| Ragnall mac Somairle | |
|---|---|
Ragnall's name as it appears on folio 35v. of the Chronicle of Mann: Raignaldum.[1] |
|
| Wife | Fonia |
| Dynasty | Clann Somairle |
| Father | Somairle mac Gilla Brigte |
| Mother | Ragnhildr Óláfsdóttir |
| Children | Domnall, Ruaidrí |
Ragnall mac Somairle, or Ragnall son of Somairle,[note 1] was a late 12th century and possibly early 13th century magnate, seated on the western seaboard of Scotland. He was likely a younger son of Somairle mac Gilla Brigte, Lord of Argyll (d. 1164) and his wife, Ragnhildr, daughter of Óláfr Guðrøðarson, King of the Isles (d. 1153). The 12th century Kingdom of the Isles, ruled by Ragnall's father and maternal-grandfather, existed within a hybrid Norse-Gaelic milieu, which bordered an ever strengthening and consolidating Kingdom of Scots.
In the mid 12th century, Somairle rose in power and won the Kingdom of the Isles from his brother-in-law. After Somairle perished in battle against the Scots in 1164, much of his kingdom was likely partitioned between his surviving sons. Ragnall's allotment appears to have been in the southern Hebrides and Kintyre. In time, Ragnall appears to have risen in power and became the leading member of Somairle's descendants, the meic Somairle (or Clann Somairle). Ragnall is known to have styled himself "King of the Isles, Lord of Argyll and Kintyre" and "Lord of the Isles". His claim to the title of king, like other members of the meic Somairle, is derived through Ragnhildr, a member of the Crovan dynasty.
Ragnall disappears from record after he and his sons were defeated by his brother Áengus. Ragnall's death-date is unknown, although dates ranging between 1192–1227 are all possibilities. Surviving contemporary sources reveal that Ragnall was a significant patron of the Church. Although his father appears to have aligned himself with traditional forms of Christianity, Ragnall's associated himself with newer reformed religious orders from the continent. Ragnall's now non-existent seal, which pictured a knight on horseback, also indicates that he attempted to present himself as an up-to-date ruler, not unlink his Anglo-French contemporaries of the bordering Kingdom of Scots.
Ragnall is known to have left two sons, Domnall and Ruaidrí, who went on to found powerful Hebridean families. Either Ragnall or Ruaidrí had daughters who married Ragnall's first cousins Rögnvaldr and Óláfr, two 13th century kings of the Crovan dynasty.
Contents |
Ragnall was a son of Somairle mac Gilla Brigte, Lord of Argyll (d. 1164) and his wife, Ragnhildr, daughter of Óláfr Guðrøðarson, King of the Isles. Somairle and Ragnhildr had at least three sons: Dubgall (d. after 1175), Ragnall, Áengus (d. 1210), and likely a fourth, Amlaíb.[8] Dubgall appears to have been the couple's eldest son.[9][note 2] Little is certain of the origins of Ragnall's father, although his marriage suggests that he belonged to a family of some substance. In the first half of the 12th century, the Hebrides and the Isle of Man (Mann) were encompassed within the Kingdom of the Isles, which was ruled by Somairle's father-in-law, a member of the Crovan dynasty. Somairle's rise to power may well have begun at about this time, as the few surviving sources from the era suggest that Argyll may have begun to slip from the control of David I, King of Scots (d. 1153).[12]
Somairle first appears on record in 1153, when he rose in rebellion against Máel Coluim IV, King of Scots (d. 1165), in support of his nephews and their father, a certain Máel Coluim who was imprisoned by the like-named king.[13][note 3] In the same year, Somairle's father-in-law was murdered, after ruling the Kingdom of the Isles about forty years. Óláfr was succeeded by his son, Guðrøðr; sometime afterwards, Somairle participated in a coup within the kingdom by presenting Dubgall as a potential king. In consequence, Somairle and his brother-in-law fought a naval battle in 1156, after which much of the Hebrides appear to have fallen under Somairle's control.[14] Two years later, he defeated Guðrøðar outright and took control of the entire island-kingdom.[15] In 1164, Somairle again rose against the King of Scots, and is recorded in various early sources to have commanded a massive invasion force of men from throughout the Isles, Argyll, Kintyre, and Scandinavian Dublin. Somairle's host sailed up the Clyde, and made landfall near what is today Renfrew, where they were crushed by the Scots, and he himself was slain.[16] Following Somairle's demise, Guðrøðr returned to the Isles and seated himself on Mann, although the Hebridean-territories won by Somairle in 1156 were retained by his descendants, the meic Somairle.[17]
