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

翻译人员: Shichang Zhang 校对人员: Helen Chang

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

在爱尔兰海中间的一个小岛上，

fortresses preside over the rugged shores.

崎岖的海岸上矗立着堡垒。

This unlikely location was the birthplace of a medieval empire

在这个意想不到的地方 有个中世纪帝国的发源地，

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

持续了 200 年，由海王王朝统治。

The first of these kings was Godred Crovan,

第一个国王是戈德雷·克罗万，

a notorious warlord descended from Irish and Viking rulers.

他是爱尔兰和维京统治者的后裔， 臭名昭著的军阀。

Starting in 1079, Godred consolidated power

从 1079 年开始，戈德雷德巩固了对

over the Isle of Man and the Hebrides,

马恩岛和赫布里底群岛的权力，

a collection of islands off the west coast of Scotland.

赫布里底群岛 是苏格兰西海岸的一系列岛屿。

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

他控制了不列颠群岛、 斯堪的纳维亚半岛

Scandinavia, and the North Atlantic.

和北大西洋之间的重要海上航线。

A turbulent period followed Godred’s death,

戈德雷德死后一段动荡时期，

characterised by invasions from Norway and Ireland,

其特点是来自挪威和爱尔兰的入侵

and intense feuding between princes.

以及王子之间的激烈争斗。

But his descendants held on to power,

但他的后代继续掌权，

building coastal fortresses, roving the seaways,

建造沿海堡垒，在海上航行，

throwing themselves into epic battles,

投身于史诗般的战斗，

and consolidating control over an impressive maritime kingdom.

并巩固了一个令人印象深刻的 海上王国的控制。

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

这个王国的居民有盖尔和挪威两种血统，

and many probably spoke both languages.

许多人可能会说两种语言。

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

马恩岛的人被称为曼克斯人，

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

而赫布里底群岛的人被称为岛民或群岛人。

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

虽然我们仍然不确定有多少人，

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

但我们确实知道这个相对较小的群体 对该地区产生了巨大的影响。

Perched on cliffs with sweeping views and safe harbors,

海滨堡垒栖息在视野开阔的悬崖上， 拥有安全的港口，

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

帮助国王控制航运、商业和资源。

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

帝国指挥着庞大的维京式长船舰队，

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

用于贸易、掠夺和掠夺领海。

Observing this prowess, many neighboring rulers sought their aid.

看到这种威力，许多邻近的统治者 寻求他们的帮助。

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

罗格瓦尔德和奥拉夫兄弟 各自解决了邻国的海上困境：

King Rognvald supplied military assistance to the Scottish king,

罗格瓦尔德国王向苏格兰国王 提供军事援助，

and King Olaf’s forces served as a Coast Guard

奥拉夫国王的部队担任了海岸警卫队

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

应英国国王亨利三世的要求， 收取高额费用。

The sea kings also sparred with their powerful neighbors,

海王们也与他们强大的邻居争吵，

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

但他们与自己岛屿上的另一个王朝 有着特别激烈的竞争：

a line of rulers in the Hebrides.

赫布里底群岛的统治者。

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

在 1150 年代， 这一血统的酋长萨默雷德，

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

在海战中击败了他的姐夫曼克斯国王，

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

组建了一个敌对的群岛王国， 瓦解了旧王国。

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

这开始了长达一个世纪的争夺

在统治赫布里底群岛南部 和中部的萨默雷德家族，

who ruled the southern and central Hebrides,

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

与统治马恩岛和赫布里底群岛北部的 曼克斯国王之间，

to control the seaways.

以控制海道。

Family feuds often blossomed into bitter civil wars.

家庭不和经常演变成激烈的内战。

In 1223, King Rognvald sent a letter to his son

1223年，罗格瓦尔德国王 给他的儿子写了一封信，

commanding him to murder his uncle Olaf.

命令他谋杀他的叔叔奥拉夫。

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

奥拉夫发现这个阴谋后， 对他的侄子发动了恶毒的攻击，

blinding and mutilating him.

使他失明并致残。

After Rognvald’s death several years later,

几年后罗格瓦尔德去世后，

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

人们意识到下令发动袭击的信件 可能是伪造的。

The Manx kings attempted to resolve disagreements at Tynwald,

曼克斯国王试图解决 在廷瓦尔德的分歧，

an open-air parliament centered on a mound,

廷瓦尔德是一个 以土丘为中心的露天集会，

where assemblies ruled on matters of justice and other issues.

议会就司法问题和其他问题进行裁决。

Such sites were commonly used in the Viking world

这些站点在维京世界中通常用于

for resolving anything from local disputes to matters involving kings.

从解决从地方争端

到涉及国王的事务的任何事情。

These meetings didn’t always go smoothly—

这些会议并不总是一帆风顺，

sometimes violence erupted,

有时会爆发暴力事件，

and in 1237, two rival factions squabbled to the point

1237 年，两个敌对派系争吵到

of breaking up the assembly at Tynwald.

瓦解廷瓦尔德集会的地步。

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

Tynwald 的四层土丘一直保存至今，

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

现代的 Manx 议会 仍然在那里举行年会。

In 1248, King Harald of Man died in a shipwreck

1248年，人类国王哈拉尔死于海难，

and was succeeded by his brother.

其弟继位。

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

新国王在位数周后， 一名叛乱骑士暗杀了他。

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

他的兄弟马格努斯于 1265 年 在鲁申城堡去世，没有继承人。

According to one scribe, his death marked the day that

据一位文士说，他的死的那一天标志着

“kings ceased to reign in Man.”

“君王不再统治人类”。

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

苏格兰于次年，1266 年， 吞并了马恩和群岛。

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

我们主要从编年史

written by Christian scribes living on the Isle of Man,

居住在马恩岛的基督教文士所写的，

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

以及为庆祝国王的胜利而创作的 赞美诗中了解海王的功绩。

Today, although the sea kings are long gone,

今天，虽然海王早已不复存在，

their presence remains etched onto the landscape.

但他们的存在仍然铭刻在风景上。