Earl of Orkney
Earldom of Orkney | |
---|---|
Creation date | c. 872 |
Created by | King Harald I |
First holder | Sigurd Eysteinsson |
Present holder | Peter St. John |
Heir apparent | Oliver St. John |
Extinction date | 1472 (first creation) 1614 (second creation) |
Seat(s) | Earl's Palace, Kirkwall |
Former seat(s) | Brough of Birsay Earl's Palace, Birsay |
Earl of Orkney, historically Jarl of Orkney, is a title of nobility encompassing the archipelagoes of Orkney and Shetland, which comprise the Northern Isles of Scotland. Originally founded by Norse invaders, the status of the rulers of the Northern Isles as Norwegian vassals was formalised in 1195. Although the Old Norse term jarl is etymologically related to "earl", and the jarls were succeeded by earls in the late 15th century, a Norwegian jarl is not the same thing.[2] In the Norse context the distinction between jarls and kings did not become significant until the late 11th century[3] and the early jarls would therefore have had considerable independence of action until that time. The position of Jarl of Orkney was eventually the most senior rank in medieval Norway except for the king himself.
The jarls were periodically subject to the kings of
The second earldom was created by
Norse Jarls
Jarldom of Orkney (Norse) | |
---|---|
Creation date | c. 892 |
Created by | Haraldr Hárfagri? |
Peerage | Peerage of Norway |
First holder | Sigurd Eysteinsson |
Last holder | Jon Haraldsson |
Subsidiary titles | Mormaer of Caithness |
Status | Extinct |
Extinction date | 1230[4] |
Former seat(s) | Brough of Birsay |
Sigurd's son Guthorm ruled for a year and died childless.[10] Rognvald's son Hallad then inherited the title. However, unable to constrain Danish raids on Orkney, he gave up the jarldom and returned to Norway, which "everyone thought was a huge joke".[11] Torf-Einarr then succeeded in defeating the Danes and founded a dynasty which retained control of the islands for centuries after his death.[12] Smyth (1984) concludes that the role of the brothers Eysteinsson lacks historical credibility and that Torf-Einarr “may be regarded as the first historical earl of Orkney”.[13]
Drawing on Adam of Bremen's assertion that Orkney was not conquered until the time of Harald Hardrada, who ruled Norway from 1043 to 1066, Woolf (2007) speculates that Sigurd “the Stout” Hlodvirsson, Torf-Einarr's great-grandson, may have been the first Jarl of Orkney.[14] Dates are largely conjectural, at least until his death recorded in 1014.
Assuming Torf-Einarr is a genuine historical figure, all of the subsequent jarls were descended from him, save for
One of the main sources for the lives and times of these jarls is the Orkneyinga saga, which has been described as having "no parallel in the social and literary record of Scotland".
After the murder of Jarl
Name | Byname | Relationship to predecessor | Rule commences | Rule ends |
---|---|---|---|---|
Sigurd Eysteinsson | Sigurðr inn riki "the Mighty" |
Brother of Rognvald Eysteinsson | c. 892[21][c] | |
Guthorm Sigurdsson | Son of Sigurd Eysteinsson | c. 892 | c. 893[21] | |
Hallad Rognvaldsson | Son of Rognvald Eysteinsson | c. 893 | c. 895 | |
Einarr Rognvaldsson | Torf-Einarr "Turf"-Einarr |
Son of Rognvald Eysteinsson | c. 895[13][22] | 910[7][21][23] |
Arnkel Torf-Einarsson | Son of Torf-Einarr Rognvaldsson | 910 | with Erlend and Thorfinn to 954[24][d] | |
Erlend Torf-Einarsson | Son of Torf-Einarr Rognvaldsson | 910 | with Arnkel and Thorfinn to 954[24][25] | |
Thorfinn Torf-Einarsson | Þorfinnr hausakljúfr "Skull-splitter" |
Son of Torf-Einarr Rognvaldsson | 910 | with Erlend and Arnkel to 954[24] |
