 Sitting between Ireland and Britain, yet not fully part of Eiler, the Isle of Man is somewhat of an enigma in these isles. Famous for the TT motorcycle races, the Isle of Man stretches about 30 miles long by 10 miles wide and it is roughly equidistance between England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales and the Irish Sea. The Max cat is a breed of domesticated cat originating on the Isle of Man with the mutation that shortens the tail. It is home to one of the six remaining Celtic languages still spoken today in the form of Manx and the island itself has a population of around 84,000. The Isle of Man is a self-governing British crime dependency that still retains a large degree of autonomy yet the UK government is responsible for things like defence. Its name is thought to be partially derived from Manan and Mac Lear, a mythological warrior and king of the other world in Irish and Manx mythology who is often interpreted as a sea god, usually as a member of the Tuidae Danon. But what is the history of this Isle that sits alone in the Irish Sea? While humans have lived on the Isle for thousands of years, stretching back to around 6,500 BC when hunter-gatherers moved into the Isle, the Romans were aware of the Isle of Man as well, calling it Insular Minnavia with a few Roman artefacts found on the Isle. All common descriptions have also been found, an early medieval alphabet that was used to write the early Irish language. It is sometimes referred to as the Celtic Tree Alphabet. The Gaelic influence arrived around the 5th century AD when followers of St Patrick arrived on the Isle and the Mac's language, a branch of the Gaudelic languages, emerged. Now the Isle of Man was invaded by various foreign powers over the centuries. In 627 AD, for instance, King Edwin of Northumbria invaded and conquered the Isle of Man and used the Isle as a launchpad for raids into Isle. In the 8th century, the real party starts when the Vikings invaded. They went on to establish a seafaring kingdom known as the Kingdom of the Isles, which included the Hebrides, the Isle of Man and the Isle of the Clyde, notably Arryn and Butte. These collection of Isles were known as the Sutherland Isles to the Norsemen in contrast to the northern Isles of Shetland and Orkney. Now the precise extent of the kingdom is not fully clear, but probably originated in the Hebrides and then expanded out from there. Gaudred Krovan, a Norse scale ruler who would go on to rule Dublin as well as the Isles, conquered the Isle of Man with a force of Hebrideans around 1079 AD. The Norse were thought to have established the Tinwald, the legislator of the Isle of Man. At various points, Norway took direct control of the Isle. Magnus III, for instance, the King of Norway, reigned as the King of Man in the Isles between 1099 and 1103. Fun fact, Magnus III was often referred to as Barefoot, meaning bare leg, because he often wore Scottish kills. In 1266, the Isle of Man became part of the Kingdom of Scotland after the Treaty of Perth was signed, ending hostilities between Magnus VI of Norway and Alexander III of Scotland. The Battle of Ronald's Way took place in 1275 between a Scottish army and the Manx, and it served as the final attempt by the Manx to re-establish the North Dynasty, with the Scottish army victorious on the day. After a period of alternating rule between the Kings of Scotland and England, the Isle came under the feudal lordship of the English Crown in 1399. The lordship became part of the British Crown in 1765, but the Isle did not become part of the Kingdom of Great Britain proper. It has always retained its internal self-government. In 1881, Tinwald became the first national legislative body in the world to give women the right to vote on a general election, although it excluded married women. During both world wars, the Isle was used for the interment of people originating from enemy countries. The Manx economy is bolstered by its status as a tax haven and offshore banking destination. Although small, the Isle of Man is a beautiful and fascinating part of these Isles. But who were the North Scales? To find out, please click here. Thanks for watching, please subscribe and hit the bell, and I'll see you next time.