Earl of Orkney

Earl of Orkney, historically Jarl of Orkney, is a title of nobility encompassing the archipelagoes of Orkney and Shetland, which comprise the Northern Isles of Scotland. Originally founded by Norse invaders, the status of the rulers of the Northern Isles as Norwegian vassals was formalised in 1195. Although the Old Norse term jarl is etymologically related to earl, and the jarls were succeeded by earls in the late 15th century, a Norwegian jarl is not the same thing. In the Norse context the distinction between jarls and kings did not become significant until the late 11th century and the early jarls would therefore have had considerable independence of action until that time. The position of Jarl of Orkney was eventually the most senior rank in medieval Norway except for the king himself.
The jarls were periodically subject to the kings of Alba for those parts of their territory in what is now mainland Scotland. In 1232, a Scottish dynasty descended from the mormaers of Angus replaced the previous family descended from the late 10th century jarl Torf-Einarr, although the isles remained formally subject to Norway. This family was in turn replaced by the descendants of the mormaers of Strathearn and later still by the Sinclair family, during whose time Orkney and Shetland became part of Scotland.
The second earldom was created by James VI of Scotland in 1581 for his half-uncle Robert Stewart but after only two incumbents the title was forfeited in 1614. After the third creation of 1696, a title that still exists today, the earls' influence on Orcadian affairs became negligible.

Norse Jarls

, Jarl of Møre 865–890 is sometimes credited with being the founder of the jarldom of Orkney. By implication the Orkneyinga saga identifies him as such for he is given "dominion" over Orkney and Shetland by King Harald Finehair, although there is no concrete suggestion he ever held the title. The Heimskringla states that his brother Sigurd was the first to formally hold the title.
Sigurd's son Guthorm ruled for a year and died childless. Rognvald's son Hallad then inherited the title. However, unable to constrain Danish raids on Orkney, he gave up the jarldom and returned to Norway, which "everyone thought was a huge joke". Torf-Einarr then succeeded in defeating the Danes and founded a dynasty that retained control of the islands for centuries after his death. Smyth concludes that the role of the brothers Eysteinsson lacks historical credibility and that Torf-Einarr “may be regarded as the first historical earl of Orkney”.
Drawing on Adam of Bremen's assertion that Orkney was not conquered until the time of Harald Hardrada, who ruled Norway from 1043 to 1066, Woolf speculates that Sigurd “the Stout” Hlodvirsson, Torf-Einarr's great-grandson, may have been the first Jarl of Orkney. Dates are largely conjectural, at least until his death recorded in 1014.
Assuming Torf-Einarr is a genuine historical figure, all of the subsequent jarls were descended from him, save for Sigurd Magnusson, whose short rule was imposed by his father Magnus Barelegs, and who later became Sigurd I of Norway.
One of the main sources for the lives and times of these jarls is the Orkneyinga saga, which has been described as having "no parallel in the social and literary record of Scotland". One of the key events of the saga is the "martyrdom" of Jarl Magnus Erlendsson, later Saint Magnus,. The last quarter of the saga is taken up with a lengthy tale of Jarl Rögnvald Kali Kolsson and Sweyn Asleifsson — indeed the oldest version ends with the latter's death in 1171.
After the murder of Jarl Jon Haraldsson some sixty years later, Magnus, son of Gille Brigte became the first of the Scottish earls. He may have been a descendant of Jarl Rögnvald Kali Kolsson, although this has never been corroborated. However, the line of specifically Norse jarls is said to have come to an end when Jarl Magnus II was granted his title by Haakon IV of Norway.

