Northern Isles
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The Northern Isles are two archipelagos comprising Orkney and Shetland that are located off the north coast of the Scottish mainland. The climate is cool and temperate and highly influenced by the sur
The Iron Age Broch of Mousa
King Olav Tryggvason of Norway, who forcibly Christianised Orkney. Painting by Peter Nicolai Arbo.
James III and Margaret, whose betrothal led to Shetland passing from Norway to Scotland
Full-rigged ship Maella, of Oslo, in Bressay Sound circa January 1922
Orkney
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Orkney, also known as the Orkney Islands, is an archipelago off the north coast of mainland Scotland. The plural name the Orkneys is sometimes used, but this is erroneous. Part of the Northern Isles a
Northern Isles
…The Northern Isles (Scots: Northern Isles; Old Norse: Norðreyjar) are two archipelagos comprising Orkney and Shetland that are located off the north coast of the Scottish mainland. The climate is cool and temperate and highly influenced by the surrounding…
Ring of Brodgar, on the island of Mainland, Orkney
Midhowe Broch on the west coast of Rousay
According to the Orkneyinga Saga, Harald Fairhair (on the right, with fair hair) took control of Orkney in 875. He is shown here inheriting his kingdom from his father Halfdan the Black, in an illustration from the Flateyjarbók.