Alba for those parts of their territory in mainland Scotland . The Earl's...
; and Affreca, daughter of Fergus
Fergus of Galloway
Fergus of Galloway was King, or Lord, of Galloway from an unknown date , until his death in 1161. He was the founder of that "sub-kingdom," the resurrector of the Bishopric of Whithorn, the patron of new abbeys , and much else besides...
, Lord of Galloway. The Chronicle of Mann states that it was by Affreca that Olaf had his son and successor Godred. The chronicle also records that Olaf had several concubines, and by them had sons Ragnvald, Lagman, and Harald. Olaf is also stated to have had many daughters by his concubines; one of whom married 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...
, Lord of Argyll
Lord of Argyll
The sovereign or feudal lordship of Argyle was the holding of the senior branch of descendants of king Somhairle, this branch becoming soon known as Clan MacDougallConstruction of the Lordship of Argyll-Lorne essentially started with Donnchad mac Dubgaill....
.