History of the Isle of Man: Difference between revisions

Browse history interactively

VisualWikitext

@@ Line 2: / Line 2: @@
 {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
 {{More citations needed|date=April 2018}}
+[[File:Looking east inside Peel Castle - geograph.org.uk - 2109549.jpg|thumb|[[Peel Castle]]]]
 The [[Isle of Man]] had become physically separated from [[Great Britain]] and [[Ireland]] by 6500 BC. It appears that colonisation took place by sea sometime during the [[Mesolithic]] era (about 6500 BC).<ref name=Brad8>{{cite book |last=Bradley |first=Richard |author-link=Richard Bradley (archaeologist) |date=2007 |title=The prehistory of Britain and Ireland |publisher=Cambridge University Press |page=8 |isbn=978-0-521-84811-4}}</ref> The island has been visited by various [[Raid (military)|raiders]] and [[trade|trading peoples]] over the years. After being settled by people from Ireland in the first millennium [[Anno Domini|AD]], the Isle of Man was converted to Christianity and then suffered raids by [[Viking]]s from [[Norway]]. After becoming subject to Norwegian [[suzerainty]] as part of the [[Kingdom of Mann and the Isles]], the Isle of Man later became a possession of the Scottish and then the English crowns.
-Since 1866, the Isle of Man has been a [[Crown Dependency]] and  [[Democracy|democratic]] [[self-government]].
+Since 1866, the Isle of Man has been a [[Crown Dependency]] under  [[Democracy|democratic]] [[self-government]].
-[[Image:Old House of Keys.jpg|thumb|right|[[Old House of Keys]], [[Castletown, Isle of Man|Castletown]]]]
 ==Prehistory==
-[[Image:Irish.Sea.at.Man.cross.section.jpg|thumb|150px|Cross-section of the Irish Sea through Man, showing sea levels.]]
+[[File:Cashtel yn Ard - geograph.org.uk - 774758.jpg|thumb|Cashtal yn Ard]]
-[[Image:CIIC 504.gif|thumb|150px|[[Ogham]] stone from the Isle of Man showing the ''droim'' in centre. Text reads BIVAIDONAS MAQI MUCOI CUNAVA[LI]; in English: Of Bivaidonas, son of the tribe Cunava[li].]]
-===Mesolithic===
 The Isle of Man effectively became an island around 8,500 years ago at around the time when rising sea levels caused by the melting glaciers cut [[Mesolithic]] Britain off from continental Europe for the last time.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryMagazine/DestinationsUK/Isle-of-Man/ |title=The History of The Isle of Man |last=Johnson |first=Ben |website=Historic UK}}</ref> There had earlier been a land bridge between the Isle of Man and Cumbria, but the location and opening of the land bridge remain poorly understood.<ref>{{cite book |editor-last1=Hiverrell |editor-first1=Richard |editor-last2=Thomas |editor-first2=Geoffrey |name-list-style=amp |date=2006 |title=A New History of the Isle of Man, Volume 1 - The Evolution of the Natural Landscape |edition=1st |publisher=Liverpool University Press |pages=295–296 |isbn=0-85323-587-2}}</ref>
 The earliest traces of people on the Isle of Man date back to the Mesolithic Period (Middle Stone Age, 8000 BC - 4000 BC).<ref>{{cite web |url=https://manxnationalheritage.im/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/MOTM-EarlyPeople-AMesolithic.pdf |title=The Manx Mesolithic (8000 BC-4000 BC) |date=May 2020 |website=Manx National Heritage}}</ref> The first residents lived in small natural shelters, [[Hunter-gatherer|hunting, gathering and fishing]] for their food. They used small tools made of [[flint]] or bone, examples of which have been found near the coast. Examples of these artifacts are kept at the [[Manx National Heritage]] museum.{{cn|date=June 2025}}
-===Neolithic to Bronze Age===
+The [[Neolithic]] Period marked the coming of [[farming]], improved [[stone tool]]s and [[pottery]].{{cn|date=June 2025}} During this period [[Megalith|megalithic monuments]] began to appear around the island. Examples are found at [[Cashtal yn Ard]] near [[Maughold]], [[King Orry's Grave]] in [[Laxey]], Meayll Circle near [[Cregneash]], and Ballaharra Stones in [[St John's, Isle of Man|St John's]].{{cn|date=June 2025}} The builders of the megaliths were not the only culture during this time; there are also remains of the local [[Ronaldsway culture]] (lasting from the late Neolithic into the Bronze Age).<ref>{{Cite web |title=Isle of Man Guide - EARLY HISTORICAL SITES, Mesolithic Period |url=https://www.iomguide.com/mesolithic-period.php |access-date=2025-09-29 |website=www.iomguide.com}}</ref>
