General Notes

[Direct Linage1.FTW]

Note:
bk&q chart 27, NB15bk&q [NB15] 391, 413-15, 424, 432, 445

p 445 He was the only son of Hlodvir, but became one of the mightiest of the Orkney earls. The first few years were ones of either conquest, regaining lost lands or establishing authority. It happened rapidly for by 988 he was in battle against two Scottish earls who had killed his sister's husband, Havard, whom his father, Hlodvir, had created steward of Caithness. Sigurd was victorious and reclaimed control over Caithness. He was subsequently challenged by Findlaech, the earl of Moray, whom Sigurd defeated at the second battle of Skidmoor about 995. Sigurd had needed the support of his tenant farmers but they refused to fight without the return of their rights of independence which had been denied them by EINAR I ninety years earlier. Sigurd used his powerful fleet to establish authority over the Hebrides down as far as Man, though in the latter case he did no more than exact tribute. He appointed his commander, Gilli, earl of the Hebrides and gave him his sister in marriage in about the year 990.
One of the most important and famous episodes in Sigurd's life was his conversion to Christianity, albeit superficially. In 995, Olaf Tryggvasson was returning from England (where he had been involved in raids with Swein Forkbeard) to take up the kingship of Norway. Olaf had been converted to Christianity by the English king Athelred, and as the incoming sovereign over the Orkneys he visited Sigurd and encouraged him to adopt Christianity. It took some encouraging as Sigurd was a proud son of Odin, but Olaf tricked him by threatening to sacrifice his son Hundi unless Sigurd accepted the faith. Sigurd conceded, but Olaf still took Hundi as hostage to ensure Sigurd remained faithful. Unfortunately Hundi died soon after, and Sigurd dropped his allegiance both to Olaf and to the Christian faith. Instead Sigurd now looked to the new king of Scotland, MassachusettsLCOLM II, as a possible ally. Malcolm saw the advantage of having a powerful partner to the north as they could squeeze between them the troublesome rulers of Moray, who laid claim to the Scottish throne. It also meant that Sigurd recognized Malcolm's authority over the mainland of Scotland, thus strengthening Malcolm's position. Soon after 1005 Malcolm granted Sigurd authority over Ccaithness, Sutherland and Ross (not that it was necessarily his to grant) and gave Sigurd his daughter Donada, probably in the year 1006. Donada was the wife of Findlaech and the mother of Macbeth. Such arrangements infuriated the mormaers of Moray but at this stage they were powerless to do anything. The power and authority of Sigurd is attested to by the events at the end of his life. In 1013 he was approached by Sitric Silkenbeard, the Norse king of Dublin, for help in his battle against the Irish high king, Brian Boru. Sitric needed Sigurd's support because it brought with it a vast army and navy from the scattered islands of Scotland. The battle took place at Clontarf on 23 April 1014. The Irish were victorious even though Brian Boru was killed. It put an end to Norse ambitions in Ireland, and it also saw the death of Sigurd. Although he left the major part of his lands to his sons by his first marriage, it was his son by the daughter of Malcolm II, THORFINN THE BLACK who was to prove the greatest of the Orkney earls.