Although the latter may have intended for his younger son, Óláfr, to succeed to the kingship, the Islesmen instead settled upon Rǫgnvaldr, who went on to rule the Kingdom of the Isles for almost forty years.

The bitterly disputed royal succession divided the Crovan dynasty for three generations, and played a central role in Guðrøðr's recorded life.

[24] Guðrøðr's mother was Rǫgnvaldr's wife,[25] a woman who is styled Queen of the Isles by the thirteenth- to fourteenth-century Chronicle of Mann.

[38] When Guðrøðr Óláfsson died in 1187, the chronicle reports that he left instructions for Óláfr to succeed to the kingship since the latter had been born "in lawful wedlock".

[43] At some point after assuming control of the kingdom, the chronicle reports that Rǫgnvaldr gave Óláfr possession of a certain island called "Lodhus".

The following year, the same source makes note of "warfare" in the Isles, and specifies that the holy island of Iona was pillaged.

[60][note 4] Their submission appears to have been undertaken in the context facing the strengthening position of the Norwegian Crown following the settlement between the Birkibeinar and Baglar,[64] and the simultaneous weakening of the Crovan dynasty due to internal infighting.

[74] Once freed from his arranged marriage, Óláfr proceeded to marry Cairistíona, daughter of Fearchar mac an tSagairt,[75] a man closely aligned with Alexander II, King of Scotland.

Following what he thought were his father's orders, Guðrøðr gathered a force on Skye[88]—where he was evidently based[89][note 7]—and proceeded to Lodhus, where he is reported to have laid waste to most of the island.

[110][note 10] The mutilation and killing of high-status kinsmen during power struggles was not an unknown phenomenon in the peripheral regions of the British Isles during the High Middle Ages.

[119] In 1224, the year following Guðrøðr's defeat, the chronicle reveals that Óláfr took hostages from the leading men of the Hebridean portion of the realm, and confronted Rǫgnvaldr on Mann directly.

[121][note 12] With Óláfr's rise at Rǫgnvaldr expense, the latter turned to Alan fitz Roland, Lord of Galloway,[125] one of Scotland's most powerful magnates.

[126] Whilst the pair are elsewhere stated to have campaigned in the Hebrides,[127] the chronicle recounts that their operations came to nought because the Manx were unwilling to battle against Óláfr and the Hebrideans.

[128] A short time later, perhaps in about 1225 or 1226, the chronicle reveals that Rǫgnvaldr oversaw the marriage of a daughter of his to Alan's young illegitimate son, Thomas.

[132] The recorded resentment of the union could indicate that Alan's son was intended to eventually succeed Rǫgnvaldr,[133] who had reigned for almost forty years and was perhaps about sixty years-old at the time,[134] and whose grandchildren were presumably still very young.

[118] In fact, it is possible that, in light of Rǫgnvaldr's advanced age and Guðrøðr's maiming, a significant number of the Islesmen regarded Óláfr as the rightful heir.

[143] Suffering serious setbacks at the hands of his opponents, Óláfr reached out for English assistance against his half-brother,[144] and eventually regained possession of the island.

[156] Although Óláfr arrived at the Norwegian court early in 1230, having been forced from the Isles by Alan and his allies, it is evident that Hákon had already decided upon a course of action.

[161][note 14] According to saga, Hákon not only granted Óspakr the kingship, but also gave him command of the Norwegian fleet tasked with restoring peace in the Isles.

[170] Within days of Óláfr's arrival in Norway, the saga reveals that Óspakr's fleet set sail for the Isles, and swelled in number after reaching Orkney.

[177] 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.

[180] 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.

[183] By this stage in the campaign, the fleet is stated to have reached a size of eighty ships,[184] a tally which may indicate that Óspakr's fighting force numbered over three thousand men.

Although Óláfr succeeded in being reinstated as king after overwhelming some initial opposition, he was nevertheless forced to partition the realm with Guðrøðr, who took up kingship in the Hebrides.

[198] If correct, the fleet's primary design would appear to have been the procurement of Óspakr's domain, whilst a secondary objective—adopted very late in the campaign—seems to have been the restoration of Óláfr on Mann.

[204] Upon the homeward return of the Norwegians, the saga declares that Hákon's "honours had been won" as a result of the expedition, and that he himself heartily thanked the men for their service.

[210] The context of Guðrøðr's final fall suggests that, despite his injuries and impairment, he was able to swiftly assert his authority and eliminate Páll.

[211] Although the Norwegians' presence may have temporarily constrained the implacable animosities of the Islesmen, the fleet's departure appears to have been the catalyst of renewed conflict.

[118] Evidently still an adherent of Óláfr—certainly, the two are reported to have sailed on the same ship at the outset of Óspakr's campaign[212]—Páll's annihilation suggests that Guðrøðr avenged his father's destruction and his own mutilation.