High King of Ireland

High King (English High King, Irish: Ard- Rí ) was an honorary title of the Irish Kings, which was usually awarded only literary and posthumously. As the seat of the High King is mainly regarded as sacred Hill of Tara, west of Dublin, considered. The legend of the Irish Hochkönigtums was spread by Tara from.

The legends that this or that ruler was Irish High King, are old, varied and ineradicable. Only recent research makes it clear that this title was a presumption, the Irish provincial rulers indulged in without having to be worthy of the honor about to. Instead, there were on the island of 97 strains ( Tuaithe ), who had a King ( Rí ), who was close to several top Kings ( ruirí ) and 4-5 regional kings. The only exception is Brian Boru, who actually ruled over Ireland from about 1005 to 1014, but at no time without controversy.

Irish kingdoms

Rí and Ard Rí - - chief, prince, provincial king or king?

The larger Irish kingdoms were formed from the Celtic tribal society. Was: ( tuath singular), had a head, a rí, the wear of the oenach, a small privileged group whose members had the right weapons, elected every tribe, tuaithe. The tasks of the rí were comparable only in times of war with those of an absolute ruler. In peacetime, he was only the chairman of the oenach. The early Irish society was more of an oligarchy than a monarchy.

Rí is translated today usually with a king (King). Originally, it was only the name of a selected from the weapons -carrying elite of the tribe chief, ie a chief (English as a Chief called ). However, during the development of the four (sometimes five) Irish regional kingdoms, the old name was retained, so the adequate translation according to the context, time, tribe and region may be different. Variations ranging from tribal head chief over to Prince, provincial king, petty king and king.

Everyone was rí an upper bound king who was called ruirí. In addition, there was another instance, these were the four (at times even five) rí ruirech, provincial lords. Of these always some claimed at the same time to be the current high king. At first, this did the Ui Néill of Armagh in Ulster (English O'Neill called ), where the monk church since St. Patrick had a seat. Later did so in particular the rulers of Tara.

Emergence of the Irish kingdoms

In the course of time, short-term alliances between multiple tuatha formed. The rí parties submitted themselves for the duration of this alliance a ruirí, a kind of " Great King ". From the title of the rí ruirech, which the kings of the still existing in only slightly modified form provinces of Ulster was born ( Irish: Uladh ), Leinster ( Laighean ), Munster ( Mumhan ) and Connacht occupied. This rí ruirech always had only limited hegemonic power in their territory. Want to Brian Boru's time in the 11th century there were 100 to 200 small kingdoms, which fell on the Irish tribes and their rí only from opportunism or under military pressure the rí ruirech submitted. When the military power of was always rí ruirech weaker, coveted the rí and put the power of rí ruirech in question.

When the Uí Néill that the rí ruireach set of Ulster, annexed in the 8th century Tara and the Uí Néill of rí declared himself King of the Irish, was the first time the idea of an Irish empire, the Hochkönigtum Ireland. The High King is uniquely identified by the origin preceded by Ard.

Hochkönigtum

While there are names of high kings until well into prehistoric times ( to the 2nd millennium BC ), but it is mythological names that were only written down between the 6th and 8th century AD to the idea an all-island kingdom along the lines of the Christian kingdoms to legitimize historically on the European continent. Before the 8th century the Hochkönigtum in Ireland was completely unknown.

In the 9th century began some Irish kings, most notably those of the dynasty of Uí Néill, claim to the title " king of all Irish". After the conquest of the Holy Hill of Tara was to legitimize a fifth, only formally independent kingdom: Meath ( Irish: Mide ), middle, which should hold as the center of the seat of the High King of Ireland. The once belonging to Leinster area had the Uí Neill of Ulster ( now northern Uí Neill's called ) was annexed and declared the legitimacy of the high kingship into an independent kingdom.

In fact, however, can not be spoken of an actual instance with sufficient influence in all parts of Ireland. Even the influence of Brian Boru, who is described as the first (and the only ) non-controversial Irish High King, gave only a short time in all regions. For a long time his reign as high king, he spent with his army to pull back and forth across the island to consolidate his power claims. Undisputed Brian Boru never was.

The arguments of the Irish kings to the hegemony meant that in 1166 MacMurroughs Diarmait, king of Leinster (who had proclaimed himself King high ), the English King Henry II asked for help. As a result, the English or Anglo-Normans won first military power over Ireland. Then the desire took by the Office of the High King quickly and ended 1175th

Edward Bruce

1315, a High King was once again proclaimed: Edward Bruce, brother of Scottish freedom fighter Robert Bruce. The Irish were hoping for with the help of the newly independent Scotland, the expulsion of the Anglo-Norman rule. But Edward had little success. Although he conquered Ulster and Connacht, but died in 1318 during a confrontation rather smaller in County Louth.