Maccus mac Arailt (
fl.
''Floruit'' (; abbreviated fl. or occasionally flor.; from Latin for "they flourished") denotes a date or period during which a person was known to have been alive or active. In English, the unabbreviated word may also be used as a noun indicatin ...
971–974), or Maccus Haraldsson, was a tenth-century
King of the Isles
The Kingdom of the Isles consisted of the Isle of Man, the Hebrides and the islands of the Firth of Clyde from the 9th to the 13th centuries AD. The islands were known to the Norse as the , or "Southern Isles" as distinct from the or Nort ...
. Although his parentage is uncertain, surviving evidence suggests that he was the son of
Harald Sigtryggson, also known as Aralt mac Sitriuc, the Hiberno-Norse King of Limerick. Maccus' family is known as the Meic Arailt kindred. He and his brother,
Gofraid
is an Irish masculine given name, arising in the Old Irish and Middle Irish/Middle Gaelic languages, as , and later partially Anglicised as Goffraid.
' corresponds to the Old Norse ', cognate with Gottfried or ', and Galfrid or '. ''Gofraid''/' ...
, are first recorded in the 970s. It was during this decade and the next that they conducted military operations against the Welsh of
Anglesey
Anglesey (; cy, (Ynys) Môn ) is an island off the north-west coast of Wales. It forms a principal area known as the Isle of Anglesey, that includes Holy Island across the narrow Cymyran Strait and some islets and skerries. Anglesey island ...
, apparently taking advantage of dynastic strife within the
Kingdom of Gwynedd
The Kingdom of Gwynedd (Medieval Latin: ; Middle Welsh: ) was a Welsh kingdom and a Roman Empire successor state that emerged in sub-Roman Britain in the 5th century during the Anglo-Saxon settlement of Britain.
Based in northwest Wales, th ...
.
The Meic Arailt violence during this period could account for Maccus' participation in a royal assembly convened by
Edgar, King of the English
Edgar ( ang, Ēadgār ; 8 July 975), known as the Peaceful or the Peaceable, was King of the English from 959 until his death in 975. The younger son of King Edmund I and Ælfgifu of Shaftesbury, he came to the throne as a teenager following ...
. Maccus may have been regarded as a potential threat by not only the English and Welsh kings, but also the rulers of the
Kingdom of Strathclyde. Perhaps as a consequence of this convention, the Meic Arailt thereafter turned their attention to Ireland. In 974, Maccus defeated and captured
Ímar, King of Limerick. Gofraid resumed the family's campaigning against the Welsh before the end of the decade. In 984, the Meic Arailt appear to have formed an alliance with the family of
Brian mac Cennétig, King of Munster. Whether Maccus was alive by this date is unknown. He does not appear on record after this date, and seems to have been succeeded by his brother. Gofraid is the first King of the Isles to be identified as such by Irish sources.
Family
![Maccus mac Arailt (map)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/26/Maccus_mac_Arailt_%28map%29.png)
Maccus was a member of the Meic Arailt kindred, although his exact parentage is uncertain. Surviving evidence suggests that Maccus' father was probably
Aralt mac Sitriuc, King of Limerick. Such a relationship would mean that Maccus was a member of the
Uí Ímair. Alternate possibilities—lacking specific evidence—are that Maccus was a son of
Hagrold
Hagrold ( fl. 944–954), also known as Hagroldus, Harold, and Harald, was a powerful tenth-century Viking chieftain who ruled Bayeux. He was apparently a pagan from Scandinavia, and seems to have seized power in Normandy at about the time of the ...
, a Danish warlord active in
Normandy
Normandy (; french: link=no, Normandie ; nrf, Normaundie, Nouormandie ; from Old French , plural of ''Normant'', originally from the word for "northman" in several Scandinavian languages) is a geographical and cultural region in Northwestern ...
