A Brief History of the Royal O'Deas: Ireland 867-1453
- Thread starter Deaghaidh
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I'm using photo bucket.
For the next updates, I'm going to start cropping the screenshots smaller, so that the important parts are clearly visible.
Pushback
Irish and Norse sources disagree on how Heodez came to have possession of the newborn King of Munster. Irish sources describe Kraka as "a cold, unnatural woman, with no thought for her son" who simply abandoned him and never looked back. Norse sagas instead claim that Heodez forcibly expelled Kraka and kept her from seeing her child. However it happened, Heodez once again found herself guardian and regent for an infant Irish king.
Heodez's second stint as regent was marked by overreaching and setbacks. The trouble started with her effort to subjugate Leinster, uniting Dublin with the O'Dea heartland in Meath. Inland Ossory submitted peacefully, setting the stage for an attack on coastal Leinster.
The initial attack went well, with the O'Dea forces routing the Leinstermen. But the aggressive expansion of the O'Dea kingdom had not gone unnoticed. Leinster appealed to relatives in Cornwall, and the Ui Niell Kings of Tara pounced. Determined to put the upstart O'Deas in their place, they asserted a claim on Dublin as part of the ancient province of Meath.
Now heavily outnumbered, the O'Dea army was crushed in a series of battles against the Leinster-Cornish army, forcing them to regroup in Desmond while the Ui Niells besieged Dublin. Hoping to still salvage the situation, Heodez agreed to a hefty cash indemnity for Leinster.
The O'Deas then attempted a new strategy. They embarked their remaining troops by sea, then landed in the Ui Niell heartland of Ulster. While successful in causing the Ui Niells to pull back from Meath to deal with the threat, it was not quick enough to save Dublin. Re-embarking by ship, the O'Dea army sailed back to Dublin, only to find it solidly garrisoned by Ui Niells. Though a failure, this campaign marked the first use of sea power by the O'Deas. Archeological evidence has uncovered evidence of norse-style ships being constructed in Thomond as early as the reign of Aed, and their navy seems to have finally developed into a relevant force.
All their maneuvering proved fruitless. With Dublin proving impentetrable, and an Ui Niell army more than twice their size returning to the area, Heodez and the O'Deas accepted the inevitable. They recognized the Ui Niells as rulers of Dublin, returning home a defeated, demoralized force.
As the 920s came to a close, the O'Deas were humiliated and bankrupt. It seemed likely that their rapid rise would be accompanied by an equally rapid fall back to obscurity.
Irish and Norse sources disagree on how Heodez came to have possession of the newborn King of Munster. Irish sources describe Kraka as "a cold, unnatural woman, with no thought for her son" who simply abandoned him and never looked back. Norse sagas instead claim that Heodez forcibly expelled Kraka and kept her from seeing her child. However it happened, Heodez once again found herself guardian and regent for an infant Irish king.
Heodez's second stint as regent was marked by overreaching and setbacks. The trouble started with her effort to subjugate Leinster, uniting Dublin with the O'Dea heartland in Meath. Inland Ossory submitted peacefully, setting the stage for an attack on coastal Leinster.
The initial attack went well, with the O'Dea forces routing the Leinstermen. But the aggressive expansion of the O'Dea kingdom had not gone unnoticed. Leinster appealed to relatives in Cornwall, and the Ui Niell Kings of Tara pounced. Determined to put the upstart O'Deas in their place, they asserted a claim on Dublin as part of the ancient province of Meath.
Now heavily outnumbered, the O'Dea army was crushed in a series of battles against the Leinster-Cornish army, forcing them to regroup in Desmond while the Ui Niells besieged Dublin. Hoping to still salvage the situation, Heodez agreed to a hefty cash indemnity for Leinster.
The O'Deas then attempted a new strategy. They embarked their remaining troops by sea, then landed in the Ui Niell heartland of Ulster. While successful in causing the Ui Niells to pull back from Meath to deal with the threat, it was not quick enough to save Dublin. Re-embarking by ship, the O'Dea army sailed back to Dublin, only to find it solidly garrisoned by Ui Niells. Though a failure, this campaign marked the first use of sea power by the O'Deas. Archeological evidence has uncovered evidence of norse-style ships being constructed in Thomond as early as the reign of Aed, and their navy seems to have finally developed into a relevant force.
All their maneuvering proved fruitless. With Dublin proving impentetrable, and an Ui Niell army more than twice their size returning to the area, Heodez and the O'Deas accepted the inevitable. They recognized the Ui Niells as rulers of Dublin, returning home a defeated, demoralized force.
As the 920s came to a close, the O'Deas were humiliated and bankrupt. It seemed likely that their rapid rise would be accompanied by an equally rapid fall back to obscurity.
I guess if I was an Irish noble, and I saw someone taking over half the island and wanting to take more, I'd want to contain them as well. But all the same, always enjoy it when AARs include defeats as well as victories, so this just makes the history all the more interesting.
