Ragnvald Godredsson - Under The Protection of The Pope

Under The Protection of The Pope

In the autumn of 1219, while at the Temple Church, London, Rögnvaldr surrendered Mann to the papacy, swore to perform homage for the island, and to pay twelve marks sterling in perpetuity as tribute. On behalf of Pope Honorius III (d. 1227), Rögnvaldr's submission was accepted by the papal legate, Pandulf, Bishop of Norwich (d. 1226). Such a submission by a mediaeval ruler was not unprecedented at the time; significantly, John surrendered his kingdom to the papacy through Pandulf about six years beforehand, while facing not only a crisis from within his own realm, but an imminent invasion of Louis VIII, King of France (d. 1226) from without. The reason behind Rögnvaldr's submission appears to have been the threat of a strengthening Norwegian kingship. Hákon had only acceded to the Norwegian kingship in 1217, and by the early part of his reign the civil warring began to wane. In fact, in November 1220 an order addressed to Henry's administrators in Ireland commanded them to render military aid to Rögnvaldr, since Rögnvaldr had provided evidence that Hákon was planning to invade his island-kingdom. Rögnvaldr's papal submission may have also been linked to his feud with Óláfr. In the last hours of his life, John is known to have appealed to Pope Innocent III (d. 1216) to ensure the succession of his young son, Henry. Although the chronology of Rögnvaldr and Óláfr's feud is not entirely clear, the hostilities which entangled Rögnvaldr's son, Guðrøðr, broke out in the 1220s. Rögnvaldr may have thus attempted to secure, not only his own kingship, but also the future succession of his son. Unfortunately for scholars, it is unknown how well Rögnvaldr kept his obligations to the papacy. The limited surviving evidence of communications between Mann and Rome appear to show, however, that his commitments were not taken up by his successors. Centuries after his death, Rögnvaldr's deal with the papacy was commemorated within a fresco in the Vatican Archives.