; or a son of
Haraldr Gormsson, King of Denmark
Harald "Bluetooth" Gormsson ( non, Haraldr Blátǫnn Gormsson; da, Harald Blåtand Gormsen, died c. 985/86) was a king of Denmark and Norway.
He was the son of King Gorm the Old and of Thyra Dannebod. Harald ruled as king of Denmark from c. 958 ...
.
Maccus appears to have been an elder brother of
Gofraid mac Arailt
Gofraid mac Arailt (died 989), in Old Norse Guðrøðr Haraldsson , was a Scandinavian or Norse-Gael king. He and his brother Maccus were active in the lands around the Irish Sea in the 970s and 980s.
Origins
Gofraid and Maccus are usually assume ...
. A sister of Maccus and Gofraid, or perhaps a daughter of the latter, may have been Máel Muire, wife of
Gilla Pátraic mac Donnchada, King of Osraige. Specific evidence of a familial relationship between Máel Muire and the Meic Arailt may be preserved by the twelfth-century ''
Banshenchas
''An Banshenchas'' (literally "the woman lore") is a medieval text which collects brief descriptions of prominent women in Irish legend and history into a poetic narrative.
Unlike much of early Irish literature, ''An Banshenchas'' may be attrib ...
'', a source that identifies the mother of Gilla Pátraic's son, Donnchad, as Máel Muire, daughter of a certain Aralt mac Gofraid. One possibility is that this source has erroneously reversed the
patronym
A patronymic, or patronym, is a component of a personal name based on the given name of one's father, grandfather (avonymic), or an earlier male ancestor.
Patronymics are still in use, including mandatory use, in many countries worldwide, alt ...
of Maccus' brother. Another brother of Maccus may have been Eiríkr Haraldsson, a Viking who ruled the
Kingdom of Northumbria in the mid part of the tenth century. Although non-contemporary Scandinavian sources identify this figure with the like-named Norwegian royal
Eiríkr blóðøx, there is reason to suspect that these sources have erroneously conflated two different individuals, and that the former was a member of the insular Uí Ímair.
[ Naismith (2017) pp. 281, 300–301; McGuigan (2015a) p. 31, 31 n. 48; Downham (2013); Downham (2007) pp. 119–120, 120 n. 74; Woolf (2002) p. 39.]
![Aralt mac Sitriuc (Oxford Bodleian Library MS Rawlinson B 503, folio 17r)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/25/Aralt_mac_Sitriuc_%28Oxford_Bodleian_Library_MS_Rawlinson_B_503%2C_folio_17r%29.jpg)
There is uncertainty surrounding Maccus' name. Although the nineteenth-century edition of the seventeenth-century ''
Annals of the Four Masters
The ''Annals of the Kingdom of Ireland'' ( ga, Annála Ríoghachta Éireann) or the ''Annals of the Four Masters'' (''Annála na gCeithre Máistrí'') are chronicles of medieval Irish history. The entries span from the Deluge, dated as 2,24 ...
'' refers to him as ', suggesting that the
Gaelic
Gaelic is an adjective that means "pertaining to the Gaels". As a noun it refers to the group of languages spoken by the Gaels, or to any one of the languages individually. Gaelic languages are spoken in Ireland, Scotland, the Isle of Man, and Ca ...
' is a form of the
Old Norse
Old Norse, Old Nordic, or Old Scandinavian, is a stage of development of North Germanic languages, North Germanic dialects before their final divergence into separate Nordic languages. Old Norse was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and t ...
'
[ ''Annals of the Four Masters'' (2013a) § 972.13; ''Annals of the Four Masters'' (2013b) § 972.13; Thornton (2001) p. 72 n. 95; Thornton (1997) pp. 76–77.]—itself a borrowing of the
Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...
'—the oldest manuscript forms of this source show that the recorded name was actually an abbreviated form of ''Maccus''.
Besides this mistranscription, Maccus is not accorded the name ' by any historical source, and his name is unlikely to refer to it. Maccus' name may instead be of Gaelic origin.