-The [[Neolithic]] Period marked the coming of [[farming]], improved [[stone tool]]s and [[pottery]].{{cn|date=June 2025}} During this period [[Megalith|megalithic monuments]] began to appear around the island. Examples are found at [[Cashtal yn Ard]] near [[Maughold]], [[King Orry's Grave]] in [[Laxey]], Meayll Circle near [[Cregneash]], and Ballaharra Stones in [[St John's, Isle of Man|St John's]].{{cn|date=June 2025}} The builders of the megaliths were not the only culture during this time; there are also remains of the local [[Ronaldsway culture]] (lasting from the late Neolithic into the Bronze Age).{{cn|date=June 2025}}
-===Iron Age===
+In the [[Iron Age]], large [[hill fort]]s appeared on hill summits<ref>{{Cite web |last=Henton |first=Alexandra |date=2012-05-08 |title=Iron Age hillforts |url=https://www.thefield.co.uk/features/iron-age-hillforts-21556 |access-date=2026-03-26 |website=The Field |language=en-US}}</ref> and smaller promontory forts along the coastal cliffs, while large timber-framed [[roundhouse (dwelling)|roundhouses]] were built.{{cn|date=June 2025}}
-The [[Iron Age]] marked the beginning of [[Celts|Celtic]] cultural influence. Large [[hill fort]]s appeared on hill summits and smaller promontory forts along the coastal cliffs, while large timber-framed [[roundhouse (dwelling)|roundhouses]] were built.{{cn|date=June 2025}}
-It is likely that the first Celts to inhabit the Island were [[Britons (historical)|Brythonic]] tribes from mainland Britain.{{cn|date=June 2025}} The secular history of the Isle of Man during the Brythonic period remains mysterious. It is not known if the [[Roman Britain|Romans]] ever made a landing on the island and if they did, little evidence has been discovered. There is evidence for contact with Roman Britain as an [[amphora]] was discovered at the settlement on the [[South Barrule]]; it is hypothesised this may have been trade goods or plunder.{{citation needed|date=July 2021}}
+It is not known if the [[Roman Britain|Romans]] ever made a landing on the island and if they did, little evidence has been discovered. There is evidence for contact with Roman Britain as an [[amphora]] was discovered at the settlement on the [[South Barrule]]; it is hypothesised this may have been trade goods or plunder.{{citation needed|date=July 2021}}
-It is generally assumed that Irish invasion or immigration formed the basis of the modern Manx language; Irish migration to the island probably began in the 5th century AD.<ref>{{Cite web |title=DNA of the Isle of Man |url=http://www.manxdna.co.uk/dna_of_the_isle_of_man.htm |access-date=2025-06-21 |website=Manx DNA Project}}</ref> This is evident in the change in language used in [[Ogham]] inscriptions. The transition between ''Manx Brythonic'' (a [[Brythonic languages|Brythonic language]] like modern [[Welsh language|Welsh]]) and ''[[Manx Gaelic]]'' (a [[Goidelic languages|Goidelic language]] like modern [[Scottish Gaelic]] and [[Irish language|Irish]]) may have been gradual. One question is whether the present-day Manx language survives from pre-Norse days or reflects a linguistic reintroduction after the Norse invasion.{{cn|date=June 2025}} The island lends its name to ''[[Manannán mac Lir|Manannán]]'', the Brythonic and Gaelic sea god who is said in myth to have once ruled the island.{{cn|date=June 2025}}
 ==Middle Ages==
 ===Early Middle Ages===
-Tradition attributes the island's conversion to Christianity to [[St Maughold]] (Maccul), an Irish missionary who gives his name to a parish. There are the remains of around 200 tiny early chapels called [[keeill|keeils]] scattered across the island. Evidence such as [[radiocarbon dating]] and [[magnetic drift]] points to many of these being built around AD 550–600.<ref>{{cite report |url=http://www.wessexarch.co.uk/files/62511_Isle%20of%20Man%20report.pdf |title=Speke Keeill, Mount Murray Hotel, Isle of Man: Archaeological Evaluation and Assessment of Results |publisher=[[Wessex Archaeology]] |date=2007 |access-date=2016-01-01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305072202/http://www.wessexarch.co.uk/files/62511_Isle%20of%20Man%20report.pdf |archive-date=2016-03-05 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
+[[Image:CIIC 504.gif|thumb|150px|[[Ogham]] stone from the Isle of Man. Text reads BIVAIDONAS MAQI MUCOI CUNAVA[LI]; in English: Of Bivaidonas, son of the tribe Cunava[li].]]
