List of rulers of the 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. The historical record is incomplete and the kingdom was probably not a continuous entity throughout the entire period. The islands concerned are sometimes referred to as the "Kingdom of Mann and the Isles", although only some of the later rulers claimed that title. At times the rulers were independent of external control, although for much of the period they had overlords in Norway, Ireland, England, Scotland or Orkney. At times there also appear to have been competing claims for all or parts of the territory. The islands involved have a total land area of over and extend for more than from north to south.
Viking influence in the area commenced in the late 8th century, and whilst there is no doubt that the Uí Ímair dynasty played a prominent role in this early period, the records for the dates and details of the rulers are speculative until the mid-10th century. Hostility between the Kings of the Isles and the rulers of Ireland, and intervention by the crown of Norway were recurring themes.
Invasion by Magnus Barelegs in the late 11th century resulted in a brief period of direct Norwegian rule over the kingdom, but soon the descendants of Godred Crovan re-asserted a further period of largely independent overlordship. This came to an end with the emergence of Somerled, on whose death in 1164 the kingdom was split in two. Just over a century later the islands became part of the Kingdom of Scotland, following the 1266 Treaty of Perth.
The orthography of the rulers' names is complicated as Old Norse and Gaelic were both spoken throughout the region for much of period under consideration. Thus a single individual might be referred to as Rognvaldr in Icelandic sources, Ragnall in Gaelic, Reginaldus in Latin and perhaps "Rognvald" or "Reginald" in English language sources.

9th and early 10th centuries

During this period the historical record is particularly sparse and these early entries must be considered as somewhat speculative.

, the site of a 9th-century siege by Ímar and Amlaíb Conung
Ruler of the HebridesDatesTitleNotes
Unknown father of Thórir848King of Viking ScotlandAccording to the Orkneyinga saga Rognvald Eysteinsson had a number of sons including Ivar and Thorir the Silent, Ivar being killed in battle during Harald Fairhair's expedition to the west. According to Irish sources Thorir was the heir of a king of "Viking Scotland" who took an army to Ireland in 848.
Gofraid mac Fergusad. 853Lord of the HebridesThe Annals of the Four Masters calls him toisech Innsi Gall.
Gofraidhpre 872–873King of LochlannFather of Amlaíb Conung and Ímar
Ímar873King of the Norwegian Vikings of the whole of Ireland and BritainMay have succeeded his father briefly
Amlaíb Conung873King of the Northmen/King of the Western SeaÍmar's brother
Ketill Flatnosec 890–900King of the IslesThe earliest certain written references to Ketill are from the sagas written 200 years or more after his death. Unlikely to have been ruler of Mann and may have ruled in the mid, rather than late ninth century.
Unknownc 900–941Possibly ruled by Uí Ímair dynasts Ragnall ua Ímair who ruled Mann, Sitric Cáech, Gofraid ua Ímair and Amlaíb mac Gofraid as Kings of Dublin.

It is also possible that Eiríkr, King of York from 947–948 and 952–5, was a ruler in the islands at some stage in the mid-10th century. Eiríkr is believed by some authorities to be synonymous with the saga character Eric Bloodaxe, although the connection is questioned by Downham, who argues that the former was an Uí Ímair dynast rather than a son of Harald Fairhair. A raid on Northumbria in 949, the purpose of which may have been either to support or oppose the kingship of Amlaíb Cuarán is described as
predam albidosorum idem nannindisi in the Chronicle of the Kings of Alba''. Alfred P. Smyth translated this as "the raid of the men from beyond the spine of Britain, that is, of the islands."

