Princes of Ireland by Rutherfurd Edward

Author:Rutherfurd, Edward [Rutherfurd, Edward]
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
Published: 2004-06-15T04:00:00+00:00

If nobody had succeeded in dominating all Ireland since the days of Brian Boru, it was not for lack of trying. One after another the great regional dynasts had tried to gain supremacy; Leinster and Brian’s grandson from Munster had both had their turn. The ancient O’Neill were always watching for a chance to regain their former glory. At present, the O’Connor dynasty of Connacht claimed the High Kingship. But no one had truly achieved mastery, and the chronicles of the time adopted a telling formula to describe the position of most of these monarchs: “High King, with Opposition.” So while the rulers in the huge patchwork of Europe began to amalgamate territories into ever greater holdings—the Plantagenets now controlled a feudal empire consisting of most of the western side of France, as well as Normandy and England—the island of Ireland continued to be split between ancient tribal lands and rival chiefs.

The latest Irish dispute concerned the kingdom of Leinster.

For some time now, the ancient province of Leinster had been controlled by an ambitious dynasty from Ferns in the southern, Wexford part of the territory. But ambitious King Diarmait of Leinster had made enemies. In particular, he had humiliated a powerful king, O’Rourke, by eloping with his wife. Now this cheated husband, together with others, had turned on Diarmait of Leinster and forced him to flee.

It was a considerable surprise to Plantagenet King Henry, who was down on his domains in France, when they told him: “King Diarmait of Leinster has arrived here to see you.”

And it was with some curiosity that he answered, “An Irish king? Bring him to me.”

The meeting was certainly strange: the Plantagenet monarch, sandy-haired, clean-shaven, quick and impatient in his movements, dressed in tunic and hose, sophisticated, French in language and culture, face-to-face with the provincial Celtic king, with his thick brown beard and heavy woollen cloak. Henry actually spoke some English—an achievement of which he was rather proud—but no Irish. Diarmait spoke Irish, Norse, and some French. But there was no difficulty in communicating. For a start, Diarmait had brought with him his interpreter—Regan by name—and failing that, the clerks employed by both sides spoke Latin, as did every educated churchman in western Christendom. The two men also had things in common: both had eloped with another man’s wife; both had uncertain relationships with their own children; both were self-centred and cynical opportunists.

King Diarmait’s request was simple. He’d been driven out of his kingdom and he wanted to get it back. He needed to raise an army. He couldn’t pay them much, but there would be property and land to be distributed if he was successful. It was the usual deal, upon which the present aristocracy of many parts of Europe, including England, had been founded. He also knew, however, that he couldn’t raise men in any of the Plantagenet dominions without getting Henry’s permission.

King Henry II was a very ambitious man. He had already built up an empire and his main occupation now

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