Ruaidhri mac Raghnaill, Lord of Kintyre

REGINALD, son of SOMERLED Lord of Argyll & his wife --- of Man (-after 1192). The Chronicon Manniæ et Insularum names “Dulgallum, Reginaldum, Engus et Olavum” as the four sons of “Sumerledo regulo Herergaildel” and his wife the daughter of Olav King of Man[1355]. Balfour Paul states that Reginald inherited "Kintyre and Isla" but drove his brother Angus out of Bute and Arran, but does not cite the corresponding primary source[1356]. Lord of the Isles. "Reginaldus filius Sumerled dominus de Inchegal…et uxor mea Fonie" donated cows and other revenue to Paisley monastery by undated charter[1357]. Balfour Paul dates this charter to [1180], although he does not state the basis for this speculation[1358]. The Chronicon Manniæ et Insularum records that Engus, son of Somerled, defeated his brother Reginald in 1192[1359]. The Book of Clanranald records the death of Reginald in 1207[1360]. m FONIE, daughter of ---. "Reginaldus filius Sumerled dominus de Inchegal…et uxor mea Fonie" donated cows and other revenue to Paisley monastery by undated charter[1361]. Reginald & his wife had [three] children:

• 1. 'Donald, Lord of the Isles DONALD] (-Island of Kerrara 1249, bur Iona).
  
• 2. RUAIRI . Balfour Paul states that "Roderick" inherited "North Kintyre, Bute and the lands of Garmoran, extending from Ardnamurchan to Gleneig", previously the possessions of his paternal uncle Angus, but does not cite the corresponding primary source[1379]. The Annals of Ulster record that "the sons of Raghnall, son of Somurlech” fought "the men of Sciadh" [Skye] in 1209 "wherein slaughter was inflicted on them"[1380]. m ---. The name of Ruairi’s wife is not known. Ruairi & his wife had two children:
  

• a) DUGALD (-1268). The Saga of Eirspennill’s Hakon Hakon’s son records that "John, Duncan’s son, and Dugald, Ruadri’s son" met Alexander II King of Scotland in 1248 and "endeavoured…that the king should give them the title of king over the northern part of the Hebrides"[1381]. The Saga of Eirspennill’s Hakon Hakon’s son names "king Dugald, Alan Dugald’s brother, Angus and Murchaid" among those who met Haakon IV King of Norway when he invaded in 1263, adding in a later passage that the king gave "to [Dugald] the dominion that king John had had"[1382]. The Icelandic Annals record the death in 1268 of "Dubgallus rex Hebudum"[1383]. m ---. The name of Dugald’s wife is not known. Dugald & his wife had one child:
  

• i) ERIK .
  

• b) ALAN (-after 1263). The Saga of Eirspennill’s Hakon Hakon’s son names "king Dugald, Alan Dugald’s brother, Angus and Murchaid" among those who met Haakon IV King of Norway when he invaded in 1263[1384]. m ---. The name of Alan’s wife is not known. Alan & his wife had three children:
  

• i) CHRISTIANA . Robert I King of Scotland confirmed land "de Knodworache" to "Roderico filio Alani" by charter dated to [1320], which names "Cristina de Mar filia quondam Alani filii Roderici"[1385]. m DUNCAN of Mar son of ---.
  
• ii) RUAIRI . Robert I King of Scotland confirmed land "de Knodworache" to "Roderico filio Alani" by charter dated to [1320], which names "Cristina de Mar filia quondam Alani filii Roderici"[1386].
  
• iii) LACHLAN .
  

• 3. [[NN (Helen?) ---] (-before 1209). Balfour Paul says that Alan Lord of Galloway married first "a lady unknown, said to be a daughter of Reginald Lord of the Isles by whom he had two daughters"[1387].
  

http://fmg.ac/Projects/MedLands/SCOTTISH%20NOBILITY.htm#Reginaldson...

mac Raghnaill was a 13th-century Scottish magnate. The son of Raghnall, son of Somerled, he appears to have spent his career fighting, in both Ireland and in Scotland. It has been argued that he became hostile to both the Scottish and English crowns, fighting the Scottish crown in the MacWilliam revolts and dying against the English at the Battle of Ballyshannon in 1247.

