Sigtrygg sailed to the Orkney Islands, and on his return stopped at the Isle of Man.
These islands had been seized by the Vikings long before and the Hiberno-Norse had close ties with the Orkneys and Manx. There was even a precedent for employing Norsemen from the Isles; they had been used by Sigtrygg's father, Olaf Cuaran, in 980, and by Sigtrygg himself in 990. Their incentive was loot, not land.
Contrary to the assertions made in the Cogadh Gaedhil re Gallaibh, this was not an attempt by the Vikings to reconquer Ireland. All of the Norsemen, both the Hiberno-Norse of Dublin and the Norsemen from the Isles, were in the service of Mael Mordha, the King of Leinster. It should also be remembered that the High-King had 'Vikings' in his army as well; mainly the Hiberno-Norse of Limerick (and probably those of Waterford, Wexford, and Cork as well), but also, according to some sources, a rival gang of Norse mercenaries from the Isle of Man.
No comments:
Post a Comment