Earldom of Orkney

Earldom of Orkney

The Earldom of Orkney was a Norwegian dignity in Scotland which had its origins in the Viking period. The title of Earl of Orkney was passed down the same family line through to the middle ages.Oxford Companion to Scottish History. P. 467- 469. Edited by Michael Lynch. Oxford University Press. ISBN: 9780199234820.]

Orkney and Shetland to the north, lie off the northernmost tip of Caithness Scotland. Picts came to Orkney during the Bronze Age and extant archaeological data shows that certainly, there were people living there prior to the Vikings who came to Orkney, probably by the latter part of the 8th century although this is up for dispute. Norwegian Vikings probably either came to the islands first as farmers who were seeking land or as warriors who were claiming territory and riches as was common with Viking conquests elsewhere. The question of whether the Picts were completely massacred by the settling Vikings, migrated away, or were assimilated, in peaceful coexistence and gentle mergeance, is a matter of contention. [ [http://www.orkneyjar.com/history/vikingorkney/takeover.htm Orkneyjar - Pict and Viking: settlement or slaughter?] ] However, aside from traces of their lives there, their culture did not endure in the early history or character of Orkney.

By the 12th century, Orkney was under Norwegian control and by the 13th century, the "Orkneyingasaga" was written in Iceland, providing one of the earliest and most repeated versions of the history of Norse life on these isles. The "Orkneyingasaga" is largely fictional however and was not, being written in Iceland, any sort of primary source. Instead, it should be culled for historical details with great care and these data should be matched and compared against data from other sources.

Norwegian Earldom of Orkney

Harald I Hårfagre, Harald I of Norway, claimed Orkney and Shetland for his kingdom around 875 and due to political differences and problems had to take military action to secure these isles as realms friendly to his rule at home. Some of his enemies left Orkney for Iceland and perhaps the Faroes. Harald took control of the warrior leaders of Orkney at this point and appointed the jarls, or earls of Orkney, who would be the highest-ranking nobility of the islands and would form the localized government in his stead. The martyrdom of Earl Magnus in 1117 resulted in the building of St Magnus Cathedral, Kirkwall. In 1231, the line of jarls which Harald established became extinct and in the same year, the earldom or mormaerdom of Caithness was given over to Magnus, the son of the Mormaer of Angus, forming the basis for a new governing presence. In 1379 Haakon VI Magnusson granted the earldom to Henry Sinclair

In 1468, the Orkney and Shetland were ceded by Christian I of Denmark and Norway against the unpaid dowry of his daughter Princess Margaret who was betrothed to the Scottish prince James III. Christian I never paid the money owed to James' father and thus the two island groups became part of the Scottish kingdom. The jarldom, without a clear Norse line nor the political support or mechanism for that line to continue, were given over to Scottish lords. In 1471, James gave lands in Caithness Scotland to William, the Earl of Orkney in exchange for his lands and thus Orkney and Shetland became part of the Kingdom of Scotland.

cottish Earldom of Orkney

William Sinclair exchanged the title for that of Earl of Caithness in 1470, moving the connection between these two earldoms back towards the mainland once again.

In 1567 James Hepburn, 4th Earl of Bothwell, husband of Queen Mary I was created as the Duke of Orkney. When Mary lost her claim to the throne, her husband also lost his to Orkney and the title was considered extinct.

Robert Stewart was created as the Earl of Orkney and the title revived but his son, Patrick Stewart forfeited the title.

George Hamilton was created as the Earl of Orkney in the third creation of the title in 1696. It is through his family and those families his has married into that the title has survived today.

Life under the Scottish earls—especially after the creation of the second line of Earls of Orkney—over time incorporated aspects of Scottish culture while still keeping the Norn language place and family names and other distinct aspects of Norse influence on the isles. Today, these influences are still found in Orkney and Shetland, making their character somewhat novel and distinct from that of other parts of Scotland.

ee also

*Kingdom of Mann and the Isles
*Earl of Orkney ("Contains further information on the line of earls after Orkney became part of Scotland".)

ources

*Morris, Christopher. "Viking Orkney: A Survey." In: "The Prehistory of Orkney". Ed. Colin Renfrew. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press. 1985.
*Magnusson, Magnus and Hermann Pálsson. "Orkneyinga Saga". (English translation of the "Orkneyingasaga") New York: Penguin. 1978

External links

* [http://www.orkneyjar.com/ Orkneyjar] detailing the history and culture of the Orkney Isles.


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно сделать НИР?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Orkney Islands —    ORKNEY ISLANDS, a group forming, with that of Shetland, a maritime county, in the northern extremity of Scotland; and bounded on the north by the waters which divide Orkney from Shetland; on the east by the North Sea; on the south by the… …   A Topographical dictionary of Scotland

  • Orkney — This article is about the islands in northern Scotland. For other places of the same name, see Orkney (disambiguation). Orkney Arcaibh …   Wikipedia

  • Earl of Orkney — See also: Earldom 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… …   Wikipedia

  • History of the Orkney Islands — Prehistoric Orkney= As with Prehistoric Scotland generally, the arrival of hunter gatherers in Orkney had to await the slow retreat of the ice age glaciation. However the rapid spread of Neolithic culture up the western seaways brought early… …   Wikipedia

  • Robert Stewart, 1st Earl of Orkney — and Lord of Zetland (Shetland) (1533 ndash; 1593) was the recognized illegitimate son of James V, King of Scotland, and his mistress Eupheme Elphinstone. In 1581 he was named, by James VI, the 1st Earl in a second creation of the Earldom of… …   Wikipedia

  • Henry I Sinclair, Earl of Orkney — and feudal baron of Roslin (c. 1345 ndash; c. 1400), was a Scottish nobleman. He is sometimes identified by another spelling of his surname, St. Clair. He was the grandfather of William Sinclair, 1st Earl of Caithness, the builder of Rosslyn… …   Wikipedia

  • Magnus Erlendsson, Earl of Orkney — Statue of St. Magnus on the wall of Nidaros Cathedral. Flag of St Magnus; the unofficial predecessor to the modern …   Wikipedia

  • Erengisle Suneson, Earl of Orkney — Erengisle Sunesson of Hultboda, earl of Orkney (died December 26, 1392) was an important Swedish magnate in 14th century. In his later life, he was known as Jarl Erengisle in Sweden. He was knight, high councillor and titular earl.He was born in… …   Wikipedia

  • Magnus II, Earl of Orkney — Magnus II (circa 1180 – 1239) was Earl (Jarl) of Orkney. The son of Gille Críst, Mormaer (Earl) of Angus by his wife Ingibiorg, sister of Harald III, Earl of Orkney and daughter of Eric Stalbregr by his wife Ingrid (daughter of Ragnvald III, Earl …   Wikipedia

  • Coat of arms of Orkney — Details Adopted 3 March 1975 Crest Islands area coronet Escutcheon Per pal …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”