Long description:

When Henry II accepted the Leinster king Diarmait Mac Murchada as his liegeman in 1166, he forged a bond between the English crown and Ireland that has never been undone. Ireland was to be changed forever as a result of the momentous events that followed ? so much so that it is normal for professional historians to specialise in either the pre- or post-invasion period. Here, for the first time, is an account of the impact of the English invasion on the Irish kingdoms in the context of their strategies across the whole twelfth century.

Ireland?s leading men battled for spheres of influence, for recognition of their hegemonies and, ultimately, for the coveted title of ?king of Ireland?. But what did it mean to be the king of Ireland when no one dynasty had secured their hold on it? This book takes a close look at each pretender, asking what it meant to them ? and whether the political dynamics surrounding the role had an impact on the course of the invasion itself.

Table of Contents:

Introduction

1: The Scene
2: Methodology and Presentation
3: The Historiographical Status Quo

Connacht and the Shannon

Introduction

4: Making the Shannon work for Connacht
I: A new king
II: Toirdelbach & Leth Moga
III: Toirdelbach & Leth Cuinn
IV: Bridges & Fleets

5: Rúaidrí Úa Conchobair?s kingship
I: From inauspicious beginnings to national supremacy
II: King of Ireland
III: Leinster, the fly in the ointment

6: Treat and retreat
I: The Treaty of Windsor
II: Retreat

7: Cathal?s rise and Connacht?s decline
I: Cathal Crobderg
II: English infringement of the Shannon frontier & the threat of conquest
III: Plantagenet vassals

8: Conquest

Conclusion

The Uí Néill and the North

Introduction

9: The North & the Phony War
I: The North
II: Phony War

10: Muirchertach Mac Lochlainn?s kingship
I: A new partnership in the North
II: Downfall

11: The disintegration of the North
I: Airgíallan ascendency
II: The rise of Cenél Conaill
III: The struggles of the Cenél nEógain

12: The impact of the English invasion
I: Incursions and conquests
II: The lordship of Ulaid

13: Foiled conquests
I: Defending the North from De Courcy
II: Defending the North from King John

Conclusion

Munster and Leth Moga

Introduction

14: The kings of Leth Moga
I: Brian Bóraime?s strategy
II: Following Brian?s lead

15: Internal and external divisions
I: Crisis in Leth Moga
II: Two royal houses, two kingdoms
III: The Thomond?Desmond border
IV. Leinster?s position in Leth Moga

16: The impact of the English invasion
I: The capitals before the invasion
II: The capitals during the invasion
III: Leadership in Leth Moga

17: Circumscription and conquest
I: Prince John?s grants in Munster
II: The restriction of Irish Thomond and Desmond

Conclusion

Kingship

Introduction

18: The kingship of Ireland in the twelfth century
I: The historiography of the kingship of Ireland
II: The character of the kingship of Ireland
III: The nature of twelfth-century Irish politics

19: Defining ?opposition? and ?exile?
I: ?Opposition?
II: ?Exile?

Invasion

Introduction

20: Changing political dynamics

21: Military approaches

22: Individual actions

Conclusion

Bibliography

Appendices