The
Lord of the Isles is a title of
Scottish nobility with historical roots that go back beyond the
Kingdom of Scotland. It emerged from a series of hybrid
Viking/
Gaelic rulers of the west coast and islands of
Scotland in the
Middle Ages, who wielded sea-power with fleets of
galleys. Although they were, at times, nominal
vassals of the
Kings of Norway,
Ireland, or
Scotland, the island chiefs remained functionally independent for many centuries. Their territory included the
Hebrides, (
Skye and
Ross from 1438),
Knoydart,
Ardnamurchan, and the
Kintyre peninsula. At their height they were the greatest landowners and most powerful lords in the British Isles after the
Kings of England and Scotland.