The rise and fall of the Kingdom of Man - Andrew McDonald

Translator: Servizo de Normalización Lingüística Reviewer: Xusto Rodriguez

On a small island in the middle of the Irish Sea,

Nunha pequena illa no medio do Mar de Irlanda,

fortresses preside over the rugged shores.

as fortalezas presiden as esgrevias costas.

This unlikely location was the birthplace of a medieval empire

Este lugar remoto foi o berce dun imperio medieval

that lasted 200 years, ruled by a dynasty of sea kings.

que durou 200 anos,

gobernado por unha dinastía de reis do mar.

The first of these kings was Godred Crovan,

O primeiro deles foi Godred Crovan,

a notorious warlord descended from Irish and Viking rulers.

un famoso señor da guerra descendente dos monarcas irlandeses e viquingos.

Starting in 1079, Godred consolidated power

A partir de 1079, Godred consolidou o seu poder

over the Isle of Man and the Hebrides,

sobre a Illa de Man e as Hébridas,

a collection of islands off the west coast of Scotland.

un conxunto de illas en fronte da costa de Escocia.

He seized control of important sea routes between the British Isles,

El tomou o control de importantes rutas marítimas entre as Illas Británicas

Scandinavia, and the North Atlantic.

Escandinavia e o Atlántico norte.

A turbulent period followed Godred’s death,

A morte de Godred veu seguida dun período turbulento,

characterised by invasions from Norway and Ireland,

caracterizado por invasións desde Noruega e Irlanda,

and intense feuding between princes.

e intensas disputas entre príncipes.

But his descendants held on to power,

Pero os seus descendentes conservaron o poder,

building coastal fortresses, roving the seaways,

construíndo fortalezas costeiras, patrullando as rutas do mar,

throwing themselves into epic battles,

lanzándose a batallas épicas,

and consolidating control over an impressive maritime kingdom.

e consolidando o control sobre un reino marítimo impresionante.

The inhabitants of this kingdom had both Gaelic and Norse roots,

Os habitantes deste reino tiñan raíces gaélicas e nórdicas,

and many probably spoke both languages.

e probablemente moitos falaban os dous idiomas.

Those on the Isle of Man were known as the Manx people,

Os habitantes da Illa de Man eran coñecidos como manx,

while those in the Hebrides were known as Islanders or People of the Isles.

mentres que aos das Hébridas

chamábanlles “insulares” ou “xente da Illa”.

Though we still don’t know for sure how many there were,

Aínda que non sabemos con certeza cantos eran,

we do know this relatively small group had an outsize impact on the region.

sabemos que este grupo bastante pequeno tivo un forte impacto na rexión.

Perched on cliffs with sweeping views and safe harbors,

Situadas en cantís con extensas vistas e en portos seguros,

seaside fortresses helped the kings control shipping, commerce, and resources.

as fortalezas costeiras axudábanlles a controlar os transportes,

o comercio e os recursos.

The empire commanded vast fleets of Viking-style long ships,

O imperio contaba con grandes frotas de longos barcos de estilo viquingo,

which they used for trading, raiding, and plundering the seas.

que usaban para comerciar, asaltar e saquear os mares.

Observing this prowess, many neighboring rulers sought their aid.

Observando estas proezas, moitos monarcas veciños pedíronlles axuda.

The brothers Rognvald and Olaf each solved neighbors’ maritime woes:

Os irmáns Rongvald e Olaf resolveron os problemas marítimos dos seus veciños:

King Rognvald supplied military assistance to the Scottish king,

O rei Rongvald forneceulle asistencia militar ao rei de Escocia,

and King Olaf’s forces served as a Coast Guard

e as forzas do rei Olaf serviron como gardacostas

at the English King Henry III’s request— for a hefty fee.

do rei Henrique III de Inglaterra a cambio dunha suma considerable.

The sea kings also sparred with their powerful neighbors,

Os reis do mar tamén se enfrontaron cos seus poderosos veciños,

but they had a particularly bitter rivalry with another dynasty in their own isles:

pero tiñan unha particular rivalidade con outra dinastía nas súas propias illas:

a line of rulers in the Hebrides.

a liña dinástica que gobernaba as Hébridas.

