Ragnall mac Somairle

   Another name for Ragnall was Reginald mac Somerled Lord of the Isles.

  Noted events in his life were:

• Background Information. ⁸⁸⁶
Reginald, Lord of the Isles, was also called King of the Isles by his supporters. He was more of a chief of the Isles. From Reginald, Lord of the Isles, sprang two great families, that of Isla, descended from his son Donald, and later styled MacDonald; and that of Bute, descended from his son Ruari, styled Macruari. It appears that the descendants of Somerled had for a century after his death, divided their allegiance between the King of Norway and the King of Scotland.

A charter was granted to the bishop of Lismore, 1 Jan 1507, confirming two evidents made by Reginald in his lifetime in which he is described as the son of Somerled, qui se Regem Insularum nominavit Lord of Ergyle and Kintye, founder of the monastery of Sagadull, of the lands of Gensagadull and twelve marks of land of Ballcbeain, in the Lordship of Kintyre, and of twenty marks of the lands of Cosken in Arran, to the said Abbey. He gave gifts to the monastery of Paisley, so generous that he and his wife, Fiona, were entitled to all the privileges of brotherhood in the convent. In other documents, Reginald was designated dorminus insularum, and sometimes Rex insularum, or King of the Isles, as well as dominus de Ergile and Kintyre, a titled used in grants of lands to the Abbey of Saddell which he founded in Kintyre.

Reginald married Fionia, a sister of Thomas Randolph, Earl of Moray. Reginald died in the 54th year of life, and was succeeded by his eldest son, Donald.

~History of the Macdonalds and Lords of the Isles, pp. 29-34

• Background Information. ⁸⁸⁷
Somerled was the son of Gillibrede. The only thing known about Gilibrede is that he was a supporter of Donald Bane, the brother of Malcolm, in his claim to the Scottish throne. Gillibred may have lost his holdings because of this support. Somerled recovered his paternal inheritance, and made himself master of a large portion of Argyle, and assumed the titled Lord or Regulus of Argyle, and became a very powerful chief in Scotland.

Somerled married Ragnhildis, the daughter of Olave the Red, King of Man sometime around 1140. They had three sons, Dugall, Reginald and Angus. [Orkneyinga Saga, p. 383] Olave the Red ruled the Isle of Man peacefully for forty years until he was murdered, about 1154, by the sons of Harald, who made a claim to half the kingdom of the Isles.

Somerled invaded Man with a fleet of fifty-three ships, and laid waste to the Island, and removed Godred the Black, son of Olave the Red, of Norway, who had taken over after the death of his father, in about 1158. There are two stories of how he died. One says he died in battle while invading Scotland. The other, that he was assassinated in his tent.

Somerled's sons all shared in the possessions held by the Lord of Argyll. Besides his three sons with the daughter of Olave the Red, he had other sons who shared in the division of land. The South Isles, Mull, Coll, Tiree, and Jura became part of the share that went to Dugall. Isla and Kintyre went to Reginald. Bute went to Angus. Arran, was possibly divided between Reginald and Angus. Angus was killed, with his three sons, by the men of Skye, leaving Dugall and Reginald to rule as the "Kings" of the Isles. Their rule was at the same time as another Reginald, the son of Godred the Black, was styled King of Man and the Isles.

From Dugall, sprang the House of Argyle and Lore, called MacDugall. From Reginald, sprang the famlies of Isla, descended from his son Donald, which became the MacDonalds, and that of Bute, descending from Reginald's son Ruari, stlyed MacRuari.

~History of the Western Highlands and Isles of Scotland, p. 9

• Web Reference: Charles Cawley's Medieval Lands, Reginald Somerled.
The Chronicon Manniæ et Insularum names "Dulgallum, Reginaldum, Engus et Olavum" as the four sons of "Sumerledo regulo Herergaildel" and his wife the daughter of Olav King of Man [Chronicon Manniæ et Insularum, pp. 144-5]. The Chronicon Manniæ et Insularum records that Engus, son of Somerled, defeated his brother Reginald in 1192 [Chronicon Manniæ et Insularum, p. 164]. The Book of Clanranald records the death of Reginald in 1207 [Balfour Paul, Vol. V, Macdonald Lord of the Isles, p. 31, citing Book of Clanranald]. Reginald married Fonie. "Reginaldus filius Sumerled dominus de Inchegal…et uxor mea Fonie" donated cows and other revenue to Paisley monastery by undated charter [Paisley Monastery, p. 125].

• Web Reference: Ragnall mac Somairle from Wikipedia.
Ragnall mac Somairle was a significant late twelfth century magnate, seated on the western seaboard of Scotland. He was probably a younger son of Somairle mac Gilla Brigte, Lord of Argyll and his wife, Ragnhildr, daughter of Óláfr Guðrøðarson, King of the Isles.

Ragnall married Fonia of Moray. (Fonia of Moray was born about 1155 in Moray, Scotland.)