Norman Invasion of Ireland
1169 CE to 1171 CE
The Norman invasion of Ireland is a two-stage process, which begins on May 1, 1169 when a force of loosely associated Norman knights lands near Bannow, County Wexford at the request of Diarmait Mac Murchada, the ousted King of Leinster, who seeks their help in regaining his kingdom.On October 18, 1171, Henry II lands a much bigger army in Waterford to ensure his continuing control over the preceding Norman force.
In the process he takes Dublin and accepts the fealty of the Irish kings and bishops by 1172, so creating the Lordship of Ireland, which forms part of his Angevin Empire.
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An expedition of Cambro-Norman knights with an army of about six hundred lands at Bannow Strand in present-day County Wexford on May 1, 1169.
It is led by Richard de Clare, called Strongbow due to his prowess as an archer.
The invasion, which coincides with a period of renewed Norman expansion, is at the invitation of Dermot Mac Murrough, the king of Leinster.
In 1166, Mac Murrough had fled to Anjou, France, following a war involving Tighearnán Ua Ruairc, of Breifne, and sought the assistance of the Angevin king, Henry II, in recapturing his kingdom.
In 1171, Henry arrives in Ireland in order to review the general progress of the expedition.
He wants to re-exert royal authority over the invasion, which is expanding beyond his control.
Henry successfully re-imposes his authority over Strongbow and the Cambro-Norman warlords and persuades many of the Irish kings to accept him as their overlord, an arrangement confirmed in the 1175 Treaty of Windsor.
The invasion is legitimized by the provisions of the Papal Bull Laudabiliter, issued by Adrian IV in 1155.
The bull had encouraged Henry to take control in Ireland in order to oversee the financial and administrative reorganization of the Irish Church and its integration into the Roman Church system.
Some restructuring had already begun at the ecclesiastical level following the Synod of Kells in 1152.
There has been significant controversy regarding the authenticity of Laudabiliter, and there is no general agreement as to whether the bull was genuine or a forgery.
In 1172, the new pope, Alexander III, further encourages Henry to advance the integration of the Irish Church with Rome.
Henry is authorized to impose a tithe of one penny per hearth as an annual contribution.
This church levy, called Peter's Pence, is extant in Ireland as a voluntary donation.
In turn, Henry accepts the title of Lord of Ireland, which Henry confers on his younger son, John Lackland, in 1185.
When Henry's successor dies unexpectedly in 1199, John inherits the crown of England and retains the Lordship of Ireland.
Established European states integrate the populations of subject peoples in adjacent lands: Swedes colonize southern Finland; Danes colonize the lands of the Wends, forcibly converting them to Christianity; Germans colonize Holstein, Lauenburg, and Mecklenburg; Anglo-Normans colonize Ireland.
The invasion of Ireland, undertaken from Wales by a force of loosely associated Norman knights summoned by the ousted King of Leinster, is the beginning of Anglo-Norman domination of Ireland.
Angevin king Henry II creates the Lordship of Ireland for his northwest European empire.
The Revolt of 1173-74 is a victory for Henry II, whose sons, along with the other rebels in Normandy, England, are reconciled to his rule.
William the Lion signs Treaty of Falaise, under which Henry II maintains hold on his territories and several Scottish castles, including Berwick and Edinburgh, are transferred to him.
Fitz-Stephen, on returning to Wales, had helped Diarmait Mac Murchada to organize a mercenary army of Norman and Welsh soldiers, including Richard de Clare, second Earl of Pembroke, alias Strongbow.
The first Norman knight to land in Ireland had been Richard fitz Godbert de Roche in 1167, but it is not until May 1, 1169, that Robert leads the vanguard of Diarmait Mac Murchada's Cambro-Norman auxiliaries to Ireland, thereby precipitating the Norman invasion of Ireland.
The main invasion party lands near Bannow strand, County Wexford with a force of thirty knights, sixty man-at-arms and three hundred archers.
The next day, Maurice de Prendergast lands at the same bay with ten knights and sixty archers.
This force merges with about five hundred soldiers commanded by Diarmait.
In return for capturing Wexford, MacMurrough grants Fitz-Stephen a share in two cantreds, Bargy and Forth which comprises all the land between Bannow and the town of Wexford.
The cantreds are to be held jointly with Maurice FitzGerald, Lord of Lanstephan, his half-brother.
The Siege of Wexford lasts only two days.
The first attack is repulsed at the loss of eighteen Normans and three defenders.
These are believed to have been the only deaths during the siege.
Fitz-Stephen then orders his men to burn all the ships in the town's harbor.
The next morning, the attack on Wexford begins again.
Shortly afterward, the defenders send envoys to Diarmait.
The defenders agree to surrender and renew their allegiance to Diarmait.
It is claimed that they were persuaded to surrender by two bishops who were in the town at the time.
He is accompanied at the siege by Robert de Barry, the eldest son of his half-sister Angharad de Windsor. (Nest then, is the mother of Robert, Maurice and Angharad.)
Within a short time, Leinster has been conquered, and the Viking-established towns of Wexford, …
…Waterford and …
…Dublin are under Diarmait's control.
Henry has allowed the expedition of barons from South Wales to establish Anglo-Norman supremacy in Leinster, but will later levy a fine of one hundred shillings on one Joyce of Gloucester for lending money to Strongbow for his expedition.
Joyce had done nothing illegal, but Henry is nervous about the use of Jewish loans to finance any independent actions or policies.
Rhys benefits in 1169 and 1170 from the Norman invasion of Ireland, which is largely led by the Cambro-Norman lords of south Wales.
The departure of the Norman lords enables Rhys to strengthen his position, and the death of Owain Gwynedd in late 1170 leaves him as the acknowledged leader of the Welsh princes.
Strongbow himself arrives in August 1170.
He soon marries Diarmait's daughter, Aoife, and is named as heir to the Kingdom of Leinster.
This latter development causes consternation to Henry II, who fears the establishment of a rival Norman state in Ireland.
Accordingly, he resolves to visit Leinster to establish his authority.
Diarmuid Mac Murchada dies in May 1171, and his son, Donal MacMurrough-Kavanagh claims the kingdom of Leinster in accordance with his rights under the Brehon Laws.
The Earl of Striguil also claims the kingship in the right of his wife.
The old king's death is the signal of a general rising, and Richard barely manages to keep Rory O'Connor out of Dublin.
At this time, Strongbow sends his uncle, Hervey de Montmorency, on an embassy to Henry.
This is necessary to appease the King, who is growing restive at the Earl's increasing power.
Upon his return, de Montmorency conveys the King's terms—the return of Strongbow's lands in Normandy, England and Wales as well as leaving him in possession of his Irish lands.
De Clare in return surrenders Dublin, Waterford and other fortresses to the King.
Henry lands with a large fleet at Waterford in 1171, becoming the first King of England to set foot on Irish soil.
This marks the beginning of English and later British rule in Ireland.
Both Waterford and Dublin are proclaimed Royal Cities.