Irruption into the Irish Sea region
![Cross St Seiriol's Church](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/69/Cross_St_Seiriol%27s_Church.JPG)
The Meic Arailt first appear on record in the Irish Sea in the 970s. The power of the family seems to have been centred in the Isles, and may have been based upon control of the important trade routes through the Irish Sea region. If the Meic Arailt were indeed centred in the Hebrides, the family's apparent ambition to secure control of
Mann
Mann may refer to:
Arts, entertainment and media
* Mann (chess), a variant chess piece which moves as a king
* ''Mann'' (film), a 1999 Bollywood motion picture
* ''Mann'' (magazine), a Norwegian magazine
* Mann Theatres, a theatre chain corp ...
could account for its campaigning against the Welsh on
Anglesey
Anglesey (; cy, (Ynys) Môn ) is an island off the north-west coast of Wales. It forms a principal area known as the Isle of Anglesey, that includes Holy Island across the narrow Cymyran Strait and some islets and skerries. Anglesey island ...
. The latter island was the traditional seat of the
kings of Gwynedd
Prior to the Conquest of Wales, completed in 1282, Wales consisted of a number of independent kingdoms, the most important being Gwynedd, Powys, Deheubarth (originally Ceredigion, Seisyllwg and Dyfed) and Morgannwg (Glywysing and Gwent). Boun ...
, and control of it may have been sought by the Meic Arailt as a way to further ensure the control of the surrounding sea-lanes.
[ Downham (2007) p. 222.]
According to the "B" version of the eleventh- to thirteenth-century ''
Annales Cambriæ'', an unidentified son of Aralt wasted this island off the north-west Welsh coast. The thirteenth- and fourteenth-century texts ''
Brut y Tywysogyon'' and ''
Brenhinedd y Saesson'' corroborate this record and identify the attacker as Maccus himself. Maccus' assault targeted
Penmon
Penmon is a promontory, village and ecclesiastical parish on the eastern tip of the Isle of Anglesey in Wales, about east of the town of Beaumaris. It is in the community of Llangoed. The name comes from cy, pen (which can mean "head", "end" ...
on the eastern coast of the island. Several near-contemporary engraved crosses at Penmon indicate that it was a significant ecclesiastical site with important patrons.
Both ''Brut y Tywysogyon'' and ''Brenhinedd y Saesson'' further reveal that Gofraid attacked Anglesey the next year, and thereby brought the island under his control. At the time of the Meic Arailt kindred's attacks, the
Kingdom of Gwynedd
The Kingdom of Gwynedd (Medieval Latin: ; Middle Welsh: ) was a Welsh kingdom and a Roman Empire successor state that emerged in sub-Roman Britain in the 5th century during the Anglo-Saxon settlement of Britain.
Based in northwest Wales, th ...
was in the midst of a vicious civil war triggered by the death of
Rhodri ab Idwal Foel, King of Gwynedd in 969, a fact which could indicate that the Meic Arailt purposely sought to capitalise on this infighting.
Amongst an assembly of kings
![Edgar (British Library Cotton MS Tiberius B I, folio 142v)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/85/Edgar_%28British_Library_Cotton_MS_Tiberius_B_I%2C_folio_142v%29.jpg)
There is evidence indicating that Maccus was amongst the assembled kings who are
recorded to have met with
Edgar, King of the English
Edgar ( ang, Ēadgār ; 8 July 975), known as the Peaceful or the Peaceable, was King of the English from 959 until his death in 975. The younger son of King Edmund I and Ælfgifu of Shaftesbury, he came to the throne as a teenager following ...
at
Chester
Chester is a cathedral city and the county town of Cheshire, England. It is located on the River Dee, close to the English–Welsh border. With a population of 79,645 in 2011,"2011 Census results: People and Population Profile: Chester Loca ...
in 973.
