Brian Boru and the Battle of Clontarf

by Sean Duffy

Overview

Brian Boru is the most famous Irish person before the modern era, whose death at the Battle of Clontarf in 1014 is one of the few events in the whole of Ireland's medieval history to retain a place in the popular imagination. This book proposes a far-reaching reassessment of Brian Boru and Clontarf. It offers a new interpretation of the role of the Vikings in Irish affairs and explains how Brian emerged from obscurity to attain the high-kingship of Ireland because of his exploitation of the Viking presence. It concludes that Clontarf was deemed a triumph, despite Brian's death, because of what he averted - a major new Viking offensive in Ireland - on that fateful day. "The book's straightforward and accessible style appeal to students and general readers."—Irish Literary Supplement

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780717162079
Publisher:	Gill Books
Publication date:	07/15/2014
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	368
Product dimensions:	5.20(w) x 8.40(h) x 1.20(d)

About the Author

Sean Duffy is Professor of Medieval History at Trinity College Dublin and is one of Ireland's foremost medieval historians. Previous books include Ireland in the Middle Ages (1997) and The Concise History of Ireland (2000) and he is editor of the long-running Medieval Dublin series (2000-).

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations ix

Preface xiii

Introduction: Viking Age Ireland 1

Part I Brian Boru's World

1 The family of Brian Boru 61

2 Brian's rise to power 92

3 Emperor of the Gael 125

Part II Clontarf

4 Clontarf in the Irish annals 167

5 Cogadh Gáedhel re Gallaibh 198

6 Clontarf through others' eyes 223

Conclusion: The Legacy of Brian and Clontarf 239

Abbreviations 280

References 282

Bibliography 301

Index 334