26 HISTORY OF THE OUTER HEBRIDES. 



who, with his two brothers, took possession of Man, 

 massacred Olave's adherents, and divided the island 

 among their own followers. From this state of anarchy, 

 deliverance came by means of Godred, Olave's son, who ' 

 was called from the Court of Norway by the chiefs of 

 the Hebrides and his maternal grandfather, the lord of 

 Galloway, to take possession of his inheritance. The 

 usurpers were deposed and punished, and Godred com- 

 menced his career with everything in his favour. 



Godred's influence and power gradually increased, and 

 with them, his vanity. He began to be overbearing in his 

 manner and despotic in his rule. He made enemies of 

 some of his most powerful supporters in Man, by turning 

 them out of their estates, and he estranged the affection 

 of the common people by the harshness of his rule. A 

 spirit of deep discontent was the inevitable result, and 

 his enemies, headed by Thorfinn son of Ottar, an old 

 competitor of Godred for the throne of Dublin, carefully 

 fanned the flame of resentment. In order to enlist the 

 sympathy and the active assistance of Somerled of 

 Argyll, Thorfinn paid a visit to that ambitious chief. By 

 a cunning appeal to Somerled's cupidity, he induced him 

 to support the conspiracy against Godred. The fatuous 

 policy pursued by the latter gave a handle to his enemies, 

 which they were not slow to seize ; the toils were now 

 gradually closing around him. Somerled appears to have 

 already been in possession of Bute and Arran. Dr. Skene 

 states that these islands were conquered by David I. of 

 Scotland in 1135, and were added to the dominions 

 of Somerled, who, according to the seanachies, had 

 previously expelled the Norwegians from Morvern, Locha- 

 ber, and Argyll. Once Somerled had obtained a footing 

 in the Isles, he determined that the whole of the Hebrides 

 should be his. But he lacked the power to defy the King 

 of the Isles, and had to bide his time. His marriage 

 with Ragnhilda, daughter of Olave the Red, was a part of 

 the diplomatic means by which he sought to strengthen 

 his preparations. But his ambition in another direction 



