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The The Orkneyinga Saga on William

The Orkneyinga Saga > For > Iv. The Earldom In The Norse Line, 872-1231.

attestation: In 1196, King William of Scots entered Moray to drive out Harald Maddadson; Harald fled to his ships rather than fight, and the king destroyed his castle at Thurso.

""In the same year (1196) William, King of Scots, having gathered a great army, entered Moray to drive out Harald MacMadit, who had occupied that district. But before the king could enter Caithness, Harald fled to his ships, not wishing to risk a battle with the king. Then the King of Scots sent his army to Turseha (Thurso), the town of the aforesaid Harald, and destroyed his castle there.""
attestation: King William allowed Harald to retain half of Caithness after Harald submitted and gave the other half to Harald Ungi, grandson of Rögnvald, but Harald later betrayed the agreement by letting the king's enemies escape.

"On that condition the king permitted him to retain a half of Caithness, and the other half he gave to Harald, the younger, grandson of Reginald (Rögnvald), a former Earl of Orkney and Caithness."
attestation: King William agreed to restore Caithness to Harald Maddadson only if he would divorce his wife Gormlath and take back his first wife Afreka, sister of Duncan Earl of Fife; Harald refused.

"The king said he would give him back Caithness if he would put away his wife (Gormlath), the daughter of Malcolm MacHeth, and take back his first wife, Afreka, the sister of Duncan, Earl of Fife"

attestation: Sutherland was made a separate earldom for the first time and given to William, son of Hugh Freskyn, who became the first Earl of Sutherland.

"Sutherland, or the southern land of Caithness, was now made a separate earldom, and given to William, son of Hugh Freskyn, who was thus the first of the Earls of Sutherland."

attestation: William St. Clair, the last Orkney earl under Norwegian rule, succeeded his father Henry, received investiture on similar terms, and was additionally required to surrender the castle of Kirkwall that his grandfather had built without royal consent.

"William, the last of the Orkney earls under Norwegian rule, succeeded to his father Henry, and received investiture on terms nearly similar to those imposed upon his grandfather. Moreover, he was to hold for the king and his successors the castle of Kirkwall, which his grandfather had built without the king's consent."

attestation: William was the first Bishop of the Orkneys; his seat was at Christ's Kirk in Birsay; he disbelieved in Magnus's sanctity for a long time until miracles made his holiness undeniable.

"William was Bishop of the Orkneys at this time. He was the first bishop there. The bishop's seat was at Christ's Kirk in Birgishérad (Birsay). William was bishop for six winters of the seventh decade. For a long time he disbelieved in the sanctity of Earl Magnus, until his merits became manifest to such a degree that God made his holiness grow the more conspicuous the more it was tried"

attestation: King William of Scots was enraged that Earl Harald Maddad's son had subdued all of Caithness without his permission and sent to Rögnvald Gudröd's son, King of the Sudreyar, who was the greatest warrior then in the western lands.

"WILLIAM, King of Scots, heard that Earl Harald (Ungi) had been killed, and also that Earl Harald, Maddad's son, had subdued the whole of Caithness without asking his leave. He became enraged at this, and sent men to the Sudreyar to Rögnvald, Gudröd's son, the King of the Sudreyar. Gudröd's mother was Ingibiorg, daughter of Earl Hákon, Paul's son. King Rögnvald was the greatest warrior then in the western lands."