K e t i l .
o f the pyrates, and made * an indifcriminate flaughter of tw
followers. Soon after his return, the iflanders repoffefied thei]
antient feats: and in order to reprefs their infults, he fent Kill
the flat-nofed, with a fleet and fome forces for that purpofe. ffl
foon reduced them to terms; but made his viftories fubferyjJ
ent to his own ambition * he made alliances with the Reguli heU
fubdued ; he formed intermarriages, and confirmed to them theid
old dominions. This effected, he fent back the fleet to Harm
openly declared himfelf independent, made himfelf prince of thej
Hebrides* and caufed them to acknowlege him as fuch, by the!
payment o f tribute, and the badges of vaffalage f . Ketil re-1
mained during life, mafter of the iflands, and his fubjefts appejrl
to have been a warlike fet o f freebooters, ready to join with any]
adventurers. Thus when Erie, fon of Harold Harfager, after being
driven out o f his own country, made an invafion of Enflrn
he put with his fleet into the Hebrides, received' a large reinforce!
ment of people, fired with the hopes o f prey, and then prod
ceeded on his plan of rapine J. After the death o f Ketil, a king-]
dom was in after-times compofed out of them, which from tie]
refidence o f the little monarch in the ifle o f Man was ilyled that]
o f Man ||. The iflands- became- tributary to- that of Norm*) i
for a confiderable time, and princes were fent from thence ** toil
govern : but at length they again fhook off the yoke. Whether
the little potentates ruled independent* or whether they put them-1
felves under the protection of th e Scottifh monarchs4 d o e s -not clear-:
tfirfaus, 10.
|| Torftexs, it).
f Torfaus, 14.
§ Camden, 1444.
J f irfteus, *3-
• * M il
I
I ar. but it is reafonable to fuppofe the laft, as Bomld-bane
I cufed of making the Hebrides the price of the affiftance given
I T by the Norwegians againft his own fubjefts. Notwithftanding
■ might occafionally feek the proteftion of Scotland, yet they
lever were without princes of their own. From the chronicles of
the kings of Man * we learn, that they had a fucceffion.
■ in 1089 is an evident proof of the independency o f the lilan-
I k on Norway, for, on the death of Lagman, one o f their mo-
[ mrchs they fent a deputation to O’Brian, King of Ireland, to
[L e f t a regent of royal blood to govern them during the mino-
[iity of their young prince. They probably might in turn compliment
in fom e other refpefts their Scottifh neighbors: the iflan-
' ders muft have given them fome pretence to fovereignty, for,
■ In 1093, Donald-bane, King o f Scotland, calls in the affiftance
I l f Magnus the barefooted, King of Norway, and bribes him with
; i promife of all the iflands t= Magnus accepts the terms, but at
■he fame time boafts, that he does come to invade the territories
of others, but only to refume the antient rights of Norway.
His conquefts are rapid and complete, for, befides the iflands, by
I w ingenious fraud j; he adds Can tyre to his dominions.
| T(he Hebrides continued governed by a prince dependent on
miomiay, a fpecies of vice-roy appointed by that court* and who
Riaid, on afluming the dignity, ten marks of gold, and never
Bnade any other pecuniary acknowlegement during life: but if
■another vice-roy was appointed, the fame fum was exafted from
I * In Cmden. f Euthanan, lib. vii. c. 23, t Torfaui.yiu
i „ h im .