General Notes

EARLDOM of CAITHNESS (VI, 7, 8, 9, and 10) 1170?

NORSE PREDECESSORS of the EARLS of ORKNEY - subject to King of Norwayuntil after 1379

HARALD II Maddadsson or Macmadach (nephew of Jarl Paul the Silent andJarl Slettmali), b. 1130, Jarl of half Orkney, so recognised by hissecond cousin once removed, Jarl Kali-Ragnvald III, before Easter, 22Apr. 1139, at the instigation of Bishop John (? of Dunkeld). Left incharge of Kali-RagnvaldÙus dominions during his absence (Summer 1151 toDec. 1155), he went to Thurso in 1151. There he was taken prisoner byEystein II Haraldsson, King of Norway (1142-1157), and had to ransomhimself with three marks (24 oz.) of gold and recognise Eystein as hisoverlord. After the accession of King Malcolm IV (24 May 1153), HaraldÙusfirst cousin Erlend, son of Jarl Harald Slettmali, obtained investitureas Earl of half Caithness and asked for half the Orkneys. Jarl Harald IIrefused, but a truce was arranged during the winter of 1153. Erlendforthwith went to Norway and Harald returned to Caithness and spent thewinter at Wick. Erlend obtained investiture from King Eystein II ofHaraldÙus half of Orkney and returned to Orkney, where he was joined bySweyn Asleifsson, who, after Easter (4 Apr. 1154), had received a grantfrom King Malcolm IV of all his lands and rights in Caithness, of whichbe had been deprived by Harald. On Michaelmas Day (29 Sep. 1154) theyattacked Harald who had left his ships at Knarstane and taken refuge onshore; and on 30 Sep. 1154 Harald surrendered his share of Orkney toErlend and returned to Caithness. In December Harald raided Orkney withfour ships and 100 men, but failed to capture Erlend, so he returned toThurso after 6 Jan. 1155. In 1155 Harald raided the Shetlands in order toattack Erlend the Young, who had abducted his mother Margaret, theDowager Countess of Atholl, and besieged them at Mousa Broch. He was,however, reconciled with Erlend the Young and allowed him to marry hismother and become his supporter. In the summer Harald returned fromNorway with seven ships, three of which were captured by Jarl Erlend IIIand Sweyn Asleifsson in the Shetlands; but Harald reached Thurso andKali-Ragnvald III, who had been in Sutherland for the wedding of hisdaughter Ingigerd and Eric Slagbrellir, came to meet him. An alliance wasmade (25 Sep. t 156), and the two Jarls immediately started togetheragainst Jarl Erlend with thirteen ships and went to South Ronaldshay; butJarl Erlend and Sweyn evaded them, raided Caithness and occupied Thurso.At the end of October Erlend and Sweyn made a surprise attack on Orkney,defeated Harald (24 Oct. 1156), nearly captured Kali-Ragnvald III andtook fourteen of their ships and the latterÙus treasure, which, however,Sweyn returned to him, Harald II and Kali-Ragnvald III took refuge in thelatterÙus house at Orphir. In their turn they made a surprise attack onJarl Erlend at Damsay, found him dead drunk and killed him (21 Dec.1156). They went to Kirkwall and were accepted as Jarls of Orkney. Areconciliation with Sweyn followed, but was not kept, and Jarl Haraldhunted Sweyn to Hellisey, where he hid in a cave and escaped. A newreconciliation was then arranged by Jarl Kali-Ragnvald. This wasconfirmed on Good Friday, 29 Mar. 1157, and the two Jarls restored allSweynÙus property. After that Sweyn, Thorbiorn Clerk and Eric Slagbrellirraided south and sacked St. Maryport in the Scillies (9 June 1157). Afterthe murder of Jarl Kali-Ragnvald by Thorbiorn Clerk, on 20 Aug. 1158,Harald became sole Jarl of Orkney and Earl of at least half Caithness,until Harald, son of Eric Slagbrellir and grandson of Jarl Kali-Ragnvald,obtained investiture from King Magnus V Erlingsson (1162 to 1184) of hisgrandfatherÙus half of Orkney and the title of Jarl. After this he becameknown as Jarl Harald III Ungi (the Young) to distinguish him from JarlHarald II Maddadsson Gamli (the Old). Jarl Harald Ungi then went toScotland and obtained a grant of his grandfatherÙus half of Caithness fromWilliam the Lion. The dates of these investitures are uncertain (see p.26, note a," infra); but Jarl Harald II Maddadsson refused to give uphalf Orkney to Jarl Harald Ungi who gathered a force in Caithness. Butthe old Jarl gathered a larger force in South Ronaldshay and came toCaithness. Jarl Harald III Ungi, with his brother Elm, his brother-in-lawHlifolf Skalli the Sutherlander, who was his chief counsellor, and hiskinsman Sigurd Murt, son of Ivar Galli, were defeated and killed at thebattle of Wick in 1198. In 1195 Jarl Harald II went to Bergen to make hispeace with Sverri, King of Norway, and obtain pardon for having allowedSigurd Magnusson to make Orkney the base for his insurrection. KingSverri pardoned him on onerous terms, Jarl Harald was deprived of theShetlands and had to surrender half the fines of Orkney to the King. Thelands of all those Orkneymen who had been killed at Floruvagar, whenSigurd was defeated and slain on 3 Apr. 1194, were confiscated by theKing who was to have his own bailiffs in Orkney to collect his half ofthe fines and the revenues from the confiscated lands. In 197 JarlHarald, at the instigation of his wife Gormflaeth, dau. of MalcolmMacHeth, 1st Earl of Ross, appears to have sent Thorfinn, the eldest sonby his second marriage, to invade Moray, but he was defeated nearInverness. King William the Lion came north to Caithness, destroyed thecastle of Thurso, took Harald prisoner and kept him at Roxburgh untilThorfinn delivered himself up as a hostage for his father. Harald wasreleased and returned to Orkney, and next year defeated Harald Ungi atWick (1198) and seized Harald UngiÙus half of Caithness, King William onthis sold Caithness, subject to tribute, to Ragnvald Gudredsson, King ofMan and the Isles. During the Mann occupation of Caithness Jarl Harald IIremained in Orkney, but in 1200 he caused one of King RagnvaldÙussysselmen, Hlifolf the Quick, to be murdered and reconquered Caithness.John, Bishop of Caithness, was captured at Scrabster and tortured (a).News of this was brought to King William during Advent 1201 and inJanuary 1202 he either led or sent an army into Caithness, after having,according to the Saga, caused his hostage Thorfinn, Jarl HaraldÙus son, tohe blinded in Roxburgh Castle, where he died (? 1202). Jarl Harald madehis peace with King William and was allowed to retain all Caithness, butthe fourth penny on all lands had to he paid to the King. Jarl Harald IIMaddadsson d. 1206.

