A Brief History of the Royal O'Deas: Ireland 867-1453

[Deaghaidh]

A Brief History of the Royal O'Deas

This AAR is part 1 of a megacampaign, my first ever attempt at taking a game all the way through CK2 and EU4. I've already finished the CK2 portion, and took tons of screenshots. I'm starting as a custom Earl of Thomond, loosely inspired by the real life history of my ancestors, the O'Dea clan.

The format is of a history book, hoping to imitate Treadgold's Concise History of Byzantium for its readability and liveliness. My inspirations are many, but I should give a shout out to Wars of the Irish Kings and the much more obscure O'Dea: Story of a Rebel Clan.


Table of Contents:
Chapter 1: The Hermitage of Tola
Chapter 2: Succession

 

[Deaghaidh]

Chapter 1: The Hermitage of St Tola

The origins of the O'Dea clan prior to the 9th century are impossible to untangle from mythology. No mention of them is made in surviving sources, and later court historians and genealogists were more interested in establishing the glory and legitimacy of their patrons than mundane facts. Thus we have mythic histories that tie the dynasty back to the days of Moses.

The O'Deas begin to emerge as a distinct group in the later half of the 9th century. That is the lifetime of their namesake, Deaghaidh.

Deaghaidh himself was of a high status, but not royal, family. He was born into the Dal Cais, probably somewhere in the region of the Shannon estuary. The Chronicle of St Tola, a monastic history composed within living memory of his lifetime, identifies him as a student at the monastery of Dysert Tola. The monastery was founded around 700 by St Tola of Clonard, one of countless saints of the era. St Tola sought seclusion in a sparsely populated area between the River Fergus and the Burren. As often happened to these ascetic monks, his quest for solitude was foiled by flocks of students who followed him there, resulting in the foundation of the monastery. The area became known as Dysert Tola, 'dysert' having the connotations of an unpopulated (i.e. deserted) area.

According to the chronicle, Deaghaidh came to live at the monastery because "he was poorly endowed with strength, and was also unpleasant to look upon." Unlikely to make much of a career as a warrior, and apparently unlikely to attract a wife, he decided to embrace a life of celibate study. This life plan was shattered when his brothers were killed in a Norse raid in the region. Having not yet taken vows as a monk, Deaghaidh returned to life as an aire déso (lord of vassals). As the Shannon region continued to suffer from Viking attacks, Deaghaidh took most of his family's clients and followers and moved to the area around the monastery where he had studied.

As a homeland, the area had many things doing for it. Compared to the Shannon, a veritable highway for Norse raiders, the Fergus was unsuitable for ships that far inland. Though soggy and often prone to flooding, the land was quite fertile once cleared. Other refugees from Viking ravaged lands would follow, accepting Deaghaidh as their overlord. The region became known as Dysert O'Dea, and the monastery and clan began a long, fruitful relationship. As their numbers increased, the Ua Deaghaidh (which would become the modern Irish O'Dea) became the dominant clan in Tuadmumu (modern Thomond). Whatever handicap his looks might have been, in 867 Deaghaidh married the daughter of the powerfull Ui Neill Noigiallaich King of Ulster, the leading pretender to th e high kingship.

Though later nationalist historians and royal propagandists liked to paint Deaghaidh as a holy warrior defending Ireland from heathen Vikings, actual sources from the period tell a different story. When the rival Chieftan Conchobar of the Eoganacht led his warriors to England to fight against a major Viking invasion, rather than assist Deaghaidh launched an invasion of the undefended south. O'Dea warriors took possession of the land unopposed, and the Eoganacht warriors mostly perished in the English wars.

That is not to say that Deaghaidh did not lead his warriors against Vikings. In 874, the O'Dea forces routed a Viking warband that was raiding the Shannon estuary. Though the battle was small, probably involving less than 1000 men in total, it was a watershed moment. Moving forward, one of the main arguments O'Dea chiefs would make was that unity under them was the best defense against the fine gall. In 881, Deaghaidh used the strength of the lands and client chiefs he'd usurped to impose that protection on the clans of Ormond. He proclaimed himself the rí cóicid, or provincial king, of Munster.

