The Day the Normans Came

The year 1171 CE marks the first moment that King Henry II of England stepped foot on the lands of medieval Ireland; beginning what is historically known as “the English conquest of Ireland.” Though Ireland was not a unified nation at the time; there did, however, exist a system of kingships within the area. Ireland was divided in terms of territorial ownership, but yet all answered to and recognized the authority of the Ard-Ri (High King), which at this time was a man named Dermot Murchada (also referred to as Mac Murough). The purpose of this paper is to understand what King Henry II was trying to accomplish and to determine whether or not he was successful in this endeavor. This invasion of Ireland, done by Anglo-Normans with papal approval from Pope Adrian IV in hopes of a Roman Christian resurgence in that region, not only failed in the end, but was also a way for the English to leverage royal law in order to take advantage of the local population. It wouldn’t be until the middle of the fourteenth century that Ireland would see a decline of the English lordships. Though the lordships were not eradicated, their authority and presence became insignificant over time