Although contemporary sources are silent on the matter, it is more than likely that on Somairle's demise, his territory was divided amongst his surviving sons.[18] The precise allotment of lands is unknown; even though the division of lands amongst later generations of meic Somairle can be readily discerned, such boundaries are unlikely to have existed during chaotic 12th century. It is possible that the territory of the first generation of meic Somairle may have stretched from Glenelg in the north, to the Mull of Kintyre in the south; with Áengus ruling in the north, Dubgall centred in Lorne (with possibly the bulk of the inheritance), and Ragnall in Kintyre and the southern islands.[19]
Little is known of Somairle's descendants in the decades following his demise.[20] Dubgall does not appear on record until 1175, far from the Isles in Durham.[21] In 1192, the Chronicle of Mann records that Ragnall and his sons were defeated in a particularly bloody battle against Áengus.[22] Although the chronicle does not identify the location of the battle, or elaborate under what circumstances it was fought, it is possible that it took place in the northern part of the meic Somairle domain, where Áengus' lands may have been. It may be that Ragnall's rise in power, possibly at the expense of Dubgall, brought Ragnall in contact with Áengus.[23] Even so, the probability is that his defeat at the hands of his brother marked Ragnall's downfall.[24]
One of several ecclesiastical sources which deal specifically with Ragnall is an undated grant to the Cluniac priory at Paisley (later known as Paisley Abbey).[25] The patrons of this religious house were the kindred of the High Steward of Scotland. Since Ragnall's grant likely dates to after his defeat to Áengus, it may be evidence of an attempt made by Ragnall to secure and alliance with the head of the kindred, Alan fitz Walter, High Stewart of Scotland (d. 1204).[26][note 4] Since Bute seems to have fallen into Stewart hands at about this time, Alan may have taken advantage of the internal conflict between the meic Somairle; or possibly, he may have been given the island by Ragnall, as payment for military support against Áengus who, by 1192, had gained the upper hand in the conflict.[28]
In a charter to Saddell Abbey, Ragnall is styled in Latin rex insularum, dominus de Ergile et Kyntyre[30] ("King of the Isles, Lord of Argyll and Kintyre"). In what is likely a later charter,[31] he is styled in Latin dominus de Inchegal[32] ("Lord of the Isles"),[33] in his grant to Paisley.[note 6] Although Ragnall's abandonment of he title "king" in favour of "lord" may not be significant,[35] it could be connected with his defeat to Áengus, or possibly due to the rise in power and expansion of his namesake and first cousin, Rögnvaldr Guðrøðarson, King of the Isles.[36] Ragnall's style dominus de Inchegal is not unlike the dominus Insularum used by his great-great-grandson, Eoin Mac Domhnaill, Lord of the Isles (d. c. 1387), the first of four successive Lords of the Isles.[37]
Ragnall's grant to Paisley is preserved in two documents. One dates from the late 12th century or early 13th century, a later copy of the charter is contained in an instrument which dates to 1426.[38] Appended to the latter document is a description of a seal, which the 15th century notary alleged to have belonged to Ragnall. On one side, the seal is described to have depicted a ship, filled with men at arms. On the reverse side, the seal was said to have depicted an armed man on horseback, with a sword in his hand.[39]
Ragnall is the only member of the meic Somairle known to have styled himself rex insularm ("King of the Isles") in documents.[note 7] His use of both the title and seal are likely derived from those of the leading members of the Crovan dynasty, such as his namesake Rögnvaldr, who was styled "King of the Isles" and was said to have borne a similar two-sided seal.[40] The elements contained within the seals of the two men combine a Norse-Gaelic galley, a symbol of power of the rulers of an island-kingdom; and the Anglo-French knight, a symbol of feudal society, in which the cult of knighthood had reached its peak in the 12th and early 13th centuries.[41] The use of such seals by leading Norse-Gaelic lords, seated on the periphery of the kingdoms of Scotland and England, illustrates their desire to present themselves as up-to-date and modern to their contemporaries in Anglo-French society.[42]
| Affraic |
|
|
|
Óláfr |
|
|
|
Ingibjörg | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
