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Birth:          1009 Orkney Islands
Death:          1064 Christ's Kirk, Birsay, Orkney Islands

Notes
http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=jweber&id=I10067
Thorfinn II ("The Black"), Jarl of Orkney and 1st Earl of (the entire territory of) 
Caithness, so created 1014 by his grandfather Malcolm II. [Burke's Peerage]

---------------------------

EARLDOM of CAITHNESS (I) 1030?

NORSE PREDECESSORS of the EARLS of ORKNEY - subject to King of Norway until 
after 1379

Thorfinn II the Black, Earl of Caithness 1014, Jarl of one-third of Orkney (?) 1016, was 
b. 1009 and was made Earl of Caithness in 1014 by his grandfather the Scottish King 
Malcolm MacKenneth, who thereby claimed a right to dispose of territory over which 
he had previously had no control. Thorfinn "was precocious in growing up immediately 
to full manhood." Thorkel, son of Amundi of Sandwich in Hrossey, "the most 
accomplished of all men in the Orkneys," after having incurred the wrath of Jarl Einar 
II for having taken the part of the farmers against his high-handedness, went to 
Caithness, where he became devoted to the young Thorfinn and became known as 
Thorkel Fosterer and his right-hand man. After the death of Jarl Somerled (? 1015) a 
claim to a part of Orkney was made by, or for, Thorfinn. "When Earl Thorfinn grew up" 
the claim was renewed on the advice of Thorkel Fosterer (? Autumn 1017), but "Einar 
was slow to diminish his land," and when Thorfinn learned that, he got ready an army 
from Caithness and went out to the islands. After Jarl Brusi’s mediation Thorfinn 
obtained a third of Orkney (? Spring 1018). Next year, Summer 1019, he sent Thorkel 
Fosterer to collect his revenues in Orkney, but Jarl Einar II accused him of having 
instigated Thorfinn to renew his claim to a third of Orkney, and Thorkel fled. Thorfinn 
sent him to Norway, Autumn 1019, to secure the support of the King, St. Olaf, against 
Jarl Einar II, and in the spring of 1020 the King invited Thorfinn to go to Norway. He 
went immediately and spent the summer of 1020 at Court, The King gave him a 
longship and another to Thorkel, and they returned to Orkney in the autumn of 1020. 
where Jarl Einar II prepared to attack Thorfinn. Jarl Brusi again made peace between 
them, and part of the settlement was that Jarl Einar II should go as Thorkel’s guest to 
Sandwick. Here, however, Thorkel murdered him (after 14 Oct. 1020) and the same 
day fled to Norway, where the King approved his deed. Thorfinn went to Norway, but 
was unable to secure more than one-third for himself. Thorfinn by Thorkel’s secret 
advice, accepted his third of Orkney as a fief from the King, and was thereafter 
reconciled with Thorkel, Thorfinn and Thorkel then returned to Caithness in the late 
summer 1021. When Jarl Brusi died (? 1030 autumn), Thorfinn became for the first time 
Jarl of all Orkney and Shetland. On the death of Thorfinn’s maternal grandfather, King 
Malcolm MacKenneth, 25 Nov. 1034, another grandson, Duncan, son of Crinan, the 
Lay Abbot of Dunkeld, by Malcolm’s elder dau. Bethoc, became King and, according 
to the Orkneyinga Saga, Karl Hundisson "took dominion over Scotland" and tried to 
put his sister’s son Moddan, who had many relatives and friends in Ireland, as Earl 
over Caithness, which was invaded (?) Summer 1035. Karl Hundisson was defeated by 
Thorfinn at sea, off Deerness, and again at Torfness in Moray; and Moddan was 
surprised and killed by Thorkel Fosterer at Thurso, where he had been joined by an 
Irish contingent. Thorfinn recovered Caithness, Sutherland and Ross, and raided 
through Moray down to Fife, In the autumn of 1036 Thorfinn surrendered one-third of 
Orkney to Brusi’s son, Ragnvald II, who had been given the title of Jarl by King 
Magnus the Good (1036-1047) with Jarl Einar Rangmund’s share (which St. Olaf had 
given as a fief to Jarl Brusi in the autumn of l021), and sent to Orkney with three 
longships provided by the King to receive his dominion. In the spring of 1037 Thorfinn 
and Ragnvald II went raiding in the Western Isles, "Scotland’s firths," and Ireland, 
and won a victory at Waterfirth in Skye. Thorfinn laid the land under him wherever 
they fared." The alliance lasted for eight years; Thorfinn then asked for a third of 
Orkney from Ragnvald II, because of the expense of maintaining his wife Ingibiorg’s 
uncle, KaIf Arnesson, a refugee from Norway, and his large retinue. Ragnvald 
declined to surrender any part of his dominion and went to Norway in 1046, where he 
obtained a force of picked men from King Magnus I. He returned and engaged in two 
sea fights with Thorfinn; in the first Thorfinn was worsted, but in the second, with the 
help of Kalf Arnesson, he defeated Ragnvald, who fled to Norway; and Thorfinn took 
the whole Earldom of Orkney and Shetland in the autumn of 1046. Ragnvald obtained 
fresh support from King Magnus I, surprised Thorfinn in Hrossey and burned his house 
with his bodyguard in it; but Thorfinn and Ingibiorg escaped in the smoke and fled to 
Caithness. Ragnvald seized all Orkney, but he was surprised by Thorfinn, just before 
Yule, in Little Papey. The house was set on fire and Ragnvald II, who had escaped 
unarmed from the blaze, was slain on the sea-shore by Thorkel Fosterer. Thereafter 
Thorfinn had the whole Earldom of Orkney and Shetland once more and, in the spring 
of 1047 went to Norway and made his peace with King Magnus I. In (?) Spring 1048 
he again went to Norway and was well received by King Harald III Hardradi, as he was 
in Denmark by King Sweyn III Estrithsson (1047-1076). From Denmark he went to 
Saxony, where he was well received by the Emperor Henry III (1028-1055), who 
provided him with horses for the journey to Rome, where he saw the Pope and "took 
absolution from him for all his misdeeds." On his return he lived "almost always in 
Birsay and let them build there Christchurch a splendid minster." He d. (? 1065) "of 
disease about the end" of the reign of King Harald Hardradi, who was killed at 
Stamford Bridge (25 Sep. 1066).

He m., before 1038, Ingibiorg, dau. of Finn Arnesson (d.p. 1062), of Yriar in Austratt, 
Lenderman under Norway, later Jarl of Halland under Denmark (circa 1051), by 
Begliot, dau. of Halfdan Sigurdsson (b. p. 995), brother of King Harald III Hardradi. 
After Thorfinn’s death she m. as his 1st wife (circa 1066) Malcolm III Ceannmor, King 
of Scots and had issue. Thorfinn had two sons who survived childhood, Paul and 
Erlend. [Complete Peerage, X:Appendix A:11-13]

Parents
HLODVERSSON Sigurd II "Digri" (ABT  965 - 23 Apr 1014)
MACKENNETH Anleta "Thora Donada" (ABT  986 - )

Siblings
SIGURDSSON Thorfinn II "the Black" (1009 - 1064)

Marriage To FINNSDOTTIR Ingeborg (ABT 1023 - BEF 1069)
    m.  

Notes

Parents
ARNESSON Finn (ABT 1005 - 1062)
HALFDANSDOTTIR Bergliot Thorborg (ABT 1006 - )

Children by FINNSDOTTIR Ingeborg ABT 1023 - BEF 1069
THORFINNSON Paul (ABT 1040 - 1099)

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