Surrounded by a Nordic world that reached from Spitzbergen to the Mediterranean, and from Russia to North America, medieval Orkney was much more than just a remote Barbarian realm. To rule Orkney was to control a key intersection along the Viking western sea route. Of all Orkney’s early rulers, none understood this better than Earl Thorfinn the Mighty. Descended from Norse chieftains and Scottish kings, Thorfinn was born into a competitive world undergoing change. Old concepts of governing through brute strength were being supplemented by developing ideas of statesmanship. In the midst of this evolution, Thorfinn became its prime agent, and so too evolved from avaricious Viking into a just-minded Christian prince.

Surrounded by a Nordic world that reached from Spitzbergen to the Mediterranean, and from Russia to North America, medieval Orkney was much more than just a remote Barbarian realm. To rule Orkney was to control a key intersection along the Viking western sea route. Of all Orkney’s early rulers, none understood this better than Earl Thorfinn the Mighty. Descended from Norse chieftains and Scottish kings, Thorfinn was born into a competitive world undergoing change. Old concepts of governing through brute strength were being supplemented by developing ideas of statesmanship. In the midst of this evolution, Thorfinn became its prime agent, and so too evolved from avaricious Viking into a just-minded Christian prince.