THE NORMANS IN IRELAND

1. THE NORMANS IN IRELAND

2. The Church in Ireland • This map shows the numerous monasteries in Ireland before the Vikings or the Normans came to the country. • The Gaelic Irish Kings gave the church both protection and money. • Ireland had strong links with the rest of Europe thanks to the Irish Church sending monks and scholars to other monasteries throughout Europe to both study and teach. • Both the Pope in Rome and the Archbishop of Canterbury in England wanted to increase their influence over the Church in Ireland, but the Irish Church leaders were anxious to retain their independence. • The church was often the focal point of small Irish rural communities.

3. Ireland Before the Normans • The Celts came to Ireland about 300 BC, but the Vikings began raiding the coast of Ireland around 795 AD. • AS this map (left) illustrates the Vikings looted monasteries, which housed treasures belonging to local chieftains. • In the 1840’s, it is believed the Vikings began to settle and build towns in ports along the coast. Some of these towns, such as Cork, Youghal, Waterford and Dublin, would become significant Viking strongholds. • Although the Vikings developed trade with other countries, they only ever controlled part of Ireland. As the map shows, the Vikings made little in-roads into the interior of Ireland.

4. The Vikings in Ireland • By c. 950 AD the extent of the Vikings influence in Ireland had been limited to an area encompassing about a quarter of Ireland. • The Vikings held five main towns (see left) from which they conducted their shipping trade. • The map also indicates the area within which the Vikings could move around with a reasonable amount of safety. • The area outside the green line is territory where the local Gaelic chieftains were hostile to the Vikings. • Some Vikings inter- married with the native Irish.

5. The Norman Invasion • This map shows the various Norman landings on the south- east coast of Ireland from May 1169 to October 1171. • May 1169 - The first large group of Normans landed at Bannow near Wexford, under the command of Fitzstephen. They easily took Wexford. • May 1170 - More Normans arrived at Baginbun . • August 1170 - Strongbow himself arrived to complete the taking of Waterford. • October 1171 - King Henry II visited Ireland, landing at Crook.

6. Norman Control Spreads • The Normans were never going to be satisfied with controlling just Waterford and Wexford. • Soon after these victories, Strongbow set about tightening his grip on all of the Kingdom of Leinster. • As the map shows, Strongbow’s next psuh would be into the Kingdom of Meath. • Initially, the Normans would find it relatively easy to defeat the Irish clans as they had inferior weaponry and tactics. • Gradually this would change.

7. Norman Success • As this map shows the Normans made rapid progress in taking control of Ireland. • In 81 years since their arrival, the Normans had taken over half of the country, including virtually all of the important trading towns. • However, numerous Gaelic chieftains were still in control of much their territories. • Ulster in particular was proving a difficult area to conquer.

8. The Downfall of the Normans in Ireland Q. Study these two maps, what has happened to Norman- held land?

9. The Reasons for the Decline of the Normans in Ireland • We have already seen from the previous slide that the area of Ireland controlled by the Normans declined significantly between 1300 and 1450. • What were the reasons for this decline? • CHANGE OF WAYS: Due to the length of time the Anglo- Normans had been in Ireland and the close proximity in which they lived to the native Irish, they became less distinctly Norman. • WAR: The Normans were a war- like people but they lost large numbers of people in on-going wars in Ireland against both the Irish and the Scots. • FAMINE: Many Normans fled Ireland to avoid death from famines caused by bad harvests. Many more starved to death. • DISEASE: An epidemic caused sickness and death for large numbers of Normans in Ireland. Norman or Irish? Normans became more and more like the Irish over time.

10. 1314 - The Scottish King, Robert the Bruce, defeated the English at the Battle of Bannockburn. • The Irish lords hoped that Bruce would assist them in defeating the English colony in Ireland. • 1315 - Bruce sent his brother, Edward, to Ireland with 6,00 men. They joined forces with large numbers of Irish and began to capture land from the English, including Carrickfergus. • 1316 - Edward the Bruce was crowned King of Ireland and along with his brother took more English lands. • 1317 - Reinforced Scottish army left a trail of destruction as they plundered and pillaged English farms, villages, manors and towns. They failed to take Dublin city. • 1318 - Edward is killed. As a result of these bloody wars the English colony was severely reduced.

11. Normans lose their edge in battle • A big part of the Norman success in Ireland was due to their superior weaponry and tactical sophistication in battle. • The Irish began to learn from the Normans and started to wear armour themselves. • The Irish also helped to even the odds against the Normans by hiring Scottish ‘gallowglasses’ to fight for them. • They were professional mercenary soldiers who descended from fierce Viking warriors. • Their armour, shields, huge swords and axes made them a match for any Norman knight in battle. • Irish Kings and lords from all parts of Ireland hired them as bodyguards, police or as elite troops in their army. Scottish Gallowglasses (mercenary soldiers) as shown on a tomb in Co. Roscommon.

12. The Black Death • People in the Middle Ages did not know that germs caused disease and hygiene in towns and cities was extremely poor in comparison to today’s standards. • As a result of this, people died from a whole range of diseases including influenza, measles and smallpox. • In the 1300’s, a terrible epidemic from the far- east spread throughout Europe, destroying whole communities in it’s wake. • The illness started with a high temperature followed by the appearance of small boils on the body. These boils grew larger and turned black. • This disease, which killed millions, became known as the Black Death. • It wiped out two thirds of the Anglo- Norman population in Ireland as it quickly spread through their towns. • The native Irish, who lived in more sparsely populated rural villages, were less affected by the epidemic.

13. The Great Famine - 1315- 1317 • During the Bruce invasions of Ireland a terrible famine took hold. • Between the years of 1315 and 1318 a number of bad harvests left the already ravaged English colony with more serious problems. • Crops continued to fail and cattle died from disease. The resulting shortage of food hit English farming areas particularly hard. • The rampaging Bruce armies added to the miseries of the English colony as they burned farms and destroyed what little crops there was. • The numbers of English farms, manors and villages and their inhabitants fell rapidly during these disastrous years. • An Anglo- Norman farmer in Ireland wanders how he is going to feed his family with so little crops taking hold.