 

[Plank of Wood]

O'dear! A new AAR!

 

[Henry v. Keiper]

Good start - already into the 880's. Pretty cool that you already have the CK2 part down already

I always enjoy playing Ireland in either CK1 or CK2 because it's like a European Sengoku Jidai, with various factions on an island and the capability to unite them all...though in CK2 the nobles always seem to rebel against me as soon as I unite.

 

[Deaghaidh]

Good start - already into the 880's. Pretty cool that you already have the CK2 part down already

I always enjoy playing Ireland in either CK1 or CK2 because it's like a European Sengoku Jidai, with various factions on an island and the capability to unite them all...though in CK2 the nobles always seem to rebel against me as soon as I unite.

The fun part is that real life Ireland was even more chaotic. One source I read estimates there were 150 different kings in Ireland at the time of Brian Boru. CK2 can't handle that level of insanity.

 

[RiotPipe]

This AAR seems very interesting. I think I'll follow it through to the EUIV part.

 

[Deaghaidh]

I'm glad to see this has some interest

I'm still sorting out the screenshots. When I'm posting, like now, I can see them full sized, but when viewing the thread they get resized to the point that key information gets lost.

For the curious, Deaghaidh (the in game ruler I mean) is an exaggerated version of myself. The "historical" founder of the O'Deas was a quasi-mythical warrior in the service of Brian Boru's father, 'Deaghaidh of the Two Javelins," who could allegedly throw two javelins simultaneously, in opposite directions, hitting and killing both targets.

My Deaghaidh is much less badass. His traits are a level 2 religious education (I forget if that's scholarly or detatched) Ugly, Bright, Weak, Scholar, Poet, temperate, slothful, brave, shy, content, just, deceitful, and chaste. Ugly and Weak choices partly my own low self esteem but much more the need to take some bad traits to avoid starting unreasonably old. IRL I think I'm average in both. I tried to get his appearance generally similar to mine. His eyes came out angrier than I would like, and the moustache is something I can only aspire to one day.

You might notice the dynasty sigil I chose. It's a black fire-breathing serpent on a green and white field. An odd choice for an Irish lord, no? But IRL, the clan crest of the O'Deas is a left hand holding a sword and two serpents. The official line is that the serpents stand for wisdom, and the left hand is in honor of Deaghaidh's ambidextrousness. My theory is that my forbearers were sneaky bastards, as both left hands and snakes are symbols of deviousness.

 

[Asantahene]

I'm in fella! This looks good and as someone who has united Ireland (under Scotland) in my own game-very interested

 

[Deaghaidh]

Happy Easter!

In hindsight, I picked the wrong week to start. The period right before a holiday is always busy for us retail drones (seriously people, Easter's been going on for a few years now. Plan ahead instead of stampeding in on Saturday afternoon in a frantic search for Peeps). And of course now that I do have the day off, happy family time will prevent any likely update.

I was going to look up what date easter would be under the old, Irish method of calculation. Sadly I cannot find that information on line. So you will have to do without a Celtic holiday factoid.

 

[Deaghaidh]

Succession

Deaghaidh himself died in 888. According to the chronicle of St Tola, he was just short of 55 years old. In a remarkably short time, he had gone from a spare son of a minor noble family to one of the leading figures in Ireland. At the time of his death, the only Irish power that could compare was his wife's family, the ancient and venerable O'Niells. By comparison, the O'Deas were a new foundation of upstarts, and it was far from certain their power would survive without their unique founder.

Deaghaidh never rose to the High Kingship, if that was even his aspiration. Yet his example shaped the rulers who would follow him. He forcibly united his neighbors under his banner by being opportunistic. He also repulsed at least four major Norse raids. His regime was strong enough that he felt secure in leaving the country for several months to make a pilgrimage to Santiago, beginning what would turn out to be a long relationship between the O'Deas and that city. Aside from his military and political achievements, Deaghaidh was also a scholar and poet, though none of his works have survived. He was especially devoted to the study of ancient Irish Brehon Law, and of the concept of ḟír flathemon, or "Ruler's Truth," eloquently laid out by pre-Christian poets and later written by monks:

Let him magnify the truth, it will magnify him
Let him strengthen truth, it will strengthen him
Let him guard truth, it will guard him
Let him exalt truth, it will exalt him

For so long as he guards truth, good shall not fail him
and his rule shall not perish
For it is through the ruler's truth
that the great clans are goverened

Through the ruler's truth massive mortalities are
averted from men.
Through the ruler's truth mighty armies of invaders are
drawn back into enemy territory.

