Parents: Guðrøðr Óláfsson, king of the Isles, and Sadb
Royal House: Crovan
Reign: 1187 – 1226
Predecessor: Godred II
Summary: Ragnvald was one of the greatest kings who ever ruled the Isles and Man west of mainland Scotland. The Crovan family were descended from Norse vikings who conquered eastern Ireland and north-west Scotland in the 11th century. Ragnvald was probably the eldest son of Godred but Olaf was the eldest legitimate son and was the one chosen to succeed to the throne. Yet Olaf was only a child and Ragnvald was chosen by the Manx aristocracy to rule regardless. Olaf was given the isle of Lewis, an impoverished rock off the Scottish coast. Olaf later petitioned for Ragnavald to grant him more lands, and the king sent him to William I of Scotland to have him imprisoned, where Olaf remained until around 1214.
Meanwhile, Ragnvald maintained good relations with King William I of Scots. He assisted the king in pacifying multiple revolts and eventually occupied the region of Caithness for the Scottish king, buying it outright after two rounds of negotiations. In Wales, he forged marriage alliances between his daughters with the Welsh kings and lords. In Ireland, he drew soldiers to support his armies as they aided the Scots. The problem with the Kingdom of the Isles was its vastness. Stretching from northern Scotland down to Mann off the Lancastrian coast, it was hard to defend. And so King John, in 1210, likely invaded Mann while Ragnvald was away in another part of his realm. It is highly possible that this raid was approved since John had political rivals on the island, but in either case, it shows the relative defenselessness of the island in the Irish Sea. Traditionally, though, the Crovans were allies with the kings of Norway, their ancient forefathers. and for a hundred years they had not paid their tribute to the kingdom. Norway raided the kingdom in the 1210s, but Norway was trapped in a civil war so both sides, claiming legitimacy, raided for their own gain. Ragnvald fled to the English crown to ask for aid, but it came at a steep cost. The Isles became, in effect, an English dependency. Tribute was paid in return for protection. At the same time, Ragnvald paid homage to the Papacy, in return being accepted as the legitimate king of the Isles against the claims of Olaf, who had recently been released. Relations between the brothers were estranged and Ragnvald's son, Godred, went by order of his mother to finish Olaf once and for all. An invasion by Godred caused Olaf to flee for the mainland, but Olaf returned soon after with a superior force and they captured, blinded, and castrated Godred. Olaf then landed on Mann itself to resolve the kin strife. The kingdom was divided, with Ragnvald ruling Mann as king and Olaf ruling the Isles as heir-apparent. Ragnvald attempted to retake the islands from his brother but failed, partially because his own soldiers were unwilling to fight their kinfolk. Ragnvald fled to Galloway to enlist the aid of the local lord through a marriage alliance, but the prospect of a future Manx king coming from Galloway caused the nobles of Mann to depose Ragnvald outright, replacing the king with Olaf. Three years later, Ragnvald invaded Mann with a small force and met his brother at Tynwald. He was slain in battle, possibly as the result of deception, and he was buried at St. Mary's Abbey in Furness.
Meanwhile, Ragnvald maintained good relations with King William I of Scots. He assisted the king in pacifying multiple revolts and eventually occupied the region of Caithness for the Scottish king, buying it outright after two rounds of negotiations. In Wales, he forged marriage alliances between his daughters with the Welsh kings and lords. In Ireland, he drew soldiers to support his armies as they aided the Scots. The problem with the Kingdom of the Isles was its vastness. Stretching from northern Scotland down to Mann off the Lancastrian coast, it was hard to defend. And so King John, in 1210, likely invaded Mann while Ragnvald was away in another part of his realm. It is highly possible that this raid was approved since John had political rivals on the island, but in either case, it shows the relative defenselessness of the island in the Irish Sea. Traditionally, though, the Crovans were allies with the kings of Norway, their ancient forefathers. and for a hundred years they had not paid their tribute to the kingdom. Norway raided the kingdom in the 1210s, but Norway was trapped in a civil war so both sides, claiming legitimacy, raided for their own gain. Ragnvald fled to the English crown to ask for aid, but it came at a steep cost. The Isles became, in effect, an English dependency. Tribute was paid in return for protection. At the same time, Ragnvald paid homage to the Papacy, in return being accepted as the legitimate king of the Isles against the claims of Olaf, who had recently been released. Relations between the brothers were estranged and Ragnvald's son, Godred, went by order of his mother to finish Olaf once and for all. An invasion by Godred caused Olaf to flee for the mainland, but Olaf returned soon after with a superior force and they captured, blinded, and castrated Godred. Olaf then landed on Mann itself to resolve the kin strife. The kingdom was divided, with Ragnvald ruling Mann as king and Olaf ruling the Isles as heir-apparent. Ragnvald attempted to retake the islands from his brother but failed, partially because his own soldiers were unwilling to fight their kinfolk. Ragnvald fled to Galloway to enlist the aid of the local lord through a marriage alliance, but the prospect of a future Manx king coming from Galloway caused the nobles of Mann to depose Ragnvald outright, replacing the king with Olaf. Three years later, Ragnvald invaded Mann with a small force and met his brother at Tynwald. He was slain in battle, possibly as the result of deception, and he was buried at St. Mary's Abbey in Furness.
Date of Death: 14 February 1229
Successor: Olaf
Other Monarchs Who Died Today:
- Richard II, king of England (1400)
- Singu Min, king of Burma (1782)
No comments:
Post a Comment