Origins

Kintyre, the probable heartland of Ruaidhri before the intrusion of Donnchadh of Argyll into the area

Hugh MacDonald of Sleat's 17th-century History of the Macdonalds reported a tradition that Ruaidhri's father Raghnall was married to a daughter or sister of the early 14th-century hero Thomas Randolph, Earl of Moray. Sellar suggests that his mother may have been a daughter of William fitz Duncan, on the basis that there is a possibility the tradition had confused a later and famous Earl of Moray with an earlier one.[1]

His father Raghnall, carrying the legacy of his own father Somerled, was a powerful Argyll and Hebridean magnate who, depending on context, bore the titles "King of the Isles", "Lord of Argyll and Kintyre", and "lord of the Hebrides (Inchegal).[2] His father's legacy was such that he became the ancestor figure of both the Clan Ruaidhri and the Clan Donald.[2]

Sketch of his known career

Ruaidhri's heartland appears to have lain initially in Kintyre, as he bore the title "Lord of Kintyre" (dominus de Kyntire).[2]

Ruaídhrí appears on record for the first time when, in 1214, he accompanied Tomás Mac Uchtraigh, son of Lochlann of Galloway, on a raid upon the Irish city of Derry:

Tomás mac Uchtraigh & Ruaidhri mac Raghnaill plundered Daire completely and took the treasures of the Community of Daire and of the North of Ireland besides from out the midst of the church of the Monastery.[3]

In 1212, Tomás had raided Derry with a fleet with seventy-six ships, and it is probable that Ruaídhrí was the unnamed "son of Raghnall" who had accompanied Tomás then.[4]

For the rest of Ruaidhri's life, there is little unambiguous evidence of his activities.[5] R. Andrew McDonald argued that Ruaidhri mac Raghnaill was the 'Roderick' who fought in the MacWilliam rebellion against King Alexander II of Scotland between 1223 and 1230, a suggestion Alex Woolf called "attractive".[6]

The River Erne at modern Ballyshannon, possible location of Ruaidhri's death

Alex Woolf suggested further that Ruaidhri's motivations stemmed from Ruaidhri's hostility to Scottish support for Óláfr, son of Goðrøðr Óláfsson; Ruaidhri may have been allied through marriage to Goðrøðr Óláfsson's other son, Óláfr's half-brother and rival Rögnvaldr, king of Mann; more to the point, Óláfr appears to have repudiated Ruaidhri's kinswoman for a daughter of Ferchar, Earl of Ross, all while King Alexander II was promoting the power of Donnchadh mac Dubhghaill in the west-coast of Scotland, Ruaidhri's base

Death and legacy

Assuming he survived the final defeat of the MacWilliams in 1230, the remainder of Ruaidhri's life is obscure. However, reporting the year 1247, the Annals of Loch Cé related that:

Mac Somhairle, king of Airer-Gaeidhel, and the nobles of the Cenel-Conaill besides, were slain.[8]

Woolf has argued that Ruaidhri was the Mac Somhairle who died in this battle, fighting the English at Ballyshannon.[9] Sellar also thought, for other reasons, that the "dead man at Ballyshannon" was Ruaidhri.[10] Macdonald believed that it referred to Donnchadh mac Dubhghaill, while Duffy suggested Domhnall mac Raghnaill.[11]

Ruaidhri's son Dubhghall continued his father's legacy, hostile to the Scottish crown while fighting the English in Ireland, notably killing Jordan d'Exeter off Connaught in 1258.[12] Ruaidhri's ancestors held Garmoran and much of the north-west Scottish coast until the early 14th century, when the MacRuaidhri heiress Christiana married Eoin of Islay, who took Christiana's lands and became the first MacDonald Lord of the Isles.[13]

Ruaidhri Reignaldson Of Garmoran was a ruler over North Kintyre, Bute and Isles. He went by the name Roderick. Parents: King Reignald Somerledsson and Fonia Of Moray.