By the way, what is the actual history of the Irish navy during this time period? Out of curiosity.
By the way, what is the actual history of the Irish navy during this time period? Out of curiosity.
At around this time, you start seeing Irish lords with fleets, either from Norse shipbuilding tech spreading or from alliances with Viking settlements in Ireland.
Cracking update. Time for the O'Dea's to regroup and start over methinks
Will be interesting to see what you do
Will be interesting to see what you do
Regrouping a while would be the prudent thing to do. As you shall see, the O'Deas are not the most reasonable of folks.
Frustrating as it was, I'm pleased at how proactive the AI was at containing me at this point. Also it neatly replicates real history, with an upstart clan in Munster clashing with the O'Neills over Leinster and vying to be the Alpha Dog Clan.
Regrouping a while would be the prudent thing to do. As you shall see, the O'Deas are not the most reasonable of folks.
Frustrating as it was, I'm pleased at how proactive the AI was at containing me at this point. Also it neatly replicates real history, with an upstart clan in Munster clashing with the O'Neills over Leinster and vying to be the Alpha Dog Clan.
And yet...and yet when I took over Ireland gradually from Scotland there was no real concerted effort to stop me-it was kinda like a slow burn though I guess over 2 centuries
Good stuff Deag! Reading is making me want to play some Old Gods... though nothing as ambitious as a Mega-Campaign, mind you. Looking forward to more.
The Young King
The Young King
The failed war in Leinster diminished Heodez's power somewhat, and young Murchad was briefly fostered to his great-uncle in Desmond. But by the time he died a few years later, Heodez had recovered enough prestige to have her grandson's education placed in her hands. There would be repeated upheavals in Dysert, as Heodez was supplanted for periods by prominent clansmen, and for an intriguing time by an African eunuch given to his late father by a merchant from Galicia. Heodez always managed to return to power, and always managed to keep control of little Murchad.
Murchad's regents tried to regain the Clan's prestige and prominence by avenging their recent defeats. The Eunuch Abubakari launched an effort to regain Dublin when it seemed the Ui Niell were distracted by Viking raids, only to be obliged to pay a hefty indemnity and retreat in the face of their superior army. A campaign aimed at conquering Connacht was likewise foiled by the intervention of the King of Tara. Despite these expensive fiascos, Munster seems to have prospered. Archeological surveys of Dysert show a increase in size and quantity of dwellings there, along with the erection of a new dry stone wall (since buried under more recent construction). This suggests an underlying level of prosperity despite the military and political reverses. After loosing Dublin, the O'Deas suffered no further territorial losses. The Ui Niell Kings seemed to accept the O'Deas as overlords of Munster, and to be content with containing the upstart clan to preserve the status quo.
It may be that growing up seeing the frustrations and failures of those ruling on his behalf was what imported such a restless, relentless ambition. Or it may be that it was simply a family trait. Little Murchad in any case was said to idolize not just the legendary Kings and Heroes of Ireland, but Charlegmane and Constantine. His monastic tutors likely introduced him to Caesar's Gallic Wars. Though he idolized such conquerors, he was reputedly only a moderately competent fighter himself. He was quiet and cunning, with a bit of a vicious streak as well.
His grandmother arranged a marriage for him to the sister of a powerful Welsh queen, while his half-sister was married to a kinsman of the King of Cornwall. A Breton herself, Heodez had learned the hard way that intervention of Cornish and Welsh forces could be decisive in Irish wars.
In 939, Murchad, aged 16, married and was proclaimed The O'Dea and King of Munster in his own right. His grandmother would remain a prominent figure, but the reign of Murchad had begun.
The Young King
The failed war in Leinster diminished Heodez's power somewhat, and young Murchad was briefly fostered to his great-uncle in Desmond. But by the time he died a few years later, Heodez had recovered enough prestige to have her grandson's education placed in her hands. There would be repeated upheavals in Dysert, as Heodez was supplanted for periods by prominent clansmen, and for an intriguing time by an African eunuch given to his late father by a merchant from Galicia. Heodez always managed to return to power, and always managed to keep control of little Murchad.
Murchad's regents tried to regain the Clan's prestige and prominence by avenging their recent defeats. The Eunuch Abubakari launched an effort to regain Dublin when it seemed the Ui Niell were distracted by Viking raids, only to be obliged to pay a hefty indemnity and retreat in the face of their superior army. A campaign aimed at conquering Connacht was likewise foiled by the intervention of the King of Tara. Despite these expensive fiascos, Munster seems to have prospered. Archeological surveys of Dysert show a increase in size and quantity of dwellings there, along with the erection of a new dry stone wall (since buried under more recent construction). This suggests an underlying level of prosperity despite the military and political reverses. After loosing Dublin, the O'Deas suffered no further territorial losses. The Ui Niell Kings seemed to accept the O'Deas as overlords of Munster, and to be content with containing the upstart clan to preserve the status quo.
