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Somerled
Somerled [Norse, summer sailor (?)]. Historical (d. 1164) Scottish Gaelic leader, the first to be called Lord of the Isles, around whose persona many legends have accrued. Although descended from Irish kings who had been in the Hebrides since the seventh century, Somerled may have been more Norse than Gaelic in culture; none the less, his buildings at Iona show much Celtic influence in design. He had ambivalent relations with the kings of Scotland, having supported David I during an invasion of England in 1138, but supportive of an unsuccessful rebellion against Malcolm IV (1153). His major accomplishment was the recovery of the Hebrides and Argyll from Norse influence, administered by the king of the Isle of Man under Norse suzerainty. With Irish allies, he defeated the Norse in 1156 and again in 1158, after which the king of Man fled to Norway. His title, Rí Innse Gall [king of the Hebrides], borne by his successors, was translated into Latin, Dominus Insularum, in 1354, and from thence into English as Lord of the Isles. Somerled was killed near Renfrew in 1164, having led yet another rebellion against Malcolm IV. His son Dugal was the progenitor of the MacDougalls, while his son Raghnall was the forebear of the MacDonalds of the Isles; his progeny became the Clan Donald.
Bibliography See W. D. H. Sellar , ‘The Origins and Ancestry of Somerled’, Scottish Historical Review, 45 (1966), 123–42. Subject of Nigel Tranter's historical novel The Lord of the Isles (London, 1983). |
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Cite this article
JAMES MacKILLOP. "Somerled." A Dictionary of Celtic Mythology. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 29 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. JAMES MacKILLOP. "Somerled." A Dictionary of Celtic Mythology. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. (May 29, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O70-Somerled.html JAMES MacKILLOP. "Somerled." A Dictionary of Celtic Mythology. 2004. Retrieved May 29, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O70-Somerled.html |
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Somerled
Somerled ♂ (Scottish) From the Old Norse personal name Sumarlíðr, probably originally a byname meaning ‘summer traveller’. This is a Highland name, borne by the founder of the powerful and widespread Clan Macdonald, Lords of the Isles from the 12th to the 15th century, and it is still occasionally bestowed on members of Clan Macdonald and its septs.
Also: Summerlad. |
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Cite this article
PATRICK HANKS, KATE HARDCASTLE, and FLAVIA HODGES. "Somerled." A Dictionary of First Names. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 29 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. PATRICK HANKS, KATE HARDCASTLE, and FLAVIA HODGES. "Somerled." A Dictionary of First Names. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (May 29, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O41-Somerled.html PATRICK HANKS, KATE HARDCASTLE, and FLAVIA HODGES. "Somerled." A Dictionary of First Names. 2006. Retrieved May 29, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O41-Somerled.html |
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