Boru's Last Battle

Boru's last costly victory

Page 1 of 10

The Irish High King wanted to unite his people, but his enemies - including the Viking Brodir of Man - stopped him at Clontarf in 1014. As the dreaded Viking longboats cut sleekly toward the shore dimly outlined in the evening dusk, the lights of the Irish army’s distant campfires could be seen a mile or so inland. The ruse had worked for Brodir of Man. The Vikings had fooled Irish High King Brian Boru into thinking they had deserted their allies at the fortress of Dublin.

In reality, the Vikings had simply sailed out of sight, to return in the darkness in hopes of catching the Irish unprepared for the enemy’s reappearance the next morning. The Vikings also knew that the pious Brian would be loath to do battle on such a holy day as April 23, 1014, Good Friday.

More important to the Viking Brodir than such sacrosanct niceties were the treasures he would possess after he had destroyed the Irish armies. Not only the wealth of the kingdom but also the high kingship itself might be his. Of course, others coveted the same things - including his ally Sigtrygg, the Danish king of Dublin, and Sigurd, the Viking earl of the Orkney Isles. But they could be dealt with after the Irish - including Brian Boru - had been destroyed. First things first.

Ireland, to this day not noted for unity, consisted of 100 to 200 different tribal kingdoms in the early 11th century, as well as various Norse and Danish settlements scattered among the provinces of Ulster, Leinster, Connaught, Munster and Meath. Sparsely populated and with few large villages, Ireland had become popular with the colonising Vikings in the 9th century. It was not long before the invaders began to arrange marriage alliances with Irish noble families and assimilate into the culture of the island. Many Irish boys were adopted by Norse settlers and became vicious fighters known to the Irish as the Gall-Gael, or “Sons of Death. ”

Living in close proximity, the Irish warriors and Vikings fought constantly, with tribal factions joining one side or the other as circumstances dictated. From such violent relations, blood feuds developed over the generations.

Although no standing army as such existed in Ireland, landowners owed military service to their tribe and had an obligation to defend tribal lands when they appeared threatened. Each tribal chief provided a number of warriors from his own personal war band, as well as the warriors of his sub-chiefs, to his immediate superior - the number of warriors averaging 700 fighters per tribal unit. The kings, troubled by the fickleness of their subjects, employed bands of mercenaries as bodyguards, although they had a habit of deserting to a higher bidder at inopportune times. By the mid-9th century, most such mercenaries were Viking settlers from the Western Isles and Argyll, and “Scots” (Irish settlers)... from “Alba” (what is now called Scotland).

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	Boru's last costly victory Page 1 of 10 The Irish High King wanted to unite his people, but his enemies - including the Viking Brodir of Man - stopped him at Clontarf in 1014. As the dreaded Viking longboats cut sleekly toward the shore dimly outlined in the evening dusk, the lights of the Irish army’s distant campfires could be seen a mile or so inland. The ruse had worked for Brodir of Man. The Vikings had fooled Irish High King Brian Boru into thinking they had deserted their allies at the fortress of Dublin. In reality, the Vikings had simply sailed out of sight, to return in the darkness in hopes of catching the Irish unprepared for the enemy’s reappearance the next morning. The Vikings also knew that the pious Brian would be loath to do battle on such a holy day as April 23, 1014, Good Friday. More important to the Viking Brodir than such sacrosanct niceties were the treasures he would possess after he had destroyed the Irish armies. Not only the wealth of the kingdom but also the high kingship itself might be his. Of course, others coveted the same things - including his ally Sigtrygg, the Danish king of Dublin, and Sigurd, the Viking earl of the Orkney Isles. But they could be dealt with after the Irish - including Brian Boru - had been destroyed. First things first. Ireland, to this day not noted for unity, consisted of 100 to 200 different tribal kingdoms in the early 11th century, as well as various Norse and Danish settlements scattered among the provinces of Ulster, Leinster, Connaught, Munster and Meath. Sparsely populated and with few large villages, Ireland had become popular with the colonising Vikings in the 9th century. It was not long before the invaders began to arrange marriage alliances with Irish noble families and assimilate into the culture of the island. Many Irish boys were adopted by Norse settlers and became vicious fighters known to the Irish as the Gall-Gael, or “Sons of Death. ” Living in close proximity, the Irish warriors and Vikings fought constantly, with tribal factions joining one side or the other as circumstances dictated. From such violent relations, blood feuds developed over the generations. Although no standing army as such existed in Ireland, landowners owed military service to their tribe and had an obligation to defend tribal lands when they appeared threatened. Each tribal chief provided a number of warriors from his own personal war band, as well as the warriors of his sub-chiefs, to his immediate superior - the number of warriors averaging 700 fighters per tribal unit. The kings, troubled by the fickleness of their subjects, employed bands of mercenaries as bodyguards, although they had a habit of deserting to a higher bidder at inopportune times. By the mid-9th century, most such mercenaries were Viking settlers from the Western Isles and Argyll, and “Scots” (Irish settlers)... from “Alba” (what is now called Scotland). next page >>
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