[ Jennings, A (2015); Wadden (2015) pp. 27–28; Clarkson (2014) ch. 7 ¶ 12; Williams, A (2014); Charles-Edwards (2013) p. 543; Walker (2013) ch. 4 ¶ 31; Aird (2009) p. 309; Woolf (2009) p. 259; Downham (2008) p. 346; Wilson (2008) p. 385; Breeze (2007) p. 155; Downham (2007) pp. 124–125, 167, 222; Matthews (2007) p. 25; Forte; Oram; Pedersen (2005) p. 218; Davidson (2002) pp. 143, 146, 151; Jayakumar (2002) p. 34; Etchingham (2001) p. 172; Thornton (2001) p. 72; Oram (2000) p. 10; Sellar (2000) p. 189; Williams, A (1999) p. 116; Hudson (1994) p. 97; Jennings, A (1994) pp. 213–214; Williams; Smyth (1991) p. 124; Meaney (1970) p. 130, 130 n. 161; Stenton (1963) p. 364.] According to the "D", "
E", and "F" versions of the ''
Anglo-Saxon Chronicle
The ''Anglo-Saxon Chronicle'' is a collection of annals in Old English, chronicling the history of the Anglo-Saxons. The original manuscript of the ''Chronicle'' was created late in the 9th century, probably in Wessex, during the reign of Alf ...
'', after having been consecrated king that year, this English monarch assembled a massive naval force and met with six kings at Chester. By the tenth century, the number of kings who met with him was alleged to have been eight, as evidenced by the tenth-century ''Life of St Swithun''. By the twelfth century, the eight kings began to be named and were alleged to have rowed Edgar down the
River Dee, as evidenced by sources such as the twelfth-century texts ''
Chronicon ex chronicis
John of Worcester (died c. 1140) was an English monk and chronicler who worked at Worcester Priory. He is usually held to be the author of the ''Chronicon ex chronicis''.
''Chronicon ex chronicis''
The ''Chronicon ex chronicis'' is a world wide ...
'', ''
Gesta regum Anglorum
The ''Gesta Regum Anglorum'' (Latin for "Deeds of the Kings of the English"), originally titled ("On the Deeds of the Kings of the English") and also anglicized as or , is an early-12th-century history of the kings of England by William of Malme ...
'', and ''
De primo Saxonum adventu
'' De primo Saxonum adventu '' is a historical work, probably written in Durham during the episcopate of Ranulf Flambard (1099–1128).Rollason (ed.), ''Libellus de Exordio'', p. lxxix. It recounts the coming of the English (called the "Saxons") ...
'', as well as the thirteenth-century ''
Chronica majora
The ''Chronica Majora'' is the seminal work of Matthew Paris, a member of the English Benedictine community of St Albans and long-celebrated historian. The work begins with Creation and contains annals down to the year of Paris' death of 1259. ...
'', and both the
Wendover and
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
versions of ''Flores historiarum''.
![Edgar, King of the English, rowed on the River Dee](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3e/Edgar%2C_King_of_the_English%2C_rowed_on_the_River_Dee.jpg)
Whilst one of the named kings appears to have been Maccus himself,
a certain other—named ' by ''Gesta regum Anglorum'', and ' by ''Chronicon ex chronicis''—could have been Gofraid. ''Gesta regum Anglorum'' describes Maccus as ' ("prince of the pirates" or "pirate king"), whilst ''Chronicon ex chronicis'', ''De primo Saxonum adventu'', and the twelfth- to thirteenth-century ''
Chronicle of Melrose'' (which also notes the assembly) call him ' ("king of many islands" or "king of very many islands"). The titles associated with Maccus appear to relate to a similar one—' ("king of many islands")—earlier accorded to
Amlaíb mac Gofraid, King of Dublin by ''Chronicon ex chronicis''.
