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

Translator: Iris Parkinson Reviewer: Thomas Tam

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

喺愛爾蘭海中央嘅一個小島上，

fortresses preside over the rugged shores.

一座座堡壘主宰崎嶇嘅海岸。

This unlikely location was the birthplace of a medieval empire

喺呢個估唔到嘅地方 誕生咗一個中世紀嘅帝國。

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

呢個帝國由海上王者統治， 持續咗 200 年。

The first of these kings was Godred Crovan,

首個國王 Godred Crovan

a notorious warlord descended from Irish and Viking rulers.

係個惡名遠播嘅軍閥， 愛爾蘭同維京統治者後裔。

Starting in 1079, Godred consolidated power

從 1079 年起， Godred 鞏固自己嘅權力，

over the Isle of Man and the Hebrides,

喺馬恩島，

以及蘇格蘭西海岸外嘅赫布里底群島。

a collection of islands off the west coast of Scotland.

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

佢掌控住來往大不列顛群島、北歐

Scandinavia, and the North Atlantic.

及北大西洋重要嘅航道。

A turbulent period followed Godred’s death,

Godred 死後一段時間內，

characterised by invasions from Norway and Ireland,

帝國不斷受到挪威同愛爾蘭嘅入侵，

and intense feuding between princes.

諸侯間互相持續激烈爭鬥。

But his descendants held on to power,

但係，佢嘅後人掌權，

building coastal fortresses, roving the seaways,

建造沿海堡壘、穿梭於海道，

throwing themselves into epic battles,

投身喺史詩般嘅戰鬥中，

and consolidating control over an impressive maritime kingdom.

逐漸鞏固對呢個令人矚目嘅 海上王國嘅控制。

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

佢哋嘅居民帶有 蓋爾人同北歐人嘅血統，

and many probably spoke both languages.

好多人仲識講呢兩種語言添。

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

馬恩島上嘅人被叫做馬恩島人，

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

而赫布里底群島嘅人則 被叫做島民或係群島人民。

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

即使唔知有幾多人曾經住喺度，

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

但係我哋知道呢度較小撮人 喺該地區，有超然嘅影響力。

Perched on cliffs with sweeping views and safe harbors,

佢哋棲息喺視野開闊嘅懸崖上、有避風港

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

同海濱堡壘，幫助國王代代 控制航運、商業同資源。

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

帝國指揮著龐大嘅維京式長船艦隊，

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

用嚟喺海上做交易、襲擊同掠奪。

Observing this prowess, many neighboring rulers sought their aid.

許多鄰近統治者睇到呢種實力， 尋求佢哋幫助。

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

Rognvald 同 Olaf 兄弟 各自解決鄰居嘅海上困境：

King Rognvald supplied military assistance to the Scottish king,

Rognvald 國王 為蘇格蘭國王提供軍事協助，

and King Olaf’s forces served as a Coast Guard

而 Olaf 國王軍隊為咗豐厚報酬，

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

為英國王 Henry III 提供海岸警衛服務。

The sea kings also sparred with their powerful neighbors,

眾海王亦會向啲強大鄰居挑釁試探，

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

但佢哋有個難搞嘅死對頭， 係來自群島嘅另一個王朝：

a line of rulers in the Hebrides.

赫布里底群島嘅另一個統治家族。

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

喺 1150 年代，薩默萊德嘅族長

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

喺場海戰中打敗咗自己親戚—— 馬恩人嘅國王，

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

就建立咗一個與群島對峙國家， 對舊王國造成沈重打擊。

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

開始咗長達一個世紀嘅對抗，

薩默萊德家族控制著 赫布里底群島中、南部，

who ruled the southern and central Hebrides,

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

以及馬恩島國王控制著 馬恩島同北赫布里底群島嘅海路。

to control the seaways.

Family feuds often blossomed into bitter civil wars.

家族仇恨通常發展成為激烈嘅內戰。

In 1223, King Rognvald sent a letter to his son

1223 年 Rognvald 去信個仔，

commanding him to murder his uncle Olaf.

命令刺殺佢嘅兄弟 Olaf。

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

Olaf 發現咗個陰謀， 對侄仔發起惡毒嘅攻擊，

blinding and mutilating him.

令侄仔傷殘同失明。

After Rognvald’s death several years later,

Rognvald 死後多年，

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

啲人發現命令佢個仔 刺殺嘅信件可能係偽造。

The Manx kings attempted to resolve disagreements at Tynwald,

馬恩島國王曾嘗試通過議會解除分歧。

an open-air parliament centered on a mound,

以土丘為中心嘅露天議會，

where assemblies ruled on matters of justice and other issues.

立法機構喺度處理 有關法律及其他問題。

Such sites were commonly used in the Viking world

呢種場地喺維京文化度，

for resolving anything from local disputes to matters involving kings.

普遍用嚟處理地方爭端， 及至王家事務。

These meetings didn’t always go smoothly—

會議並非總係順利進行，

sometimes violence erupted,

有時亦有暴力衝突發生。

and in 1237, two rival factions squabbled to the point

1237 年，兩個敵對派系激烈爭吵

of breaking up the assembly at Tynwald.

導致立法機構馬恩島議會支解。

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

該議會嘅四層土丘場地倖存至今，

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

現代嘅馬恩島議會 依然喺嗰度舉辦年度會議。

In 1248, King Harald of Man died in a shipwreck

1248 年，馬恩島國王 Harald 死於海難，

and was succeeded by his brother.

由其兄弟繼位。

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

新國王繼位後幾週 被叛變嘅騎士刺殺死咗。

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

1265 年佢嘅兄弟 Magnus 死於魯申城堡，所以後繼無人。

According to one scribe, his death marked the day that

根據文書記載， 佢離世嘅當天

“kings ceased to reign in Man.”

「馬恩島再無國王統領」。

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

次年，即 1266 年 蘇格蘭吞併咗曼同群島。

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

我哋主要係從編年史度了解海王嘅功績

written by Christian scribes living on the Isle of Man,

由居住喺馬恩島嘅基督教文士所撰寫，

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

再者為慶祝國王勝利而創作嘅讚美詩。

Today, although the sea kings are long gone,

時至今日，經已去世多時嘅海王

佢哋嘅事蹟己刻入咗當地景物中。

their presence remains etched onto the landscape.