+In the [[End of Roman rule in Britain|late Roman period]], there was strong [[Gaelic Ireland|Irish (Gaelic)]] influence throughout the Irish Sea, as well as Irish raiding and settlement on the west coast of Britain.<ref name="Charles-Edwards">{{cite book |last1=Charles-Edwards |first1=Thomas |author1-link=Thomas Charles-Edwards |title=Wales and the Britons, 350-1064 |date=2013 |publisher=Oxford University Press |pages=148–151}}</ref><ref name="Davey">{{cite book |last1=Davey |first1=Peter |title=Rushen Abbey, Isle of Man: A Hundred Years of Research and Excavation |date=2023 |publisher=Archaeopress Publishing |pages=185–191}}</ref> The Romans referred to these Irish [[Gaels]] as ''[[Scoti]]''. The Roman historian [[Orosius]] wrote in the [[5th century]] that the Isle of Man ({{lang|la|Menavia}}) was inhabited by the Irish.<ref name="Charles-Edwards"/> The oldest known language on the Isle of Man was [[Archaic Irish]], which is found on [[Ogham inscriptions|stone inscriptions]] in the [[Ogham]] alphabet, dating to around the 5th century.<ref name="Charles-Edwards"/> Ogham stones found in the south of Mann are monolingual Irish (like [[Ballaqueeney Ogham Stone]]), while those in the north are bilingual Irish and Latin (like [[Knock y Doonee Ogham Stone]]).<ref name="Charles-Edwards"/> The Ballaqueeney stone seems to commemorate one of the [[Conaille Muirtheimne|Conailli]], an Irish tribe who lived on the coast of what is now [[County Louth]] in Ireland.<ref name="Croinin">{{cite book |last1=Ó Cróinín |first1=Dáibhí |title=Early Medieval Ireland, 400-1200 |date=2013 |publisher=Taylor & Francis |pages=50–51}}</ref><ref name="Edmonds">{{cite book |last1=Edmonds |first1=Fiona |title=Gaelic Influence in the Northumbrian Kingdom |date=2019 |publisher=Boydell Press |pages=30–31}}</ref>
+The ''[[Annals of Ulster]]'' record an Irish expedition to the Isle of Man by the [[Ulaid]] in AD 577, followed by their withdrawal the following year. The annals say that the Ulaid king [[Báetán mac Cairill]] (572–581) had "cleared" the Isle of Man, which could mean that he expelled the Conailli from the island.<ref name="Croinin"/><ref name="Edmonds"/>
+It is generally assumed that Irish invasion or immigration formed the basis of the Manx language.<ref>{{Cite web |title=DNA of the Isle of Man |url=http://www.manxdna.co.uk/dna_of_the_isle_of_man.htm |access-date=2025-06-21 |website=Manx DNA Project}}</ref>
-The [[Britons (historical)|Brythonic]] culture of ''Manaw'' appears throughout early British tradition and later [[Medieval Welsh literature|Welsh writings]]. The family origins of [[Gwriad ap Elidyr]] (father of [[Merfyn Frych]] and grandfather of [[Rhodri the Great]]) are attributed to a ''Manaw'' and he is sometimes named as ''Gwriad Manaw''.<ref name=Lloyd324>{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_NYwNAAAAIAAJ |title=A History of Wales from the Earliest Times to the Edwardian Conquest |last=Lloyd |first=John Edward |author-link=John Edward Lloyd |year=1912 |publisher=Longmans, Green, & Co. |page=[https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_NYwNAAAAIAAJ/page/n346 324] and note |quote=Gwriad. |access-date=May 30, 2013}}</ref> The 1896 discovery of a cross inscribed ''Crux Guriat'' (Cross of Gwriad) and dated to the 8th or 9th century greatly supports this theory.{{sfnp|Kermode|1897|pp=48–53}}
+According to Manx tradition, [[Saint Patrick]] was responsible for converting the island to Christianity. He is said to have sent [[Germanus of Man|Germanus]] and the Irish missionary [[Maughold]] (Macc Cuill) to the island in the 5th century. [[Muirchú moccu Machtheni|Muirchú]]'s 7th century ''Life of Patrick'' says that when Macc Cuill landed on the island, there were already Christians. Their spiritual leaders were Conindrus and Rumilus, which seem to be [[Romano-British culture|Romano-British]] names.<ref name="Davey"/> 'Long [[cist]]' burials, which are known from almost 100 sites on the island, seem to have arrived with Christianity from Roman Britain.<ref name="Davey"/> So far, the earliest have been [[radiocarbon date]]d to the 4th–5th century; these are at [[Balladoole]] and [[Rushen Abbey]].<ref name="Davey"/> Most of these burials are associated with small early chapels called [[keeill]]s (from Irish ''cill''); there are more than 200 scattered across the island.<ref>{{cite report |url=http://www.wessexarch.co.uk/files/62511_Isle%20of%20Man%20report.pdf |title=Speke Keeill, Mount Murray Hotel, Isle of Man: Archaeological Evaluation and Assessment of Results |publisher=[[Wessex Archaeology]] |date=2007 |access-date=2016-01-01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305072202/http://www.wessexarch.co.uk/files/62511_Isle%20of%20Man%20report.pdf |archive-date=2016-03-05 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
-The best record of any event before the incursions of the Northmen is attributed to [[Báetán mac Cairill]], king of [[Ulster]], who (according to the ''[[Annals of Ulster]]'') led an expedition to Man in 577–578, imposing his authority on the island (though some have thought this event may refer to [[Manaw Gododdin|Manau Gododdin]] between the Firths of [[Firth of Clyde|Clyde]] and [[Firth of Forth|Forth]], rather than the Isle of Man).{{sfnp|Moore|1911|p=537}} After Báetán's death in 581, his rival [[Áedán mac Gabráin]], king of [[Dál Riata]], is said to have taken the island in 582.
