The story of the Norse Earls of Orkney, whose lands once covered much of Scotland, and whose reach extended as far as Scandinavia, continental Europe and even the Mediterranean. Lords of the Salt Road reveals the dramatic history of the Norse earls of Orkney, who owed their allegiance to the Kings of Norway and ruled their own semi-autonomous empire with lands in mainland Scotland and the Western Isles. At their military height in the 11th century, they held a 400-mile swathe of territory, stretching from Shetland down to the Clyde Estuary. Drawing on contemporary sagas as historical sources, and capturing some of their spellbinding narrative drive, renowned historian and Orkney native Angus Konstam describes how these Norse earls and their followers led Viking raids around the British Isles and even further afield. For over four centuries their warriors and longships battled alongside Scandinavian kings and Norse rebels, and as Norse kingmakers these warlike earls sometimes paid the ultimate price for dabbling in international affairs. They were the key players in Viking Britain. Using a wide range of historical sources such as Celtic-Scottish, Irish, Scandinavian and Anglo-Saxon chronicles, this is a spellbinding tale of love, war, triumph, tragedy, treachery, murder, rebellion and greed.

Autorentext

Angus Konstam

Inhalt

(Subject to confirmation)
I. Prologue
ii. Introduction
iii. Acknowledgements
iv. Chronology
v. A Note on Sources

Part I: The Coming of the Norsemen
Chapter 1: Of Land and People
Chapter 2: Conquest or Settlement
Chapter 3: The Earldom's Origin Myths
Chapter 4: Farmers and Raiders

Part II: The Carving of an Earldom
Chapter 5: Earl Sigurd 'the Mighty'
Chapter 6: Earl Einar 'the One-Eyed'
Chapter 7: The Salt Road
Chapter 8: Earl Sigurd 'the Stout'

Part III: God, Gold and Glory
Chapter 9: Earl Thorfinn 'the Mighty'
Chapter 10: Civil War
Chapter 11: Years of Peace and Plenty
Chapter 12: The Coming of Magnus 'Barefoot'

Part IV: The Rivals
Chapter 13: Battle in the Menai Straits
Chapter 14: Haakon and Magnus
Chapter 15: The Murder of Earl Magnus
Chapter 16: Of Miracles, Martyrs and Saints

Part V: The Renaissance Earl
Chapter 17: Poison and Rebellion
Chapter 18: Rognvald's Invasion
Chapter 19: Earl Rognvald
Chapter 20: The Viking Crusade

Part VI: The Crumbling Earldom
Chapter 21: The War of the Three Earls
Chapter 22: A Tale of Murder and Sainthood
Chapter 23: The Maddadsson Earls
Chapter 24: The Shadow Earls

vi. Postscript
vii. Notes and Bibliography