The precise reasons for Edgar's assembly are uncertain. It came on the heels of a royal crowning ceremony at
Bath
Bath may refer to:
* Bathing, immersion in a fluid
** Bathtub, a large open container for water, in which a person may wash their body
** Public bathing, a public place where people bathe
* Thermae, ancient Roman public bathing facilities
Plac ...
, and could have been orchestrated as a way to project imperial authority over Edgar's neighbours. With a grand show of force, Edgar may have sought to demonstrate this authority, and thereby resolve certain outstanding issues with his neighbouring rulers.
[ Downham (2007) p. 126.] There is reason to suspect that the upsurge in Viking activity in the 960s/970s, and the emergence of the Meic Arailt in the region, may have factored in Edgar's machinations. Specifically, one aspect of the assembly may have concerned the ongoing warring between the Meic Arailt and the Welsh. Such conflict could have posed a significant threat to the English trade routes in the region, and Edgar may have sought an understanding with Maccus to ensure the safety of important sea-lanes shared with the Islesmen. The threat of international collusion could have also factored into Edgar's assembly.
One possibility is that he may have acted to ensure that the Islesmen would not be tempted to lend support to discontented elements in the English
Danelaw. It is also conceivable that the assembly could have concerned the remarkable rising power of
Amlaíb Cúarán
Olaf or Olav (, , or British ; Old Norse: ''Áleifr'', ''Ólafr'', ''Óleifr'', ''Anleifr'') is a Scandinavian and German given name. It is presumably of Proto-Norse origin, reconstructed as ''*Anu-laibaz'', from ''anu'' "ancestor, grand-father" a ...
in Ireland. Edgar may have moved to resolve the strife between the Meic Arailt and the Welsh as a way to limit the prospect of any encroachment by Amlaíb Cúarán into the Irish Sea region. This reigning
King of Dublin was a leading member of the Uí Ímair,
[ Charles-Edwards (2013) p. 545.] and may have been a rival to the Meic Arailt. By easing tensions between the Meic Arailt and the Welsh, Edgar could have sought to gain their allegiance against Amlaíb Cúarán's ambitions of authority in the area, and further offset any attempt by Amlaíb Cúarán to attain an alliance with the Scots and Cumbrians against the English.
![Máel Coluim mac Domnaill (British Library Cotton MS Domitian A VIII, folio 5v)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/36/M%C3%A1el_Coluim_mac_Domnaill_%28British_Library_Cotton_MS_Domitian_A_VIII%2C_folio_5v%29.jpg)
The fact that ''Brenhinedd y Saesson'' reports that Gofraid subdued Anglesey and placed it under tribute could indicate that the Meic Arailt were attempting to establish themselves in Britain, and could indicate that the Meic Arailt participated in the assembly in this context. If Maccus was in possession of Mann in the 970s the record of Edgar's assembled fleet could have been a response to the perceived threat that Maccus posed. As such, the episode could well be an example of tenth-century
gunboat diplomacy
In international politics, the term gunboat diplomacy refers to the pursuit of foreign policy objectives with the aid of conspicuous displays of naval power, implying or constituting a direct threat of warfare should terms not be agreeable to th ...
. Other royal attendees of the summit meeting appear to have been
Dyfnwal ab Owain, and Dyfnwal's son
Máel Coluim, men who represented the Cumbrian
Kingdom of Strathclyde.
[ Woolf (2007a) p. 208.] It is probable that the power of the Meic Arailt posed a serious threat to the rulers of this northern
British realm, and may explain their own part in the assembly.
One possible result of the conference is that Edgar recognised Maccus' lordship in the Isles in return for his acceptance of English overlordship. Although Maccus appears as a witness in two alleged royal charters of Edgar, these appear to be forgeries.
Later career
![Scattery Island 01](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/15/Scattery_Island_01.jpg)
Whatever the reasons behind the assembly, the Meic Arailt violence in the region was temporarily abated—perhaps as a consequence of the conference—and the kindred turned its attention westwards towards Ireland.
