This came to an end with the emergence of Somerled, on whose death in 1164 the kingdom was split in two. Just over a century later, the islands became part of the Kingdom of Scotland, following the 1266 Treaty of Perth. Viking influence in the area began in the late 8th century, and whilst there is no doubt that the Uí Ímair dynasty played a prominent role in this early period, the records for the dates and details of the rulers are speculative until the mid-10th century. Hostility between the Kings of the Isles and the rulers of Ireland, and intervention by the crown of Norway (either directly or through their vassal the Earl of Orkney) were recurring themes.

Tensions with the Scottish Crown

• Stretching from Kintyre and Islay to the Outer Hebrides and parts of the western mainland, the Lordship of the Isles continued the Norse-Gaelic maritime tradition that had defined the region since Viking times.
• Hostility between the Kings of the Isles and the rulers of Ireland, and intervention by the crown of Norway (either directly or through their vassal the Earl of Orkney) were recurring themes.
• As the central Scottish monarchy—particularly under the Stewarts, descendants of Fitzalan of Renfrew—strengthened its grip, the independence of the Isles became a growing concern.
• Though his body may have fallen near the banks of the Clyde, his legacy lived on for centuries through his descendants, who would go on to shape the political, cultural, and military landscape of western Scotland.

The Abbey at Ì Chaluim Chille (Iona), a beacon of Christianity in the British Isles, was sacked by Vikings in 802 and 806, prompting its monks to conceal or send away most of its treasures. But as well as stealing, the Vikings would go on to lay down roots here; an 11th-century cross slab decorated with Irish and Viking art was found on Ì Chaluim Chille in 1838.

Archaeological Digs in Scotland 2025 Edition

The islands were known in Old Norse as the Suðreyjar, or « Southern Isles » as distinct from the Norðreyjar or Northern Isles of Orkney and Shetland. The territory is sometimes called the Kingdom of Mann and the Isles, although only some of the later rulers claimed that title. The historical record is incomplete, and the kingdom was not a continuous entity throughout the entire period. At times the rulers were independent of external control, although for much of the period they had overlords in Norway, Ireland, England, Scotland or Orkney. At times there also appear to have been competing claims for all or parts of the territory.

The ancient maritime networks were broken, and the Isles absorbed into a centralised kingdom. Though officially vassals, they ruled with a level of de facto sovereignty unseen elsewhere in Scotland. Norse influence in Na h-Eileanan Siar waned when Norway ceded the islands, along with the Isle of Man, to Scotland in the 1266 Treaty of Perth in return for £2,500 and guarantees about future Norwegian rights over Orkney and Shetland. This loch was an important site for maritime activity for many centuries, and it is thought that some of its features, including the stone-built quay, the system to maintain constant water levels, and 12th-century boat timbers were built by Norsemen (although this has come into question recently).

A longhouse for a long stay in Shetland

The canal may have been used to launch raids as well as connecting An t-Eilean Sgitheanach to the rest of the Kingdom of the Isles. The Laxdaela Saga contains mention of several persons who are said to have come to Iceland from Sodor, which appears to be these Suðreyjar, before or around the middle of the 10th century. Dedicated to preserving Paisley’s rich history, from our iconic Abbey to our world-famous textiles.

When Ragnall died in 1005, Sigurd returned to power as King of Suðreyjar, and he was slain at the 1014 Battle of Clontarf in Ireland. By the early 11th century, the Norse settlers of Suðreyjar had adopted Christianity as their faith. In 1099, the Norwegian king Magnus Barefoot conquered Suðreyjar, but Lagmann Godredsson seized power in 1103 and returned Suðreyjar to independence. After the death of Somerled in 1164, the kingdom was divided among his kinsmen, and the kingdom was vassalized by Norway in 1230. It continued to exist until 1266, when, a year after the death of Suðreyjar’s last king Magnus Olafsson, Norway formally ceded the Hebrides and the Isle of Man to the Kingdom of Scotland, ending Norway’s influence over the islands. The Kingdom of the Isles, also known as Sodor, was a Norse–Gaelic kingdom comprising the Isle of Man, the Hebrides and the islands of the Clyde from the 9th to the 13th centuries.

Cultural Legacy of the Lords

Initially a pagan culture, detailed information about the return of the Christian religion to the islands during the Norse-era is elusive,121 although the modern-day Diocese of Sodor and Man retains the centuries-old name. From Renfrew to Finlaggan, the Lords of the Isles left behind more than history — they left a heritage. Their final fall in 1493 symbolised more than dynastic defeat—it marked the end of a worldview.