Late 10th and 11th centuries

Ruler of the Hebrides and MannPeriod of RuleTitleNotes
Amlaíb Cuaránc. 941?–980King of the Isles Amlaíb was later King of Dublin and succeeded Amlaíb mac Gofraid as King of Northumbria in 941 and died on Iona in 981
Maccus mac Arailt980–?King of the IslesSaid to have been "brought under subjection" by Edgar the Peaceful, King of England who died in 975
Gofraid mac Arailt?–989King of the IslesBrother of Maccus mac Arailt
Gilli990–?JarlOperated under Sigurd the Stout, Earl of Orkney & Mormaer of Caithness. Married to Sigurd's sister. Sigurd himself was a vassal of the King of Norway.
Ragnall mac Gofraid?–1005King of the IslesSon of Gofraid mac Arailt
Sigurd the Stout1005–1014Earl of Orkney & Mormaer of CaithnessVassal of the King of Norway
Einar Sigurdsson*?1014–1016?Joint Earl of OrkneyThomson suggests Einar rangmunnr may have inherited his father's territories in the Hebrides.
Håkon Eiriksson*1016–1030Ruler of the SuðreyarPossibly as a vassal of Cnut the Great
Olaf Sigtryggsson*1030?–1034King of Mann and many of the other islands of DenmarkSon of Sitric Silkbeard and grandson of Amlaíb Cuarán
Thorfinn the Mightyc 1035–c 1058Earl of Orkney & Mormaer of CaithnessVassal of the King of Norway
Ímar mac Arailt*c 1045?Ruler of Dublin and possibly Mann. In 1045 Ímar crushed the Ulaid in a raid on Rathlin which may be evidence that he also controlled Mann at this point.
Echmarcach mac Ragnaill*1052–1061King of MannProbably ruler of both Dublin and Mann prior to 1052, when he was expelled from the former by Diarmait mac Maíl na mBó. Possibly son of Ragnal mac Gofraid and thus possibly a King of Innse Gall as well.
Murchad mac Diarmata*1061–1070King of Dublin and Mann?
Diarmait mac Maíl na mBó1070–1072King of Dublin and the IslesFather of Murchad, but who ruled after him over Dublin "and, one assumes, Man"
Godred Sitricson?–1074King of Man
Fingal Godredson1074–?King of ManSon of Godred Sitricson
Godred Crovan1079–1094King of Dublin and the IslesSon of "Harald the Black of Ysland"
Possibly Lagmann Godredsson1095–1098Eldest son of Godred Crovan. Whether Lagmann began his reign before or after Magnus Barelegs's arrival is not known for certain.

Early rulers of Mann

Various rulers have been identified as ruling Man, but not the Isles as a whole. The Isle of Man may have fallen under Norse rule in the 870s, and paradoxically they may have brought the Gaelic language with them. The island has produced a more densely distributed Viking Age archaeology than anywhere else in the British Isles, but the written records for this time period are poor.
Rulers of MannPeriod of ReignTitleNotes
Otir912?–914?Jarl and "Master of the Isle of Man"Possibly as a vassal of Ragnall ua Ímair
Ragnall ua Ímair914 to 921??Defeated Bárid son of Otir in a naval battle off Man in 914
Gothfrith ua Ímairpre 927 to?Father of Amlaíb
Amlaíb mac Gofraidpre 935 to 941King of Northumbria and possibly King of the IslesAfter the death of Athelstan in 939, Edmund ceded Northumbria to Amlaíb. Married a daughter of Constantine II.

There then follows a period when it is likely that the Western Isles and Mann were jointly held by rulers of the House of Ímar. Downham suggests Lagmann Godredson may have "wielded power in Man" and possibly even have been king but was expelled sometime after 1005, perhaps by Brian Bóruma. This may indicate that the Earls of Orkney did not control Man itself in the early 11th century. Echmarcach mac Ragnaill and his successors certainly did control Mann, but the extent of their rule over the islands of the Clyde and the Hebrides is not clear. Óláfr mac Lagmann is recorded as having been killed at Clontarf in 1014, fighting with "warriors from the Hebrides".
Rulers of MannPeriod of RuleTitleNotes
Lagmann mac Gofraid?–1005"King of the Swedes"Possibly a son of Gofraid mac Arailt
Ottard. 1098JarlEarl of "one half of Man"

The period 1095–1098 seems to have been politically unsettled, culminating in a Manx civil war between the north and south of the island. A battle at Santwat between the northerners under Jarl Óttar and the southerners under Macmaras in 1098 resulted in the deaths of both leaders.