In 974, the eleventh- to fourteenth-century ''
Annals of Inisfallen'' and the ''Annals of the Four Masters'' reveal that Maccus—accompanied by the ' ("lawmen") of the Isles—attacked
Scattery Island
Inis Cathaigh or Scattery Island is an island in the Shannon Estuary, Ireland, off the coast of Kilrush, County Clare. The island is home to a lighthouse, a ruined monastery associated with Saint Senan, an Irish round tower and the remains of a ...
and captured
Ímar, King of Limerick. Ímar appears to have gained the kingship of Limerick in the 960s. If Maccus was indeed a son of Aralt, Maccus' move against Ímar in 974 would appear to corroborate this kinship. For instance, Maccus' attack could have been undertaken in the context of regaining what he regarded as his patrimony, since Ímar's accession in Limerick was conceivably accomplished at the expense of Aralt's progeny.
It is possible that Ímar was in control of Limerick in 969, and may have controlled the town in 972,
[ Etchingham (2001) p. 173.] when the
Munstermen are recorded to have expelled the Viking ruling elite. If correct, Ímar's return to power could explain the Meic Arailt kindred's actions against him.
Maccus may have ransomed Ímar to the Limerickmen,
[ Woolf (2007a) p. 214.] or Ímar may have escaped his captors. Certainly the ''Annals of Inisfallen'' reports that Ímar "escaped over sea" the following year. In any event, Ímar next appears on record three years later when he and his two sons were slain by
Brian mac Cennétig, King of Munster. In 967, Brian's brother,
Mathgamain mac Cennétig
Mathgamain mac Cennétig (also known as Mahon) was King of Munster from around 970 to his death in 976. He was the elder brother of Brian Bóruma.
Mathgamain was the son of Cennétig mac Lorcáin of the Dál gCais. His father died in 951 and ...
, is reported to have attacked Limerick. If the eleventh- or twelfth-century ''
Cogad Gáedel re Gallaib'' is to be believed, Ímar played a role in slaying Mathgamain the year before his own death at Brian's hands. As such, the Meic Arailt and Brian's family appear to have shared a common enemy in the person of Ímar.
![Gofraid mac Arailt (British Library Cotton MS Domitian A I, folio 141v)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1a/Gofraid_mac_Arailt_%28British_Library_Cotton_MS_Domitian_A_I%2C_folio_141v%29.jpg)
The record of Maccus' attack is the second such notice of ' in the Isles. Earlier in 962, the ''Annals of the Four Masters'' reports that the ' and the Meic Amlaíb
[ Abrams (2007) p. 181; Downham (2007) pp. 184, 263, 265; Woolf (2007a) pp. 213, 299; Woolf (2007b) pp. 164–165; ''Annals of the Four Masters'' (2013a) § 960.14; ''Annals of the Four Masters'' (2013b) § 960.14; Ó Corráin (1998a) § 16, n. 56; Ó Corráin (1998b) pp. 308–309, 309 n. 58.]—seemingly the descendants of Amlaíb mac Gofraid—attacked several sites in Ireland.
Such lawmen appear to have been elective representatives from the Hebrides, and these annal-entries could be evidence that leading figures in the Irish Sea region received formal support from the Hebrides. Following Maccus' campaigning against Ímar, nothing is recorded of the Meic Arailt until the 980s.
In 984, the ''Annals of Inisfallen'' reports that the Meic Arailt contracted an alliance with Brian's family, and exchanged hostages with them in an apparent agreement pertaining to military cooperation against the
Kingdom of Dublin. This compact seems to indicate that Brian's family sought to align the Vikings of the Isles against those of Dublin.