Name	Byname	Relationship to predecessor	Rule commences	Rule ends
Sigurd Eysteinsson	Sigurðr inn riki "the Mighty"	Brother of Rognvald Eysteinsson
Guthorm Sigurdsson		Son of Sigurd Eysteinsson
Hallad Rognvaldsson		Son of Rognvald Eysteinsson
Einarr Rognvaldsson	Torf-Einarr "Turf"-Einarr	Son of Rognvald Eysteinsson		910
Arnkel Torf-Einarsson		Son of Torf-Einarr Rognvaldsson	910	with Erlend and Thorfinn to 954
Erlend Torf-Einarsson		Son of Torf-Einarr Rognvaldsson	910	with Arnkel and Thorfinn to 954
Thorfinn Torf-Einarsson	Þorfinnr hausakljúfr "Skull-splitter"	Son of Torf-Einarr Rognvaldsson	910	with Erlend and Arnkel to 954 alone 954–963
Arnfinn Thorfinnsson		Son of Thorfinn Torf-Einarsson	963
Havard Thorfinnsson	Hávarðr inn ársæli "Harvest-happy"	Son of Thorfinn Torf-Einarsson	On Arnfinn's death
Ljot Thorfinnsson		Son of Thorfinn Torf-Einarsson	On Havard's death
Hlodvir Thorfinnsson		Son of Thorfinn Torf-Einarsson		991
Sigurd Hlodvirsson	Sigurðr digri "the Stout"	Son of Hlodvir Thorfinnsson	991	1014
Sumarlidi Sigurdsson		Son of Sigurd Hlodvirsson	1014	with Brusi and Einar to
Brusi Sigurdsson		Son of Sigurd Hlodvirsson	1014	with Einar and Sumarlidi to 1016 with Einar to 1025 with Einar and Thorfinn to c. 1031
Einar Sigurdsson	Einar rangmunnr "Wry-mouth"	Son of Sigurd Hlodvirsson	1014	with Brusi and Sumarlidi to 1016 with Brusi to 1025 with Brusi and Thorfinn to 1026
Thorfinn Sigurdsson	Þorfinnr inn riki "the Mighty"	Son of Sigurd Hlodvirsson	c. 1025	with Brusi and Einar to 1026 with Brusi to 1031 alone to 1036 with Rögnvald 1036 to 1046 alone to
Rögnvald Brusason		Son of Brusi Sigurdsson	c. 1036	with Thorfinn to c. 1046
Paul and Erlend Thorfinnsson		Sons of Thorfinn Sigurdsson, co-rulers, later deposed together	1064	1098
Sigurd Magnusson	Sigurðr Jórsalafari "the Jerusalem-farer"	Son of Magnus Barelegs	1098	1103
Haakon Paulsson		Son of Paul Thorfinnsson	1104	alone to 1106 with Magnus to 1116 alone to 1123
Magnus Erlendsson	Later "Saint Magnus"	Son of Erlend Thorfinnsson	1106	with Haakon to 1116
Harald Haakonsson	"Smooth-tongue"	Son of Haakon Paulsson	1123	with Paul to
Paul Haakonsson		Son of Haakon Paulsson	1123	with Harald to 1130 alone to 1136
Rögnvald Kali Kolsson	Later "Saint Rögnvald"	Son of Gunnhild, daughter of Erlend Thorfinnsson	1136	alone to 1138 with Harald Maddadsson 1138 to 1151 and 1154 to 1158 with Harald and Erlend Haraldsson 1151 to 1154
Harald Maddadsson	"the Old"	Son of Margaret, daughter of Haakon Paulsson	1138	with Rögnvald to 1151 and 1154 to 1158 with Rögnvald and Erlend Haraldsson 1151 to 1154 alone 1158 to 1191 with Harald Eiriksson to 1198 alone to 1206
Erlend Haraldsson		Son of Harald Haakonsson	1151	with Harald Maddadsson and Rögnvald Kali Kolsson to 1154
Harald Eiriksson	Haraldr ungi "the Young"	Son of Ingiríðr, daughter of Rögnvald Kali Kolsson	1191	with Harald Maddadsson to 1198
David Haraldsson		Son of Harald Maddadsson	1206	with Jon to 1214
Jon Haraldsson		Son of Harald Maddadsson	1206	with David to 1214 alone to 1231

Scottish Jarls under the Norwegian Crown

After the close of the Jarls' Saga on the death of Jon Haraldsson in 1230, the history of Orkney is "plunged into a darkness which is illuminated by very few written sources". The first jarl known to have held the title after the Norse dynasty came to and end in 1230 was Magnus II but the title may have been held by an unknown other prior to his investiture. Although successive jarls of Orkney were related, they each acquired the position by being personally appointed to the role by the Norwegian king; the jarldom was not inheritable.