It may be that growing up seeing the frustrations and failures of those ruling on his behalf was what imported such a restless, relentless ambition. Or it may be that it was simply a family trait. Little Murchad in any case was said to idolize not just the legendary Kings and Heroes of Ireland, but Charlegmane and Constantine. His monastic tutors likely introduced him to Caesar's Gallic Wars. Though he idolized such conquerors, he was reputedly only a moderately competent fighter himself. He was quiet and cunning, with a bit of a vicious streak as well.
His grandmother arranged a marriage for him to the sister of a powerful Welsh queen, while his half-sister was married to a kinsman of the King of Cornwall. A Breton herself, Heodez had learned the hard way that intervention of Cornish and Welsh forces could be decisive in Irish wars.
In 939, Murchad, aged 16, married and was proclaimed The O'Dea and King of Munster in his own right. His grandmother would remain a prominent figure, but the reign of Murchad had begun.
As you can see, I'm having trouble with Photobucket, so expect much less image intensive updates.
Murchad's traits: lvl 4 diplo education, attractive, deceitful, shy, cynical, ambitious, cruel
Murchad's traits: lvl 4 diplo education, attractive, deceitful, shy, cynical, ambitious, cruel
Finegall, Sassanach, and Gallowglaigh
Finegall, Sassanach and Galloglaigh
As chance would have it, Murchad's ascent to power coincided with a period of renewed large-scale raids. The O'Deas of Munster and Ui Niells of Ulster and Tara were both strong enough to manage the threats. Leinster and Connaught, the battleground provinces between the two Irish powers, were less fortunate. As Murchad was awaiting the arrival of his first child in Dysert, a host of Vikings descended on Leinster. These were different. They intended not to reign, but to carve out a new kingdom, a replacement for the Norse city-kingdom of Dyflinn.
Their leader was one of the least likely characters in Irish history. Uni Svavarsson was not quite forty. He was a veteran of the Byzantine Varangian Guard, where he distinguished himself. However, being caught having an affair with a member of the Imperial family, he was expelled from the Empire, though the Emperor kept Uni's eyeballs and testicles in Constantinople. Despite his mutilation, Uni amassed a sizeable following of able-bodied warriors for his expedition, and succeeded in conquering Leinster with his four sons leading his armies. This gloomy news was noted in the monastic chronicle of St Tola, alongside an ecstatic account of the birth of Murchads first son. He named him after his role model, Constantin, and the little prince seemed gifted from the start. The following year, Murchad's mother Kraka, Queen of Mann, died. Though the two seem to have barely known each other, if at all, he was nonetheless named her heir. That same year, a fleet of long ships arrived off the west of Ireland. These bore the host of Herebhert Henry, an Anglo-Saxon warlord. Though a Christian, Herebhert carved out a lordship in Connaught in similar fashion to Uni in Leinster, pushing Irish off the best land and settling the area with Saxons. Herebhert's Sassanach were reviled all the more in the surviving monastic chronicles throughout Ireland. Christians were supposed to know better.
Just before Murchad had been born, the Umayyids had been driven out of Aquitaine by the First Crusade. The glory and riches gained by landless warriors in this holy war might have been part of the spur that launched this wave of military adventurers. While there hadn't been any Irish involvement in that Crusade, Murchad certainly knew about it. As Uni's force launched an attack on Dublin, still in Ui Niell hands, Murchad started his own personal crusade. He would fight his own holy war against heathen invaders- and in the process, gain lands and wealth for himself.
With Uni's host in Dublin, pillaging and besieging his Ui Niell rivals, the O'Dea army stormed and liberated Leinster, adding it to the growing Kingdom of Munster, and capturing Uni's wife in the process. Now caught between the O'Deas and the Ui Niells, Uni's sons and surviving warriors agreed to return home in exchange for her release. The Ui Niell were in the unwelcome position of having to be grateful to their rivals. Meanwhile, Herebhert was fending off an insurgency led by the Ui Briuin. Though ultimately unsuccessful, this Irish resistance undermined the strength of the Saxon warband.
It is at this point that we have the first records of what would be the defining feature of Irish armies in the early middle ages. In 945 we have records of money and land being set aside for the support of galloglaigh, or in the modern Irish Galowglass. The name meant roughly 'young foreign warrior.' These men had been slowly growing in number throughout the Viking age. Of mixed Norse and Celtic heritage, they had only weak ties to either culture. These young men, mostly from places like Mann and Innse Gall, made their way as mercenary bands called corrughadh, about a hundred strong.
These men were a fusion of Celtic and Norse fighting traditions. Unlike Irish warriors, who would at most wear a helm and carry a shield, the galloglaigh wore ring mail like the Norse. Their long handled two-handed battleaxes were also norse-influenced. Their fondness for small throwing spears was more typically Irish. Socially, the corrughadh could be considered a version of the warrior-brotherhoods found in ancient myths. Their relationship to their lords was more like the Huskarls of the Germanic world, who fought for the sake of honor and coin, not blood ties.