![Coin of Eric Bloodaxe Norse king of York 952 954](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d4/Coin_of_Eric_Bloodaxe_Norse_king_of_York_952_954.jpg)
Maccus' brother eventually resumed the Meic Arailt attacks upon the Welsh. According to the Peniarth version of ''Brut y Tywysogyon'', a certain '—a man who may be identical to Gofraid—ravaged
Llŷn in 978. The ''Red Book of Hergest'' version of ''Brut y Tywysogyon'' reports that Gofraid, along with the exiled
Venedotian prince Custennin ab Iago, ravaged Llŷn and Anglesey in 980. The date of Maccus' death is unknown.
[ Hudson (2005) p. 62.] Since he does not appear on record again, it is possible that he was dead by this date, and that Gofraid had succeeded him in the Isles. On the other hand, the record of the Meic Arailt assisting Brian's family in 984 could be evidence that Maccus was yet still active. In any case, Maccus is certainly unrecorded after 984. Gofraid's campaigning on Anglesey suggests that whatever authority the Meic Arailt gained over the Welsh in the 970s was only temporary. The fact that there is no record of Viking activity against the island between 972 and 980 suggests that the Meic Arailt's ambitions there had been fulfilled during this span.
In 980, Amlaíb Cúarán was utterly defeated by
Máel Sechnaill mac Domnaill, King of Mide at the
Battle of Tara, and retired to
Iona
Iona (; gd, Ì Chaluim Chille (IPA: iːˈxaɫ̪ɯimˈçiʎə, sometimes simply ''Ì''; sco, Iona) is a small island in the Inner Hebrides, off the Ross of Mull on the western coast of Scotland. It is mainly known for Iona Abbey, though there ...
where he died soon after. Whilst Islesmen are reported to have supported Amlaíb Cúarán's cause in the conflict, the Meic Arailt are not mentioned, and there is no specific evidence that they did so. On one hand, it is possible that the family supported Amlaíb Cúarán in the conflict. On the other hand, if evidence of contemporary Orcadian encroachment into the Isles is taken into account, there is reason to suspect that the Islesmen present in the conflict were adherents of the
earls of Orkney, and did not include the Meic Arailt.
![Gofraid mac Arailt (Oxford Bodleian Library MS Rawlinson B 488, folio 15r) 2](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/76/Gofraid_mac_Arailt_%28Oxford_Bodleian_Library_MS_Rawlinson_B_488%2C_folio_15r%29_2.jpg)
Maccus' brother is the first
King of the Isles
The Kingdom of the Isles consisted of the Isle of Man, the Hebrides and the islands of the Firth of Clyde from the 9th to the 13th centuries AD. The islands were known to the Norse as the , or "Southern Isles" as distinct from the or Nort ...
to recorded as such by Irish sources, when he was styled ' by the fifteenth- to sixteenth-century ''
Annals of Ulster
The ''Annals of Ulster'' ( ga, Annála Uladh) are annals of medieval Ireland. The entries span the years from 431 AD to 1540 AD. The entries up to 1489 AD were compiled in the late 15th century by the scribe Ruaidhrí Ó Luinín, ...
'' on his death in 989. The appearance of the kingdom at this time could indicate that the catalyst behind its emergence was Amlaíb Cúarán's defeat at Tara, the subsequent loss of Dublin to Máel Sechnaill's overlordship, and Amlaíb Cúarán's later demise. On one hand, the kingdom could have been a recent creation, perhaps a result of the Meic Arailt gaining overlordship over the Hebridean '. On the other hand, the first record of a King of the Isles in Irish sources may merely reflect the fact that Dublin had been lost to the Irish after having previously formed part of Amlaíb Cúarán's ''imperium''. In any event, later apparent descendants of Gofraid competed with the descendants of Amlaíb Cúarán for control of a kingdom that encompassed the Hebrides and the Irish Sea region.
[ Woolf (2007a) p. 298.]
Notes
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Maccus Mac Arailt
10th-century rulers of the Kingdom of the Isles
10th-century Scottish people
Monarchs of the Isle of Man
Norse-Gaelic monarchs
Uí Ímair
Year of birth unknown