page_title: Aonghus mac Somhairle
section_title: Attestations and extirpation
hierarchical_section_title: Aonghus mac Somhairle / Attestations and extirpation
caption_attribution_description: English: Photograph of the seal of Alan fitz Walter, Steward of Scotland (died 1204).
context_page_description: Aonghus mac Somhairle was a leading member of Clann Somhairle. He was a son of Somhairle mac Giolla Brighde, King of the Isles and Ragnhildr Óláfsdóttir. Other sons of Somhairle and Ragnhildr include Dubhghall, Raghnall, and possibly Amhlaoíbh. Aonghus' father was the common ancestor of Clann Somhairle. The succession of this kindred upon Somhairle's death is uncertain. The Clann Somhairle imperium appears to have spanned from Glenelg in the north, to the Mull of Kintyre in the south. It is possible that Aonghus came to rule in the north, with Dubhghall centred in Lorne, and Raghnall in Kintyre and the southern islands.
  Although one mediaeval chronicle appears to indicate that Dubhghall succeeded Somhairle, Raghnall eventually gained dominance, perhaps at Dubhghall's expense. In time, Raghnall and Aonghus came into conflict, and Aonghus is recorded to have defeated Raghnall outright in 1192. The fact that Raghnall does not appear on record after this event could mark his downfall and death. In 1209, Raghnall's sons are recorded to have defeated the men of Skye, and the following year Aonghus and his sons are reported to have been slain on the same island.
context_section_description: As with Dubhghall, the year and circumstances of Raghnall's death are uncertain as surviving contemporary sources fail to mark his demise. In 1192, the Chronicle of Mann records that he was defeated by Aonghus in a particularly bloody battle. The chronicle does not identify the location of the battle, or elaborate under what circumstances it was fought. Nevertheless, it is possible that the conflict took place in the northern part of the Clann Somhairle domain where some of Aonghus' territories may have lain. Whilst the clash between Raghnall and Aonghus could have been result of Raghnall's rise in power and expansion at Dubhghall's expense, the encounter could also mark Raghnall's downfall, and perhaps even his death.
  There is reason to suspect that the inter-dynastic infighting amongst Clann Somhairle was capitalised upon by the ambitious neighbouring kindred of Walter fitz Alan, Steward of Scotland. At some an uncertain date, Raghnall is known to have made a grant to the Cluniac priory of Paisley. This religious house—which in time became an abbey—was closely associated with Walter's family.
  Since Raghnall's grant appears to postdate the clash between him and Aonghus, it could be evidence of an attempt by Raghnall—who may have been seriously weakened from his defeat—to secure an alliance with Walter's son and successor, Alan fitz Walter, Steward of Scotland. Earlier in the century, the steward's family had accumulated substantial lordships near Renfrew and in northern Kyle. Possibly before Walter's death in 1177, or perhaps during the tenure of his succeeding son, the family seems to have extended its influence westward into Cowal, and beyond the frontier of the Scottish realm into the islands of the Firth of Clyde.
  The fact that Bute seems to have fallen into the hands of this kindred by about 1200 could indicate that Alan capitalised upon Clann Somhairle's internal discord and thereby seized the island. Alternately, it is also possible that Alan received the island from Raghnall as payment for military support against Aonghus, who seems to have had gained the upper hand over Raghnall by 1192.
  Alan's extension into the west may well have been a cause of concern for William I, King of Scotland. Not only were these islands outwith his own jurisdiction, but they formed part of the Kingdom of the Isles, and were technically within the jurisdiction of the Norwegian commonwealth. It is possible that the alliance between Alan and Raghnall partly precipitated the king's establishment of a royal castle and burgh at Ayr in 1197. This fortress extended Scottish royal authority into the outer Firth of Clyde region, and was probably intended to dominate not only William's peripheral barons, but also independent rulers—such as those of Clann Somhairle and the Crovan dynasty—just beyond the borders of the Scottish realm. Alan's westward expansion appears to have suddenly ceased by about 1200, perhaps partly in consequence of royal anxiety concerning the alliance.
  In 1210, the chronicle reports that Aonghus, and his three sons, were slain in battle on Skye. The year before, the fifteenth- to sixteenth-century Annals of Ulster reports that the sons of Raghnall—apparently Ruaidhrí and Domhnall—defeated the men of Skye with great slaughter. 
  The annal-entry of 1209 and the chronicle account of 1210 appear to reveal that the Clann Somhairle kin-strife was the cause of increasing instability in the Isles. These two sources could well refer to connected events. For instance, they may be evidence that Raghnall's sons were attempting to extend their authority over the island, and it is possible that it was Ruaidhrí and Domhnall who overcame and slew Aonghus and his sons on Skye. This last stand on Skye could indicate that Aonghus had succeeded Raghnall as the representative of Clann Somhairle, and that Raghnall's sons responded by eliminating their uncle and his line. If so, it is possible that Ruaidhrí seized the Clann Somhairle succession after the annihilation of Aonghus' branch of the kindred. These accounts of Hebridean warfare may, th
caption: The seal of Alan fitz Walter, displaying an armed knight on horseback.[33]
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