Murchad was by birth and circumstances sympathetic to the galloglaigh. Descended from both Norse and Irish nobility, he had been raised entirely Irish but never lost interest in his Norse heritage. When he inherited the Isle of Mann, he gained not only land but an ideal recruiting ground for galloglaigh. Over the course of his reign they would become more and more prominent. He would begin to keep at least one corrughadh with him at all times, more typically five. Beyond their direct contributions, their example would gradually influence the native Irish warrior elite to start adopting their tools and methods. Young Constantin would reportedly spend a great deal of time with his fathers galloglaigh, at one point wishing to become a kern, a servant/apprentice to a galloglaigh. Though Murchad would not allow this, it didn't dampen the boys desire to learn the ways of war.
In 948, Murchad attacked the Saxons in Connaught. His pretext was the same dubious claim that his regents had tried to press as a boy. The Saxons were depleted by Irish resistence, and Murchad's warriors rooted them out of their holds and annexed the region into his domain. Over the next ten years, those Saxons who had survived had either been assimilated or driven into the wilderness, and the area was repopulated with Irish families loyal to the O'Deas. Young Constantin was betrothed to a daughter of the Scottish king.
In 959, Murchad dared to attack the independent clans of Tyrconnel. Though they did not pay tribute to the Ui Niell, their lands were in Ulster, which the Ui Niell had long considered their personal property. But by now the O'Deas were too strong for the Ui Niell to intervene. Having made this point by subjugating Tyrconnel, Murchad arranged for himself to be crowned High King of Ireland at Cashel on March 4, 960, in a lavish ceremony financed by Jewish merchants.
Finegall, Sassanach and Galloglaigh
As chance would have it, Murchad's ascent to power coincided with a period of renewed large-scale raids. The O'Deas of Munster and Ui Niells of Ulster and Tara were both strong enough to manage the threats. Leinster and Connaught, the battleground provinces between the two Irish powers, were less fortunate. As Murchad was awaiting the arrival of his first child in Dysert, a host of Vikings descended on Leinster. These were different. They intended not to reign, but to carve out a new kingdom, a replacement for the Norse city-kingdom of Dyflinn.
Their leader was one of the least likely characters in Irish history. Uni Svavarsson was not quite forty. He was a veteran of the Byzantine Varangian Guard, where he distinguished himself. However, being caught having an affair with a member of the Imperial family, he was expelled from the Empire, though the Emperor kept Uni's eyeballs and testicles in Constantinople. Despite his mutilation, Uni amassed a sizeable following of able-bodied warriors for his expedition, and succeeded in conquering Leinster with his four sons leading his armies. This gloomy news was noted in the monastic chronicle of St Tola, alongside an ecstatic account of the birth of Murchads first son. He named him after his role model, Constantin, and the little prince seemed gifted from the start. The following year, Murchad's mother Kraka, Queen of Mann, died. Though the two seem to have barely known each other, if at all, he was nonetheless named her heir. That same year, a fleet of long ships arrived off the west of Ireland. These bore the host of Herebhert Henry, an Anglo-Saxon warlord. Though a Christian, Herebhert carved out a lordship in Connaught in similar fashion to Uni in Leinster, pushing Irish off the best land and settling the area with Saxons. Herebhert's Sassanach were reviled all the more in the surviving monastic chronicles throughout Ireland. Christians were supposed to know better.
Just before Murchad had been born, the Umayyids had been driven out of Aquitaine by the First Crusade. The glory and riches gained by landless warriors in this holy war might have been part of the spur that launched this wave of military adventurers. While there hadn't been any Irish involvement in that Crusade, Murchad certainly knew about it. As Uni's force launched an attack on Dublin, still in Ui Niell hands, Murchad started his own personal crusade. He would fight his own holy war against heathen invaders- and in the process, gain lands and wealth for himself.
With Uni's host in Dublin, pillaging and besieging his Ui Niell rivals, the O'Dea army stormed and liberated Leinster, adding it to the growing Kingdom of Munster, and capturing Uni's wife in the process. Now caught between the O'Deas and the Ui Niells, Uni's sons and surviving warriors agreed to return home in exchange for her release. The Ui Niell were in the unwelcome position of having to be grateful to their rivals. Meanwhile, Herebhert was fending off an insurgency led by the Ui Briuin. Though ultimately unsuccessful, this Irish resistance undermined the strength of the Saxon warband.
It is at this point that we have the first records of what would be the defining feature of Irish armies in the early middle ages. In 945 we have records of money and land being set aside for the support of galloglaigh, or in the modern Irish Galowglass. The name meant roughly 'young foreign warrior.' These men had been slowly growing in number throughout the Viking age. Of mixed Norse and Celtic heritage, they had only weak ties to either culture. These young men, mostly from places like Mann and Innse Gall, made their way as mercenary bands called corrughadh, about a hundred strong.
