Magnus II ( 1185 or 1190 – 1239) was the first in the Angus line of Scottish

earl Earl () is a rank of the nobility in the United Kingdom. In modern Britain, an earl is a member of the Peerages in the United Kingdom, peerage, ranking below a marquess and above a viscount. A feminine form of ''earl'' never developed; instead, ...

s (or

jarl Jarl was a rank of the nobility in Scandinavia during the Viking Age and Early Middle Ages. The institution evolved over time and varied by region. In Old Norse, it meant "chieftain", specifically one appointed to rule a territory in a king's stea ...

s) of

Orkney Orkney (), also known as the Orkney Islands, is an archipelago off the north coast of mainland Scotland. The plural name the Orkneys is also sometimes used, but locals now consider it outdated. Part of the Northern Isles along with Shetland, ...

. His title was "Earl of Orkney and Caithness." He was the son of

Gille Críst, Earl of Angus Gille Críst, Earl of Angus, Mormaer of Angus, ruled until 1206. He was a son of Gille Brigte of Angus and younger brother of Adam of Angus. Life Almost nothing is known of him except that he married Marjorie of Huntingdon, daughter of Henry ...

, and his second wife, Ingibiorg Ericsdottir of Caithness; Ingibiorg was the granddaughter of Orkneyar Jarl

Rögnvald Kali Kolsson Rögnvald Kali 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 Orkney Islands are named after Rögnvald, namely North Ronaldsay and ...

. Magnus was granted the

Earldom of Orkney The Earldom of Orkney was a Norse territory ruled by the earls (or ''jarls'') of Orkney from the ninth century until 1472. It was founded during the Viking Age by Viking raiders and settlers from Scandinavia (see Scandinavian Scotland). In ...

by King

Haakon IV of Norway Haakon IV Haakonsson ( – 16 December 1263; ; ), sometimes called Haakon the Old in contrast to his namesake son, was King of Norway from 1217 to 1263. His reign lasted for 46 years, longer than any Norwegian king since Harald Fairhair. Haak ...

in 1236 following the death of

Jon Haraldsson Jon Haraldsson was a Norwegian noble who served as the Jarl of Orkney between 1206 and 1231. Jon Haraldsson and his brother David were the sons of Harald Maddadsson with his second wife Hvarflod, daughter of Earl Máel Coluim of Moray. Jon an ...

in 1231 despite there being several other claimants to the jarldom. (The first Magnus of Orkney was St. Magnus Erlendsson, who ruled from 1108 to about 1117.) He died three years later, and was succeeded by his son Gilbert.

References

, - 1239 deaths Magnus II Nobility from Angus, Scotland 13th-century mormaers Year of birth unknown Mormaers of Caithness Year of birth uncertain {{Orkney-bio-stub