+From the 7th century, there is evidence of [[Celtic Britons]] on the Isle of Man, and possible Brittonic control over the island.<ref name="Charles-Edwards"/><ref name="Edmonds"/> A stone cross found on the northeast coast, dated to the 8th or 9th century, is inscribed ''Crux Guriat'' (Guriat's cross). This is a [[Brittonic languages|Brittonic]] name. It probably refers to [[Gwriad ap Elidyr|Gwriad ab Elidyr]], father of [[Merfyn Frych]]; the latter ruled the Welsh kingdom of [[Kingdom of Gwynedd|Gwynedd]] from 825 to 844 and founded its second ruling dynasty, the [[Merfynion]]. Early medieval Welsh genealogies suggest that Merfyn came from the Isle of Man.<ref name="Charles-Edwards"/>{{sfnp|Kermode|1897|pp=48–53}}<ref name=Lloyd324>{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_NYwNAAAAIAAJ |title=A History of Wales from the Earliest Times to the Edwardian Conquest |last=Lloyd |first=John Edward |author-link=John Edward Lloyd |year=1912 |publisher=Longmans, Green, & Co. |page=[https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_NYwNAAAAIAAJ/page/n346 324] and note |quote=Gwriad. |access-date=May 30, 2013}}</ref> In the 8th century, Anglo-Saxon historian [[Bede]] wrote that Britons dwelt on the island.<ref name="Charles-Edwards"/>
-Even if the supposed conquest of the Menavian islands – Mann and [[Anglesey]] – by [[Edwin of Northumbria]], in 616, did take place, it could not have led to any permanent results, for when the English were driven from the coasts of [[Cumberland]] and [[Lancashire]] soon afterwards, they could not well have retained their hold on the island to the west of these coasts.{{citation needed|date=January 2017}} One can speculate, however, that when [[Ecgfrith of Northumbria|Ecgfrið]]'s Northumbrians laid Ireland waste from Dublin to [[Drogheda]] in 684, they temporarily occupied Mann.{{sfnp|Moore|1911|p=537}}
+Even if the supposed conquest of Mann by [[Edwin of Northumbria]], in 616, did take place, it could not have led to any permanent results, for when the English were driven from the coasts of [[Cumberland]] and [[Lancashire]] soon afterwards, they could not well have retained their hold on the island to the west of these coasts.{{citation needed|date=January 2017}} One can speculate, however, that when [[Ecgfrith of Northumbria|Ecgfrið]]'s Northumbrians laid Ireland waste from Dublin to [[Drogheda]] in 684, they temporarily occupied Mann.{{sfnp|Moore|1911|p=537}}
 ===Viking Age and Norse kingdom===
 {{main|Kingdom of the Isles}}
+[[File:Br Olsen;185A, Andreas.jpg|thumb|Thorwald's cross slab, including Norse pagan and Christian imagery, as well as [[Manx runestones|Manx runes]]]]
 The period of Scandinavian domination is divided into two main epochs – before and after the conquest of Mann by [[Godred Crovan]] in 1079. Warfare and unsettled rule characterise the earlier epoch, the later saw comparatively more peace.
 [[Image:Kingdom of Mann and the Isles-en.svg|thumb|right|The [[Kingdom of Mann and the Isles]] about the year 1100. Sodor and Mann in red.]]
 Between about AD 800 and 815 the Vikings came to Mann chiefly for plunder. Between about 850 and 990, when they settled, the island fell under the rule of the Scandinavian [[Kings of Dublin]] and between 990 and 1079, it became subject to the powerful [[Earl of Orkney|Earls of Orkney]].{{sfnp|Moore|1911|p=537}}
-There was a mint producing coins on Mann between c. 1025 and c. 1065. These Manx coins were minted from an imported type 2 [[Hiberno-Norse]] penny die from [[Dublin]].{{cn|date=June 2025}} Hiberno-Norse coins were first minted under Sihtric, [[King of Dublin]]. This illustrates that Mann may have been under the thumb of Dublin at this time.{{cn|date=June 2025}}
+There was a mint producing coins on Mann between c. 1025 and c. 1065. These Manx coins were minted from an imported type 2 [[Hiberno-Norse]] penny die from [[Dublin]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Dolley |first=Michael |year=1976 |title=A Hiberno-Manx Coinage of the Eleventh Century |journal=Numismatic Chronicle (7th ser.) |volume=16 |issue=136 |pages=75-84}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Wilson |first=David M. |title=The Vikings in the Isle of Man |publisher=Aarhus University Press |year=2008 |isbn=8779343678 |pages=115}}</ref> Hiberno-Norse coins were first minted under Sihtric, [[King of Dublin]]. This illustrates that Mann may have been under the thumb of Dublin at this time.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Dolley |first=Reginald Hugh Michael |date=1973 |title=Some Irish evidence for the date of the Crux coins of Aethelred II |journal=Anglo-Saxon England |volume=2 |pages=148-9, 152}}</ref>
 Little is known about the conqueror, [[Godred Crovan]]. According to the ''Chronicon Manniae'' he subdued Dublin, and a great part of [[Leinster]], and held the Scots in such subjection that supposedly no one who set out to build a vessel dared to insert more than three bolts.{{cn|date=June 2025}} The memory of such a ruler would be likely to survive in tradition, and it seems probable therefore that he is the person commemorated in Manx legend under the name of King Gorse or Orry.{{sfnp|Moore|1911|p=537}} He created the [[Kingdom of Mann and the Isles]] in around 1079 including the south-western islands of Scotland until 1164, when two separate kingdoms were formed from it. In 1154, later known as the [[Diocese of Sodor and Man]], was formed by the [[Catholic Church]].{{cn|date=June 2025}}<ref>{{Cite book |last=Carlton |first=Kenneth |title=Bishops and Reform in the English Church, 1520–1559 |publisher=Boydell & Brewer |year=2001 |isbn=9781846150296 |series=Studies in Modern British Religious History |volume=3 |pages=207–208 |language=en}}</ref>
