Erlend Haraldsson (c.1124 – 21 December 1154) was joint

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 Nort ...

from 1151 to 1154. The son of Earl Harald Haakonsson,Thomson (2008) p. 89 he ruled with

Harald Maddadsson Harald Maddadsson (Old Norse: ''Haraldr Maddaðarson'', Gaelic: ''Aralt mac Mataid'') (c. 1134 – 1206) was Earl of Orkney and Mormaer of Caithness from 1139 until 1206. He was the son of Matad, Mormaer of Atholl, and Margaret, daughter ...

and

Rögnvald Kali Kolsson Rögnvald Kali Kolsson (Old Norse ''Rǫgnvaldr'' or ''Rögnvaldr''; nn, Ragnvald Kale Kolsson), also known as Saint Ronald of Orkney (c. 1100 – 1158), was a Norwegian earl of Orkney who came to be regarded as a Christian saint. Two of the Orkn ...

.Thomson (2008) p. 101 This was a turbulent period of Orcadian history. Erlend's claim to the earldom was strong, his father having been earl before him but as happened on several previous occasions, rulership of the islands had become divided. His father had been poisoned c. 1130 when Erlend was still a child and after the death of Erlend's uncle,

Paul Haakonsson Paul Haakonsson was joint Earl of Orkney from 1122 until 1137. Haakonsson served jointly as Earl of Orkney together with Harald Haakonsson. Paul Haakonsson had not been well loved by his female kin. In 1137, Paul was reportedly abdicated and ki ...

, the earldom had become shared between Rögnvald and Harald "the Old" Maddadsson. Earl Rögnvald left Orkney in 1151 to go on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land and Erlend acted quickly to build on his inheritance. He obtained half of his father's lands in Caithness from the king of Scotland and claimed half of Orkney as well. Earl Harald refused, so Erlend set sail to Norway to request his share from King Eystein Haraldsson. The King granted Erlend Harald Maddadsson's share of the Orkney earldom, which led to a series of skirmishes between the two. Erlend had the support of

Sweyn Asleifsson Sweyn Asleifsson or Sveinn Ásleifarson ( 1115 – 1171) was a twelfth-century Viking who appears in the '' Orkneyinga Saga''. Early career Sweyn was born in Caithness in the early twelfth century, to Olaf Hrolfsson and his wife Åsleik. According ...

, a powerful Viking leader, which enabled him to defend himself for a while against the combined forces of Harald and, on his return, Earl Rögnvald. However, their men eventually killed Erlend during a raid on the island of Damsay on the night of 21 December 1154.Muir (2005) pp. 98-100

Sources

The primary source for information about Erlend's life is the '' Orkneyinga saga'', which was first compiled in Iceland in the early 13th century. Much of the information it contains about the early period of Norse history in Orkney is "hard to corroborate"Woolf (2007) p. 242 although the proximity of Erlend's ''floruit'' to the time when this

Norse saga is a series of science fantasy role-playing video games by Square Enix. The series originated on the Game Boy in 1989 as the creation of Akitoshi Kawazu at Square. It has since continued across multiple platforms, from the Super NES to the Pl ...

was compiled in written form may lend weight to its authenticity with respect to this period.

References

Notes Citations ;General references * Muir, Tom (2005) ''Orkney in the Sagas: The Story of the Earldom of Orkney as told in the Icelandic Sagas''. The Orcadian. Kirkwall. . * Thomson, William P. L. (2008) ''The New History of Orkney'', Edinburgh, Birlinn. * Woolf, Alex (2007) ''From Pictland to Alba, 789–1070''. Edinburgh. Edinburgh University Press. Earls of Orkney 12th-century rulers in Europe Year of death unknown Year of birth unknown Mormaers of Caithness 12th-century mormaers {{Orkney-bio-stub