   #copyright

Harald Maddadsson

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: British History 1500 and
before (including Roman Britain)

   The Lewis chessmen an iconic image of Scandinavian Scotland in Harald
   Maddadsson's time.
   Enlarge
   The Lewis chessmen an iconic image of Scandinavian Scotland in Harald
   Maddadsson's time.

   Harald Maddadsson ( Old Norse Haraldr Maddaðarson, Gaelic Aralt mac
   Mataid) (c. 1134–1206) was Earl of Orkney and Mormaer of Caithness from
   1139 until 1206. He was the son of Matad, Mormaer of Atholl, and
   Margaret, daughter of Earl Haakon Paulsson of Orkney. Of mixed Norse
   and Gaelic blood, and a descendant of Scots kings, he was a significant
   figure in northern Scotland. The Orkneyinga Saga names him one of the
   three more powerful Earls of Orkney with Sigurd Eysteinsson and
   Thorfinn Sigurdsson.

Background

   The Earldom of Orkney, although weakened since the time of Earl
   Thorfinn, remained in control of Caithness and dominant in Sutherland
   and parts of the Outer Hebrides. Thus, the succession was important to
   the Scots king David I. The marriage of Matad and Margart, believed to
   have taken place not long before 1134, followed David's suppression of
   a major revolt involving Mormaer Óengus of Moray, grandson of king
   Lulach, and Máel Coluim, the illegitimate son of David's brother
   Alexander, and the subsequent extension of royal power into the
   provinces of Moray and Ross.

   David's nephew William fitz Duncan was appointed to rule Moray, and it
   has been proposed that Matad, whose power lay in the Scottish kingdom's
   heartland of Atholl, may also have been granted authority in the new
   lands north of the Mounth, and that his marriage to Margarat
   Haakonsdaughter was arranged with this in mind.

   Harald was born shortly before Rognvald Kali Kolsson took control of
   the Earldom of Orkney, on the disappearance of Earl Paul Haakonson. The
   Orkneyinga Saga reports the official tale, that Paul had abdicated, and
   the rumour that he was killed on the orders of Harald's mother. Earl
   Paul had not been well loved by his female kin. His mother and her
   sister, Frakkok, had previously tried to murder him with a poisoned
   shirt which instead caused the death of his brother Harald. Rognvald
   represented the pro-Norwegian faction in the Earldom. It is said that
   Frakkok and her supporters had originally intended to advance the
   claims of Harald Haakon's son Erlend on Paul's death. However, Matad
   and Margaret, with King David backing them, imposed the infant Harald
   Maddadson as joint ruler with Rognvald.

Early years

   The main threat to Harald Maddadsson and Rognvald Kali came from Erlend
   Haraldsson, especially from Erlend's supporter Frakkok. The old
   conspirator, however, was soon disposed of, burned in her hall near
   Helmsdale. The Orkneyinga Saga names one Svein Asleifsson as the
   killer, and says that he came to Caithness from the south, from Atholl,
   with Rognvald's blessing and Matad's help. This Svein Asleifsson had
   been the man in whose custody Earl Paul had disappeared.

   In Harald's early years, when power was exercised on his behalf by
   councillors chosen by King David, jointly with Rognvald, Orkney enjoyed
   relative stability, although the Saga contains the usual killings and
   burnings, including the death of an Earl Valthjof who is otherwise
   unknown. In 1150 or 1151, Harald visited Norway with Earl Rognvald, and
   probably met with King Ingi Haraldsson. During this visit Rognvald made
   his decision to go on crusade, as recounted at length in the Saga.

Earls Rognvald, Harald and Erlend

   After Harald returned to Orkney and Rognvald departed on his
   expedition, King Eystein Haraldsson, eldest brother of Ingi, undertook
   an expedition from Norway to the Earldom of Orkney. He crossed Harald's
   path near Thurso, and captured him. Harald was freed in return for a
   ransom in gold and his oath to Eystein. Eystein then raided the coasts
   of Scotland and England.

   Perhaps as a result of Eystein's activities, King David granted half of
   Caithness to Harald's cousin, Erlend Haraldsson. The result, as
   recounted in the Orkneyinga Saga, was a struggle which led to Erlend's
   murder in 1154. Rognvald too was killed in 1158. The omnipresent Svein
   Asleifsson played a part in this strife. During this time King David
   died, in 1153, to be succeeded by his young grandson, Malcolm IV. King
   Eystein too died in a war with his brothers Ingi and Sigurd which left
   Ingi the sole surviving son of Harald Gilli. As a result, by 1158
   Harald Maddadsson was undisputed Earl of Orkney, with neither the king
   of Scots nor the king of Norway in any position to contest his power.

Earl Harald and the kings' enemies

   From the death of Rognvald, Harald Maddadsson pursued a policy of
   supporting the enemies of the kings of Scots, first Malcolm IV, who
   died young in 1165, then Malcolm's brother William. Of these enemies,
   those who were active in the north and west, where Harald's power was
   significant were Somerled, king of Argyll, the sons of Máel Coluim mac
   Alasdair, illegitimate son of King Alexander I, himself held prisoner
   at Roxburgh, the Meic Uilleim, the descendants of Máel Coluim,
   illegitimate son of William fitz Duncan, and the MacHeths, dispossessed
   would-be Mormaers of Ross.

   An expedition to Ross by King William and his brother Earl David in
   1179 may have been related to Harald's activities. Two years later the
   rebellion of Domnall, son of Máel Coluim mac Uilleim, broke out in Ross
   and Moray, and it supposed that Earl Harald played a part in this. The
   rebellion was not finally suppressed until 1187.