These men were a fusion of Celtic and Norse fighting traditions. Unlike Irish warriors, who would at most wear a helm and carry a shield, the galloglaigh wore ring mail like the Norse. Their long handled two-handed battleaxes were also norse-influenced. Their fondness for small throwing spears was more typically Irish. Socially, the corrughadh could be considered a version of the warrior-brotherhoods found in ancient myths. Their relationship to their lords was more like the Huskarls of the Germanic world, who fought for the sake of honor and coin, not blood ties.
Murchad was by birth and circumstances sympathetic to the galloglaigh. Descended from both Norse and Irish nobility, he had been raised entirely Irish but never lost interest in his Norse heritage. When he inherited the Isle of Mann, he gained not only land but an ideal recruiting ground for galloglaigh. Over the course of his reign they would become more and more prominent. He would begin to keep at least one corrughadh with him at all times, more typically five. Beyond their direct contributions, their example would gradually influence the native Irish warrior elite to start adopting their tools and methods. Young Constantin would reportedly spend a great deal of time with his fathers galloglaigh, at one point wishing to become a kern, a servant/apprentice to a galloglaigh. Though Murchad would not allow this, it didn't dampen the boys desire to learn the ways of war.
In 948, Murchad attacked the Saxons in Connaught. His pretext was the same dubious claim that his regents had tried to press as a boy. The Saxons were depleted by Irish resistence, and Murchad's warriors rooted them out of their holds and annexed the region into his domain. Over the next ten years, those Saxons who had survived had either been assimilated or driven into the wilderness, and the area was repopulated with Irish families loyal to the O'Deas. Young Constantin was betrothed to a daughter of the Scottish king.
In 959, Murchad dared to attack the independent clans of Tyrconnel. Though they did not pay tribute to the Ui Niell, their lands were in Ulster, which the Ui Niell had long considered their personal property. But by now the O'Deas were too strong for the Ui Niell to intervene. Having made this point by subjugating Tyrconnel, Murchad arranged for himself to be crowned High King of Ireland at Cashel on March 4, 960, in a lavish ceremony financed by Jewish merchants.
Good update! I'm just wondering though (maybe because of lack of pics). High King of Ireland? Has he taken the whole Isle?
The Gallowglass King
The Gallowglass King
Murchad's coronation did not mark the end of his ambition. From the beginning he was clearly not content with the title Ard Ri, High King. He was determined to make his power over the entire island a fact, not just an honorary office. Against this stood the Ui Niell Kings of Tara, also claiming the title High King based on generations of history. The O'Deas had momentum and the loyalty of well over half the island on their side, but their conquest was not yet complete.
Murchad launched a pair of wars against small kingdoms, Briefne and Oriel. These small clans put up a surprisingly strong fight, engaging the O'Deas in serious battles, at times fielding forces nearly as large as the O'Dea army. The galloglaigh proved their mettle in these battles, and both Oriel and Breifne were forced to accept Murchad's over lordship. The stage seemed to be set for a final conflict between Murchad and the Ui Niell, the last major Irish lords not under his power.
In an accident of fate, the Ui Niell King of Tara died in battle against Viking raiders. Years of war had depleted the clan of adult male claimants, and his young daughter Deirdre was proclaimed The O'Niell and Queen of Tara. In these circumstances, Deirdre's regents accepted Murchad's offer to become a client clan of the O'Deas and come under his protection. In time, Deirdre herself would actually be fostered to Murchad in Dysert. With Ulster and Meath thus falling into his lap, Murchad's conquest seemed to be complete.
Another man might have rested on his laurels and enjoyed the rest of his reign. But Murchad's ambition had always been too big for Éirinn. He married his second son to a Galician Princess, while his daughter married a brother of the new, Christian king of Denmark. On the continent, the Second Crusade had ended in victory, with the Umayyids pushed out of Aragon and Catalonia entrusted to the newly formed martial holy order the Knights of Calatrava. The Christian world was on a roll, and looking for a new outlet for its militant piety. Murchad was happy to oblige them. In 964 he launched the first of his holy wars against the Norse outside Ireland proper. He invaded Innse Gall, now once again under pagan rule.
The Isles themselves fell quickly. During the sieges of Norse strongholds, Murchad reportedly played wargames against his galloglaigh's kerns. They used wooden markers for soldiers and dice to decide outcome of fights. This peculiar pastime apparently did Murchad a great deal of good. While he would never be renowned as a warrior, he became a quite successful general and strategist. As he was playing these games, the Norse king of Norway and the Thain of Cumberland entered the war against him. They combined to field a force larger than his own and besieged the Isle of Mann.
Embarking his men on his ships, he sailed to the relief of his mother's homeland. In a major battle at Douglas, Murchad's troops routed the Vikings, inflicting five times as many casualties on the enemy as they suffered. His victories over the hated pagan marauders earned him the admiration of the Pope, who three times in Murchad's reign sent envoys bearing "vast sums of money, a special tithe raised to succor the High King in his righteous struggle." In the winter of 966, Murchad crushed a Viking army on the holy island of Iona. This broke the back of the Viking resistance and won his holy war.
