Henry II has taken advantage of an…

Henry II has taken advantage of an earlier papal bull, “Laudabiliter,” attributed to the late English Pope Adrian IV and authorizing Henry to make himself overlord of Ireland in order to bring the Irish church more into line with Roman standards. (Adrian, who died in 1159, was once believed to have issued the bull, but this document is now assumed to be a forgery.)

The Norman invasion of Ireland thus has the backing of the Papacy.

Henry in 1172 arranges for the Irish bishops to attend the Synod of Cashel, which seeks to regulate some affairs of the Church in Ireland and to condemn some abuses, bringing the Church more into alignment with the Roman Rite.

Adrian's successor, Pope Alexander III, now ratifies the grant of Ireland to Henry, "... following in the footsteps of the late venerable Pope Adrian, and in expectation also of seeing the fruits of our own earnest wishes on this head, ratify and confirm the permission of the said Pope granted you in reference to the dominion of the kingdom of Ireland."

Henry is happily acknowledged by most of the Irish Kings, who see in him a chance to curb the expansion of both Leinster and the Normans.

He now has to leave for England to deal with papal legates investigating the death of Thomas Becket.

Strongbow also agrees to assist the King in his coming war in France.