Arnfinn Thorfinnsson | Son of Thorfinn Torf-Einarsson | 963 | ||
Havard Thorfinnsson | Hávarðr inn ársæli "Harvest-happy" |
Son of Thorfinn Torf-Einarsson | On Arnfinn's death | |
Ljot Thorfinnsson | Son of Thorfinn Torf-Einarsson | On Havard's death | c. 980[f] | |
Hlodvir Thorfinnsson | Son of Thorfinn Torf-Einarsson | c. 980 | 991[28][g] | |
Sigurd Hlodvirsson | Sigurðr digri "the Stout" |
Son of Hlodvir Thorfinnsson | 991 | 1014[29] |
Sumarlidi Sigurdsson | Son of Sigurd Hlodvirsson | 1014 | with Brusi and Einar to c. 1016[h][30] | |
Brusi Sigurdsson | Son of Sigurd Hlodvirsson | 1014 | with Einar and Sumarlidi to 1016 with Einar to 1025 | |
Einar Sigurdsson | Einar rangmunnr "Wry-mouth" |
Son of Sigurd Hlodvirsson | 1014 | with Brusi and Sumarlidi to 1016[7] with Brusi to 1025 with Brusi and Thorfinn to 1026 |
Thorfinn Sigurdsson | Þorfinnr inn riki "the Mighty" |
Son of Sigurd Hlodvirsson | c. 1025[i] | with Brusi and Einar to 1026 with Brusi to 1031 alone to 1036 with Rögnvald 1036 to 1046}} alone to c. 1064[7][33] |
Rögnvald Brusason | Son of Brusi Sigurdsson | c. 1036[34] | with Thorfinn to c. 1046[7] | |
Paul and Erlend Thorfinnsson | Sons of Thorfinn Sigurdsson, co-rulers, later deposed together | 1064 | 1098[7][35] | |
Sigurd Magnusson
|
Sigurðr Jórsalafari "the Jerusalem-farer" |
Son of Magnus Barelegs
|
1098 | 1103 |
Haakon Paulsson | Son of Paul Thorfinnsson | 1104[36] | alone to 1106 with Magnus to 1116 alone to 1123[7] | |
Magnus Erlendsson | Later "Saint Magnus" | Son of Erlend Thorfinnsson | 1106[36] | with Haakon to 1116[7] |
Harald Haakonsson | "Smooth-tongue" | Son of Haakon Paulsson | 1123 | with Paul to c. 1130[37] |
Paul Haakonsson | Son of Haakon Paulsson | 1123 | with Harald to 1130 alone to 1136[37] | |
Rögnvald Kali Kolsson | Later "Saint Rögnvald" | Son of Gunnhild, daughter of Erlend Thorfinnsson | 1136[38][39] | alone to 1138 with Harald Maddadsson 1138 to 1151[39] and 1154 to 1158[7] with Harald and Erlend Haraldsson 1151 to 1154 |
Harald Maddadsson | "the Old" | Son of Margaret, daughter of Haakon Paulsson | 1138[39] | with Rögnvald to 1151 and 1154 to 1158 with Rögnvald and Erlend Haraldsson 1151 to 1154 alone 1158 to 1191 with Harald Eiriksson to 1198 alone to 1206[40] |
Erlend Haraldsson | Son of Harald Haakonsson | 1151[39] | with Harald Maddadsson and Rögnvald Kali Kolsson to 1154[37] | |
Harald Eiriksson | Haraldr ungi "the Young" |
Son of Ingiríðr, daughter of Rögnvald Kali Kolsson | 1191 | with Harald Maddadsson to 1198[7] |
David Haraldsson | Son of Harald Maddadsson | 1206 | with Jon to 1214[7][40] | |
Jon Haraldsson | Son of Harald Maddadsson | 1206 | with David to 1214 alone to 1231[7][4] |
Scottish Jarls under the Norwegian Crown
Jarldom of Orkney (Scots) | |
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Creation date | c. 1236 |
Created by | Haakon Haakonsson |
Peerage | Peerage of Norway |
First holder | Magnus |
Last holder | William Sinclair |
Subsidiary titles | Mormaer of Caithness |
Status | Extinct |
Extinction date | 1472 |
After the close of the Jarls' Saga on the death of Jon Haraldsson in 1230, the history of Orkney is "plunged into a darkness which is illuminated by very few written sources".[41] The first jarl known to have held the title after the Norse dynasty came to and end in 1230 was Magnus II but the title may have been held by an unknown other prior to his investiture.[42] Although successive jarls of Orkney were related, they each acquired the position by being personally appointed to the role by the Norwegian king; the jarldom was not inheritable.
