The Highlanders of Scotland - Clan Strachan Society

CHAP. II] O F S C O T L A N D 201
Somerled is termed by the Scottish historians, for the first
time in opposition to the king. Of the various events of
this war we are ignorant, but from the words of an ancient
chronicle it appears to have excited very great alarm among
the inhabitants of Scotland. In all probability Somerled had
found it expedient to return speedily to the Isles, by the
recurrence of events there of more immediate importance to
himself than the project of establishing his grandsons in their
inheritance ; for Godred, the Norwegian king of the Isles, and
brother-in-law to Somerled, having at this time given loose
to a tyrannical disposition, and having irritated his vassals
by dispossessing some of their lands, and degrading others
from their dignities, Thorfinn, the son of Ottar, one of the
most powerful of the Norwegian nobles, determined to depose
Godred, as the only means of obtaining relief, and to place
another king on the throne of the Isles. For this purpose
Thorfinn went to Somerled, and requested that he might have
Dugall, his eldest son, who was Godred's nephew by his sister,
in order to make him king in his place. Somerled rejoiced at
the prospect of thus at last obtaining his object, and delivered
up Dugall to the care of Thorfinn, who accordingly took the
young prince, and conducting him through the Isles, compelled
the chiefs of the Isles to acknowledge him for their sovereign,
and to give hostages for their allegiance.
One of them, however, Paul Balkason, a powerful noble-
man, who was Lord of Sky, refused to make the required
acknowledgment, and, fl}'ing to the Isle of Man, acquainted
Godred with the intended revolution. Alarmed at the intelli-
gence, Godred instantly ordered his vassals to get tl^eir ships
ready, and without delay, sailed to meet the enemy. He
found that Somerled had already prepared for the expected
struggle, and was advancing towards him with a fleet of eighty
"
galleys. A sea battle," says the Chronicle of Man, " was
fought between Godred and Somerled during the night of
the Epiphany, with great slaughter on both sides. Next
morning, however, at daybreak, they came to a
compromise, and divided the sovereignity of the
Isles ; so from that period they have formed two distinct
monarchies till the present time. The ruin of the Isles may