Godred V of the Isle of Man

Godred V, also known as king Goraidh mac Amhlaibh and Guthrod Olavssonn (died November 10, 1187) was King of Mann and the Isles from 1153 – 1158 and from 1164 – 1187, much of the kingdom being lost in the strife after he became deposed and before his second reign.

Reign

King Godred was son of King Olaf I, "Olav Morsel," and Aufrica of Galloway. In 1140, Godred's half-sister Ragnhailt had married Somerled, King of Kintyre.

The year 1153 saw the deaths of two kings: David I of Scotland and Godred's father Olaf I. There was much confusion and discord as a result and Somerled took his chance - making offensive moves against both Scotland and Mann. Godred for a short period ruled over Dublin also.

A summons was sent to Dougal mac Somhairle, the son of Somerled and Ragnhailt - to move so he might be "King over the Isles".

In 1156 Godred was defeated in battle against eighty ships of Somerled's fleet and the two enemies partitioned the isles between them. Godred kept the islands north of Ardnamurchan with Somerled gaining the rest. This loss of southern isles was to remain permanent: the Manx regime never recovered them, having only the northern Hebrides occasionally afterwards as part of their realm. As a result of this quarrel with the previously vassal-like ruler of Argyll, in 1156, he lost the smaller islands off the coast of Argyll. An independent sovereignty thus appeared between the two divisions of the Manx kingdom.

Two years following this Somerled returned to the Isle of Man with fifty-three warships. He defeated Godred again and this time forced him to flee to Norway. Somerled and family thus succeeded Godred as King of Isles after they warred and Godred was deposed in 1158. Somerled's kingdom now stretched from the Isle of Man to the Butt of Lewis.

Around 1164, Godred's younger brother, the usurper Reginald III usurped the throne, taking the throne in Mann but not in the other isles, but Godred soon reasserted his rule and resumed the throne from his brother and continued to rule in Mann and the Northern Hebrides.

The islands which were under his rule were called the "Suðr-eyjar" (Sudreys or the south isles, in contradistinction to the "Norðr-eyjar", or the "north isles," i.e. the Orkneys and Shetlands, and they consisted of the Hebrides, with Man. He used the title of "Rex Manniae et Insularum" (King of Mann and the Isles).

His sons were King Reginald IV, Ivar and lastly, from his third marriage with Findguala from Ireland, Olave.

Death and succession

He died on 10 November 1187 and was succeeded by his eldest son Reginald IV, instead of his youngest son Olaf whom he had designated as heir and successor. His youngest son was apparently very young at the time.