Early rulers of the Hebrides

In Irish mythology the Outer Hebrides were the home of the Fomorians, described as "huge and ugly" and "ship men of the sea". They were pirates, extracting tribute from the coasts of Ireland and one of their kings was Indech mac Dé Domnand. Indech is also mentioned in the Cath Maige Tuired along with Balor grandson of Nét, his rival who is described as righ na n-Innsi, which may have meant the king of the Inner Hebrides. Together they "gathered all the forces from Lochlainn westwards into Ireland to impose their tribute and their rule over them."
Various later rulers such as Gebeachan are also mentioned in early sources as having a role of some kind over unspecified areas of the northern part of the Kingdom of the Isles.
Rulers of the HebridesDateTitleNotes
Indech mac Dé Domnandpre 9th century?King of the Fomoire
Balor, grandson of Neitpre 9th century?King of the Hebrides
Gebeachan937King of the IslandsDied whilst fighting with Amlaíb mac Gofraid at Brunanburh
Conmael mac Gilla Airi980Tributary King of the GallFought with Amlaíb Cuarán at Tara

12th and 13th centuries

Kings of Mann and the Isles

Ruler of the Hebrides & MannPeriod of ReignTitleNotes
Magnus Barelegs1098–1102Possibly King of the IslesDirect Norwegian rule
Sigurd Magnusson1102–1103Direct Norwegian ruleNominal control by under-age son of Magnus Barelegs
Lagmann Godredsson1103–1110Eldest son of Godred Crovan
Domnall mac Taidc Uí Briain1111–1112Regent during the minority of Olave the RedNephew of Muirchertach Ua Briain. Expelled by the Islesmen.
Olave the Red1112–1152Son of Godred Crovan
Godred the Black1154–1156King of Man and the IslesSon of Olave the Red
Somerled's sons & Godred the Black1156–1158Rulers of the southern islands and of Mann and the North Isles respectively.Somerled's sons were Dubgall, Ragnall and Aonghus
Somerled1158–1164Lord of Argyll, Kintyre and LorneSon-in-law of Olave the Red, and son of GilleBride of the old royal house of Dalriada, and a Norse woman.By 1158 Somerled was Rex Insularum, King of the Isles. His dominion covered 25,000 square miles and more than 500 islands.

Godred the Black's dictatorial style appears to have made him very unpopular with the Islesmen, and the powerful barons of the isles began plotting with an emerging and forceful figure – Somerled, Lord of Argyll. When Godred heard of this he engaged Somerled's forces in the naval Battle of Epiphany in 1156. There was no clear victor, but it was subsequently agreed that Godred would remain the ruler of Man and the northern Hebrides, whilst Somerled's young sons would nominally control the southern Inner Hebrides, Kintyre and the islands of the Clyde under their father's supervision. Two years later Somerled's invasion of the Isle of Man caused Godred to flee to Norway, leaving the former as the undisputed ruler of the entire realm.
Following the death of Somerled in 1164 Godred re-took possession of his pre-1158 territories in Mann and the north and the southern isles were distributed amongst Somerled's sons as had been previously agreed: Dubgall received Mull, Coll, Tiree and Jura; Islay and Kintyre went to Ragnall; Bute to Aonghas, with Arran possibly divided between him and Reginald. The Chronicle of Man and the Sudreys lamented that Somerled's marriage to Ragnhildis, daughter of Olave the Red, had been "the cause of the ruin of the whole kingdom of the Isles".

Kings of Mann and the North Isles

Kings of MannNorse nameGaelic namePeriod of ReignTitleNotes
ReginaldUnknownUnknown1164No recordHalf-brother of Godred the Black
Godred the BlackGuðrøðr ÓláfssonGofraid mac Amlaíb1164–1187King of the IslesRe-instated
RagnvaldRögnvaldr GuðrøðarsonRaghnall mac Gofraidh1188–1226King of the IslesSon of Godred the Black
Olaf the BlackÓláfr GuðrøðarsonAmlaíb mac Gofraid1226–1237King of Mann and the IslesHalf-brother of Raghnall mac Gofraidh
Óspakr-HákonGille Escoib mac Dubgaill1230King of the SuðreyjarSon of Dubgall mac Somairle?
Gofraid DonnGuðrøðr RögnvaldssonGofraid mac Ragnaill1230Son of Raghnall mac Gofraidh
Harald OlafssonHaraldr ÓláfssonAralt mac Amlaíb Duib1237–1248?King of Mann and the IslesSon of Olaf the Black
Ragnvald OlafssonRögnvaldr ÓláfssonRagnall mac Amlaíb1249King of Mann and the IslesSon of Olaf the Black, his rule was brief
Harald GodredssonHaraldr GuðrøðarsonAralt mac Gofraid Donn1249–1250King of MannSon of Gofraid Donn and grandson of Raghnall mac Gofraidh
Magnus OlafssonMagnus ÓláfssonMágnus mac Amlaib1252–1265?King of Mann and the IslesSon of Olaf the Black

