Kingdom of Dublin
| Kingdom of Dublin Dyflin / Duibhlinn |
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reconstruction of the raven banner used by Amlaíb Cuarán (r. 945-947)[1] |
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 Maximum extent of Dublin (pink) and other Norse settlements (green) in Ireland.
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| Capital | Dublin | ||||
| Languages | Old Norse, Old and Middle Irish |
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| Religion | Norse paganism Celtic Christianity Roman Catholicism |
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| Government | Monarchy | ||||
| King | |||||
| - | 839–845 (first) | Thorgest | |||
| - | 1160–1171 (last) | Hasculf Thorgillsson | |||
| History | |||||
| - | Established | 839 | |||
| - | Disestablished | 1171 | |||
The Vikings invaded the territory around Dublin in the 9th century, establishing the Norse Kingdom of Dublin, the earliest and longest lasting Norse kingdom in all of Europe outside of Scandinavia, excepting the so-called Kingdom of Mann and the Isles. This corresponded to most of present-day County Dublin. The Norse referred to the kingdom as Dyflin, which is derived from Irish: Dubh Linn meaning "black pool". The first reference to the Vikings comes from the Annals of Ulster and the first entry for 841 AD reads: "Pagans still on Lough Neagh". It is from this date onwards that we get references to ship fortresses or longphorts being established in Ireland. It may be safe to assume that the Vikings first over-wintered in 840–841AD. The actual location of the longphort of Dublin is still a hotly debated issue. Norse rulers of Dublin were often co-kings, and occasionally also Kings of Jórvík in what is now Yorkshire.
Over time, the rulers of Dublin became increasingly Gaelicized. They began to exhibit a great deal of Gaelic and Norse cultural syncretism, and are often referred to as Norse-Gaels.
The extent of the kingdom varied, but in peaceful times it extended roughly as far as Wicklow (Wykinglo) in the south, Glen Ding near Blessington, Leixlip (Lax Hlaup) west of Dublin, and Skerries, Dublin (Skere) to the north. The "Fingal" area north of Dublin was named after the Norse who lived there.
In 988, Máel Sechnaill mac Domnaill led the initial Irish conquest of Dublin. As a result the founding of Dublin is counted by some from the year 988, notwithstanding that a village had existed on the site of Dublin since before the Roman occupation of Great Britain nearly a thousand years earlier. Máel Sechnaill mac Domnaill was dethroned by Brian Boru (1002–1014).
In the mid 11th century, the Kingdom of Leinster began exerting influence over Dublin, but its kings remained Norse-Gaels until the Norman invasion of 1171. Though the last Norse king of Dublin was killed by the Normans in 1171, the population of the city retained their distinctiveness based on their origins for some further generations.
Norse Kings[edit]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ The raven banner was used by a number of Kings of Dublin.[citation needed]
- Downham, Clare, Viking Kings of Britain and Ireland: The Dynasty of Ívarr to A.D. 1014. Edinburgh. 2007.
- Forte, Angelo, Oram, Richard, & Pedersen, Frederik, Viking Empires. Cambridge University Press. 2005 ISBN 0-521-82992-5.
- Hudson, Benjamin T., Viking Pirates and Christian Princes: Dynasty, Religion, and Empire in the North Atlantic. Oxford. 2005 ISBN 0-19-516237-4.
- Larsen, Anne-Christine (ed.), The Vikings in Ireland. Roskilde: The Viking Ship Museum. 2001.
- Todd, James Henthorn (ed. and tr.), Cogadh Gaedhel re Gallaibh: The War of the Gaedhil with the Gaill. Longmans. 1867.
- Woolf, Alex, "Age of Sea-Kings: 900-1300", in Donald Omand (ed.), The Argyll Book. Edinburgh. 2004. pp. 94–109.
- Former monarchies of Europe
- Former countries in Europe
- States and territories established in 839
- States and territories disestablished in 1171
- 1171 disestablishments
- Monarchs of Dublin
- Lists of monarchs
- History of County Dublin
- Norwegian noble families
- Norwegian noble titles
- Uí Ímair
- Former countries in Ireland
- Kingdoms of ancient Ireland