Taking Iona was of tremendous symbolic significance to the Irish, particularly the Irish monks from whom we get most of our history. Iona had been the hub of Irish monasticism, the beating heart of Irelands spiritual and scholarly Golden Age. Even before the coming of the Vikings Iona was on the decline, eclipsed by its own daughter monasteries throughout Europe. Repeatedly sacked, most of its books, treasures and relics had long since been moved to inland parts of Ireland like Glendalough, and by the time Deaghaidh rose to power the monks had entirely abandoned it.
Murchad installed a Norse Christian from the Isle of Mann, Barid Olafrsson, now a saint. That he chose to put this sacred Celtic site under the power of a cleric descended from Vikings says something about Murchad's intentions toward the Norse and Hiberno-Norse people he was conquering. Barid was not only entrusted with Iona, but also made Lord over the Isles, a title that would remain with the Bishopric of Iona. He also gave the Isle of Mann to his half-brother's son Totil, in recognition of Totil's service in his army, possibly as a galloglaigh, and the title 'Earl,' previously unseen in Irish lands and clearly derived from the Norse 'Jarl'. At Iona endowed his now adult sons with land and title. The eldest, Constantin was made Prince and Dux of Connaught, while younger Mael-Ciarain was named Prince and Dux of Ulster. His choice of these titles was telling, and were another sign of the very different direction Murchad intended to take the institution of High King.
Under Irish law at the time, no matter what his rank a King's direct rule extended to his own tuatha, the lands of his own clan. While bound to give tribute and supply warriors to their overlords, the subordinate clans were still mostly autonomous. Murchad aspired to change Ireland from a land of hundreds of Kings to a land of one, singular High King. This creeping expansion of royal authority, and the periodic resistance of the aristocracy to it, would be one of the defining conflicts of Ireland in the middle ages. Murchad's prestige was such that these changes met no resistance in his own time.
Murchad rested his army only two years before launching a second, more ambitious holy war. This time he aimed to wrest Moray from the Norwegian crown. The Norwegians brought their brethren in Jorvik into the war, which would turn into a much longer and bloodier campaign than the war for the Isles. In July of 969, Murchad defeated a larger force of Norse at Forres. He spent the rest of the year pursuing the Norse troops, hunting them "like wild wolves," which incidentally were being hunted to extinction in Ireland during this era. That winter a large force of reinforcements arrived from Norway. Now outnumbered almost two to one, Murchad tried to retreat to his ships and regroup back in Ireland, but was cut off by the Norwegians and brought to battle at Inverness.
With their situation seemingly hopeless, the Irish army "resolved to die valiantly, trusting in the goodness of the Lord to receive them." Murchad and his five corrughadh of household galloglaigh held the left flank, and shattered the Norse before them with a fearless, seemingly suicidal charge. They then descended on the Norse center, which had seemed about to break the Irish shieldwall, and routed it. Murchad's last stand turned into his greatest, most lopsided victories. Once again he spent the rest of the year pursuing the remains of the Viking army, again defeating larger forces sent from Norway to relieve them. With the tide now firmly in Murchad's favor, the Kingdom of Scotland declared its own holy war against the Norwegians, moving in to besiege Viking holds in the wake of Murchad's victories in the field.
In 970, at the battle of Dornoch, Murchad's army defeated and killed the Norwegian King Jedvard. His holy war seemingly won, Murchad was suddenly faced with a serious attack back in Ireland.
The King of Cornwall, the son of Murchad's half-sister, launched an invasion of Ireland aimed at putting himself on the Irish throne. His army far away and badly depleted, Murchad was in dire straits. Though he received further financial support from the Pope for his northern wars, he didn't have the treasury to hire mercenaries in the sort of numbers needed to defeat the Cornish, who had allied themselves with the Saxon Kingdom of Wessex. Combined the Saxon-Cornish army was nearly 5,000 strong, well over double Murchad's army. Abandoning Scotland, where the Norwegians would eventually surrender the ground he had fought so hard for to the Scots, he raised additional forces in Thomond. But though he was victorious at worse odds against the Norwegians, Murchad thought better of attacking the army besieging Dublin. He let the city fall, hoping that he could force the enemy to come to him.
In desperation, and with little serious thought that they would be successful, he sent pleas for help to his younger sons father-in-law, King Hermenegildo of Galicia. Murchad doubted that the Galicians would drop everything to launch an expensive, dangerous relief expedition to Ireland, especially with Muslim enemies so close to home. In fact, a little over a month after receiving the message Hermenegildo himself landed in Leinster with an army nearly three thousand strong. Now outnumbering the Cornish-Saxon army, Murchad and Hermenegildo broke the backs of the invaders at the Battle of Ath Cliath. Shortly thereafter, an even more surprising wave of reinforcements arrived, 600 men sent by Hermenegildo's younger son, now the Grandmaster of the Knights Hospitallier. Though the brother-knights themselves were forbidden from warring against Christians, they sent levies of non-brothers from their lands, arguing that by attacking Murchad in the middle of his Holy War the Cornish were de facto allies of pagans.
