Pawn of Orkney and Shetland

Date: February 20, 1472 • Location: Orkney Islands, United Kingdom

Orkney and Shetland are pawned by Norway to Scotland in lieu of a dowry for Margaret of Denmark.

Orkney, also known as the Orkney Islands, is an archipelago off the north coast of mainland Scotland. The plural name the Orkneys, though heavily disliked by Orcadians, is also sometimes used. Part of the Northern Isles along with Shetland, Orkney is 10 miles (16 km) north of Caithness and has about 70 islands, of which 20 are inhabited. The largest island, the Mainland, has an area of 523 square kilometres (202 sq mi), making it the sixth-largest Scottish island and the tenth-largest island in the British Isles. Orkney's largest settlement, and also its administrative centre, is Kirkwall.