   The defeat of Domnall's rebellion led to more conflict between Earl
   Harald and King William. After 1187, it appears that Scots and
   Scotto-Norman nobles were being planted in Ross and in Cromarty, as had
   previously happened in Moray. The de Moravia family, anglicised as
   Moray or Murray, which later produced Andrew Moray, were granted lands
   in Ross and Cromarty, and they are unlikely to have been unique in
   this. When King William fell ill in 1195, this may have led to the
   final conflict with Harald, which lasted from 1197 until 1201. As part
   of this struggle, William granted lands in Caithness to Harald the
   Young, grandson of Rognvald Kali, in 1197. Harald the Young was killed
   by Harald Maddadsson the following year.

   Harald Maddadson also faced troubles with the Norwegian king in the
   1190s. In 1193 Orkney and Shetland warriors led by Harald's
   brother-in-law Olaf and one Hallkjell Jonsson, fought for Sigurd
   Magnusson against King Sverre Sigurdsson. King Sverre appears to seen
   Harald's hand in the affair, and after Sigurd Magnusson was killed on
   Askøy, Sverre punished Harald by seizing Shetland, which was never
   returned.

   King William, the Orkneyinga Saga says, called upon the king of the
   Isle of Man, Rognvald Guthredsson, to fight against Harald. Harald,
   however, retook Caithness. In this campaign, dated to 1201, the Saga
   tells that Harald came to the stronghold of Bishop John of Caithness,
   at Scrabster. Bishop John went to meet Harald, apparently to greet him,
   but the Earl had him seized, tortured and mutilated. The Gesta Annalia
   reports that Harald's treatment of Bishop John in 1201 stemmed from the
   fact that John was an informant set on making trouble between Harald
   and King William.

   The creation of John's see of Caithness in 1189–1190 was undoubtedly
   intended to extend Scots authority in the region. The new bishopric was
   not uncontroversial and John soon came into conflict with Harald
   Maddadson and the Bishop of Orkney, Bjarni Kolbeinsson. The conflict,
   presented as a dispute overthe collection of monies for the papacy, a
   form of Peter's pence, was appealed to Pope Innocent III, who wrote to
   Bishop Bjarni and the Bishop of Rosemarkie (or Ross) to prevent John
   from interfering with the collection.

   King William, with a fine cause for war with Harald in the form of the
   treatment of Bishop John, brought a large army north in 1201–1202. The
   army, it is said, was so large that Harald capitulated without a fight
   and agreed to give a quarter of the revenues of Caithness to William.
   During this time, Earl Harald's son Thorfinn came into the hands of the
   Scots. Whether in revenge for the treatment of Bishop John, or to cow
   Harald, or because Thorfinn may have had some claim to the throne
   through his mother, he was blinded and castrated, dying soon later in
   prison.

   In 1202 Pope Innocent, persuaded that Harald was not personally
   responsible for the abuse of Bishop John, wrote to Bishop Bjarni to
   order him to ensure that Harald's man Lumberd, who was blamed for the
   deeds, was suitably punished. With this, the story of Harald's
   turbulent life reaches its close. He died peacefully after a long and
   eventful reign of 65 years, aged about 72, in 1206.

The Haraldssons

   Harald's first wife was named Affrica, a Gaelic name shared with a
   daughter of Fergus of Galloway. They had four children together whom
   the Orkneyinga Saga names as Heinrek, Haakon, Helena and Margaret.

   The second wife of Earl Harald, the Orkneyinga Saga says, was Hvarflod,
   daughter of "Earl Máel Coluim of Moray", whom he married around 1168,
   and with her he had six children: Thorfinn, mentioned before, David,
   Jon, Gunnhild, Herborga and Langlif. Hvarflod's father is presumed to
   have been Máel Coluim mac Alasdair, so that her sons, and it may be
   that she was the mother of Thorfinn alone of Harald's sons, would carry
   the claims of the Meic Uilleim to the Scots throne. It appears that
   King William demanded that Harald repudiate Hvarflod as a condition of
   peace between them.

   Of the surviving Haraldssons, David and Jon were joint Earls of Orkney
   on their father's death, while Heinrik ruled Ross. Nothing more is
   known of Heinrik and Earl David Haraldsson died of sickness in 1214,
   leaving Jon to rule alone until 1231.

   In 1222 Earl Jon was implicated, indirectly, in the burning of Bishop
   Adam of Caithness in his hall at Halkirk by local farmers. Jon was
   accused of looking on or of fomenting the discontent. King Alexander II
   undertook harsh reprisals for the killing, to the satisfaction of Pope
   Honorius III. The writer of the Orkneyinga Saga reported:

     The punishments by [Alexander] for the burning of the bishop, by
     mutilation and death, confiscation and outlawry from the land, are
     still in fresh memory.

   Jon Haraldsson was killed in 1231, at Thurso in Caithness, by a
   great-grandson of Rognvald Kali called Snaekoll, who had demanded the
   Jon share the Earldom with him, as had been done before. Jon's
   supporters and Snaekoll's fought a war until it was agreed that King
   Haakon Sverreson should settle the matter. All concerned set off to
   Norway, but a ship carrying Earl Jon's supporters and kin was lost at
   sea on the return.

   As a result, the line of Norse Earls came an end and from 1231 until
   1236 Orkney was without an Earl. In 1236 the Earldom was granted by
   Haakon Sverreson to Magnus, son of Gille Brigte, Mormaer of Angus.
   Although ruled by Scots thereafter, Orkney remained part of the kingdom
   of Norway.
   Retrieved from " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harald_Maddadsson"
   This reference article is mainly selected from the English Wikipedia
   with only minor checks and changes (see www.wikipedia.org for details
   of authors and sources) and is available under the GNU Free
   Documentation License. See also our Disclaimer.
