The New History of Orkney

My library pick this month was William Thomson's history of Orkney. It is the full version (500 pages), so probably a bit much if you just want some pre-holiday reading before visiting the islands. My family comes from the west coast, but Orkney is my favourite island chain within Scotland. I covered it for a while while working my career job and loved every visit. Even though the wind was so strong on my first visit, I could lean into it.

If you are not familiar with Scotland, it is the closest island chain off the northern coast. Shetland is the next one. Orkney is 10 miles (16 km) north of Caithness and has about 70 islands, of which 20 are inhabited. The largest island, the Mainland, has an area of 523 square kilometres and includes the capital, Kirkwall.

The author has written a broadly chronological history of Orkney. He starts with the Picts, although the Romans knew them, and earlier Iron Age sites can be visited today, particularly the brochs. At this time, Orkney was very much part of Scotland, with the local ruler (Regulus) reporting to the king, although, as ever, Orkney's geography meant they generally operated fairly independently. Orkney was a successful fishing and farming community, with a warrior elite.

Then came the Vikings, led originally by King Harold Fairhair, or at least we believe so, depending on how much weight you place on Viking sagas. Then a series of wonderfully named Vikings, such as Eric Blood-axe, and Thorfinn Skull-splitter. They calmed down a bit in the early 11th century after they converted to Christianity. However, this was always a robust version. The Orkneyinga Saga suggests the Norwegian king stopped at Orkney and summoned the jarl Sigurd the Stout and said, "I order you and all your subjects to be baptised. If you refuse, I'll have you killed on the spot and I swear I will ravage every island with fire and steel." I'm not quite sure that was what Jesus had in mind! The author covers the Viking period in some depth, including the various ways they got involved in mainland politics and wars. For example, Hardrada's 1066 invasion called in at Orkney. 

If Thorfinn the Mighty (1014-65) was the greatest military power Orkney achieved, it was Earl Rognvald who got the cultural vote. Not least because he started the very attractive St Magnus Cathedral in Kirkwall. A century later, Orkney had strengthened its links with Scotland as well as Norway. Both sought to tie Orkney's rulers into their sphere of influence. King Hakon's failed attack at Largs (1263) highlighted the geographical reality that Norway was a long distance away. This was built upon when Scottish mainland landowners gained property on Orkney, including the Sinclairs, who came from the Lothians. This developed into the formal transfer to Scotland in 1468, largely because the Norwegians needed the cash. 

The Reformation reached Orkney in the 16th century, though with little enthusiasm. In my work experience, I always found the political leaders to be fairly practical and mostly independent.  There was a short-lived Dukedom of Orkney, awarded in 1567 by Mary, Queen of Scots, to her notorious third husband, James Hepburn, 4th Earl of Bothwell. He was followed by Earl Robert Stewart, the illegitimate son of James V. However, the real baddie was his son, Earl Patrick Stewart (1593-1615), whose financial mismanagement and brutality against the local population led to court proceedings. He was later executed for treason.

In 1652, even a few of Cromwell's soldiers were based in Kirkwall, rebuilding defences. This demonstrates the importance of Orkney. These defences were crucial in both world wars, when the Home Fleet was based in Orkney, and the German High Seas Fleet was sunk there. There is a new museum I haven't been to yet, but I highly recommend Scapa whisky, distilled nearby. The museum in Kirkwall is also worth a look.

If we are discussing Orkney on the tabletop, then it just has to be Vikings.

Some of my 28mm figures.