Children were: King Dugal Ruaidhrison Of Kintyre.

Ruaidhri mac Raghnaill was a 13th-century Scottish magnate. The son of Raghnall, son of Somerled, he appears to have spent his career fighting, in both Ireland and in Scotland. It has been argued that he became hostile to both the Scottish and English crowns, fighting the Scottish crown in the MacWilliam revolts and dying against the English at the Battle of Ballyshannon in 1247.

Origins

Kintyre, the probable heartland of Ruaidhri before the intrusion of Donnchadh of Argyll into the area

Hugh MacDonald of Sleat's 17th-century History of the Macdonalds reported a tradition that Ruaidhri's father Raghnall was married to a daughter or sister of the early 14th-century hero Thomas Randolph, Earl of Moray. Sellar suggests that his mother may have been a daughter of William fitz Duncan, on the basis that there is a possibility the tradition had confused a later and famous Earl of Moray with an earlier one.[1]

His father Raghnall, carrying the legacy of his own father Somerled, was a powerful Argyll and Hebridean magnate who, depending on context, bore the titles "King of the Isles", "Lord of Argyll and Kintyre", and "lord of the Hebrides (Inchegal).[2] His father's legacy was such that he became the ancestor figure of both the Clan Ruaidhri and the Clan Donald.[2]

Sketch of his known career

Ruaidhri's heartland appears to have lain initially in Kintyre, as he bore the title "Lord of Kintyre" (dominus de Kyntire).[2]

Ruaídhrí appears on record for the first time when, in 1214, he accompanied Tomás Mac Uchtraigh, son of Lochlann of Galloway, on a raid upon the Irish city of Derry:

Tomás mac Uchtraigh & Ruaidhri mac Raghnaill plundered Daire completely and took the treasures of the Community of Daire and of the North of Ireland besides from out the midst of the church of the Monastery.[3]

In 1212, Tomás had raided Derry with a fleet with seventy-six ships, and it is probable that Ruaídhrí was the unnamed "son of Raghnall" who had accompanied Tomás then.[4]

For the rest of Ruaidhri's life, there is little unambiguous evidence of his activities.[5] R. Andrew McDonald argued that Ruaidhri mac Raghnaill was the 'Roderick' who fought in the MacWilliam rebellion against King Alexander II of Scotland between 1223 and 1230, a suggestion Alex Woolf called "attractive".[6]

The River Erne at modern Ballyshannon, possible location of Ruaidhri's death

Alex Woolf suggested further that Ruaidhri's motivations stemmed from Ruaidhri's hostility to Scottish support for Óláfr, son of Goðrøðr Óláfsson; Ruaidhri may have been allied through marriage to Goðrøðr Óláfsson's other son, Óláfr's half-brother and rival Rögnvaldr, king of Mann; more to the point, Óláfr appears to have repudiated Ruaidhri's kinswoman for a daughter of Ferchar, Earl of Ross, all while King Alexander II was promoting the power of Donnchadh mac Dubhghaill in the west-coast of Scotland, Ruaidhri's base

Death and legacy

Assuming he survived the final defeat of the MacWilliams in 1230, the remainder of Ruaidhri's life is obscure. However, reporting the year 1247, the Annals of Loch Cé related that:

Mac Somhairle, king of Airer-Gaeidhel, and the nobles of the Cenel-Conaill besides, were slain.[8]

Woolf has argued that Ruaidhri was the Mac Somhairle who died in this battle, fighting the English at Ballyshannon.[9] Sellar also thought, for other reasons, that the "dead man at Ballyshannon" was Ruaidhri.[10] Macdonald believed that it referred to Donnchadh mac Dubhghaill, while Duffy suggested Domhnall mac Raghnaill.[11]

