Rögnvaldr Óláfsson

Who is Rögnvaldr Óláfsson?

Rögnvaldr Óláfsson, referred to in some texts as Reginald, was ruler of the Isle of Man for a brief period in 1164.

Ragnall's father, Olave the Red was King of Man and the Isles from 1112–1152. Olave's son and Ragnall's half-brother Godred the Black succeeded him to the title. However Godred's dictatorial style appears to have made him very unpopular with the Islesmen and the ensuing conflicts were the beginning of the end for Mann and The Isles as a coherent territory under the rule of a single magnate. The powerful barons of the isles began plotting with an emerging and forceful figure - Somerled, the self-styled Lord of Argyle. Somerled's parental origins are obscure, but it is known that he had married Ragnhildis, daughter of Olave the Red and Godred's half-sister. Godred engaged Somerled's forces in a naval battle in 1156. There was no clear victor, but it was subsequently agreed that Godred would remain the ruler of Mann, the northern Inner Hebrides and the Outer Hebrides, whilst Somerled's young sons would nominally control the southern Inner Hebrides, Kintyre and the islands of the Clyde under their father's supervision. Two years later Somerled's invasion of the Isle of Man caused Godred to flee to Norway, leaving the former as undisputed ruler of the entire realm.