Kingdom of Dublin

Vikings invaded the territory around Dublin in the 9th century, establishing the Norse Kingdom of Dublin, the earliest and longest-lasting Norse kingdom in Ireland. Its territory 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 onward that historians get references to ship fortresses or longphorts being established in Ireland. It may be safe to assume that the Vikings first over-wintered in 840–841 AD. 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. Under their rule, Dublin became the biggest slave port in Western Europe.[1][2]

Kingdom of Dublin Dyflin / Duibhlinn
853–1170
Maximum extent of Dublin (pink) and other Norse settlements (green) in Ireland.
Capital	Dublin
Common languages	Old Norse, Old and Middle Irish
Religion	Norse paganism Roman Catholicism
Government	Monarchy
King
• c. 853–871 (first)	Amlaíb Conung
• ×1170 (last)	Ascall mac Ragnaill
History
• Established	853
• Norman conquest	1170
Currency	Silver penny
Preceded by Succeeded by Gaelic Ireland Lordship of Ireland
Today part of	Ireland

Over time, the settlers in 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 Gaelic conquest of Dublin. As a result, the founding of Dublin is counted by some from the year 988, although a village had existed on the site of Dublin since before the Roman occupation of Britain nearly a thousand years earlier.

Coins were minted in Dublin by about 995, and on Mann by about 1025.[3]

In the mid-11th century, the Kingdom of Leinster began exerting influence over Dublin. Though the last king of Dublin was killed by the Norman conquerors of Dublin in 1171, the population of the city retained their distinctiveness for some generations.