Guðrøðr |
|
|
|
Ragnhildr |
|
|
|
Somairle | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
Rögnvaldr |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Ragnall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
The fact that two Hebridean rulers, Ragnall and Rögnvaldr, shared the same personal names, the same grand-father, and (at times) the same title, has perplexed modern historians and possibly mediaeval chroniclers as well.[43]
In the late 12th century, Haraldr Maddaðarson (d. 1206) set his sights on the Scottish earldom of Ross, and associated himself with the meic Áedha who were in open rebellion against the King of Scots. To keep Haraldr in check, Uilliam I, King of Scots (d. 1214) launched the first of two expeditions into Haraldr's mainland territory in 1196, with one reaching deep into Caithness. According to John of Fordun (d. after 1363), Uilliam's first military action subdued Caithness and Sutherland.[44] The Orkneyinga saga records that Rögnvaldr was tasked by Uilliam to intervene on his behalf, and that Rögnvaldr duly gathered an armed host from the Isles, Kintyre, and Ireland, and went into Caithness and subdued the region.[45] The Chronica of Roger of Howden (d. 1201/2) also notes that Rögnvaldr went into Caithness, and records that he bought the title to the earldom.[46] The precise date of Rögnvaldr's venture is uncertain, although it appears to date to about 1200.[47]
Although most scholars regard Ragnall's cousin as the Hebridean-king who assisted the King of Scots against Haraldr, several points have been raised which may suggest that it was actually Ragnall.[48] For example, the saga makes the erroneous statement that the Hebridean-king in question was a son of Ingibjörg,[49][note 8] who is much more likely to have been Ragnall's maternal-grandmother than Rögnvaldr's;[50] in addition, the saga notes that the king's military force was gathered in part from Kintyre, which may be more likely of Ragnall than his cousin, since Ragnall is known to have styled himself dominus Ergile et Kyntyre.[51] Also, until recently,[52] the transcription of Howden's account of the episode has stated that the Hebridean-king was in fact a son of Somairle.[53] However, a recent re-analysis of the earliest existent version of Howden's chronicle has shown that its original text was altered to include Somairle's name, and that it originally read in Latin Reginaldus filius rex de Man, thereby revealing that Rögnvaldr Guðrøðarson was indeed the man in question.[52]
In the 6th century, exiled-Irishman Colum Cille (d. 527) seated himself on Iona, from where he oversaw the foundation of numerous daughter-houses in the surrounding islands and mainland. Men of his own choosing, many of his extended family, were appointed to administrate these dependent houses; in time, a lasting monastic network—a monastic familia—was centred on the island, led by his successors. With the continued Viking onslaught in the 9th century, the leadership of the familia relocated to Kells.[55] In the 12th century, Flaithbertach Ua Brolcháin, Abbot of Derry (d. 1175), the comarba ("successor") of Colum Cille, relocated from Kells to Derry.[56][note 10]
In 1164, the Annals of Ulster indicate that Somairle attempted to reinstate the monastic familia on Iona, under Flaithbertach's leadership.[58] Unfortunately for Somairle, the proposal was met with significant opposition, and with his death in the same year, his intentions ultimately came to nothing.[59] About forty years later, a Benedictine monastery was founded on Iona. The foundation charter, dating to December 1203, places the monastery under the papal protection of Pope Innocent III (d. 1216).[60] Although the Book of Clanranald claims that Ragnall founded the monastery,[61] the charter reveals that the monastery received endowments from throughout the meic Somairle domain, indicating that the foundation concerned the leading members of the kindred.[62]
The decision of the meic Somairle to establish a Benedictine house provoked a prompt and violent response from the familia.[62] The Annals of Ulster relate that, after Cellach, Abbot of Iona had built the new monastery on the island in 1204, a large Irish force made landfall and burnt the new buildings to the ground. Immediately afterwards, Cellach was deposed and replaced with a more palatable abbot.[63] Although a contemporary poem echoes the sentiments of the familia, as it portrays Colum Cille cursing the descendants of Somairle,[64] the Benedictine presence on Iona was there to stay.[65][note 11] The new monastery nearly obliterated the old monastery of Colum Cille,[68] and sometime after it's foundation, an Augustinian nunnery was established just south of the site, with Somairle's daughter, Bethóc, as its first prioress.[69] The oldest building on the island is St Oran's chapel. Judging from certain Irish influences in its architecture, the chapel is thought to date to about the mid 12th century. The building is known to have been used as a mortuary house by Ragnall's later descendants, and it is be possible that either he or his father were responsible for its erection.[70][note 12]