Through the ruler's truth every law is glorious and
every vessel full in his lands
Through the rulers's truth all the land is fruitful and
every child is born worthy.
Through the ruler's truth there is abundance of corn.

Darkness yields to light
Sorrow yields to joy
An oaf yields to a sage
A fool yields to a wise man
A serf yields to a free man
Inhospitality yields to hospitality
Niggardliness yields to generosity
Meaness yields to liberality
Impetuosity yields to composure
Turbulence yields to submission
A usurper yields to a true lord
Conflict yields to peace
Falsehood yields to justice.

More aspirational than reflective of how Deaghaidh and his descendants ruled, these works reveal a society still deeply rooted in the ancient past, despite the introduction of Christianity and the upheavels of the Viking era. It is therefore worth noting that in his arrangements for his succession, Deaghaidh actually defied most of the traditions and laws that governed inheritance in Ireland.

Under the normal Tanistry of the times, Deaghaidh's property was to be divided among his heirs (he had 5 sons and a daughter), with the Kingship passing to a Tanist, heir-designate, elected by his clan. Usually minors did not inherit, for the sensible reason that they would not be able to fulfill their duties. But since the Tanist was also required to be a blood relative of the late king, and Deaghaidh's siblings apparently died childless, it left his eldest son Tanist by default. Young Aed was still a teen, but had already acquired a reputation for combining his father's love of justice with a warrior spirit his father never possessed.

Aed Mac Deaghaidh proclaimed his young brothers Ri of Ormond and Desmond, dividing his father's lands more or less equally, while keeping Thomond and the burgeoning royal stronghold of Dysert for himself. While appearently intended as an ad-hoc solution to the specific reality of the time, this pattern of sons succeeding fathers while dividing lands would be carried forward into the future. Ironically the O'Deas had, seemingly unknowingly, reproduced the Gavelkind succession favored by the Norse and other Germanic peoples.

((By default I start as Gavelkind, not Tanistry. Not sure if this is due to custom ruler, or if all Irish lords are Gavelkind in this start. Since I couldn't switch inheritance laws till after I created the kingdom of Ireland, and even then only after I'd reigned for a while and achieved positive relations with all vassals, gavelkind stuck around for a fair bit.))

Unmarried at the time of his ascension, Aed married into the royal Mac Ailpin house of Scotland. This would begin a complex, long lasting relationship between the O'Dea's and Scotland.

This marriage didn't last long, with Muriel Mac Ailpin dying shortly after giving birth to a stillborn daughter. While apparently the young queen was well liked, and remembered for her patronage of romantic poetry, this freed up Aed to make a marriage that seemed less auspicious, but would ultimately be momentous.

Aed again looked overseas for a bride, betrothing himself to the daughter of the King of Brittany. The Breton connection would bring benefits, but his bride would herself prove to be one of the most influential women in Irish history, outside of mythological figures like Medb. Heodez was not nearly as popular as her predecessor. Ironically, this has led to her being one of the best documented women of her era, as among her detractors was the anonymous monk in who recorded the Chronicle of St Tola. Her actions were meticulously documented with disapproval, giving us a picture of the political mastermind who defined the reigns of her husband and son.

Heodez may or may not have been the driving force behind the O'Deas allying with the Saxon King of Wessex. In any case, Aed's troops sacked the Viking city of Dyflinn, capturing numerous relatives of its rulers while they were abroad in England. Thanks in part to this intervention, Wessex was able to force its Norse invaders to agree to a truce, a milestone moment for the Saxons, who had been helpless against previous invasions. Heodez was definitely the force behind her brother in laws' auspicious marriages.

