Statue of St. Magnus on the wall of Nidaros Cathedral.

Saint Magnus, Earl Magnus Erlendsson of Orkney, was the first Earl of Orkney to bear that name, and ruled from 1108 to about 1116 or 1117. Picture of the Nidaros Cathedral in 1857. ... Earl of Orkney - Wikipedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... The Orkney Islands form one of 32 unitary council regions in Scotland, and are a Lieutenancy Area. ... Events May - Battle of Ucles Consecration of Chichester cathedral Saint Magnus becomes the first earl of Orkney In Pistoia, Italy, Cathedral of San Zeno burned to the ground. ... Events Baldwin I of Jerusalem undertakes an invasion of Egypt The modern book of separate pages stitched together is invented in China Construction starts on the Chennkesava temple The Aztecs leave Aztlán searching for the site of what will eventually become Tenochtitlán and later Mexico City Births Deaths... Events May 3 - Merton Priory (Thomas Becket school) consecrated. ...

Born in 1075, Magnus' grandparents Earl Thorfinn and his wife Ingibiorg had two sons; Erlend and Paul. Through Ingibiorg's father Finn Arnesson and his wife, this family was related to the Norwegian Kings Olav II and Harald II. Events Revolt of the Earls. ... Thorfinn Sigurdsson (c. ... Olav II Haraldsson ( 995 – 1030), king from 1015–1028, called during his lifetime the Fat and afterwards known as Saint Olaf, was born in the year in which Olaf Tryggvesson came to Norway. ... Harold II (or Harald II) can refer to several people: Harald II of Norway Harold II of Denmark Harold II of England This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ...

Magnus was the son of Erlend Thorfinnsson, Earl of Orkney, and he first served Magnus III of Norway, who took possession of the islands in 1098, deposing Erlend and his brother, Paul. Paul's son, Haakon Paulsson, then became regent on behalf of the Norwegian prince, Sigurd, who created Haakon earl in 1105. According to the Orkneyinga Saga Magnus had a reputation for piety and gentleness, and blotted his record with the Norwegians by refusing to fight on a Viking raid on Anglesey, Wales, because of his religious convictions, instead staying on board singing psalms. He was obliged to take refuge in Scotland, but returned to Orkney in 1105 and disputed the succession with his cousin Håkon. Having failed to reach an agreement, he sought help from King Eystein II of Norway, who granted him the earldom and he ruled jointly and amicably with Håkon until 1114. Magnus Barefoot (1073-1103), son of Olaf Kyrre, was king of Norway from 1093 until 1103 and King of the Isle of Man from 1095-1102. ... Events First Crusade: end of the siege of Antioch. ... Events Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor deposed by his son, Henry V Tamna kingdom annexed by Korean Goryeo Dynasty. ... The Orkneyinga saga (also called the History of the Earls of Orkney) is an unique historical narrative of the history of the Orkney Islands from their capture by the Norwegian king in the 9th century onwards until about 1200 AD. The saga was written around 1200 AD by an unknown... Anglesey (Welsh: Ynys Môn, pronounced (IPA), roughly unniss mawn), is an island and county at the northwestern extremity of north Wales. ... For an explanation of often confusing terms such as Great Britain, Britain, United Kingdom, England and Wales and England, see British Isles (terminology). ... Psalms (Tehilim תהילים, in Hebrew) is a book of the Hebrew Bible or Tanakh, and of the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. ... Motto: Nemo me impune lacessit (English: No one provokes me with impunity) Scotlands location within Europe Scotlands location within the United Kingdom Languages English, Gaelic, Scots Capital Edinburgh Largest city Glasgow First Minister Jack McConnell Area - Total - % water Ranked 2nd UK 78,782 km² 1. ... Events Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor deposed by his son, Henry V Tamna kingdom annexed by Korean Goryeo Dynasty. ... Øystein Haraldson (died 1157), son of king Harald IV of Norway. ... Events January 7 - Matilda, daughter of Henry I of England, marries Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor Births Deaths Categories: 1114 ...

