Óláfr Guðrøðarson (died 1237) (Scottish Gaelic: Amhlaibh Dubh), also known as Olaf the Black, was a thirteenth-century King of the Isles, and a member of the Crovan dynasty.

In what appears to have been a politically motivated maneuver, Óláfr had his marriage declared null by Reginald, Bishop of the Isles, and proceeded to marry Cairistíona, a daughter of Fearchar, Earl of Ross.

[57] There is reason to suspect that the chronicle's otherwise perceptible prejudice against Rǫgnvaldr's branch of the Crovan dynasty, and its apparent bias in favour of Mann over the northernmost reaches of the realm, may also account for its denigrating depiction of Óláfr's allotted lands.

[60] In 1210, Rǫgnvaldr himself appears to have travelled to Norway,[61] as evinced by a version of the thirteenth-century Bǫglunga sǫgur,[62] in a journey that could well have been an attempt to further cement his position in the Isles,[63] and counter Óláfr's claims to the throne, by formally submitting to the Norwegian king.

[108] It is possible that, as a result of the marriage alliance between his family and the Crovan dynasty, Ruaidhrí acknowledged Rǫgnvaldr's kingship, and thereby established himself as a leading magnate within a reunified Kingdom of the Isles.

[109] Since the majority of Ruaidhrí's territories appear to have been mainland possessions, it is very likely that the Scottish Crown regarded this alliance and apparent reunification of the Isles as a threat to its own claims of overlordship of Argyll.

[113] Seemingly by the mid 1220s[114]—at about the time of Cairistíona and Óláfr's marriage—Alexander II, King of Scotland rewarded Fearchar with the Earldom of Ross for meritorious service to the Scottish Crown.

[125] By linking himself with Fearchar, Alexander's leading lieutenant in the north,[126] it would appear that Óláfr recognised a regional shift in power, and therefore attempted to bind himself to a rising star in Scotland,[127] and extract himself from any liability connected to Lauon's kin.

Following what he thought were his father's orders, Guðrøðr Dond gathered a force on Skye[145]—where he was evidently based[146]—and proceeded to Lodhus, where he is reported to have laid waste to most of the island.

[178] In September 1219, Rǫgnvaldr surrendered Mann to the papacy, swore to perform homage for the island, and promised to pay twelve marks sterling in perpetuity as tribute.

Not only did Óláfr clash with Rǫgnvaldr's son in 1223, but Hugh launched a bid to recover his forfeited Earldom of Ulster in the same year, a reclamation that seriously threatened recent Gallovidian expansion in Ireland.

[218][note 17] Other correspondence, possibly dating to about 1224, between Henry and his sister, Joan, Queen of Scotland, reveals that Hákon Hákonarson, King of Norway was rumoured to have been planning a naval expedition west-over-sea.

Although Joan's letter to Henry places this campaign in the context of Hugh's threat to English-aligned interests in Ireland,[223] it may be that Hákon's attention was focused upon the escalating situation in the Isles.

[126][note 18] Also in 1224, the thirteenth-century Hákonar saga Hákonarsonar reports that a certain Gillikristr, Óttar Snækollsson, and many Islesmen, travelled to Norway and presented Hákon with letters pertaining to the needs of their lands.

[260] Although the English Crown technically recognised Óláfr's kingship in correspondence sent to him the year before, the aggressive tone directed at him suggests that the preferred dynast may well have been Rǫgnvaldr at that point in time.

[264] Although the chronicle's description of the attack alludes to Gallovidian involvement, as it states that the expedition originated from Galloway, the fact that Rǫgnvaldr commanded only five ships suggests that this support may have been waning.

[290] The thirteenth-century Hákonar saga Hákonarsonar specifically singles out Alan as one of the principal perpetrators of unrest, describing him as "the greatest warrior", possessing a large force of men and ships with which he plundered throughout the Hebrides.

[314] News of the gathering Norwegian fleet soon reached Alexander II, who appears to have made straight for the western coast, diverting his attention to the now rapidly developing crisis.

[320] It was probably May or June when Óspakr's fleet rounded the Mull of Kintyre, entered the Firth of Clyde, and made landfall on Bute, where his forces successfully stormed and captured a fortress that is almost certainly identical to Rothesay Castle.

[323] By this stage in the campaign, the fleet is stated to have reached a size of eighty ships,[324] a tally which may indicate that Óspakr's fighting-force numbered over three thousand men.

Another nearby religious house, Inch Abbey, founded by Affrica's husband, (Hugh's predecessor in Ulster) John de Courcy, could have also provided the fleet with provisions.

[337][note 31] After the fleet's stay at the Kaupmannaeyjar, the saga relates that it set sail for Mann, where a force of Manxmen led by a certain Þórkell Njálsson[341]—an apparent Islesman who may have been allied to the Gallovidians[342]—briefly resisted the incomers before being dispersed.

The Scots too may have welcomed this outcome, considering the consolidation of the Crovan dynasty after years of chaos, and Óláfr's familial relationship with Fearchar, Alexander's principal northern protégé.

[106] Evidently still an adherent of Óláfr—certainly, the two are reported to have sailed on the same ship on the outset of Óspakr's campaign[308]—Páll's annihilation suggests that Guðrøðr Dond avenged his father's destruction and his own mutilation.

[106] After the campaign of 1230/1231, Alan ceased his policy of aggression against Óláfr,[376] probably on account of Alexander,[377] who afterwards pursued a more measured strategy dealing with the Norse-Gaelic magnates on the northwestern periphery of his realm.

[382] In any case, Alexander afterwards appears to have relied upon Walter fitz Alan II, Steward of Scotland, and the latter's kin, to extend Scottish royal authority into Argyll and the Isles.

[394][note 38] Óláfr's actions in the northern Hebrides could indicate that he was also a patron of the Snizort Cathedral on Skeabost Island,[393] a religious house that first appears on record in the fourteenth century.

[407] The title rex insularum is the equivalent of the Gaelic rí Innsi Gall ("king of the islands of the foreigners") first recorded in 989,[408] a style almost certainly referring to Mann and the Hebrides.

[451] It is possible that Lochlann's foster son is identical to a similarly named individual, a certain "Godredo filio regis Mannie", who attested a quitclaim between Llywelyn ap Gruffudd and Ralph de Mortimer, in about 1241.

[16] If the chronicle is incorrect in its account of the foster-son's maritime demise, and he is indeed identical to the like-named Manx prince attested in Wales, this individual's activities outside the realm of his ancestors may have been a consequence of strife following Óláfr's death and Haraldr's accession.