When Artur, Aed's youngest brother, married into the extremely powerful Karling dynasty, it was a sign of how ambitious the O'Dea clan had become. One cannot help but attribute this greater interest in affairs on the continent to Heodez, whose family were neighbors of Karling France. While Heodez managed the politics and diplomacy, Aed himself led several successful defenses against Norse raiders, though these bands were becoming worrisomely large and frequent. In 902, while leading his troops against raiders threatening neighboring Connaught, Aed was afflicted with "the Great Pox."

A popular theory has it that this was an STD, which would justify the accusation leveled at her by her contemporaries that Heodez was to blame. Heodez gave birth to a son, Cormac, who was afflicted with the same disease not long afterwards. It is worth noting that Heodez herself never is reputed to have had symptoms, and in fact lived a long, seemingly healthy, life.

The era was an unhealthy one. Monastic sources show a dramatic increase in deaths, and waves of disease hit Ireland: Measles, Consumption, Typhus, all in succession. In this atmosphere of gloom it was not as shocking when Aed O'Dea died, only 31 years old. This left one of the two most powerful realms in Ireland in the hands of a babe in arms.

 

[Deaghaidh]

The First Age of Heodez

The death of Aed posed another succession crisis. That Heodez managed to secure the proclaimation of her baby boy as King says a great deal about her political skill, as it flew in the face of tradition. Aed had two adult brothers who might have contested the situation. But the elder of them, Loingsech of Desmond, was himself severely ill with consumption.

Given the circumstances, the clan seems to have excepted Heodez's maneuvering to sieze power as regent, since after all, baby Cormac was known to be afflicted with the same disease that claimed his father. It was generally thought Heodez's regency could not last long. Cormac defied expectations and lived, giving Heodez about 15 years of total power and several more as a powerful advisor.

The major test of her regency came in 909, when "two hosts of black foreigners, knowing Munster lacked a proper king, separately descended on her peoples." Heodez mustered the warriors of her son's client clans, sending them into Desmond to face the smaller of the two bands, under the leadership of her aire échta, "Lord of Violence" or champion, Conall.

This battle was a massive success. Not only were the Vikings routed, but their leader, Oddr of Gotland, was captured. But the O'Deas were left without enough troops to challenge the larger band of Vikings terrorizing Munster.

These were threatening not just to steal property but to sack the principal O'Dea fort in the area. To deal with this threat, Heodez ransomed Oddr, recovering a sum equal to "more than half the entire treasury of her worthy husband." She then paid out most of that treasury to bring over "a numerous and warlike band from her home country." These Breton mercenaries marched from Dysert into Desmond, but the Viking raiders escaped the country in their ships before they could be brought to battle.

Having virtually bankrupted the kingdom, Heodez now had an expensive army of mercenaries and no one for them to kill. She could also not afford to pay them much longer. Fortunately, she found a worthy target for them elsewhere.

The norse Kingdom of the Isles (as the Irish called the Vikings in the Hebrides) was in the middle of a major civil war. Vigdis Ivaring had inherited the lordship that had once terrified the British isles, but her vassal warlords were unimpressed with being ruled by a young woman. Though they had nothing to do with the recent raiding, Heodez pounced on the Norse city of Dyflinn, one of Vigdis's last remaining loyalists.

To finance this holy war against the heathen, Heodez made one of the decisions that most outraged her clerical detractors. She borrowed "a sum several times the ransom of the heathen lord, far beyond the wealth of all the kingdom, from a parcel of Jewish merchants."

This is the oldest extant reference to Jews in Ireland in any way. As Ireland lacked an indigenous Jewish merchant community, or any merchant community capable of producing such a sum, they were most likely from overseas, probably France. While no doubt intended as an emergency measure, a necessary evil to keep the Breton mercenaries paid and happy, this would mark the beginning of a fruitful relationship between the O'Dea clan and the Jewish community. Though never numerous, we see repeated mentions of prominent Jews serving as councilors and advisors, and this would not be the last time Jewish money financed Irish ambitions. These individuals connected Ireland to a trading network across the old Roman world and beyond, which in time would bring valuable new ideas and technologies. For their part, the O'Dea clan provided safe haven for Jews fleeing persecution elsewhere. On several occasions these refugees married into the clan, and more than one later King would have a Jewish grandfather.