@@ Line 51: / Line 51: @@
 [[Olaf I Godredsson|Olaf]], Godred's son, exercised considerable power and according to the Chronicle, maintained such close alliance with the kings of Ireland and Scotland that no one ventured to disturb the Isles during his time (1113–1152).{{cn|date=June 2025}} In 1156 his son [[Godred II Olafsson|Godred]] (reigned 1153–1158), who for a short period also ruled over Dublin, lost the smaller islands off the coast of Argyll as a result of a quarrel with [[Somerled]] (the ruler of [[Argyll]]). An independent sovereignty thus appeared between{{clarify|date=January 2017}} the two divisions of his kingdom.{{sfnp|Moore|1911|p=537}}
-In the 1130s the Catholic Church sent a small mission to establish the first [[Diocese|bishopric]] on the Isle of Man, and appointed [[Wimund]] as the first bishop. He soon afterwards embarked with a band of followers on a career of murder and looting throughout Scotland and the surrounding islands.{{cn|date=June 2025}}
+"In the 1130s the Catholic Church sent a small mission to establish the first [[Diocese|bishopric]] on the Isle of Man, and appointed [[Wimund]] as the first bishop. He soon afterwards embarked with a band of followers on a career of murder and looting throughout Scotland and the surrounding islands." <ref>{{Cite web |title=Manx Museum. |url=https://vipauk.org/enter/muse/mx/x02.html |access-date=2026-03-14 |website=vipauk.org|date=n.d.|last=Manx Museum.|url-status=live}}</ref>
-During the whole of the Scandinavian period, the Isles remained nominally under the suzerainty of the [[Kings of Norway]] but the Norwegians only occasionally asserted it with any vigour.{{sfnp|Moore|1911|p=537}} The first such king to assert control over the region was likely [[Magnus III of Norway|Magnus Barelegs]], at the turn of the 12th century. It was not until Hakon Hakonarson's 1263 expedition that another king returned to the Isles.{{cn|date=June 2025}}
+During the whole of the Scandinavian period, the Isles remained nominally under the suzerainty of the [[Kings of Norway]] but the Norwegians only occasionally asserted it with any vigour.{{sfnp|Moore|1911|p=537}} The first such king to assert control over the region was likely [[Magnus III of Norway|Magnus Barelegs]], at the turn of the 12th century. It was not until Hakon Hakonarson's 1263 expedition that another king returned to the Isles.<ref>{{cite book |last=Beuermann |first=Ian |editor1-last=Imsen |editor1-first=Steinar |editor1-link=Steinar Imsen |contribution='Norgesveldet?' south of Cape Wrath? |title=The Norwegian Domination and the Norse World c. 1100–c. 1400 |series=Norgesveldt occasional papers (Trondheim studies in history) |publisher=Tapir Academic Press |year=2010 |isbn=978-82-519-2563-1 |pages=100–109 }}</ref>
 ===Decline of Norse rule===
@@ Line 60: / Line 60: @@
 From the middle of the 12th century until 1217 the suzerainty had remained of a very shadowy character; Norway had become a prey to civil dissensions. But after that date it became a reality, and Norway consequently came into collision with the growing power of the [[kingdom of Scotland]].{{sfnp|Moore|1911|p=537}}
-Early in the 13th century, when [[Ragnald IV of the Isle of Man|Ragnald]] (reigned 1187–1229) paid homage to King [[John of England]] (reigned 1199–1216), we hear for the first time of English intervention in the affairs of Mann.{{sfnp|Moore|1911|p=537}} But a period of Scots domination would precede the establishment of full English control.{{cn|date=June 2025}}
+Early in the 13th century, when [[Ragnald IV of the Isle of Man|Ragnald]] (reigned 1187–1229) paid homage to King [[John of England]] (reigned 1199–1216), we hear for the first time of English intervention in the affairs of Mann.{{sfnp|Moore|1911|p=537}} But a period of Scots domination would precede the establishment of full English control.<ref>https://www.isle-of-man.com/manxnotebook/fulltext/hist1900/ch17.htm</ref>
 Finally, in 1261, [[Alexander III of Scotland]] sent envoys to Norway to negotiate for the cession of the isles, but their efforts led to no result. He therefore initiated a war, which ended in the indecisive [[Battle of Largs]] against the Norwegian fleet in 1263.{{cn|date=June 2025}} However, the Norwegian king [[Haakon IV of Norway|Haakon Haakonsson]] died the following winter, and this allowed King Alexander to bring the war to a successful conclusion.{{cn|date=June 2025}} [[Magnus Olafsson|Magnus Olafsson, King of Mann and the Isles]] (reigned 1252–1265), who had campaigned on the Norwegian side, had to surrender all the islands over which he had ruled, except Mann, for which he did [[homage (feudal)|homage]]. Two years later Magnus died and in 1266 King [[Magnus VI of Norway]] ceded the islands, including Mann, to Scotland in the [[Treaty of Perth]] in consideration of the sum of 4,000 [[Mark (money)|marks]] (known as {{lang|sco|merks}} in Scotland) and an [[annuity]] of 100 marks. But Scotland's rule over Mann did not become firmly established until 1275, when the Manx suffered defeat in the decisive [[Battle of Ronaldsway]], near [[Castletown, Isle of Man|Castletown]].{{sfnp|Moore|1911|pp=537–538}}
 ===English dominance===