The Angus Jarls

Strathearn and Sinclair Jarls

The lack of haste with which a new title was granted by the Norwegians to Orkney has led to the suggestion that Magnus Jonsson may have had an heir who was a minor, but who died before 1330. It is also likely that unravelling the genealogy of his potential successors and providing proofs of their descent was a time-consuming project. Whatever the reason, about a decade after Magnus's death the title was granted to Maol Íosa, mormaer of Strathearn, a distant relative of Earl Gilbert. He ruled Orkney and Caithness from 1330 to 1350 and had several daughters, but no sons.
The earldom was then left vacant for about three years, following which Erengisle Sunesson was a titular earl for a few years but when his right to the title lapsed prior to 1360 the jarldom lay vacant again. King Haakon VI of Norway had married Margaret, the daughter of King Valdemar IV of Denmark. The sudden death of Haakon's brother King Eric XII of Sweden triggered the foreign policy obligations Haakon had to Valdemar, as a result of the marriage. These drew Haakon's attention away from Orkney, until the death of Valdemar, in 1375.
In 1375, Haakon decided upon Alexander of Ard, the son of Maol Íosa's daughter Matilda and Weland of Ard as Sunesson's successor. However, Alexander was merely appointed "Lieutenant, Captain and Keeper" of Orkney for a year on 30 June 1375. This was to be a probationary role, the intention being that if Haakon had been satisfied by Alexander's behaviour after a year, he would be appointed as jarl. However, Haakon did not do so, possibly because Alexander failed to deal with the violence that had become rife during the long absence of an earl's authority. In 1379, the jarldom was granted to another grandson of Maol Íosa, Henry Sinclair, by Haakon VI on 2 August 1379.

Name	Relationship to predecessor	Rule commences	Rule ends
Maol Íosa	A descendant of Malise II, Earl of Strathearn and Matilda, a daughter of Earl Gilbert.	1330	1350
Vacant		1350	1353
Erengisle Sunesson	Married to Agneta, daughter of Maol Íosa.	1353	before 1360
Vacant		before 1360	1375
Alexander of Ard	Son of Maol Íosa's daughter Matilda and Weland of Ard. Appointed as "Lieutenant" only.	1375	1376?
Vacant		1376	1379
Henry Sinclair	Son of Maol Íosa's daughter Isabella and William de Sinclair of Rosslyn.	1379	1401
Henry II	Son of Henry I	1404?	1420
William	Son of Henry II. David Menzies acted as "Guardian" from 1422 to 1434. William was de facto jarl from 1424. He was granted the newly created title "Earl of Caithness" in 1455.	1434	1470

When James III of Scotland married Margaret of Denmark, her father, Christian I, king of the Kalmar Union, was unable to immediately provide a dowry. Instead, he promised that he would provide the dowry at a later date, and pledged the Norðreyjar as security for his promise. In 1470, James persuaded William to quitclaim his rights over Orkney and Shetland only, in return for lands in Fife; technically the Norðreyjar remained in existence as a Norwegian Jarldom, but William's authority became limited to the mainland parts, while Orkney and Shetland became jarl-free. After a few years, it became clear that the dowry was unlikely ever to be paid, so in 1472, James declared the Norðreyjar to be forfeit. As an immediate consequence, the diocese of Caithness was transferred from the Archdiocese of Niðaróss, in Norway, to that of St Andrews, in Scotland.