((Historically, Ireland never had much in the way of a Jewish population, and certainly did not have one in the 10th century capable of loaning such a sum. This is my way of rationalizing things, and also the presence of Jewish courtiers would later provide precious, precious technology points)).

Savvy as she was, Heodez could not have foreseen such impacts. She did foresee the acquisition of the valuable lands around Dyflinn, which were surrendered to her mercenaries and became known as Dublin.

She appointed Crimthann O'Dea, son of her son's uncle Fiachne, the Ri of Ormond, as the new bishop of Mellifont and charged him with rechirstianizing the area. Her detractors say she did so to rob a potential rival of an heir. more likely is that Crimthann was genuinely well qualified; his father had other sons and by 923 Crimthann's mission had successfully turned the inhabitants of Dublin into at least nominal Christians.

Heodez again arranged a marriage match between the O'Deas and Karlings. This time she betrothed the young king to Bonne, sister of the Karling King of Italy. The pair married in 919, a sign of Cormac's coming of age and the (theoretical) end of Heodez's rule.

 

[Henry v. Keiper]

If I recall my own Ireland games, Gavelkind is the default succession law for Irish nobles. At least for many of them, any way.

 

[Dayni]

Yep, Gavelkind is all but universal. However, you can also change it after 10 years of ruling so long as you aren't a king and none of the conditions are against you (after which you need the appropriate CA to change to a certain method) (They may have changed this but I don't think they have.)

Also, being from the county I find how you're going about this interesting. I admittedly never was all that knowledgeable on the time period, so I'll just sit back and see where you go with it.

(watching)

 

[Asantahene]

Nice update! This borrowing money malarkey: is it only possible in the latest DLC? Is it possible for SOA or the later one ROI?

 

[Deaghaidh]

Nice update! This borrowing money malarkey: is it only possible in the latest DLC? Is it possible for SOA or the later one ROI?

I think it was added in sons of Abraham.

 

[Deaghaidh]

His Father's Son

Cormac's life and reign would follow closely in his father's footsteps. He also had a reputation for justice and personal bravery. He also married a popular princess, though of the much more powerful Karling dynasty.

Just as happened to his father, Cormac's first wife died from complications due to childbirth, though in her case at least her daughter survived.

Just like his father, Cormac remarried to a woman from a much less prominent house, only to have his second marriage to prove momentous in unexpected ways.

Kraka of Mann was the Viking queen of that island. She was a vassal of the embattled Vigdis of Innse Gall ("The Isles of Foreginers"), the same queen that Cormac's mother had wrested Dublin away from. In an effort to staunch the tide of opportunistic holy wars, Vigdis had since converted to Christianity, and compelled her followers, including Kraka, to likewise be baptized. The sincerity of Kraka's conversion was dubious at best. The monastic chroniclers in St Tola finally found in her a woman they liked less than Heodez. A foreigner, a suspected pagan, Kraka also had an acknowledged illegitimate son. In Norse sagas later recorded in Iceland, Kraka is remembered more positively, as a queen with wisdom beyond her years and unfailing fairness.

Cormac and Kraka's marriage was unconventional at the least. She spent most of her time in her own court, and there was reportedly little mutual affection. The marriage was legitimately consummated though, and both Cormac and Kraka did their dynastic duty, resulting in the birth of Murchad.

From the beginning, Murchad O'Dea was singled out for praise. In their entry recording the event, the monks described him as "an uncommonly handsome baby" who was "free from blemish of any kind," a discreet way of saying that Murchad had avoided inheriting his father's pox.

Cormac then outdid his father, dying about a week after the birth of his son. The O'Dea kingdom of Munster was once again thrown into a succession crisis.

 

[Henry v. Keiper]

Seems like being an Irish noble doesn't provide much for longevity.

 

[Deaghaidh]

Consider this aar a public service announcement on how dangerous syphillus is.

 

[Asantahene]

Nice update again! Can you do anything about your screenshots though-they are a bit small as you are posting complete pages from the game-either use a higher resolution so it doesn't blur when enlarged or consider using part screenshots...pretty please

 

[Deaghaidh]

Yeah I'm trying to deal with the image sizes. It looks fine when I'm posting, but then shrinks.