The Lordship represented the last great Gaelic aristocracy, resisting linguistic, cultural, and political centralisation. In 1411, Donald of Islay, claiming the Earldom of Ross by marriage, marched a vast force from the west to the north-east—resulting in the Battle of Harlaw near Aberdeen. As the central Scottish monarchy—particularly under the Stewarts, descendants of Fitzalan of Renfrew—strengthened its grip, the independence of the Isles became a growing concern. The historic record of the Kingdom is incomplete, although it is apparent that was not a continuous entity throughout the entire period. If you’d like to keep exploring Scotland’s islands, dig into our articles on Arainn (Arran) or Tiriodg (Tiree).

The Kingdom of Man and the Isles

• Though officially vassals, they ruled with a level of de facto sovereignty unseen elsewhere in Scotland.
• At this point the Orkneyinga Saga once again becomes the main source of information about the north.
• The Laxdaela Saga contains mention of several persons who are said to have come to Iceland from Sodor, which appears to be these Suðreyjar, before or around the middle of the 10th century.
• The best known finds from this time are the Lewis chess pieces, which date from the mid-12th century.

At this point the Orkneyinga Saga once again becomes the main source of information about the north. In 990 Sigurd the Stout, Earl of Orkney took control of the Hebrides,54Note 12 and placed a jarl called Gilli in charge. By 1004 the isles’ independence had been re-asserted under Gofraid’s son Ragnal mac Gofraid, who died in that year. These included the Isle of Man, « many of the other islands of Denmark », Galloway, the Rhinns, and Anglesey. The Kingdom of the Isles, also known as Suðreyjar, was a Norse Viking kingdom based on the Hebrides and the Isle of Man which existed from 855 to 1266. The Vikings sacked the monastery at Iona in 802 and 806, and the Vikings eventually settled on the numerous and sparsely-populated islands off the west coast of Scotland.

Since their discovery in 1831, the chess pieces have been used as evidence on both sides of the debate which questions whether the Vikings were primarily raiders or traders. 11 of the pieces are on permanent display in the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh, and 82 are in the British Museum collections (with six on loan at Museum nan Eilean in Na h-Eileanan Siar). A fascinating site on An t-Eilean Sgitheanach (the Isle of Skye) also demonstrates this interesting parallel between the Viking occupation – raiding – and Norse settlement.

The best known finds from this time are the Lewis chess pieces, which date from the mid-12th century. At the beginning of chicken road app Scotland’s Viking period, Na h-Eileanan Siar (the Outer Hebrides) and the northern Na h-Eileanan a-staigh were predominantly Pictish, whereas the southern Na h-Eileanan a-staigh formed part of the Gaelic kingdom of Dál Riata. These lineages maintained a degree of independence, often resisting full integration into the Scottish kingdom.

Rubha an Dùnain, today an uninhabited peninsula to the south of the Cuillin hills on the island, contains the small Loch na h-Airde, which is connected to the sea by a short artificial canal, referred to as the ‘Viking canal’. Orkney is some 180 kilometres (110 mi) east-northeast of the Outer Hebrides, Shetland is a further 80 kilometres (50 mi) further northeast and Norway some 300 kilometres (190 mi) due east of Shetland. The total distance from the southern tip of the Isle of Man to the Butt of Lewis, the northern extremity of the Outer Hebrides, is approximately 515 kilometres (320 mi). The Vikings built their farmsteads on existing prehistoric settlements, like at Jarlshof. Excavations there in the 1930s found the first confirmed Norse longhouse in the British Isles. The remains inform us that the farmstead grew and shrank in size over some 12 to 16 generations, telling a story of hundreds of years of Norse development in Shetland – and that once the Vikings arrived, they were here to stay.

They called their new kingdom Suðreyjar, the « Southern Isles », to distinguish it from the island kingdoms further north, ruled by their kinsmen. Ivar the Boneless’ family ruled over Suðreyjar from 855, sacking the Alt Clut capital of Dumbarton in 870 and launching several raids into Ireland. In 989, the Earl of Orkney Sigurd the Stout conquered Suðreyjar, and it fell to King Aethelred the Unready of Wessex in 1000 before Ragnall mac Gofraid briefly restored Suðreyjar’s independence from 1004 to 1005.