21/03/2016
Tha sinn a' faighinn a-mach mun smachd a bh'aig na Lochlannaich air na h-Eileanan an Iar anns an litir bheag na seachdain aig Ruaraidh MacIllEathain. A letter for learners.
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Corresponding Litir
Litir do Luchd-ionnsachaidh 871
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An Litir Bheag 567
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An Litir Bheag 567
O chionn seachd ceud gu leth bliadhna, ann an d脿 cheud dheug, seasgad 鈥檚 a sia (1266), chaidh ainmean a chur ri Co-ch貌rdadh Pheairt. Reic na Nirribhich na d霉thchannan Lochlannach aca ann an Alba do chr霉n na h-Alba. Ach a-mh脿in Arcaibh is Sealtainn.
Mura b鈥� e sin, 鈥檚 d貌cha nach biodh muinntir nan Eilean Siar a鈥� bruidhinn G脿idhlig an-diugh. C貌 aige tha fios.
Bha eileanan taobh an iar na h-Alba fo smachd nan Lochlannach fad 霉ine. Chaidh sin aithneachadh gu h-oifigeil le R矛gh na h-Alba aig deireadh an aonamh linn deug. Ach cha robh r矛ghrean is uaislean na h-Alba toilichte mu dheidhinn. Ann am meadhan an treas linn deug, dh鈥檌arr iad air na Lochlannaich na h-eileanan a reic dhaibh. Aig an 脿m sin, b鈥� e Alasdair II R矛gh na h-Alba agus H氓kon IV R矛gh Nirribidh. Cha robh H氓kon de貌nach na h-eileanan a reic.
Fhuair mac Alasdair, Alasdair III, smachd air r矛gh-chathair na h-Alba ann an d脿 cheud dheug, seasgad 鈥檚 a dh脿 (1262). Chuir e brath gu H氓kon, ag innse dha 鈥� mura reiceadh e na h-eileanan do dh鈥橝lba 鈥� gun gabhadh na h-Albannaich smachd orra le ainneart.
Cha robh H氓kon a鈥� dol a ghabhail ri sin. Chuir e cabhlach m貌r ri ch猫ile. Chuir ceud is fichead soitheach gu muir anns an Iuchar d脿 cheud dheug, seasgad 鈥檚 a tr矛 (1263).
Stad H氓kon ann an Arainn. Th貌isich c貌mhraidhean eadar an d脿 thaobh. Rinn Alasdair cinnteach gun robh d脿il ann. Bhiodh stoirmean a鈥� t貌iseachadh as t-fhoghar. Agus, anns an D脿mhair, fhuair cuid de shoithichean Nirribhidh ann an staing ann an droch sh矛de. Bha sin aig an Leargaidh Ghallta.
Chaidh buidheann Lochlannach air t矛r. Bha na h-Albannaich a鈥� feitheamh riutha. Bha cath ann. Cha do bhuannaich taobh seach taobh. Ach bha e follaiseach do na Nirribhich gun robh droch sh矛de a鈥� gheamhraidh a鈥� tighinn. Rinn iad air Arcaibh airson a鈥� gheamhraidh. Agus chaochail H氓kon an sin.
Cha robh an ath r矛gh, Manus VI, cho misneachail ri H氓kon. Dh鈥檃ontaich e na d霉thchannan aige a reic do dh鈥橝lba airson s霉im de cheithir m矛le marg, agus ceud marg a bharrachd gach bliadhna. Chaidh sin aontachadh ann am Peairt, tr矛 bliadhna an d猫idh Cath na Leargaidh Ghallta.
The Little Letter 567
Seven hundred and fifty years ago, in 1266, names were put to the Treaty of Perth. The Norwegians sold their Norse lands in Scotland to the Scottish crown. Except for Orkney and Shetland.
If it hadn鈥檛 been for that, perhaps the people of the Western Isles wouldn鈥檛 be speaking Gaelic today. Who knows.
The islands on the western side of Scotland were under Norse control for a good period. That was recognised officially by the King of Scotland at the end of the 11th century. But the kings and nobles of Scotland weren鈥檛 pleased about it. In the middle of the 13th century, they asked the Norse to sell them the islands. At the time, Alexander II was King of Scotland and H氓kon IV was King of Norway. H氓kon wasn鈥檛 willing to sell the islands.
Alexander鈥檚 son, Alexander III, took control of the throne in 1262. He sent a message to H氓kon, telling him 鈥� if he didn鈥檛 sell the islands to Scotland 鈥� that the Scots would take control of them by force.
H氓kon wasn鈥檛 going to accept that. He created a big fleet. One hundred and twenty ships put to sea in July 1263.
H氓kon stopped on Arran. Talks began between the two sides. Alexander made sure there was a delay. Storms would begin in autumn. And, in October, some of the Norwegian vessels got into difficulty in bad weather. That was at Largs.
A Norse group went ashore. The Scots were waiting for them. There was a battle. Neither side prevailed. But it was obvious to the Norwegians that the bad weather of winter was coming. They made for Orkney for the winter. And H氓kon died there.
The next king, Magnus VI, wasn鈥檛 as bold as H氓kon. He agreed to sell his lands to Scotland for the sum of four thousand merks, and an additional hundred merks every year. That was agreed in Perth, three years after the Battle of Largs. 聽
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All the letters
Tha gach Litir Bheag an seo / All the Little Letters are here.
Podcast: An Litir Bheag
The Little Letter for Gaelic Learners
An Litir Bheag air LearnGaelic
An Litir Bheag is also on LearnGaelic (with PDFs)
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An Litir Bheag
Litirichean do luchd-ionnsachaidh ura. Letters in Gaelic for beginners.
