Strongbow
Irish History
And
The Fighting Irish
And
The Fighting Irish
( The English Invasion )
arrived too late to save the city. The in response to another summons from
his royal master, he hastened to Henry, very humbly laid his conquests, cities and territories, at his angry monarch's feet - only begging that he might be made Henry's tributary from Leinster. While Strongbow was absent Dublin was again attacked, this time by its Danish King Hasculf MacTurkell, who had escaped to Norway when the city was first taken, and now returned with ships and armies from Scandinavia, Denmark, the Western Isles of Scotland and the Isle of Man - 10,000 men under John the Dane. Again the clever strategy of the Normans, now under Miles and Richard de Cogan, defeated and destroyed the great attacking army.
Strongbow's report upon the goodliness of the prize beyond the Channel, stimulated Henry to go to the winning of it. And he went with 500 knights and 4,000 horse and foot soldiers, in 400 ships, landing at Waterford in October 1171. His conquest of the southeast of the island was little more than a triumphal march; for the Irish princes and Chiefs of the south and east thronged in to do homage to the great man. Without question the extraordinary skill of the Normans in the art of war, and their effective system and wonderful discipline, their eminently superior equipment, their armour against which the weapons of the Irish were of little use, all had telling effect upon the minds of the chiefs.
Strongbow's report upon the goodliness of the prize beyond the Channel, stimulated Henry to go to the winning of it. And he went with 500 knights and 4,000 horse and foot soldiers, in 400 ships, landing at Waterford in October 1171. His conquest of the southeast of the island was little more than a triumphal march; for the Irish princes and Chiefs of the south and east thronged in to do homage to the great man. Without question the extraordinary skill of the Normans in the art of war, and their effective system and wonderful discipline, their eminently superior equipment, their armour against which the weapons of the Irish were of little use, all had telling effect upon the minds of the chiefs.
Richard de Clare King Henry ii Diarmuid MacMurrough
Besides they knew that there was not, and had not been, the cohesion amongst them that would enable them to maintain a united front against an invader with such a powerful army. Of course they only considered it in the light of minor kings giving a kind of formal acknowledgement to the might of a greater - a thing which they had always been used to doing toward the greater one of their own. The acknowledgement of a greater, the giving of hostages, and even paying of tribute to him, had never affected and had never been meant to affect, their own independence and the independence of their own territory. Yet well they must have known the vast differences between submission to one of their own, and to a foreign invader. It shows lamentable demoralisation, and stamps their memory with lasting shame.
MacCarthy of Desmond first came in and made submission at Waterford. He was followed by O'Brien of Thomond, at Lismore, the O'Faelan of the Deisi, MacGillapatrick of Ossory, and other Leinster Chiefs as Henry marched to Dublin. In Dublin came to meet him and pay homage, O'Rourke of Breffni, O'Carroll of Oriel, and O'Mellaghlin of Meath. None of the northern chiefs came in, nor of the western. Nor did Roderick, the Ard-Righ - but he contemplated, with growing alarm, the successive submissions of the various princes, and finally sent messengers to Dublin inviting a parley at the Shannon. To the rendezvous came Henry's envoys - with the result that Roderick O'Connor, through these envoys, mad peace and friendship with Henry,as one King with another, and also as an act of submission, to one whom he acknowledged to be greater than he.
During that winter Henry made still more progress in winning and securing to himself the fealty of the princes. In a Dublin palace which he had constructed of osiers he kept court and entertained lavishly, all the winter long. With the choicest repasts, prepared by the best Norman cooks, he won through their stomach to the hearts of the chiefs. This supplemented by his own gracious suavity, in contrast to the bluntness, sometimes brutality of the Norman Welsh who had preceded him. The ardroit Henry's affability and politeness, and apparently real friendship and affection, had far more compelling force in winning fealty than would have had the shock of his army. Then he won Rome too. He had a synod of the Irish ecclesiastics - all but the Primate Gelasius, and the other northerns, called at Cashel, where, following the example of their chiefs, the Bishops acknowledged Henry as Lord Supreme of Ireland. At this synod they passed decrees for the bettering of church discipline, which, being sent to Rome, confimed the fact that Henry was carrying out his undertaking, and reforming the morals of the land, and evoked from Alexander the Third the letter confirmatory of Adrian's Bull.
MacCarthy of Desmond first came in and made submission at Waterford. He was followed by O'Brien of Thomond, at Lismore, the O'Faelan of the Deisi, MacGillapatrick of Ossory, and other Leinster Chiefs as Henry marched to Dublin. In Dublin came to meet him and pay homage, O'Rourke of Breffni, O'Carroll of Oriel, and O'Mellaghlin of Meath. None of the northern chiefs came in, nor of the western. Nor did Roderick, the Ard-Righ - but he contemplated, with growing alarm, the successive submissions of the various princes, and finally sent messengers to Dublin inviting a parley at the Shannon. To the rendezvous came Henry's envoys - with the result that Roderick O'Connor, through these envoys, mad peace and friendship with Henry,as one King with another, and also as an act of submission, to one whom he acknowledged to be greater than he.