Either Ragnall or his father could have founded Saddell Abbey,[72] a rather small Cistercian house, situated in the traditional heartland of the meic Somairle.[73] This, now ruinous monastery, is the only Cisterian house known to have been founded in the West Highlands.[74] Surviving evidence from the monastery itself suggests that Ragnall was likely the founder.[75] For example, when the monastery's charters were confirmed in 1393 by Pope Clement VII (d. 1534), and in 1498 and 1508 by James IV, King of Scots (d. 1513), the earliest grant produced by the house was that of Ragnall; furthermore, the confirmations of 1393 and 1508 specifically state that Ragnall was indeed the founder. Clan tradition preserved in the Book of Clanranald also states that Ragnall was the founder of Saddell Abbey. However, evidence that Somairle was the founder may be preserved in a 13th century French list of Cistercian houses, which names a certain "Sconedale" under the year 1160, which may well refer to Saddell.[76]
One possibility is that, while Somairle may well have began the planning a Cistercian house at Saddell, it was actually Ragnall who provided it with its first endowments.[77] However, Somairle's attempt to relocate the traditional familia on Iona may be evidence that newer reformed orders of continental Christianity, such as the Cistercians and Benedictines, while acceptable to his immediate descendants, were unpalatable to himself. In contrast to his father, Ragnall's known religious endowments reveal that he was not adverse to such orders.[78] During Somairle's career, he waged war upon the Scots and perished in an invasion of Scotland proper; it may be that Ragnall's ecclesiastical activities were undertaken in part to improve relations with the King of Scots.[79] Additionally, in an age when monasteries were often built by rulers as status symbols of their wealth and power, Ragnall's foundations may have been, in part, an attempt to appear as an up-to-date ruler, or king in his own right.[80]
Either Dubgall or Ragnall were instrumental in the creation of the Diocese of Argyll, probably between 1183 and 1189.[81] In the first half of the 12th century, Óláfr (Somarle's father-in-law) founded the Diocese of the Isles, by granting the monks of the Savigniac abbey of St Mary of Furness the right of episcopal election, and endowing this English abbey with lands to establish a daughter-house on Mann. In the mid 12th century, at about the time of Óláfr's death and his son's accession, the diocese became encompassed with the Norwegian Archdiocese of Nidaros. Although a significant proportion of the Óláfr's former kingdom eventually fell under control of the meic Somairle, there is no evidence that the administration of the diocese was altered. Even so, the right of patronage appears to have been contested between the meic Somairle and their cousins of the Crovan dynasty.[82]
Christian, Bishop of the Isles, an Argyllman, may well have been a meic Somairle candidate in about 1170, although this bishop appears to have been deposed, as Michael (d. 1203), a Manxman, was made Bishop of the Isles during Christian's lifetime.[83][note 13] The Diocese of Argyll may have been established by the meic Somairle as a means to freely act as religious patrons, like their cousins of the Crovan dynasty. In fact, Rögnvaldr's resurgence of the dynasty's power in the latter 12th century may well have been a factor in the diocese's creation.[85][note 14] Also significant is the fact that, when the Benedictine abbey was founded on Iona in about 1203, the community was made subject to the Vatican, thus leaving the Bishop of the Isles with no authority over the sacred island.[86] Although the early diocese suffered from prolonged vacancies,[85][note 15] over time it became firmly established on the mainland, with its cathedral nearby on Lismore,[87] in the heartland of Dubgall's descendants, the meic Dubgaill.[85]
