Mormaer of Caithness

The Mormaer of Caithness ruled a distinct mormaerdom in medieval Scotland in that it generally was held by a "foreign" prince, the Norse Earl of Orkney, the ruler of neighboring "Norwegian" province.

Caithness was intermittently held, presumably always as fief of Scotland, by the Norse Earls of Orkney, at least since the days of the childhood of Thorfinn Sigurdsson in c 1020, but possibly already several decades before. The modern reconstruction of holders of peerage earldoms do not usually include those of Caithness, although there is no essential difference between them and, for example, those of mormaers of Lennox, mormaers of Strathearn and mormaers of Angus.

In 1334 the then Earl of Orkney, still a Norwegian vassal, was created or recognized as Earl of Caithness (see there for how the mormaerdom of Caithness continued as Earldom). In the true circumstances of 14th century, this presumably was just a recognition of his hereditary right to the ancient earldom/ mormaership of Caithness. Next year, all his Scottish titles were forfeited for treason. The next grant after Earl Malise's confiscation was to David Stewart, a younger son of King Robert II of Scotland.

List of Mormaers of Caithness

The list is by necessity a fragmentary one, archives being not fully preserved, actual reign of some supposed mormaers being not fully attested, and so forth:

• Donnchad of Caithness, (or Dungadr) whose wife was Groa, daughter of Thorstein Olafsson.^[1]

• Thorfinn I of Orkney (Torfin mac Enar), possibly succeeding as Donnchad's son-in-law, husband of his daughter Gruaidh inghen Donnchaidh

• Skuli Thorfinnsson of Orkney, son of Gruaidh and Thorfinn, mormaership (of Caithness) confirmed by Kenneth II of Alba

• Lodvi Thorfinnsson of Orkney

• Sigurd II Lodvisson of Orkney

• 1014- Thorfinn II of Orkney, mormaership of Caithness specifically given to him over his half-brothers by king Malcolm of Alba, his maternal grandfather

• Madadhan of Caithness (apparently in Strathnaver, Muddan, Moddan), created mormaer of Caithness by king Duncan I of Alba in mid-1030s, killed 1040

• Ottar of Thurso, son of another Madadhan, presumably a descendant of the previous Madadhan

• Haakon I of Orkney, brother-in-law of Ottar and grandson of Thorfinn II

• Arailt mac Haquin, Harold I of Orkney, nephew of Ottar, and son of Haakon; recognized in Caithness by king David I

• Elga inghen Madadhan (Helga Moddansdottir)

• • Rögnvald Kali Kolsson of Orkney

• Erlend III of Orkney, recognized of Caithness by Malcolm IV

• Harold II of Orkney (Arailt mac Mataidh)

• • Harald the Young, grandson of Rögnvald Kali Kolsson, confirmed by king Uilleam I of Alba
  • Ragnald IV of the Isle of Man, given Caithness by king Uilleam I of Alba

• David of Orkney

• Iain mac Arailt mac Mataidh, John I of Orkney (murdered in Thurso 1231)

• Magnus mac Gille-Brighde of Angus, earl of Orkney

• Gilbert II of Orkney

• Malcolm or Magnus III of Orkney

• Magnus IV of Orkney

• John II of Orkney

• Magnus V of Orkney

•  ?princess Catherine of Orkney

• c 1334-35 Maol Íosa V, Earl of Strathearn, earl of Orkney

• Maud of Strathearn, and her husband Wayland de le Arde

• Alexander de le Arde, in 1375 sold his hereditary rights to Robert II of Scotland

• 1375-before 1389 David Stewart, Earl palatine of Strathearn

• c 1389-1390 Euphemia Stewart, countess palatine of Strathearn

• 1402-28 Walter Stewart, 1st Earl of Atholl

• 1428-31 Alan Stewart

• 1431-37 again: Walter Stewart, 1st Earl of Atholl (d. 1437) (forfeit 1437)

• 1452 George Crichton, 1st Earl of Caithness (d. 1455) (created 1452, resigned 1452)

• 1455-76 William Sinclair, Earl of Orkney, created 1st Earl of Caithness, great-grandson of Iseabail inghen Maoliosa, youngest daughter of Malyesu V of Strathearn and his designated heiress of Orkney

Notes

1. ^ Crawford (1987) p. 64

References

• Crawford, Barbara E. (1987) Scandinavian Scotland. Leicester University Press. ISBN 0718511972

External links

• Mormaers of Caithness at the foundation for Medieval Genealogy