In a precursor to 1263, Norwegian forces invaded in 1230 in response to dynastic struggles amongst Godred the Black's descendants. The Chronicle of Lanercost states that a Norwegian fleet sailed down the west coast of Scotland with Óspakr-Hákon, who had been appointed "King of the Suðreyjar" by the King of Norway. His forces took Rothesay Castle, hacking through the walls with their axes. The Eirspennill version of Hákonar saga Hákonarsonar states that the fleet then sailed to Kintyre where Óspakr-Hákon fell ill and died. Olaf the Black then took control of the fleet, and led it to the Isle of Man. He and Gofraid Donn, the son of Raghnall mac Gofraidh, divided the kingdom between themselves, with the latter retaining Mann, and the former controlling the northern islands. A short time later Gofraid Donn was slain, possibly on Lewis.
On 30 May 1249, Ragnvald Olafsson was slain in a meadow near the Church of the Holy Trinity at Rushen by a knight named Ívarr, along with several of the knight's followers. The Chronicle of Lanercost states that he had reigned for only 27 days. Harald Godredsson then seized the kingship, although he was summoned to Norway the following year and effectively dispossessed. Magnus Olafsson was the last of the Norse kings to rule Mann, which was absorbed into the Kingdom of Scotland on his death.

Kings of the South Isles

Rulers of the HebridesGaelic namePeriod of ReignTitleNotes
DugaldDubgall mac Somairle1164–c1175King of the IslesSon of Somerled
RanaldRagnall mac Somairle1164–1207King of the IslesSon of Somerled
DuncanDonnchadh mac Dubgaill? – c. 1244?King of the SudreysSon of Dubgall mac Somairle
Dugald ScreechDubgall mac Dubgaill?King of the SudreysSon of Dubgall mac Somairle
SomerledSomairle mac Dubgaill? – 1230King of the SudreysProbably a son of Dubgall mac Somairle
RuariRuaidhri mac Raghnaill1207?–1247?King of the IslesSon of Ragnall mac Somairle
Ewen of ArgyllEóghan1248–1263King of the SudreysSon of Donnchadh mac Dubhghaill
Dugald MacRuairiDubhghall mac Ruaidhri1249–1266?King of the SudreysSon of Ruaidhri mac Raghnaill

The 1780 Anecdotes of Olave the Black state that there were 3 Sudreyan kings all existing at one time who were "of the family of Somerled" and who were "very untrue to King Haco". It is not entirely clear which three kings are being referred to. They include Dubgall "Screech" mac Dubgaill and his brother Donnchadh and either Eóghan of Argyll who "was king afterwards" or possibly an unknown "relation of theirs, called Somerled, was then also a King in the Sudreys". This Somerled, who died in 1230, may have been a brother or cousin of Dubgall and Donnchadh.
Ragnall mac Somairle's son, Ruaidhri mac Raghnaill may have been the "king of the Isles" who was recorded in the Irish chronicles as having been killed fighting against the English at the Battle of Ballyshannon in 1247. Ruaidhri's direct descendants Dubhghall and Ailean, who ruled Garmoran and the Uists are generally not given titles by Scottish sources. However the Icelandic Annals recorded for the year 1249 that: "Dubhghall took kingship in the Sudreys." Norse sources also refer to kingship being held by Eóghan of Argyll, although this was rescinded by King Haakon when he refused to participate in the latter's expeditions against Scotland.