Aonghas mac Somhairle

Aonghus mac Somhairle
Aonghus' name as it appears on folio 41r of British Library Cotton MS Julius A VII (the Chronicle of Mann): "Engus filius Sumerledi".
Noble family	Clann Somhairle
Father	Somhairle mac Giolla Brighde
Mother	Ragnhildr Óláfsdóttir
Died	1210 Skye

Aonghus mac Somhairle was a leading member of Clann Somhairle. He was a son of Somhairle mac Giolla Brighde, King of the Isles and Ragnhildr Óláfsdóttir. Other sons of Somhairle and Ragnhildr include Dubhghall, Raghnall, and possibly Amhlaoíbh. Aonghus' father was the common ancestor of Clann Somhairle. The succession of this kindred upon Somhairle's death is uncertain. The Clann Somhairle imperium appears to have spanned from Glenelg in the north, to the Mull of Kintyre in the south. It is possible that Aonghus came to rule in the north, with Dubhghall centred in Lorne, and Raghnall in Kintyre and the southern islands.

Although one mediaeval chronicle appears to indicate that Dubhghall succeeded Somhairle, Raghnall eventually gained dominance, perhaps at Dubhghall's expense. In time, Raghnall and Aonghus came into conflict, and Aonghus is recorded to have defeated Raghnall outright in 1192. The fact that Raghnall does not appear on record after this event could mark his downfall and death. In 1209, Raghnall's sons are recorded to have defeated the men of Skye, and the following year Aonghus and his sons are reported to have been slain on the same island. These events appear to indicate that Aonghus succeeded Raghnall in about 1192, and was killed by the latter's sons—Ruaidhrí and Domhnall—after which Ruaidhrí seems to have secured control of the succession.

As a result of the kin-strife between Raghnall and Aonghus, Raghnall appears to have forged an alliance with the family of Walter fitz Alan, Steward of Scotland. One consequence of the struggle between the brothers seems to have been the extension of authority of the steward's family into Cowal and the islands of the Firth of Clyde. Although Ruaidhrí originally seems to have held power in Kintyre, his later descendants are known to have held lordship in the Hebrides and Garmoran. One possibility is that these territories were gained after Aonghus' death, and the annihilation of his line.