It has been 853 years since the invasion of Ireland by Anglo-Norman Lords,[1] sanctioned by the King of England at the time, Henry II. Whilst many may question the relevance of Medieval History in the modern world, this invasion is seen as one of the seminal moments in Irish History, by both nationalists and unionists alike. Understanding this invasion, and the following actions of the first Anglo-Norman Lord of Ireland, later known to history as King John, is vital as context for later relations between the English, as the Anglo-Normans became, and the Irish. It also shows that, even at this early stage, the Anglo-Norman rulers caused friction and tension with their lack of understanding of Irish culture and values. This manifested itself in the lack of understanding of the Gaelic interpretation of feudalism amongst some of the Anglo-Norman barons,[2] attempts to impose Norman political structures on Irish politics and the inability to speak Irish.
The conquest of Ireland by the English (although, they would not have identified as such at the time, instead being thoroughly Norman in language and culture and seeing the ‘English’ as the Anglo-Saxons who lived across England) began in 1169, when Anglo-Norman marcher lord, Earl Richard Fitz Gilbert, known as ‘Strongbow’ was persuaded to aid the dispossessed Gaelic King, Diarmait Mac Murchada, in regaining the Kingdom of Leinster.[3] It is important to give the context for this invasion and explain why an Anglo-Norman Lord like Strongbow was prepared to risk leaving behind his lands and titles, and try to claim land in Ireland. Most of the men who accompanied the expedition of 1169 were Welsh Marcher Lords, that is Norman lords who held land on the border with and in the South of Wales. Increasingly, they had found that they were losing land as the strong forces of Welsh Kings,[4] especially Owain Gwynedd and Rhys ap Gruffydd had allied against Henry’s army when they launched their 1165 expedition to Wales. Men such as Strongbow, whilst holding the theoretical title of lord of Striguil,[5] thus were losing their land and wealth; the prospect of the conquest of Ireland, whilst risky, also promised the possibility of great riches and wealth. The Welsh context to the conquest of Ireland is vital and it explains why King Henry II later became involved in Ireland, fearing the growing power of the men who accompanied Diarmait Mac Murchada in 1169.
The Anglo-Norman lords quickly carved out possessions for themselves in Ireland, including the strategic port cities of Wexford, Waterford, and Dublin.[6] The possession of port cities was vital; it gave men like Strongbow control to all trade in Ireland, meaning that they could charge taxes and gain wealth but also, should they wish, cause problems for Henry II by clocking English trading vessels. Henry realised the threat posed by these lords and crossed to Ireland in 1171-1172, spending six months there.[7] This residency by an English King moved the ad hoc conquest by a few ambitious Anglo-Norman lords to an invasion under the aegis of the English King; the English have never left the island of Ireland since this time. In 1172, however, the Anglo-Norman Lords swore oaths of homage to Henry, realising that this would prevent the mighty Angevin King from taking their land away from them.[8] An oath of homage in the Middle Ages proved a feudal link, meaning that Henry II was the overlord to all the Anglo-Norman lords and thus, they held their land from him as King.[9] Strategically, the Anglo-Norman Lords gave Henry control over the key port cities, meaning that trade was safe. Interestingly, whilst Henry was in Ireland the Irish rulers also swore an oath of fealty to Henry; however, it is important to note the difference between the Anglo-Norman oaths and those sworn by the Irish Kings.[10]The Irish were not making a long-term submission to the English King, nor acknowledging him in any way as their overlord, but rather were making a tactical promise of personal loyalty to Henry in order to prevent greater incursions into their land by Henry’s feudal subjects. [11]
However, with the Treaty of Windsor of October 1175, Henry was forced to change his tactics slightly. He had to acknowledge that Rory O’Connor, High King of Ireland, held all land in Ireland with the exception of the kingdom of Leinster.[12] Some historians, most notably Henry II’s biographer W.L.Warren, have argued that this Treaty marked Henry’s acceptance of Irish rule.[13] However, Hays and Jones have presented a more convincing argument that Henry was merely reacting to the reality of politics in 1175; his Anglo-Norman barons had allied with Rory O’Connor.[14] It is also important to note that the Treaty broke down within a year, probably due to the death of Strongbow in 1176[15], and Henry’s policy towards authority in Ireland once again shifted.