He m., 1stly, Alfreka, dau. of Duncan, 4th Earl of Fife (1136-1154),Regent of Scotland 1153, but repudiated her (probably after the death ofher father) during Jarl Kali-RagnvaldÙus absence on pilgrimage, having hadissue. He m., 2ndly, Hvorflod (Hvafieda) or-in Gaelic-Gormflaeth orGormlath, da. of Malcolm MacHeth, sat Earl of Ross (1157-1168), by asister of Somerled, King of the Isles (Sudreys) 1156-1164 and had furtherissue, Thorfinn, (?) Henry or Heinrek, David, John, and three daughters.[Complete Peerage, X:Appendix A:22-25]

(a) According to the Saga, this was done by order of the Jarl, who causedthe Bishop's tongue to be cut out and then had him blinded. The Sagarecords that by a miracle wrought by St. Trollhaena, to whom the Bishophad prayed, his speech and sight were restored. Dr. A O Anderson quotesa letter from Pope Innocent III to Biarni, Bishop of Orkney, written inAug or Sep 1202, in which it appears that Jarl Harald was not held tohave been directly responsible for the outrage and no mention is made ofthe blinding. In the same note Dr. Anderson quotes Fordun to the effectthat the Bishop retained "in some sort" the use of his tongue and one ofhis eyes.

Acceded: 22 April 1139.
Scot's Peerage, by James Balfour Paul.
The Lineage and Ancestry of HRH Prince Charles, Prince of Wales, byGerald Paget, Vol. I, p. 153.