Född:
1186
Isle of Man, England
Död:
May 21, 1237 (51)
Outer Hebrides (Joined his uncle Olaf in defense of his holdings against King Haakon IV - "was killed in the conflict" "he was probably in his early forties")
Son of Ragnvald III Gudrödsson, King of Mann and the Isles och Queen of Kintyre
Husband of Finnguala O'néill och Eva Verch Gwyn
Father of Harald II Gudrödsson, III och Serena Verch Caradog
Half brother of ragnhild de gwynedd
Gudröd Don Ragnvaldsson, King of Mann and the Isles
Gofraid mac Ragnaill (meaning "Gofraid, son of Ragnall"; Old Norse: Guðrøðr Rögnvaldsson) was a 13th century Hebridean king, who descended from a long line of kings who ruled the Hebrides and the Isle of Man. He is recorded within two 13th century chronicles with a byname meaning "the brown" (Gaelic: Gofraid Donn); although within a 13th century saga, and within Hebridean tradition dating from the 17th century, he is given the byname "the black" (Old Norse: Guðrøðr Svarti; Gaelic: Gofraid Dub). Gofraid Donn's father was Ragnall mac Gofraid, King of Man and the Isles; his mother was Ragnall's wife, who is described by a 13th century chronicle as the sister of a daughter of a nobleman from Kintyre. Gofraid Donn's male-line ancestry can be traced back with certainty to his great-great grandfather, Gofraid Méránach, King of the Isles, King of Dublin (d. 1095). Gofraid Méránach is thought to have taken control of the Kingdom of Man and the Isles in about the year 1079, and is recorded as the King of Dublin in 1091.
In 1187, on the death of Gofraid Donn's paternal grandfather, Godred II Olafsson, King of Man and the Isles, Gofraid Donn's father, Ragnall, usurped the kingdom from the legitimate heir, his younger half-brother Olaf the Black Gudrödsson. In consequence, a bitter family feud broke out, in which Gofraid Donn played a part. According to a 13th century chronicle, when Olaf the Black's marriage to the sister of Ragnall's wife was nullified, Gofraid Donn was tricked by his mother into attempting to kill his uncle Olaf the Black. Sometime later, he had his revenge, as Gofraid Donn was captured, and one of his followers blinded and castrated him. Olaf the Black later successfully took the throne, and Ragnall was soon after assassinated. Olaf II was constantly under threat of Ragnall's powerful ally Alan, Lord of Galloway. In about 1230, Olaf the Black was forced to flee Man, and went to Norway to plead for assistance from the king. He arrived just before the king sent a fleet into in the Hebrides to pacify the western coast of Scotland. Both Olaf the Black, and Gofraid Donn, travelled with the fleet, and upon the commander's death, Olaf the Black took control and retook the Isle of Man. Olaf the Black and Gofraid Donn then divided the kingdom between themselves, with Gofraid Donn controlling the Hebridean portion. Not long after the Norwegian fleet left the Hebrides, Gofraid Donn was killed on the Outer Hebridean island of Lewis, in 1231.
Sources
•English Wikipedia: Gofraid Donn
•espell.se: Godred Don Isle of Man | |
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