Magnus Barefoot: how did he alter the history of Wales?
In the middle of the year 1098 the Normans attacked Anglesey. At their head was Hugh d’ Avranches Earl of Chester and Hugh de Montgomery the wealthy and powerful Earl of Shrewsbury. Since 1093 the Welsh had been resisting the push of the Normans into Wales and Gruffydd ap Cynan, who had spearheaded much of this resistance had his llys, or castle, in Aberffraw, Anglesey. The Normans were unhappy that the Welsh were retaliating, their castles were being destroyed and they were losing men.
The Normans were brutal in their attack on Anglesey, killing and maiming even priests, using churches as kennels for their dogs, burning buildings and destroying crops. Gruffydd had been betrayed by mercenaries from Ireland who swung to the Norman side with promises which were later unkept. Alongside the Normans was Owain ap Edwin, a Welshman whose daughter became Gruffydd’s wife. Outplayed and outnumbered now, Gruffydd fled to Ireland and the Normans assessed their booty, slaves and collected themselves next to the Menai Strait.
What happened next cannot be easily explained but it turned the course of history. The complacent Normans were surprised when they saw six Norwegian ships off the coast. Hugh, Earl of Shrewsbury, rode along the shoreline encouraging his archers to shoot at the sailors but Magnus Barefoot, whose ships these were, shot an arrow so true that it hit the Earl of Shrewsbury in the eye, killing him. The Normans fled and this allowed Gruffydd to return to Anglesey to rebuild. Magnus having done the damage sailed back to the Isle of Mann from where he had come. Why he was there and what his intentions were can only be surmised but, had he not appeared, the political landscape would have been very different.
Magnus Barefoot was the only son of the peace-loving King Olaf Kyrre and Magnus was King of Norway from 1093 until 1103. Though his reign was short he did much to expand the Norwegian footprint around the Irish Sea gaining control of Mann, Orkney and much of the Hebrides. Magnus, whose nickname probably came from his preference for Irish fashion of wearing a short tunic and bare legs, lived life to the full. He was a magnificent warrior, a great lover of women and a poet. He would have known Gruffydd ap Cynan and after the Battle of Anglesey Sound, Gruffydd gave him great gifts and honour.
Why Magnus was there sailing past Anglesey in the first place is unclear. Had Gruffydd asked for his assistance? Was he checking to see what the smoke on the island of Anglesey was all about? Was he intending to take Anglesey for himself for the fertile land? Did he see Anglesey as a possible steppingstone to harry the Normans and gain lands in England as his grandfather, Harald Harada had attempted to do? We cannot be certain. What we do know is that Magnus visited Anglesey again and Gruffydd welcomed him even offering the Norwegian king as much wood as he needed.
Magnus was a courageous and likeable king. He told his men that kings were made for honour, not for long life. When he was betrayed in Ireland, despite being pierced in both thighs by spear thrusts, he still tried to protect his men to get them to where they had a fighting chance. Sadly, he was killed by an axe blow that day leaving many of his dreams unfulfilled.
Magnus is a charismatic character in the historical fiction, “The Welsh Traitor’s Daughter’. If you would like to discover more about him, part of the book suggests the answer to some of the questions above.