The Angus Jarls
Name | Relationship to predecessor | Rule commences | Rule ends |
---|---|---|---|
Magnus II | His parentage is unknown. Possibly a descendant of Ingrid, a daughter of Rögnvald Kali Kolsson.[42] | 1236 | 1239 |
?Gilbert | Possibly married to a niece of Magnus II, his existence is not certain.[42] | 1239 | ? |
Gilbert (Gille Brigte) | Possibly the son of Gilbert, but there may have only been a single Gilbert.[43] | ? | 1256 |
Magnus Gilbertsson | Son of Gilbert[44] | 1256 | 1273 |
Magnus Magnusson | Son of Magnus Gilbertsson.[45][46] | 1273 | 1284 |
Jón Magnússon | Son of Magnus Gilbertsson.[47][46] | 1284 | 1303 |
Magnus Jónsson | Son of Jón Magnússon.[48] | 1303 | 1320 |
Strathearn and Sinclair Jarls
The lack of haste with which a new title was granted by the Norwegians to Orkney has led to the suggestion that Magnus Jonsson may have had an heir who was a minor, but who died before 1330. It is also likely that unravelling the genealogy of his potential successors and providing proofs of their descent was a time-consuming project.
The earldom was then left vacant for about three years,
In 1375, Haakon decided upon
Name | Relationship to predecessor | Rule commences | Rule ends |
---|---|---|---|
Maol Íosa
|
A descendant of Malise II, Earl of Strathearn and Matilda, a daughter of Earl Gilbert.[52] | 1330 | 1350 |
Vacant | 1350 | 1353 | |
Erengisle Suneson | Married to Agneta, daughter of Maol Íosa.[58] | 1353 | before 1360 |
Vacant | before 1360 | 1375 | |
Alexander of Ard | Son of Maol Íosa's daughter Matilda and Weland of Ard.[53] Appointed as "Lieutenant" only. | 1375 | 1376? |
Vacant | 1376 | 1379 | |
Henry Sinclair
|
Son of Maol Íosa's daughter Isabella and William de Sinclair of Rosslyn.[53] | 1379 | 1401 |
Henry II | Son of Henry I | 1404? | 1420 |
William | Son of Henry II. David Menzies acted as "Guardian" from 1422 to 1434. William was de facto jarl from 1424. He was granted the newly created title "Earl of Caithness" in 1455. | 1434 | 1470 |
When
Scottish Earls
Dukes of Orkney
- The next Orkney title was the dukedom of Orkney, which was given to James Hepburn, 4th Earl of Bothwell, husband of Mary, Queen of Scots, in 1567. Later that year, however, he forfeited the title when Mary was forced to abdicate.
Earls of Orkney, Second Creation
The second earldom was created by
Name | Relationship to predecessor | Rule commences | Rule ends |
---|---|---|---|
Robert Stewart | Illegitimate son of James V | 1581 | 1593 |
Patrick Stewart, 2nd Earl of Orkney | Son of Robert Stewart | 1593 | 1614 (forfeited) |
Earls of Orkney, Third Creation (1696)
Earldom of Orkney (Third creation of 1696) | |
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Creation date | 3 January 1696 (Third creation) |
Created by | William II of Scotland |
Peerage | Peerage of Scotland |
First holder | Lord George Hamilton |
Present holder | Peter St John, 9th Earl of Orkney |
Heir apparent | Oliver Robert St John, Viscount Kirkwall |
Subsidiary titles | Viscount of Kirkwall Lord Dechmont |
The last creation of the earldom was in favour of the man who in 1735 would become the first
None of these earls appear to have any connection with Orkney other than the honorific itself. The current earl, for example, was born and lives in Canada.[61]
Name | Relationship to predecessor | Period |
---|---|---|
George Hamilton, 1st Earl of Orkney | None | 1695–1737[citation needed] |
Anne O'Brien, 2nd Countess of Orkney | Daughter of 1st Earl | 1737–1756[citation needed] |
Mary O'Brien, 3rd Countess of Orkney | Daughter of 2nd Countess | 1756–1790[citation needed] |
Mary FitzMaurice, 4th Countess of Orkney | Daughter of 3rd Countess | 1790–1831[citation needed] |
Thomas FitzMaurice, 5th Earl of Orkney | Grandson of 4th Countess | 1831–1877[citation needed] |
George FitzMaurice, 6th Earl of Orkney | Son of 5th Earl | 1877–1889[citation needed] |
Edmond FitzMaurice, 7th Earl of Orkney | Nephew of 6th Earl | 1889–1951[citation needed] |
Cecil FitzMaurice, 8th Earl of Orkney | First cousin twice removed of 7th Earl - great-grandson of Frederick Fitzmaurice, third son of the fifth Earl. | 1951–1998[citation needed] |
Peter St John, 9th Earl of Orkney | Third cousin of 8th Earl | 1998 to date[citation needed] |
The 9th Earl is the son of Frederick Oliver St John, son of Isabella Annie Fitzmaurice, daughter of James Terence Fitzmaurice, fifth son of the fifth Earl. The heir apparent is the present holder's son Oliver Robert St John (b. 1969), who holds the courtesy title, Viscount Kirkwall.[citation needed]
Arms
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Family tree
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See also
- Mormaer of Caithness
- Viscount St John
References
Notes
- ^ Assuming an identification of Rognvald with "Ragnall son of Albdann" in 865.