-In 1290 King [[Edward I of England]] sent [[Walter de Huntercombe, 1st Baron Huntercombe|Walter de Huntercombe]] to seize possession of Mann, and it remained in English hands until 1313, when [[Robert I of Scotland|Robert Bruce]] took it after besieging [[Castle Rushen]] for five weeks. In about 1333 King [[Edward III of England]] granted Mann to [[William Montacute, 1st Earl of Salisbury|William de Montacute]], 3rd [[Baron]] Montacute (later the 1st [[Earl of Salisbury]]), as his absolute possession, without reserving any service to be rendered to him.{{sfnp|Moore|1911|p=538}}
+In 1290 King [[Edward I of England]] sent [[Walter de Huntercombe, 1st Baron Huntercombe|Walter de Huntercombe]] to seize possession of Mann, and it remained in English hands until 1313, when [[Robert I of Scotland|Robert Bruce]] took it after besieging [[Castle Rushen]] for five weeks. In about 1333 King [[Edward III|Edward III of England]] granted Mann to [[William Montacute, 1st Earl of Salisbury|William de Montacute]], 3rd [[Baron]] Montacute (later the 1st [[Earl of Salisbury]]), as his absolute possession, without reserving any service to be rendered to him.{{sfnp|Moore|1911|p=538}}
-Then, in 1346, the [[Battle of Neville's Cross]] decided the long struggle between England and Scotland in England's favour.{{sfnp|Moore|1911|p=538}} King [[David II of Scotland]], Robert Bruce's last male heir, had been captured in the Battle of Neville's Cross and ransomed; however, when Scotland was unable to raise one of the ransom instalments, David made a secret agreement with King [[Edward III of England]] to cancel it, in return for transferring the Scottish kingdom to an English prince.{{cn|date=June 2025}}
+Then, in 1346, the [[Battle of Neville's Cross]] decided the long struggle between England and Scotland in England's favour.{{sfnp|Moore|1911|p=538}} King [[David II of Scotland]], Robert Bruce's last male heir, had been captured in the Battle of Neville's Cross and ransomed; however, when Scotland was unable to raise one of the ransom instalments, David made a secret agreement with King [[Edward III|Edward III of England]] to cancel it, in return for transferring the Scottish kingdom to an English prince.{{cn|date=June 2025}}
 Following the secret agreement, there followed a confused period when Mann sometimes experienced English rule and sometimes Scottish. In 1388 the island was "ravaged" by [[Sir William Douglas of Nithsdale]] on his way home from the destruction of the town of [[Carlingford, County Louth|Carlingford]].<ref>{{cite book |chapter-url=https://archive.org/stream/douglasbook01fras#page/899/mode/2up |last=Fraser |first=William |author-link=William Fraser (historian) |date=1885 |title=The Douglas Book, Vol.I |chapter=Sir William Douglas, Lord of Nithsdale |location=Edinburgh |publisher=T. & A. Constable Ltd |page=356}}</ref>
@@ Line 78: / Line 77: @@
 ===Wars of the Three Kingdoms and Interregnum; 1642 to 1660===
 [[File:James Stanley, 7th Earl of Derby by Sir Anthony Van Dyck.jpg|thumb|right|upright=0.8|[[James Stanley, 7th Earl of Derby]]]]
-Shortly after the [[Wars of the Three Kingdoms]] began in June 1643, [[James Stanley, 7th Earl of Derby]] returned to Mann to find the island on the brink of rebellion. Among the causes were complaints at the level of [[tithes]] payable to the [[Church of England]], and Derby's attempts to replace the Manx ‘tenure of straw’ by which many of his tenants held their lands, a customary tenure akin to freehold, with commercial leases. He managed to restore the situation through a series of meetings, but made minimal concessions.{{sfnp|Coward|2004}}
+In June 1643, shortly after the beginning of the [[Wars of the Three Kingdoms]], [[James Stanley, 7th Earl of Derby]], returned to Mann to find the island on the brink of rebellion. Among the causes were complaints at the level of [[tithes]] payable to the [[Church of England]], and Derby's attempts to replace the Manx ‘tenure of straw’ by which many of his tenants held their lands, a customary tenure akin to freehold, with commercial leases. He managed to restore the situation through a series of meetings, but made minimal concessions.{{sfnp|Coward|2004}}
 Six months after [[Charles I of England|Charles I]] was executed on 30 January 1649, Derby received a summons from [[Henry Ireton|General Ireton]] to surrender the island, but declined to do so. In August 1651, he and 300 Manxmen landed in Lancashire to take part in the [[Third English Civil War]]; defeated at [[Battle of Wigan Lane|Wigan Lane]] on 25 August 1651, Derby escaped with only 30 troops to join [[Charles II of England|Charles II]]. Captured after the [[Battle of Worcester]] in September, he was imprisoned in [[Chester Castle]], tried by [[court-martial]] and executed at [[Bolton]] on 15 October.{{sfnp|Coward|2004}}
@@ Line 91: / Line 90: @@
 Charles Stanley's next act was to dispute the permanency of the tenants' holdings, which they had not at first regarded as being affected by the acceptance of leases, a proceeding which led to an almost open rebellion against his authority and to the neglect of agriculture, in lieu of which the people devoted themselves to the fisheries and to contraband trade.{{sfnp|Moore|1911|p=538}}
-Charles Stanley, who died in 1672, was succeeded first by his son William Richard George Stanley, 9th Earl of Derby until his death in 1702. <ref>{{cite book |last=Cokayne |first=George |last2=Gibbs |first2=Vicary |date=1910 |title=The complete peerage of England, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain and the United Kingdom, extant, extinct, or dormant |volume=4 |url=https://www.familysearch.org/en/search/catalog/271412 |location=London, England |publisher=St. Catherine Press |page=215 |isbn= |access-date=}}</ref>