During that winter Henry made still more progress in winning and securing to himself the fealty of the princes. In a Dublin palace which he had constructed of osiers he kept court and entertained lavishly, all the winter long. With the choicest repasts, prepared by the best Norman cooks, he won through their stomach to the hearts of the chiefs. This supplemented by his own gracious suavity, in contrast to the bluntness, sometimes brutality of the Norman Welsh who had preceded him. The ardroit Henry's affability and politeness, and apparently real friendship and affection, had far more compelling force in winning fealty than would have had the shock of his army. Then he won Rome too. He had a synod of the Irish ecclesiastics - all but the Primate Gelasius, and the other northerns, called at Cashel, where, following the example of their chiefs, the Bishops acknowledged Henry as Lord Supreme of Ireland. At this synod they passed decrees for the bettering of church discipline, which, being sent to Rome, confimed the fact that Henry was carrying out his undertaking, and reforming the morals of the land, and evoked from Alexander the Third the letter confirmatory of Adrian's Bull.
English Pope, Nicholas Breakspeare, Adrian iv.
At Easter, Henry had to return in haste to England, carrying with him the undisputed lordship of Leinster, Meath and the cities of Dublin, Wexford and Waterford. Meath he gave in trust to De Lacey, who had the governorship of Dublin also. The city of Dublin was given to the occupation of the merchants and people of Bristol. Strongbow was left in possession of Leinster. The strange mesmerism which the presence of Henry seemed to have wrought on the Irish princes was dissipated on his going. They awoke to the rude reality that they had welcomed an invader and meekly accepted him. Fron the various quarters they began to rise up against the enemy, harass him, and endeavour to drime him out. Now more familiar with, and therefore less daunted by Norman discipline and equipment, the Irish princes set strategy against skill, and discovered that the Normans were not unbeatable. O'Brien of Thomond inflicted a big defeat upon them at Thurles - and it was not the only defeat that they experienced. Strongbow the mighty was beaten back in the south and bottled up in Waterford an in imminent danger of capture. And only that the redoubtable le Gros hurried back from Wales to release him, that he would have been overthrown.
Roderick O'Connor with the help of N'Neill, O'Mellaghlin, O'Carroll, MacDunleavy of Uladh, and an army of 20,000 overran Meath, and set out for Dublin, which he might easily have captured but for his vacillation. he soon after thought it to be to his advantage to make treaty with Henry. He sent to England for that purpose Concord, Abbot of Clonfert, Catholicus, Archbishop of of Tuam, and Archbishop Lawrence O'Toole of Dublin. This treaty known as the Treaty of Windsor, acknowledged Henry's right to the Lordship of Leinster, Meath and the other few places and cities then occupied by him. He was also acknowledged as the overlord to whom Roderick should pay formal tribute. On the other hand it acknowledged Roderick's right to the high-kingship of five sixths of Ireland. But such pacts had littel effect either in securing peace or insuring the rights of either party. Every Norman Chief warred on his own account, for the purpose of extending his power and possessions. And of course every Irish Chief and prince, when opportunity offered, warred against the invader. But such demoralisation set in, that in short time, not only were the Irish Chiefs warring against the Norman, they were also warring against each other. Norman baron warring with Norman baron and a Norman-Irish alliance would be warring against Normans, or against Irish, or against another combination of both.
The Normans not only marked their progress by much slaughter and many barbarities, but signalised themselves by robbing and burning churches and monasteries, and oftentimes slaughtering the inmates. They harried, robbed, ravished and destroyed wheresoever they went. And against one another, in their own feuds, they oftentimes exercised as much barbarity as against the Irish. Fearfully true is the Four Masters' word that MacMurrough's treacherous act " made of Ireland a trembling sod. "
Roderick O'Connor with the help of N'Neill, O'Mellaghlin, O'Carroll, MacDunleavy of Uladh, and an army of 20,000 overran Meath, and set out for Dublin, which he might easily have captured but for his vacillation. he soon after thought it to be to his advantage to make treaty with Henry. He sent to England for that purpose Concord, Abbot of Clonfert, Catholicus, Archbishop of of Tuam, and Archbishop Lawrence O'Toole of Dublin. This treaty known as the Treaty of Windsor, acknowledged Henry's right to the Lordship of Leinster, Meath and the other few places and cities then occupied by him. He was also acknowledged as the overlord to whom Roderick should pay formal tribute. On the other hand it acknowledged Roderick's right to the high-kingship of five sixths of Ireland. But such pacts had littel effect either in securing peace or insuring the rights of either party. Every Norman Chief warred on his own account, for the purpose of extending his power and possessions. And of course every Irish Chief and prince, when opportunity offered, warred against the invader. But such demoralisation set in, that in short time, not only were the Irish Chiefs warring against the Norman, they were also warring against each other. Norman baron warring with Norman baron and a Norman-Irish alliance would be warring against Normans, or against Irish, or against another combination of both.
The Normans not only marked their progress by much slaughter and many barbarities, but signalised themselves by robbing and burning churches and monasteries, and oftentimes slaughtering the inmates. They harried, robbed, ravished and destroyed wheresoever they went. And against one another, in their own feuds, they oftentimes exercised as much barbarity as against the Irish. Fearfully true is the Four Masters' word that MacMurrough's treacherous act " made of Ireland a trembling sod. "
