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Óspakr, also known as Hákon, was a King of the Isles. He seems to have been a son of Dubgall mac Somairle, King of the Isles, and therefore a member of the Meic Dubgaill branch of the Meic Somairle kindred. Óspakr spent a considerable portion of his career in the Kingdom of Norway as a member of the Birkibeinar faction in the Civil war era in Norway. He seems to be identical to Óspakr suðreyski, a Birkibeinar who took part in the plundering of Hebrides and the sacking of Iona in 1209/1210. The context of this expedition is uncertain, although it may have been envisioned as a way of reasserting Norwegian royal authority into the Kingdom of the Isles.
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References
- Þórðarson, Sturla; translation by G.W. Dasent (1894, repr. 1964) The Saga of Hakon and a Fragment of the Saga of Magnus with Appendices (London: Rerum Britannicarum Medii Ævi Scriptores, vol.88.4)
- Tordarson, Sturla (2008) Håkon Håkonssons saga (Thorleif Dahls Kulturbibliotek) ISBN 9788203193675