William I, Earl of Ross (Gaelic: ''Uilleam''; d. 1274) was ruler of the province of

Ross Ross or ROSS may refer to: People * Clan Ross, a Highland Scottish clan * Ross (name), including a list of people with the surname or given name Ross, as well as the meaning * Earl of Ross, a peerage of Scotland Places * RoSS, the Republic of Sou ...

in northern Scotland. William appears as early as 1232, witnessing a charter as the son of Ferquhard, Earl of Ross. He succeeded his father as Earl around 1251. He played a pioneering role in the Scottish reconquest of the Hebrides, which had been under Norwegian control. Indeed, in many ways, he may be regarded as the instigator of Scottish aggression. ''

Hákonar saga Hákonarsonar ''Hákonar saga Hákonarsonar'' ("The Saga of Haakon Haakonarson") or ''Hákonar saga gamla'' ("The Saga of Old Haakon") is an Old Norse Kings' Saga, telling the story of the life and reign of King Haakon Haakonarson of Norway. Content and style ...

'' tells us that in Norway: "''In the previous summer'' .e. that of 1262', letters came east from the Hebrides ... and they brought forward much about the dispeace that the Earl of Ross ... and other Scots, had made in the Hebrides, when they went out to Skye, and burned towns and churches, and slew very many men and women ... They said that the Scottish king intended to lay under himself all the Hebrides''." ¹ Uilleam's attacks on Norwegian possessions earned him the ire of King Haakon, who planned an expedition against him. However, William escaped this expedition. He was probably rewarded with

Skye The Isle of Skye, or simply Skye (; gd, An t-Eilean Sgitheanach or ; sco, Isle o Skye), is the largest and northernmost of the major islands in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. The island's peninsulas radiate from a mountainous hub dominated b ...

and

Lewis Lewis may refer to: Names * Lewis (given name), including a list of people with the given name * Lewis (surname), including a list of people with the surname Music * Lewis (musician), Canadian singer * "Lewis (Mistreated)", a song by Radiohead ...

after the Scottish reconquest of the Hebrides, a reward secured when the conquests were ratified by the

Treaty of Perth The Treaty of Perth, signed 2 July 1266, ended military conflict between Magnus VI of Norway and Alexander III of Scotland over possession of the Hebrides and the Isle of Man. The text of the treaty. The Hebrides and the Isle of Man had become ...

in 1266. William married Jean Comyn, daughter of William, Earl of Buchan. So far as is known he had only one son, also named

William William is a male given name of Germanic origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conquest of Engl ...

, who succeeded him as Earl. William died in May 1274 at "Earles Allane", likely the site of modern

Allanfearn Allanfearn (, gd, An t-Àilean Feàrna) is a small settlement, it lies east of Inverness, Inverness-shire, Scotland, within the Scottish council area of Highland Highlands or uplands are areas of high elevation such as a mountainous region ...

or Allangrange.

References

* 1. A.O. Anderson, ''Early Sources'', Vol. II, p. 605 * 2
Genealogy Page

Bibliography

* Paul, Sir James
''The Scots Peerage
''">The Scots Peerage">''The Scots Peerage
'' (Edinburgh, 1909) * Anderson, Alan Orr, ''Early Sources of Scottish History: AD 500-1286'', 2 Vols (Edinburgh, 1922) * Brooke, Daphne, ''Wild Men and Holy Places'', (Edinburgh, 1994) * McDonald, R. Andrew, "Old and new in the far North: Ferchar Maccintsacairt and the early earls of Ross" in Steve Boardman and Alasdair Ross (eds.) ''The Exercise of Power in Medieval Scotland, c.1200-1500'', (Dublin/Portland, 2003)

External links

Genealogy Page: Source for Marriage Info

Scran & The Breve Cronicle of the Erllis of Ross
{{DEFAULTSORT:William 01, Earl of Ross 1274 deaths Clan Ross Earls of Ross People from Ross and Cromarty Year of birth unknown 13th-century mormaers