- Rognvald Brusason (grandson of Sigurd Hlodvirsson) by Ola Kvalsund.[16]
- ^ Muir (2008) suggests Sigurd Eysteinsson may have died c. 874.[7]
- ^ Date of death based on the assumption Arnkel and Erlend Turf-Einarsson died at the Battle of Stainmore beside Eric Bloodaxe.[25]
- ^ Muir (2005) has a death date for Thorfinn of 976, which leaves only four years for three subsequent jarls to rule before his son Hlodvir.[7]
- ^ Muir (2005) dates the meeting of Ljot's brother Skuli with Malcolm II to 978. Subsequent to that Skuli and "Earl MacBeth" fought two battles with Ljot. Skuli was killed in the first, Ljot in the second.[26] Canmore states that the battle at Skitten Mire where Ljot Thorfinnsson was mortally wounded took place "between 943 and 945" although this does not square with either Muir (2005) or Earl Thorfinn (his father) dying c. 963.[27]
- ^ Woolf (2007) implies Hlodvir's death may have taken place earlier as his son Sigurd "may well have been an active leader since the 980s".[14]
- ^ "He died in his bed not long after his father's death" and is not referred to in an incident dated to 1018.
- ^ "When Thorfinn came of age he asked Earl Einar for a third of the islands".[32] Thorfinn is said to have been five years old when his father died at the Battle of Clontarf in 1014.[9]
- ^ Blazon: "Azure, a lymphad at anchor or flagged gules sails furled argent oars erect in saltire within a double tressure flory of the second" as shown today in the 1st quarter of the arms of Sinclair, Earl of Caithness.[49][50]
- ^ Crawford (2013) states that there was no Earl of either Orkney or Caithness from c. 1350 to 1379[41] but later in the text elaborates on Erengisle Suneson's status as earl from 1353-1360.[53] It is possible Suneson never actually visited the earldom although he continued to use the title for decades after the death of his wife prior to 1360, at which point his rights to it would have ceased.[54]
Citations
- ^ Crawford (2013), pp. 15, 73, 143
- ^ Crawford (2013), p. 83
- ^ Crawford (2013), p. 165
- ^ a b Thomson (2008), p. 132
- ^ Radner (1978), FA 330
- ^ Thomson (2008), p. 22
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Muir (2005), Preface: Genealogical table of the Earls of Orkney
- ^ Pálsson & Edwards (1981), p. 10, Chapter 4
- ^ a b Sturluson (1992), Chapter 99 "History Of The Earls Of Orkney".
- ^ Pálsson & Edwards (1981), p. 10, Chapter 5 "A poisoned tooth"
- ^ Thomson (2008), p. 30, quoting chapter 5 of the Orkneyinga saga.
- ^ Thomson (2008), p. 29
- ^ a b Smyth (1984), p. 153
- ^ a b Woolf (2007), p. 307
- ^ Stølen (1988), p. 259
- ^ Larsen & Sulebust (1994), p. 213
- ^ Crawford (1987), p. 221
- ^ Pálsson & Edwards (1981), p. 10, Introduction
- ^ Beuermann (2011), pp. 148–49
- ^ Muir (2005), p. 127
- ^ a b c d Crawford (1987), p. 54
- ^ Crawford (1987), p. 55
- ^ Johnston, A.W. (July 1916) "Orkneyinga Saga". JSTOR/The Scottish Historical Review. Vol. 13, No. 52. p. 393. Retrieved 27 January 2014.
- ^ a b c Clouston (1918), p. 15
- ^ a b Cannon (2009), Stainmore, battle of,
- ^ Muir (2005), p. 21
- ^ "Upper Bowertower, Stone Lud". Canmore. Retrieved 27 January 2014.
- ^ Muir (2005), p. 27
- ^ Woolf (2007), p. 243 quoting the Annals of Ulster
- ^ Muir (2005), pp. 44–45
- ^ Muir (2005), p. 47:"Earl Brusi died in the early 1030s."
