Situated in the middle of the Irish Sea, the Isle of Man is like a
stepping-stone between the lands that surround it. In medieval times, it
played an important role in the histories of Ireland, Scotland, England
and Wales.
This book explores the first part of that turbulent era, tracing the
story of the Isle of Man from the fifth to the thirteenth centuries. It
looks at the ways in which various peoples - Britons, Scots, Irish,
English and Scandinavians - influenced events in Man over a period of
more than 800 years. A large portion of the book is concerned with the
Vikings, a group whose legacy - in place names, old burial mounds and
finely carved stones - is such a vivid element in the Manx landscape
today.