Ruaidhri's son Dubhghall continued his father's legacy, hostile to the Scottish crown while fighting the English in Ireland, notably killing Jordan d'Exeter off Connaught in 1258.[12] Ruaidhri's ancestors held Garmoran and much of the north-west Scottish coast until the early 14th century, when the MacRuaidhri heiress Christiana married Eoin of Islay, who took Christiana's lands and became the first MacDonald Lord of the Isles.[13]

Ruaidhri Reignaldson Of Garmoran was a ruler over North Kintyre, Bute and Isles. He went by the name Roderick. Parents: King Reignald Somerledsson and Fonia Of Moray.

Children were: King Dugal Ruaidhrison Of Kintyre.

vis mindre

Grunderna för denna ogiltigförklaring var att Olaf (II den Svarte, 1173-1237) som tidigare hade hållit en kusin till sin hustru som en konkubin och var därför, tekniskt sett, begår incest. Detta verkar en mycket fin utmärkelse för mediaval Gaeldom och requel till denna historia troligen förklarar den verkliga motivet. På släpps från sitt första äktenskap med Lauon, en dotter till en adelsman i Kintyre, gifte Olof Christina dotter till Ferchar earl av Ross. Lauons far ingenstans nämns i våra källor, men det är troligt att han var Ruaídrí son till Rognvald son Somerled som regerade Kintyre i början trettonde århundradet. Ruaídrí verkar ha förlorat sin mark, och kanske hans liv, under den skotske kungen Alexander II: s expedition (s) i väster i 1221 och / eller 1222. Efter sin hänsyn till OLAF: s äktenskap med Christina, berättar krönikan oss att Laons syster, drottning till kung Rognvald, provocerade Rognvalds son Godred att attackera sin farbror Olaf. Trots inledande nederlag, Olaf, med helf av Earl Ferchar, övervann sin brorson. Denna incident är daterad till år 1223. Dating föreslår att det var en kollaps av Ruaídrís ställning på Kintyre som ledde Olof, nu baserad i norr, att söka en mer lämplig bundsförvant i Ferchar. Om denna tolkning av händelser är korrekt så bör vi se biskop Rognvald som verktyg för Olafs politik snarare än som en beskäftig reformator. Det skulle vara intressant att veta om Mac Ruaídrís tacka för sin senare styrkeposition på Garmoran och Long Island för OLAF: s beskydd. (Maj Teistevoll, Norge)

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The grounds for this annulment were that Olaf (II den Svarte, 1173-1237) had previously kept a first cousin of his wife as a concubine and was therefore, technically, committing incest. This seems an extremely nice distinction for mediaval Gaeldom, and the requel to this story probably explains the real motive. On being released from his first marriage to Lauon, a daughter of a nobleman in Kintyre, Olaf married Christina the daughter of Ferchar Earl of Ross. Lauons father is nowhere named in our sources, but it is likely that he was Ruaídrí son of Rognvald son of Somerled who ruled Kintyre in the early thirteenth century. Ruaídrí appears to have lost his lands, and perhaps his life, in the course of the Scottish king Alexander II:s expedition(s) to the west in 1221 and/or 1222. Following its account of Olaf's marriage to Christina, the Chronicle tells us that Laons sister, queen to king Rognvald, provoked Rognvalds son Godred into attacking his uncle Olaf. Despite initial discomfiture, Olaf, with the helf of Earl Ferchar, overcame his nephew. This incident is dated to the year 1223. The dating would suggest that it was the collapse of Ruaídrís position in Kintyre that led Olaf, now based in the North, to seek a more appropriate ally in Ferchar. If this interpretation of events is correct then we should see bishop Rognvald as the tool of Olafs policy rather than as an officious reformer. It would be interesting to know whether the Mac Ruaídrís owed their later position of strength in Garmoran and the Long Island to Olaf's patronage. (May Teistevoll, Norge)

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