The Cornish gave up, accepting a truce and withdrawing from Ireland in 973. A few months later High King Murchad the Wise died from a seemingly minor illness. He was 49 years old, and spent all but 8 days of that time as a King. His reign was a transformative period that was already becoming legendary in his own time.
The Gallowglass King
Murchad's coronation did not mark the end of his ambition. From the beginning he was clearly not content with the title Ard Ri, High King. He was determined to make his power over the entire island a fact, not just an honorary office. Against this stood the Ui Niell Kings of Tara, also claiming the title High King based on generations of history. The O'Deas had momentum and the loyalty of well over half the island on their side, but their conquest was not yet complete.
Murchad launched a pair of wars against small kingdoms, Briefne and Oriel. These small clans put up a surprisingly strong fight, engaging the O'Deas in serious battles, at times fielding forces nearly as large as the O'Dea army. The galloglaigh proved their mettle in these battles, and both Oriel and Breifne were forced to accept Murchad's over lordship. The stage seemed to be set for a final conflict between Murchad and the Ui Niell, the last major Irish lords not under his power.
In an accident of fate, the Ui Niell King of Tara died in battle against Viking raiders. Years of war had depleted the clan of adult male claimants, and his young daughter Deirdre was proclaimed The O'Niell and Queen of Tara. In these circumstances, Deirdre's regents accepted Murchad's offer to become a client clan of the O'Deas and come under his protection. In time, Deirdre herself would actually be fostered to Murchad in Dysert. With Ulster and Meath thus falling into his lap, Murchad's conquest seemed to be complete.
Another man might have rested on his laurels and enjoyed the rest of his reign. But Murchad's ambition had always been too big for Éirinn. He married his second son to a Galician Princess, while his daughter married a brother of the new, Christian king of Denmark. On the continent, the Second Crusade had ended in victory, with the Umayyids pushed out of Aragon and Catalonia entrusted to the newly formed martial holy order the Knights of Calatrava. The Christian world was on a roll, and looking for a new outlet for its militant piety. Murchad was happy to oblige them. In 964 he launched the first of his holy wars against the Norse outside Ireland proper. He invaded Innse Gall, now once again under pagan rule.
The Isles themselves fell quickly. During the sieges of Norse strongholds, Murchad reportedly played wargames against his galloglaigh's kerns. They used wooden markers for soldiers and dice to decide outcome of fights. This peculiar pastime apparently did Murchad a great deal of good. While he would never be renowned as a warrior, he became a quite successful general and strategist. As he was playing these games, the Norse king of Norway and the Thain of Cumberland entered the war against him. They combined to field a force larger than his own and besieged the Isle of Mann.
Embarking his men on his ships, he sailed to the relief of his mother's homeland. In a major battle at Douglas, Murchad's troops routed the Vikings, inflicting five times as many casualties on the enemy as they suffered. His victories over the hated pagan marauders earned him the admiration of the Pope, who three times in Murchad's reign sent envoys bearing "vast sums of money, a special tithe raised to succor the High King in his righteous struggle." In the winter of 966, Murchad crushed a Viking army on the holy island of Iona. This broke the back of the Viking resistance and won his holy war.
Taking Iona was of tremendous symbolic significance to the Irish, particularly the Irish monks from whom we get most of our history. Iona had been the hub of Irish monasticism, the beating heart of Irelands spiritual and scholarly Golden Age. Even before the coming of the Vikings Iona was on the decline, eclipsed by its own daughter monasteries throughout Europe. Repeatedly sacked, most of its books, treasures and relics had long since been moved to inland parts of Ireland like Glendalough, and by the time Deaghaidh rose to power the monks had entirely abandoned it.
Murchad installed a Norse Christian from the Isle of Mann, Barid Olafrsson, now a saint. That he chose to put this sacred Celtic site under the power of a cleric descended from Vikings says something about Murchad's intentions toward the Norse and Hiberno-Norse people he was conquering. Barid was not only entrusted with Iona, but also made Lord over the Isles, a title that would remain with the Bishopric of Iona. He also gave the Isle of Mann to his half-brother's son Totil, in recognition of Totil's service in his army, possibly as a galloglaigh, and the title 'Earl,' previously unseen in Irish lands and clearly derived from the Norse 'Jarl'. At Iona endowed his now adult sons with land and title. The eldest, Constantin was made Prince and Dux of Connaught, while younger Mael-Ciarain was named Prince and Dux of Ulster. His choice of these titles was telling, and were another sign of the very different direction Murchad intended to take the institution of High King.
