Brief History of Isle of Man

After being settled by people from Ireland in the first millennium, the Isle of Man was subject first to Christianity and then to raids by Vikings from Norway. After becoming subject to suzerainty to Norway as part of the Kingdom of Mann and the Isles, the Isle of Man later became a possession of the Scottish and then English crowns. Since 1866, the Isle of Man has been a Crown Dependency and has democratic self-government. 

Manx Treasures

The Chronicles of the Kings of Mann and the Isles -

The Chronicles of the Kings of Mann and the Isles (Latin: Chronica Regum Manniæ et Insularum) or Manx Chronicle is a medieval Latin manuscript relating the early history of the Isle of Man.

The main part of the manuscript is believed to have been composed and written in 1261 or 1262 at Rushen Abbey on the island, shortly after the time of the Cistercian abbey's dedication in 1257, which is the final event retold by the original scribe. The manuscript is illustrated ink on vellum, with pages roughly 15cm by 20cm.

The Chronicles are a look back, year-by-year from 1016, over the significant events in Manx history of that tune. Written in Latin, it records the island's role as the centre of the Norse Kingdom of Mann and the Isles, and the influence of its kings and religious leaders, as well as the role of Rushen Abbey itself – which was founded at the invitation of Olaf, one of the Norse kings. The original scribe also included a list of popes which ends with Pope Urban IV (1261-4). It is probable that the Chronicles were written for the new abbey on its foundation.

After the abbey was dissolved in 1540 the manuscript is thought to have passed through a number of private hands until becoming the property of Sir Robert Cotton, whose collection of medieval works was one of the founding collections of the British Museum and are now held by the British Library in London.

 

 

 

A page from the Chronicles  

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