In 1177, Henry II decided to replace William FitzAldelm, his representative in Ireland, with his youngest (and apparently favourite) son, John.[16] John was to be given the title, Lord of Ireland, indicating that Henry now wished to impose direct, royal authority over Ireland. There were no longer to be agreements with the Irish rulers of the island; John would represent his father and later rule there, creating another scion of the Angevin Empire. However, this appointment was an unmitigated disaster and John’s behaviour in Ireland can help us to understand long-term historic tensions between the English and the Irish. John, aged 19, made an expedition to his new lordship in 1185.[17] John displayed his characteristic egocentric and spoilt nature on this expedition. Apparently accompanied by a gang of teenage companions, John not only spent all the money given to him by his father on ‘riotous living[18]’, as one historian delicately puts it, but he also caused serious offense on meeting the native Irish rulers. This meeting was arranged for the Irish rulers to renew the homage that they had done to Henry II; John, however, was unable to maintain any semblance of diplomacy, and both laughed at and pulled the beards of the Irish kings, claiming that long beards had long gone out of fashion in the Angevin court.[19] As a result of this insult, John managed what many observers thought was impossible; he united the native Irish rulers and the Anglo-Norman lords against him and they drove him from Ireland. Some have made apologies for John’s behaviour in Ireland, blaming the ambitions of one of the Anglo-Norman lords Hugh de Lacy.[20] However, knowing John’s later actions as one of the worst Kings of England, this episode appears to typify his tactlessness and complete inability to understand others.
Medieval History is often dismissed as irrelevant and boring in the English curriculum. However, for many cultures, the narrative of the Medieval world is vital to a sense of identity and history. In Ireland, the Anglo-Norman Conquest of 1169 is a seminal moment;[21] for nationalists, it is the first moment that the English invaded Ireland. It was this conquest which set in motion later events; the plantations of the 17th Century, Oliver Cromwell’s brutal conquest of Ireland from Protestantism, the shameful response of the British government to the Irish Famine of 1844-1848 and, of course, the Troubles of the 20th Century. Understanding this early conquest is vital to understanding the modern political situation in Ireland and students who are interested in Irish History and Anglo-Irish relations should be encouraged to study it in greater depth.
By Ms Holley
Bibliography
Department for Education, National Curriculum in England: history programmes of study, KS3, (2013). Sourced from: [https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-curriculum-in-england-history-programmes-of-study/national-curriculum-in-england-history-programmes-of-study] (Accessed 14/04/2021)
Ibeji, Mike, ‘Henry II: An Imperialist King’, BBC History In Depth, (2017). Sourced from: [http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/middle_ages/henryii_empire_01.shtml] (Accessed 13/04/2021)
Hays, L. and Jones, E.D., ‘Policy on the Run: Henry II and Irish Sea Diplomacy’, Journal of British Studies, October 1990, Vol.29., No.4., pp.293 – 316. Sourced from: [https://www.jstor.org/stable/175405] (Accessed 13/04/2021)
McGreevy, R., ‘Marking the Norman invasion of Ireland: 850 years and counting...’ The Irish Times, (1 May 2019). Sourced from: [https://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/marking-the-norman-invasion-of-ireland-850-years-and-counting-1.3877350] (Accessed 15/04/2021)
Snell, Arthur, ‘The Anglo-Norman Invasion of Ireland: 850 years on’, History Extra, (2019). Sourced from [https://www.historyextra.com/period/medieval/anglo-norman-invasion-ireland-when-england-english-intervention/] (Accessed 15/04/2021)
W.L.Warren, Henry II, Yale Monarch Series, (2000)
W.L.Warren, King John, Yale Monarch Series, (1997)
[1] Snell, Arthur, ‘The Anglo-Norman Invasion of Ireland: 850 years on’, History Extra, (2019). Sourced from [https://www.historyextra.com/period/medieval/anglo-norman-invasion-ireland-when-england-english-intervention/] (Accessed 15/04/2021)
[2] Hays, L. and Jones, E.D., ‘Policy on the Run: Henry II and Irish Sea Diplomacy’, Journal of British Studies, October 1990, Vol.29., No.4., pp.293 – 316. Sourced from: [https://www.jstor.org/stable/175405] (Accessed 13/04/2021) p.305
[3] Ibeji, Mike, ‘Henry II: An Imperialist King’, BBC History In Depth, (2017). Sourced from: [http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/middle_ages/henryii_empire_01.shtml] (Accessed 13/04/2021) and Hays and Jones, op cit.
[4] Hays and Jones, op cit.
[5] Ibeji, M. Op cit.
[6] Hays and Jones, op cit. p.299
[7] Ibid. pp.304
[8] Ibid. p.305
[9] Ibid
[10] Hays and Jones, op cit. p.305
[11] Ibid
[12] Ibeji, M. op cit.
[13] W.L.Warren, Henry II, Yale Monarch Series, (2000), p202
[14] Hays and Jones, op cit. p.310-313
[15] Ibid. p.312
[16] Ibid.
[17] Hays and Jones, op cit. p.314 and W.L.Warren, King John, Yale Monarch Series, (1997), p35
[18] W.L.Warren, King John, op cit p.36
[19] Ibid.
[20] Hays and Jones, op cit. p314
[21] McGreevy, R., ‘Marking the Norman invasion of Ireland: 850 years and counting...’ The Irish Times, (1 May 2019). Sourced from: [https://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/marking-the-norman-invasion-of-ireland-850-years-and-counting-1.3877350] (Accessed 15/04/2021)
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