+Charles Stanley, who died in 1672, was succeeded first by his son William Richard George Stanley, 9th Earl of Derby until his death in 1702.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Cokayne |first1=George |last2=Gibbs |first2=Vicary |date=1910 |title=The complete peerage of England, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain and the United Kingdom, extant, extinct, or dormant |volume=4 |url=https://www.familysearch.org/en/search/catalog/271412 |location=London, England |publisher=St. Catherine Press |page=215 |isbn= |access-date=}}</ref>
-The agrarian question subsided only in 1704, when [[James Stanley, 10th Earl of Derby]], William's brother and successor, largely through the influence of [[Thomas Wilson (bishop)|Bishop Wilson]], entered into a compact with his tenants, which became embodied in an Act, called the [[Act of Settlement 1704|Act of Settlement]]. Their compact secured the tenants in the possession of their estates in perpetuity subject only to a fixed rent, and a small fine on succession or [[Alienation (property law)|alienation]]. From the great importance of this act to the Manx people it has been called their ''[[Magna Carta]]''. As time went on, and the value of the estates increased, the rent payable to the Lord became so small in proportion as to be almost nominal,{{sfnp|Moore|1911|p=538}} being extinguished by purchase in 1916.{{cn|date=June 2025}}
+The agrarian question subsided only in 1704, when [[James Stanley, 10th Earl of Derby]], William's brother and successor, largely through the influence of [[Thomas Wilson (bishop)|Bishop Wilson]], entered into a compact with his tenants, which became embodied in an Act, called the [[Act of Settlement 1704|Act of Settlement]]. Their compact secured the tenants in the possession of their estates in perpetuity subject only to a fixed rent, and a small fine on succession or [[Alienation (property law)|alienation]]. From the great importance of this act to the Manx people it has been called their ''[[Magna Carta]]''. As time went on, and the value of the estates increased, the rent payable to the Lord became so small in proportion as to be almost nominal,{{sfnp|Moore|1911|p=538}} being extinguished by purchase in 1916.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Act of Settlement and the Extinction of Lord's Rents |url=https://www.imuseum.im/search/all/search?q=Act+of+Settlement |website=iMuseum |publisher=Manx National Heritage |access-date=May 28, 2026}}</ref>
 ===Revestment===
@@ Line 108: / Line 107: @@
 The Isle of Man was a base for alien civilian [[internment]] camps in both the [[First World War]] (1914–18) and the [[Second World War]] (1939–45).{{cn|date=June 2025}} During the First World War there were two camps: one a requisitioned holiday camp in [[Douglas, Isle of Man|Douglas]] and the other the purpose-built [[Knockaloe internment camp|Knockaloe camp]] near [[Peel, Isle of Man|Peel]] in the parish of [[Patrick (parish)|Patrick]]. During the Second World War there were a number of smaller camps in Douglas, Peel, [[Port Erin]] and [[Ramsey, Isle of Man|Ramsey]].{{cn|date=June 2025}} The (now disbanded) [[Manx Regiment]] was raised in 1938 and saw action during the Second World War.{{cn|date=June 2025}}
-On 2 August 1973, a [[Summerland disaster|flash fire killed between 50 and 53 people]] at the Summerland amusement centre in [[Douglas, Isle of Man|Douglas]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/august/2/newsid_2526000/2526967.stm |title=On This Day: 2 August 1973: Dozens die in resort fire |date=2008 |website=BBC News}}</ref>
+On 2 August 1973, a [[Summerland disaster|flash fire killed between 50 and 53 people]] at the Summerland amusement centre in [[Douglas, Isle of Man|Douglas]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/august/2/newsid_2526000/2526967.stm |title=On This Day: 2 August 1973: Dozens die in resort fire |date=2008 |website=BBC News}}</ref>
 ===Greater autonomy===
 The early 20th century saw a revival of music and dance, and a limited revival of the [[Manx language]] – although the last "native" speaker of Manx Gaelic died in the 1970s. In July 1947 the [[Taoiseach]] of the Republic of Ireland, [[Éamon de Valera]], visited, and was so dissatisfied with the lack of support for Manx that he immediately had two recording vans sent over.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://culturevannin.im/news/recording-the-manx-484667/ |title=Recording the Manx |date=10 July 2017 |website=Culture Vannin}}</ref>
-During the 20th century the Manx tourist economy declined, as the English and Irish started flying to [[Spain]] for [[package holiday]]s. The Manx Government responded to this by successfully promoting the island, with its low tax rates, as an offshore financial centre,<ref>{{cite book |author=International Monetary Fund |date=2009 |title=Isle of Man: Financial Sector Assessment Program Update: Detailed Assessment of Observance of the Insurance Core Principles |publisher=IMF |isbn=978-1-45198-665-5}} {{ISBN|1451986653}}</ref> although Man has avoided a place on a 2009 UK [[blacklist]] of tax havens.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/isle_of_man/8030546.stm |title=UK praises Manx tax list status |date=2 May 2009 |website=BBC News}}</ref> The financial centre has had its detractors who have pointed to the potential for [[money laundering]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1999/09/24/business/international-business-undercurrents-safe-harbor-isle-man-corporations-enclave.html?sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all |title=International Business: Undercurrents at a Safe Harbor; Isle of Man (and Corporations) Is an Enclave of Intrigue |last1=Cowell |first1=Alan |last2=Andrews |first2=Edmund L. |name-list-style=amp |date=September 24, 1999 |newspaper=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref>