Under Irish law at the time, no matter what his rank a King's direct rule extended to his own tuatha, the lands of his own clan. While bound to give tribute and supply warriors to their overlords, the subordinate clans were still mostly autonomous. Murchad aspired to change Ireland from a land of hundreds of Kings to a land of one, singular High King. This creeping expansion of royal authority, and the periodic resistance of the aristocracy to it, would be one of the defining conflicts of Ireland in the middle ages. Murchad's prestige was such that these changes met no resistance in his own time.
Murchad rested his army only two years before launching a second, more ambitious holy war. This time he aimed to wrest Moray from the Norwegian crown. The Norwegians brought their brethren in Jorvik into the war, which would turn into a much longer and bloodier campaign than the war for the Isles. In July of 969, Murchad defeated a larger force of Norse at Forres. He spent the rest of the year pursuing the Norse troops, hunting them "like wild wolves," which incidentally were being hunted to extinction in Ireland during this era. That winter a large force of reinforcements arrived from Norway. Now outnumbered almost two to one, Murchad tried to retreat to his ships and regroup back in Ireland, but was cut off by the Norwegians and brought to battle at Inverness.
With their situation seemingly hopeless, the Irish army "resolved to die valiantly, trusting in the goodness of the Lord to receive them." Murchad and his five corrughadh of household galloglaigh held the left flank, and shattered the Norse before them with a fearless, seemingly suicidal charge. They then descended on the Norse center, which had seemed about to break the Irish shieldwall, and routed it. Murchad's last stand turned into his greatest, most lopsided victories. Once again he spent the rest of the year pursuing the remains of the Viking army, again defeating larger forces sent from Norway to relieve them. With the tide now firmly in Murchad's favor, the Kingdom of Scotland declared its own holy war against the Norwegians, moving in to besiege Viking holds in the wake of Murchad's victories in the field.
In 970, at the battle of Dornoch, Murchad's army defeated and killed the Norwegian King Jedvard. His holy war seemingly won, Murchad was suddenly faced with a serious attack back in Ireland.
The King of Cornwall, the son of Murchad's half-sister, launched an invasion of Ireland aimed at putting himself on the Irish throne. His army far away and badly depleted, Murchad was in dire straits. Though he received further financial support from the Pope for his northern wars, he didn't have the treasury to hire mercenaries in the sort of numbers needed to defeat the Cornish, who had allied themselves with the Saxon Kingdom of Wessex. Combined the Saxon-Cornish army was nearly 5,000 strong, well over double Murchad's army. Abandoning Scotland, where the Norwegians would eventually surrender the ground he had fought so hard for to the Scots, he raised additional forces in Thomond. But though he was victorious at worse odds against the Norwegians, Murchad thought better of attacking the army besieging Dublin. He let the city fall, hoping that he could force the enemy to come to him.
In desperation, and with little serious thought that they would be successful, he sent pleas for help to his younger sons father-in-law, King Hermenegildo of Galicia. Murchad doubted that the Galicians would drop everything to launch an expensive, dangerous relief expedition to Ireland, especially with Muslim enemies so close to home. In fact, a little over a month after receiving the message Hermenegildo himself landed in Leinster with an army nearly three thousand strong. Now outnumbering the Cornish-Saxon army, Murchad and Hermenegildo broke the backs of the invaders at the Battle of Ath Cliath. Shortly thereafter, an even more surprising wave of reinforcements arrived, 600 men sent by Hermenegildo's younger son, now the Grandmaster of the Knights Hospitallier. Though the brother-knights themselves were forbidden from warring against Christians, they sent levies of non-brothers from their lands, arguing that by attacking Murchad in the middle of his Holy War the Cornish were de facto allies of pagans.
The Cornish gave up, accepting a truce and withdrawing from Ireland in 973. A few months later High King Murchad the Wise died from a seemingly minor illness. He was 49 years old, and spent all but 8 days of that time as a King. His reign was a transformative period that was already becoming legendary in his own time.
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Not at that point, I had enough of the land that I could create the title, but there were still three or four independent lordships, and even at the end of Murchad's reign there was still one county that was outside my realm. I had a truce with them when I launched my holy war for Moray, and then became too tied up with other things.
Yeah, I can honestly say I would not have done the same for them. However after they came through for me I tried to help them out when the opportunities arose.
Fun mythological/historical fact: the legendary father of the first Celts in Ireland was Milesius, 'a soldier of Spain,' who lived in Galicia. The story goes he built a high tower by the ocean and kept getting glimpses of a green land on the horizon. His sons would conquer it from the Tuatha de Danaa, the old celtic gods that were demoted to faeries after Christianization. The idea that the Irish, and through them the Scottish and Manx, are descended from Iberian Celt migrants/invaders has a good deal of actual historical backing. That was my rationale for marrying into the Galicians in the first place, as for the first several generations I tried to keep my marriages within the plausible realms reachable by Irishmen.
This AAR teaches you CK2 tactics, as well as Irish history. Very nice. :laugh: