Battlefields›Orkney Norse Earldom Established
Early Medieval

Orkney Norse Earldom Established

875
Orkney Islands, Scotland
Also known as: Norse Seizure of Orkney 875
Era
Early Medieval
Battle Type
Skirmish
Location
Orkney Islands, Scotland
Status
Unregistered
The Combatants

Who Fought

Defeated
Pictish and native Orkney inhabitants
Forces
indigenous Orkney population (resistance minimal).
VS
Victor
Harald Fairhair / Norse
Forces
c. 800–1,500 Norse settlers
Outcome
Norse earldom of Orkney formally created under Rognvald and then Sigurd
The Battle

History & Significance

The establishment of the Norse Earldom of Orkney created a strategically vital Norse base controlling northern sea lanes and gave Scandinavian raiders a permanent foothold in Scottish waters.

Questions & Answers

Frequently Asked Questions

Protected heritage nearby

Scheduled Monuments near Orkney Norse Earldom Established

Quanterness, chambered cairn and prehistoric house 50m NW of
Scheduled monument · Neolithic · ~0.5 miles
Grain Earth House and Grainbank, two souterrains, Hatston
Scheduled monument · Iron Age · ~1.2 miles
Wideford Hill,chambered cairn
Scheduled monument · Neolithic · ~1.2 miles
Pickaquoy,burnt mound & settlement
Scheduled monument · ~1.4 miles
Rennibister, souterrain
Scheduled monument · Iron Age · ~1.8 miles
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