In the 1150s, a chieftain of this line, Somerled,

Na década de 1150, un xefe desta liña, Somerled,

defeated the Manx King, his brother-in-law, in a naval battle

derrotou o rei manx, o seu cuñado, nunha batalla naval

and formed a rival Kingdom of the Isles, fracturing the old kingdom.

e formou un reino das Illas rival, fracturando o reino antigo.

This began a century-long rivalry between Somerled’s line,

Aquí comezou unha rivalidade dun século entre a liña de Somerled,

who ruled the southern and central Hebrides,

quen gobernou as Hébridas do sur e do centro,

e os reis da Illa de Man,

and the Manx Kings, who ruled the Isle of Man and northern Hebrides,

que gobernaron a propia Illa e as Hébridas do norte,

to control the seaways.

polo control das vías marítimas.

Family feuds often blossomed into bitter civil wars.

As contendas familiares convertíanse moitas veces en graves guerras civís.

In 1223, King Rognvald sent a letter to his son

En 1233, o Rei Rognvald remitiulle unha carta ao seu fillo

commanding him to murder his uncle Olaf.

ordenándolle matar o seu tío Olaf.

When Olaf discovered the plot, he launched a vicious attack on his nephew,

Cando Olaf descubriu o complot, atacou ferozmente ao seu sobriño,

blinding and mutilating him.

e deixouno cego e mutilado.

After Rognvald’s death several years later,

Despois da morte de Rognvald, varios anos despois,

people realized the letter ordering the attack might have been forged.

descubriuse que a carta que ordenaba o ataque

se cadra fora falsificada.

The Manx kings attempted to resolve disagreements at Tynwald,

Os reis da Illa de Man tentaron resolver os desacordos en Tynwald ,

an open-air parliament centered on a mound,

un parlamento ao ar libre que se realizaba nun outeiro,

where assemblies ruled on matters of justice and other issues.

onde as asembleas lexislaban sobre asuntos de xustiza e outros temas.

Such sites were commonly used in the Viking world

Eses lugares adoitaban usarse no mundo viquingo

for resolving anything from local disputes to matters involving kings.

para resolver calquera tema,

desde disputas locais até asuntos que implicaban os reis.

These meetings didn’t always go smoothly—

Estas reunións non sempre se desenvolvían en paz...

sometimes violence erupted,

ás veces xurdía a violencia,

and in 1237, two rival factions squabbled to the point

e en 1237, dúas faccións rivais pelexáronse ata o extremo

of breaking up the assembly at Tynwald.

de romper a asemblea de Tynwald .

The four-tiered mound at Tynwald survives to this day,

O outeiro de catro socalcos de Tynwald perdura ata a actualidade,

and the modern Manx parliament still holds an annual meeting there.

e o moderno Parlamento de Man aínda celebra unha reunión anual alí.

In 1248, King Harald of Man died in a shipwreck

En 1248, o rei Harald de Man morreu nun naufraxio

and was succeeded by his brother.

e foi sucedido polo seu irmán.

Weeks into the new king’s reign, a rebel knight assassinated him.

Semanas despois do reinado do novo rei, un cabaleiro rebelde asasinouno.

His brother Magnus died in 1265 at Castle Rushen— without an heir.

O seu irmán Magnus morreu en 1265 en Castle Rushen, sen descendencia.

According to one scribe, his death marked the day that

Segundo un escribán, a súa morte marcou o día en que

“kings ceased to reign in Man.”

“os reis deixaron de reinar en Man”.

Scotland annexed Man and the Isles the next year, in 1266.

Escocia anexionou Man e as Hébridas o ano seguinte, en 1266.

We know about the exploits of the sea kings primarily from a chronicle

Coñecemos as fazañas dos reis do mar basicamente por unha crónica

written by Christian scribes living on the Isle of Man,

escrita por escribáns cristiáns que vivían na Illa de Man

and from the praise poems composed to celebrate the kings’ victories.

e polos poemas laudatorios compostos para celebrar as vitorias dos reis.

Today, although the sea kings are long gone,

Hoxe en día, malia que os reis do mar marcharon hai tempo,

their presence remains etched onto the landscape.

a súa presenza perdura gravada na paisaxe.