From Kings to Warlords

Book excerpt: Native Irish chieftains, not totally subdued after the Norman invasion of Ireland, recovered a measure of their power in the later middle ages; unfamiliar sources illuminate developments. The Norman invasion of Ireland (1169) did not result in a complete conquest, and those native Irish chieftains who retained independent control of their territories achieved a recovery of power in the later middle ages. KatharineSimms studies the experience of the resurgent chieftains, who were undergoing significant developments during this period. The most obvious signs of change were the gradual disappearance of the title ri (king), and the ubiquitouspresence of mercenary soldiers. On a deeper level, the institution of kingship itself had died, as is shown by this study of the election and inauguration of Irish kings, their counsellors, officials, vassals, army, and sources ofrevenue, as they evolved between the twelfth and sixteenth centuries. Sources such as the Irish chronicles, bardic poetry, genealogies, brehon charters and rentals, family-tract and sagas are all used, in addition to the more familiar evidence of the Anglo-Norman administration, the Church, and Tudor state papers. Dr KATHARINE SIMMS lectures in the Department of Medieval History, Trinity College, Dublin.