BattlefieldsNorse Raid on Lismore c.840
Early Medieval

Norse Raid on Lismore c.840

840
Scotland
Era
Early Medieval
Battle Type
Pitched Battle
Location
Scotland
Status
Unregistered
The Combatants

Who Fought

Defeated
Lismore monastic community
Forces
Lismore monastic community
VS
Victor
Norse raiders
Forces
Norse raiding fleet
Outcome
Lismore cathedral community raided and partially dispersed; ecclesiastical treasures taken; Norse demonstrated ability to penetrate deep into the inner sea-lochs of Argyll.
The Battle

History & Significance

Lismore island in Loch Linnhe held the cathedral church of the see of Argyll and was one of the most significant ecclesiastical sites in the western Highlands. Norse raids on Lismore struck at the heart of the Argyll church and forced the abandonment of the cathedral community. The attack on Lismore was part of the pattern of Norse assault on all significant Gaelic religious centres in the Hebrides and western mainland.

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