Kingship and Warfare: Ireland, c.1000-1318

This module begins with the rise of Brian Ború from modest origins to become Ireland’s most famous high king – a spectacular career that ended in the iconic battle of Clontarf in 1014. We explore how Irish society and kingship changed in the aftermath of Clontarf as a result of interprovincial warfare and the changing role of the church. The second half of the module examines the causes and implications of the English (or Anglo-Norman) invasion of the late 1160s, perhaps the single most formative development in Irish secular affairs. We study the interaction of cultures in its aftermath and the Irish opposition to English rule that saw the emergence of England’s ongoing Irish problem through later centuries. The module closes with the most serious challenge to English power in medieval Ireland: the Scottish invasion (1315-18) led by Edward Bruce, brother of Robert Bruce king of Scots.

Lecturer: Professor Seán Duffy.