Their followers fell out, and the two sides met at the Thing (assembly) on Orkney Mainland, ready to do battle. Peace was negotiated and the Earls arranged to meet each other on the island of Egilsay, each bringing only two ships. Magnus arrived on 16 April 1116 (or 1117) with his two ships, but then Håkon treacherously turned up with eight ships. Magnus was captured and offered to go into exile or prison, but an assembly of chieftains insisted that one earl must die. Håkon's standard bearer refused to execute Magnus, and an angry Håkon made his cook Lifolf kill Magnus by striking him on the head with an axe. It was said that Magnus first prayed for the souls of his executioners. Egilsay shown within Orkney Islands Egilsay is one of the Orkney Islands in Scotland, lying east of Rousay. ... April 16 is the 106th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (107th in leap years). ... Events Baldwin I of Jerusalem undertakes an invasion of Egypt The modern book of separate pages stitched together is invented in China Construction starts on the Chennkesava temple The Aztecs leave Aztlán searching for the site of what will eventually become Tenochtitlán and later Mexico City Births Deaths... Events May 3 - Merton Priory (Thomas Becket school) consecrated. ...

Magnus was buried in the Christchurch at Birsay. The rocky area around his grave miraculously became a green field, and there were numerous reports of miraculous happenings and healings. William the Old, Bishop of Orkney, warned that it was "heresy to go about with such tales", then was struck blind at his church and subsequently had his sight restored after praying at the grave of Magnus, not long after visiting Norway (and perhaps meeting Earl Rognvald Kolsson). Birsay is a parish in the North West corner of The Mainland of Orkney. ...

Magnus' nephew, Rognvald Kali Kolsson, laid claim to the Earldom of Orkney, and was advised by his father Kol to promise the islanders to "build a stone minster at Kirkwall" in memory of his uncle the Holy Earl, and this became St Magnus Cathedral, Kirkwall. When the cathedral begun in 1137 was ready for consecration the relics of St Magnus were transferred, and in 1917 a hidden cavity was found in a column, containing a box with bones including a damaged skull. These are held without (much) doubt to be the relics of St Magnus. Location within the British Isles Kirkwall is the largest town and capital of the Orkney Islands, in northern Scotland. ... St Magnus Cathedral, Kirkwall dominates the skyline of Kirkwall, the main town of Orkney, a group of islands off the north coast of Scotland. ... Events Louis VII is crowned King of France. ... 1917 (MCMXVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar (see link for calendar) or a common year starting on Tuesday of the 13-day slower Julian calendar. ...

In the Faroes, the St Magnus Cathedral, Kirkjubøur was built about 1300 at the time of Bishop Erlendur. It is quite sure, that the church was used for services (though it never was finished, or has been destroyed later), for estimated relicts of Saint Magnus were found here in 1905. Kirkjubøur is one of the most important Faroese historical sites and expected to become World Heritage Site. In total there are 21 churches in Europe dedicated to St Magnus. The Faroe Islands (Faroese: Føroyar, meaning Sheep Islands) are a group of islands in the north Atlantic Ocean between Scotland and Iceland. ... Events February 22 - Jubilee of Pope Boniface VIII. March 10 - Wardrobe accounts of King Edward I of Englanddo (aka Edward Longshanks) include a reference to a game called creag being played at the town of Newenden in Kent. ... 1905 (MCMV) was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... Kirkjubøur is the southernmost village on Streymoy, Faroe Islands. ... Site #86: Memphis and its Necropolis, including the Pyramids of Giza (Egypt). ...

Saint Magnus is the subject of the novel "Magnus" by George Mackay Brown, which was published in 1973, and "St Magnus, Earl of Orkney" by John Mooney. There are also two Icelandic sagas of St Magnus' life as well as the account in Orkneyinga saga. In addition to this there are several devotional works in Gaelic and Latin about St Magnus. George Mackay Brown (1921 - 1996), was a poet, author and dramatist. ... 1973 (MCMLXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday. ... John Mooney (b. ... The Norse sagas or Viking sagas (Icelandic: Íslendingasögur), are stories about ancient Scandinavian and Germanic history, about early Viking voyages, about migration to Iceland, and of feuds between Icelandic families. ... The Orkneyinga saga (also called the History of the Earls of Orkney) is an unique historical narrative of the history of the Orkney Islands from their capture by the Norwegian king in the 9th century onwards until about 1200 AD. The saga was written around 1200 AD by an unknown...

External links

• Orkneyjar - St Magnus of Orkney