The Norman invasion of Ireland that lasted from 1169 to 1172 was an expedition of Anglo-Norman feudal lords leading their troops, and later the English King Henry II with his army. They laid the foundation for the English colonization of Ireland.
The invasion took place in two stages. The first phase began May 1, 1169, when Norman Knights landed near Bannow at the invitation of Dermot McMorrow, the deposed King Leinster, who hoped for their support in regaining his kingdom. The second stage began on October 18, 1171, when King Henry II, with a large army, landed at Waterford, assuming the command of the Norman forces that previously operated in Ireland. During the conquest, he took Dublin and took the oath of the Irish kings and bishops in 1172, creating the Lordship of Ireland.
Pope Adrian IV, among his first edicts, issued in 1155 a bill that gave Henry the authority to invade Ireland, which was supposed to help reform the Irish church and its subordination to the papal throne. This bill, in fact, spread papal suzerainty not only to Ireland but also to all the islands off the coast of Europe, including England.
Appeals to the Papal Edict “Laudabiliter” became more frequent in the late Tudor period when studies of humanistic scholars of the Renaissance questioned the historicity of the “Gift.” But even if the “Gift” was forged, other documents testified that in the 12th century, the papacy felt that it had more political power than all kings and local rulers. Pope Alexander III, who ruled during the invasion of Ireland, confirmed the action of Laudabiliter in 1172.
The Invasion of 1169
Having lost the protection of the Tyronian ruler Muirhartach Mack Logline, the High King of Ireland who had died in 1166, McMorrow was expelled by the Confederation of Irish forces, led by the new High King, Rory O’Connor. McMorrow went first to Bristol, and then to Normandy. There, he asked and received from Henry II of England the right to use his subjects for the return of his kingdom.
By 1167, McMorrow enlisted the support of Maurice Fitz-Gerald, and then persuaded Rhys ap Gruffudd, the ruler of Deheubart, to release from captivity his half-brother Fitz-Gerald, Robert Fitz-Stefan, that had taken part in the expedition. Especially important was the support of Richard de Claire, Earl of Pembroke, nicknamed Strongbow.
The first Norman knight to appear in Ireland was Richard Fitz-Godbert de Roche in 1167, but the bulk of this Norman-Welsh-Flemish army landed in 1169, in Wexford. Within a short time, Leinster was conquered, and Waterford and Dublin took control of Dermot. Strongbow married the daughter of Dermot Ife and was proclaimed heir to the Leinster Crown. This circumstance troubled Henry II, who feared the creation of a rival Norman state in Ireland. Therefore, he decided to visit Ireland to assert his authority there.
Arrival of Henry II in 1171
Henry, in 1158, received from Pope Adrian IV a bill for the conquest of Ireland. It was assumed that the king would be Henry’s younger brother, William. But William died soon, and the Irish project was postponed. It became relevant again in 1166. The ruler of Leinster, Diarmaid, was expelled from his domain by the supreme king of Ireland. Diarmaid came to Aquitaine, where he asked for help from Henry II. The English king, engaged in continental affairs, gave Diarmaid a letter, on the authority of which he could hire troops. The ally of King Leinster was Richard de Claire, who became son-in-law and heir of Diarmaid.
In 1167-1171, the English knights restored Diarmaid, and began the struggle for power over the entire island. The excessive strengthening of the vassals aroused the concern of Henry, who planned to requisition their English possessions. Richard de Claire offered to become a vassal of King Henry II as Lord of Leicester.
Henry arrived at the head of a large fleet at Waterford in 1171, becoming the first king of England to set foot on Irish land. Both Waterford and Dublin were proclaimed royal cities. In November, Henry took the oath of the Irish kings in Dublin. In 1172, Henry assembled the Irish bishops at Kashel Cathedral and ruled the Irish church as well as the English church.
Pope Alexander III, confirmed Henry’s right to Ireland. Henry was recognized by most of the Irish lords, who saw in this the opportunity to curb the expansion of Leinster and the Normans. After that, he went to England to negotiate with the papal legates who investigated the death of Thomas Becket in 1170, and then to France to suppress the sons’ rebellion in 1173-1174. His next step in Ireland was the signing of the Windsor Treaty with Rory the King of Connaught in 1175.
Two years later, when Dermot and Strongbow were no longer alive, and Henry had returned to England, it became clear that the contract was not worth the paper upon which it was written. John de Courcy conquered much of East Ulster in 1177. Raymond Fitz-Gerald by that time had already captured Limerick and most of the kingdom of Thomond, and other Norman territories.
In 1185, Henry appointed his youngest son, 18-year-old John, with the title Lord of Ireland, as governor of his Irish territories, and planned to form a kingdom for him from these lands. When John suddenly appointed his brother, Richard, to the royal throne in 1199, lordship became the possession of the English crown.
Sources:
Saprykin, Yu. M. English conquest of Ireland XII-XVII centuries.