+During the 20th century the Manx tourist economy declined, as the English and Irish started flying to [[Spain]] for [[package holiday]]s. The Manx Government responded to this by successfully promoting the island, with its low tax rates, as an offshore financial centre,<ref>{{cite book |author=International Monetary Fund |date=2009 |title=Isle of Man: Financial Sector Assessment Program Update: Detailed Assessment of Observance of the Insurance Core Principles |publisher=IMF |isbn=978-1-45198-665-5}} {{ISBN|1451986653}}</ref> although Man has avoided a place on a 2009 UK [[blacklist]] of tax havens.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/isle_of_man/8030546.stm |title=UK praises Manx tax list status |date=2 May 2009 |website=BBC News}}</ref> The financial centre has had its detractors who have pointed to the potential for [[money laundering]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1999/09/24/business/international-business-undercurrents-safe-harbor-isle-man-corporations-enclave.html?sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all |title=International Business: Undercurrents at a Safe Harbor; Isle of Man (and Corporations) Is an Enclave of Intrigue |last1=Cowell |first1=Alan |last2=Andrews |first2=Edmund L. |name-list-style=amp |date=September 24, 1999 |newspaper=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref>
 In 1949 an [[Executive Council of the Isle of Man|Executive Council]], chaired by the [[Lieutenant Governor of the Isle of Man|Lieutenant-Governor]] and including members of [[Tynwald]], was established. This marked the start of a transfer of executive power from the unelected Lieutenant-Governor to democratically elected Manx politicians. Finance and the police passed to Manx control between 1958 and 1976.<ref>Finance Act, 1958, Finance Act, 1962, Police (Isle of Man) Act, 1962, Governor's Financial and Judicial Functions (Transfer) Act, 1976: ''Statutes of the Isle of Man''.</ref> In 1980 a chairman elected by Tynwald replaced the Lieutenant-Governor as Chairman of the Executive Council.<ref>Constitution (Executive Council) (Amendment) Act, 1980.</ref> Following legislation in 1984, the Executive Council was reconstituted in 1985 to include the chairmen of the eight principal Boards;<ref>Constitution (Executive Council) Act, 1984.</ref> in 1986 they were given the title of Minister and the chairman was re-titled "Chief Minister".<ref>Constitution (Executive Council) (Amendment) Act, 1986.</ref> In 1986 [[Miles Walker|Sir Miles Walker CBE]] became the first [[Chief Minister of the Isle of Man]]. In 1990 the Executive Council was renamed the "Council of Ministers".<ref>Council of Ministers Act, 1990.</ref>
@@ Line 119: / Line 118: @@
 The 1960s also saw a rise in [[Manx nationalism]], spawning the parties [[Mec Vannin]] and the [[Manx National Party]], as well as the now defunct {{lang|gv|Fo Halloo}} (literally "Underground"), which mounted a direct-action campaign of spray-painting and attempted house-burning.{{cn|date=June 2025}}
-On 5 July 1973 control of the postal service passed from the UK [[General Post Office]] to the new [[Isle of Man Post]], which began to issue its own [[postage stamp]]s.{{cn|date=June 2025}}
+On 5 July 1973 control of the postal service passed from the UK [[General Post Office]] to the new [[Isle of Man Post]], which began to issue its own [[postage stamp]]s.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Isle of Man Post Office 50th Anniversary Stamp Collection - Isle of Man Post Office |url=https://www.iompost.com/media-centre/isle-of-man-stamps-coins-imagery/2023-collections/isle-of-man-post-office-50th-anniversary-stamp-collection/ |access-date=2026-05-02 |website=www.iompost.com}}</ref>
 The 1990s and early 21st century have seen a greater recognition of indigenous [[Manx culture]], including the opening of the first Manx-language primary school.<ref>{{cite book |last=Sallabank |first=Julia |editor1-last=Austin |editor1-first=Peter K. |editor2-last=Sallabank |editor2-first=Julia |name-list-style=amp |date=2011 |title=The Cambridge Handbook of Endangered Languages |chapter=Language Policy for Endangered Languages |publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]] |pages=288–290 |isbn=978-1-13950-083-8}}</ref>
-Since 1983 the Isle of Man government has designated more than 250 historic structures as [[Registered Buildings of the Isle of Man]].{{cn|date=June 2025}}
+Since 1983 the Isle of Man government has designated more than 250 historic structures as [[Registered Buildings of the Isle of Man]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Request Rejected |url=https://pabc.gov.im/rbc/registered-buildings-and-conservation/protected-buildings-register/ |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260104081051/https://pabc.gov.im/rbc/registered-buildings-and-conservation/protected-buildings-register/ |archive-date=2026-01-04 |access-date=2026-03-14 |website=pabc.gov.im}}</ref>
 ==See also==
@@ Line 129: / Line 128: @@
 * [[King of Mann]] (1164–1504)
-* [[List of concentration and internment camps#Isle of Man|Internment camps in the Isle of Man]]
+* {{section link|List of concentration and internment camps|Isle of Man}}
 * [[Extinct animals from the Isle of Man]]
 * [[Registered Buildings of the Isle of Man]]

History of the Isle of Man: Difference between revisions

Navigation menu

Search