- ^ Muir (2005), p. 45
- ^ Muir (2005), p. 53
- ^ Thomson (2008), p. 82
- ^ Muir (2005), p. 61
- ^ a b Muir (2005), p. 63
- ^ a b c Thomson (2008), p. 101
- ^ Thomson (2008), p. 103
- ^ a b c d Thomson (2008), p. 89
- ^ a b Thomson (2008), p. 128
- ^ a b Crawford (2013), p. 26
- ^ a b c Crawford (2013), pp. 280–81
- ^ Crawford (2013), p. 282
- ^ Crawford (2013), p. 293
- ^ Crawford (2013), pp. 307, 429
- ^ a b Thomson (2008), pp. 145–46
- ^ Crawford (2013), pp. 307, 427
- ^ Crawford (2013), p. 429
- ^ Debrett's Peerage & Baronetage (1968) p. 206, as shown in 1st quarter of arms of Sinclair, Earl of Caithness.
- ^ Moule, Thomas (1842) Heraldry of Fish: Notices of the Principal Families Bearing Fish in Their Arms London, p. 175, retrieved 14 April 2018.
- ^ Thomson (2008), pp. 149–50
- ^ a b Crawford (2013), pp. 317–20
- ^ a b c d e Crawford (2013), p. 320
- ^ a b Crawford (2013), p. 322
- ^ Crawford (2013), p. 321
- ^ Crawford (2013), pp. 327–28
- ^ Crawford (2013), p. 328
- ^ Crawford (2013), pp. 319–322
- ^ Thomson (2008), p. 220
- ^ "Kirkwall, Castle". CANMORE. Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland. Retrieved 1 April 2018.
- ^ "Peter St. John" University of Manitoba. Retrieved 1 April 2018.
Bibliography
- Beuermann, Ian (2011), "Jarla Sǫgur Orkneyja. Status and power of the earls of Orkney according to their sagas", in Steinsland, Gro; Sigurðsson, Jón Viðar; Rekdal, Jan Erik; et al. (eds.), Ideology and power in the viking and middle ages: Scandinavia, Iceland, Ireland, Orkney and the Faeroes, The Northern World: North Europe and the Baltic c. 400–1700 A.D. Peoples, Economics and Cultures, vol. 52, ISBN 978-90-04-20506-2
- Cannon, John (2009), The Oxford Companion to British History, Oxford University Press, ISBN 978-0-19-956763-8, retrieved 27 January 2014
- Clouston, J. Storer (1918), "Two Features of the Orkney Earldom", The Scottish Historical Review, 16 (61), Edinburgh University Press/JSTOR: 15–28, JSTOR 25519122
- Crawford, Barbara E. (1987), Scandinavian Scotland, Leicester University Press, ISBN 0-7185-1197-2
- Crawford, Barbara E. (2013), The Northern Earldoms, Edinburgh: John Donald, ISBN 97819-0460-7915
- Larsen, Stein Ugelvik; Sulebust, Jarle (1994). I balansepunktet: Sunnmøres eldste historie (in Norwegian). Sunnmørsposten Forlag (with Studiegruppa for Sunnmøre, Universitetet i Bergen). ISBN 82-91450-00-5.
- Muir, Tom (2005), Orkney in the Sagas: The Story of the Earldom of Orkney as told in the Icelandic Sagas, Kirkwall: The Orcadian, ISBN 0954886232
- Orkneyinga Saga: The History of the Earls of Orkney, translated by ISBN 0-14-044383-5
- Radner, Joan N., ed. (1978). "Fragmentary Annals of Ireland". CELT: Corpus of Electronic Texts. Translated by Radner, Joan N. University College Cork. Retrieved 10 March 2007.
- Stølen, Anders (1988). "Frå Jarleætta på Sunnmøre til Blindheim-ætta og Smør-ætta". Norsk Slekthistorisk Tidsskrift (in Norwegian). 31: 259–277. ISSN 0029-2141.
- ISBN 0-292-73061-6
- Smyth, Alfred P. (1984), Warlords and Holy Men: Scotland AD 80–1000, Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, ISBN 0-7486-0100-7
- Thomson, William P. L. (2008), The New History of Orkney, Edinburgh: Birlinn, ISBN 978-1-84158-696-0
- Woolf, Alex (2007), From Pictland to Alba, 789–1070, Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, ISBN 978-0-7486-1234-5
External links
- Orkneyjar The Heritage of the Orkney Islands