The year and circumstances of Ragnall's death are uncertain, as surviving contemporary sources failed to mark his demise.[88] According to 17th and 18th century Hebridean-tradition preserved in the Book of Clanranald, Ragnall may have died in 1207.[89] However, without corroborating evidence, such a late tradition cannot be accepted.[90] Moreover, this particular tradition misplaces his father's death by sixteen years, which may indicate that Ragnall himself was slain some sixteen years earlier. If so, Ragnall's death may be related to his defeat suffered at the hands of brother, in 1192.[91] However, the Chronicle of Mann, which records the 1192 conflict, gives no hint of Ragnall's demise.[92] Another possibility is that Ragnall may have been slain sometime around 1209–1210, during yet more internal conflict amongst the meic Somairle.[88]
An independent analysis of the Book of Clanranald has shown that, instead of 1207, it may have dated Ragnall's demise to 1227.[93][note 16] However, this date is may very well be too late for man who was an adult in 1164.[93] Ragnall's grant to Paisley may leave clues to his fate. This charter was likely granted at about the same time as another by his son, Domnall, which may be evidence that Ragnall had not been killed in the defeat against Áengus.[95] Also, there is reason to believe that, following his grant to the abbey, Ragnall may have entered into a confraternity with the monks there. If this charter was indeed granted near the end of his life, then Ragnall may have ended his days at the abbey. Since the abbey was not one of the several founded by himself, or the meic Somairle, this may be a clue as to why Ragnall disappears from record after 1192.[88]
"Fonia", the name of Ragnall's wife recorded in their grant to Paisley, may be an attempt to represent a Gaelic name in Latin.[97] According to late Hebridean tradition, preserved in the garbled History of the MacDonalds, Ragnall was married to "MacRandel's daughter, or, as some say, to a sister of Thomas Randel, Earl of Murray".[98] This tradition cannot be correct due to its chronology,[99] since Thomas Randolph, the first Earl of Moray, and his like-named son and successor, both died in 1332.[100] Although, one possibility is that the tradition may refer to an earlier earl—Uilleam mac Donnchada (d. between 1151–1154).[99][101] If so, then Ragnall's son, Domnall, may have been named after Uilleam's son, Domnall (d. 1187), who was one of the leaders of the meic Uilleim rebellions.[99]
Ragnall is known to have left two sons: Domnall and Ruaidrí. Domnall's line, the meic Domnaill or Clann Domnaill, went on to produce the powerful Lords of the Isles, who styled themselves in Latin dominus insularum, while dominating the entire Hebrides and expansive mainland-territory, from the first half of the 14th century to the late 15th century.[102] Ruaidrí founded the meic Ruaidrí, a more obscure kindred who were seated in Garmoran.[103]
It is very likely that either Ragnall or Ruaidrí had daughters who married Rögnvaldr and his younger half-brother, Óláfr Guðrøðarson.[104] The Chronicle of Mann states that Rögnvaldr had Óláfr marry Lauon, the daughter of a certain nobleman from Kintyre, who was also the sister of his own (unnamed) wife.[105] The precise identification of the father-in-law is uncertain, although it is known that both Ragnall and Ruaidrí were styled "Lord of Kintyre" in contemporary sources. It is possible that Óláfr's marriage took place in the 1220s, and that Rögnvaldr may have orchestrated the marriages in an attempt to patch up relations between the meic Somairle and his own kindred. At about this time, Ruaidrí appears to have been forced from Kintyre by Scots forces—an act which may be connected to such an alliance.[104] Unfortunately for Rögnvaldr, Óláfr had his marriage nullified, and later forged a marriage alliance of his own choosing with a Scottish magnate closely associated with the King of Scots. Óláfr eventually forced Rögnvaldr from the kingship, took his place as king, and finally slew Rögnvaldr in 1229.[106]
Ragnall is chiefly remembered in early modern Hebridean tradition as the father of Domnall, the eponymous ancestor of Clann Domnaill, as the clan's genealogical link to Somairle.[107] Unsupported claims made by the History of the MacDonalds present Ragnall as "the most distinguished of the Gall or Gaedhil for prosperity, sway of generosity, and feats of arms".[108] Equally uncorroborated is the statement in the Book of Clanranald that he "received a cross from Jerusalem", which may indicate that tradition claimed that Ragnall undertook (or planned to undertake) a pilgrimage or possibly a Crusade.[109]
| Ancestors of Ragnall mac Somairle | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||