Haraldr Guðrøðarson
| Haraldr Guðrøðarson | |
|---|---|
| King of the Isles | |
| Reign | 1249–1250 |
| Predecessor | Rǫgnvaldr Óláfsson |
| Successor | Magnús Óláfsson |
| House | Crovan dynasty |
| Father | Guðrøðr Rǫgnvaldsson |
Haraldr Guðrøðarson was a mid thirteenth-century King of the Isles. He was the son of Guðrøðr Rǫgnvaldsson, King of the Isles, son of Rǫgnvaldr Guðrøðarson, King of the Isles. Haraldr Guðrøðarson and his predecessors were members of the Crovan dynasty, and ruled an island-kingdom that encompassed the Mann and portions of the Hebrides, variously known as the Kingdom of the Isles or the Kingdom of Mann and the Isles.
In the early thirteenth century, Haraldr Guðrøðarson's paternal grandfather, Rǫgnvaldr Guðrøðarson, fought over the kingship with his younger half-brother, Óláfr Guðrøðarson. The kin-strife between the two was continued by their descendants, and in time included Haraldr Guðrøðarson himself. Rǫgnvaldr Guðrøðarson was slain in 1229, whereupon Óláfr took up the kingship. In 1231, Óláfr co-ruled a split kingdom with Rǫgnvaldr Guðrøðarson's son aforesaid son, Guðrøðr Rǫgnvaldsson. On the latter's death in the same year, Óláfr ruled the entire kingdom until his own death in 1237, whereupon he was succeeded by his son, Haraldr Óláfsson, who was in turn succeeded by another son of Óláfr, Rǫgnvaldr Óláfsson.
In 1249, Rǫgnvaldr Óláfsson was slain by a knight who appears to have been an accomplice of Haraldr Guðrøðarson. Immediately following the assassination, Haraldr Guðrøðarson first appears in the mediaeval Chronicle of Mann, the main historical source for the Crovan dynasty, when it records that he took control of the island-kingdom and replaced the chieftains of the old regime with followers of his own choosing. Although he was recognised as the legitimate ruler of the kingdom by Henry III, King of England at first, he was later summoned to Norway by Hákon Hákonarson, King of Norway, for his seizure of the kingdom. Upon his removal from Mann, Haraldr Guðrøðarson is not heard from again. In his absence, Magnús Óláfsson, yet another son of Óláfr, unsuccessfully attempted to seize Mann with Hebridean and Norwegian military support. The leadership of the Manx defenders in this action may have been adherents to Haraldr Guðrøðarson's cause. Even so, Magnús returned two years later and succeeded to the kingship, becoming the last of the sea-kings of the Crovan dynasty.
...
Wikipedia