Kings of Dublin

Ruler	Reign	Notes
Amlaíb Conung	c. 853–871	Co-king; titled "King of the Foreigners" in 863
Ímar	c. 857–873	Co-king; titled "King of the Foreigners" in 863; titled "King of the Northmen of all Ireland and Britain" in 873
Auisle	c. 863–867	Co-king; titled "King of the Foreigners" in 863
Oistin mac Amlaíb*	873–875	Probable co-king; not explicitly named as king in the annals
Bárid mac Ímair	873–881	Probable co-king; titled "head of the Northmen" in 881
Albann^	875–877	Claimed Dublin but never ruled
Sichfrith mac Ímair	881–888
Sitriuc mac Ímair	888–893/896	Rulership disputed by Sitriuc Jarl in 893
Sichfrith Jarl^	893-?	Claimed Dublin in 893 but unclear if ever ruled
Glúniarann*	?	Not explicitly named as king in the annals; speculated to have succeeded Sitriuc
Ímar ua Ímair	?-902	Driven from Dublin in 902 by native Irish
Dublin abandoned by the Norse from 902 to 917.
Sihtric ua Ímair (a.k.a. Sihtric Cáech)	917–921	defeated Niall Glundub; also king of Jórvík
Gofraid ua Ímair	921–934	grandson of Ímar
Olaf Guthfrithson	934–941	son of Gofraid ua Ímair
Blácaire mac Gofrith	941–945
Sigtrygg (Sitric)	941–943
Amlaíb Cuarán	945–947
Blácaire mac Gofrith	947–948	restored
Gofraid mac Sitriuc	948–951
Amlaíb Cuarán	952–980	restored
Glúniairn	980–989
Ivar of Waterford or Sigtrygg Silkbeard	989–993
Ivar of Waterford	994–995
Sigtrygg (Sitric) Silkbeard Olafsson	995–1036
Echmarcach mac Ragnaill	1036–1038
Ímar mac Arailt	1038–1046
Echmarcach mac Ragnaill	1046–1052
Murchad mac Diarmata	1052–1070
Diarmait mac Mail na mBo	1070–1072
Toirdelbach Ua Briain	1072	Member of the Uí Briain; seized overlordship of Dublin following Diarmait's death; given kingship by the Dubliners in 1072; allowed Dublin to be locally ruled by Gofraid mac Amlaíb meic Ragnaill under his overlordship.
Gofraid mac Amlaíb meic Ragnaill	1072–1075	Member of the Meic Ragnaill (Uí Ímair); ruled under the overlordship of Toirdelbach; expelled from kingship by Toirdelbach in 1075; possibly identical to Gofraid mac Sitriuc, King of the Isles (died 1070).
Domnall mac Murchada	1075	Member of the Meic Murchada (Uí Chennselaig); gained kingship following the expulsion of Gofraid mac Amlaíb meic Ragnaill; may have seized Dublin without the consent of the Uí Briain, or else ruled under their overlordship; died within the year.
Muirchertach Ua Briain	1075–1086	Member of the Uí Briain; installed king by his father, Toirdelbach.
Donnchad mac Domnaill Remair	1086–1089	Member of the Uí Cheinnselaig; seized kingship following death of Toirdelbach; killed in 1089; control of Dublin appears to have been gained by Muirchertach not long afterwards.
Gofraid Crobán	c. 1091–1094	Possibly a close relative of Ímar mac Arailt and thus a member of the Uí Ímair; founder of the Crovan dynasty; ruler of the Isles; seized kingship in about 1091 and expulsed by Muirchertach in 1094.
Domnall mac Taidc		Member of the Meic Taidc (Uí Briain); possibly installed king by his uncle, Muirchertach, after Gofraid Crobán's expulsion; certainly installed as ruler of the Isles at about this time.
Domnall Gerrlámhach		Member of the Uí Briain; possibly installed king by his father, Muirchertach, after Gofraid Crobán's expulsion; certainly held kingship at a later date.
Magnús berfœttr	1102–1103	Ruler of Norway; appears to have seized Dublin in the early twelfth century, having taken Orkney and the Isles before the turn of the century; seems to have intended for his son, Sigurðr, to rule as king of these newly-won overseas Norse territories.
Domnall Gerrlámhach		Defended Dublin from Leinster attack in 1115; possibly installed king by his father long before battle, immediately before, or immediately afterwards.
Diarmait mac Énna meic Murchada	×1117.	Member of the Meic Murchada (Uí Chennselaig); died 1117.
Domnall Gerrlámhach	1117–1118	Seized kingship after Diarmait 's death.
Toirdelbach Ua Conchobair	×1118	Member of the Uí Conchobair; drove Domnall Gerrlámhach from kingship.
Énna Mac Murchada	×1122–1126	Member of the Meic Murchada (Uí Chennselaig); either seized kingship or was installed king by Toirdelbach; reigned under Uí Conchobair overlordship.
Conchobar Ua Conchobair	1126–1127	Member of the Uí Conchobair; installed king by his father, Toirdelbach; deposed in 1126.
Conchobar Ua Briain	1141–1142	Member of the Uí Briain; gained kingship in 1141; died in 1142.
Ottar mac meic Ottair	1142–1148	Member of the Meic Ottair; gained kingship in 1142; slain by the Meic Torcaill in 1148; may not have reigned continuously from 1142 to 1148.
Ragnall mac Torcaill	1144×1146	Member of the Meic Torcaill; styled king on his death in 1146, which could be evidence that his reign interrupted that of Ottar; another possibility is that he was merely a subordinate of Ottar.
Brodar mac Torcaill	×1160	Member of the Meic Torcaill; killed in 1160.
Gofraid mac Amlaíb	1150s or 1160s	Member of the Crovan dynasty; ruler of the Isles; held kingship of Dublin briefly at the behest of the Dubliners, although the chronology of his short reign is uncertain.
Ascall mac Ragnaill	×1170	Member of the Meic Torcaill; deposed in 1170; killed attempting to regain kingship in 1171.

^ Disputed * Speculative

Timeline of Kings of Dublin

See also

• Uí Ímair
• Irish nobility
• Norse-Gaels
• The Pale

References

Notes

1. Downham, Clare (May–June 2009). "The Viking slave trade: entrepreneurs or heathen slavers?". History Ireland. History Publications Ltd. Archived from the original on 9 August 2019. Retrieved 31 January 2020.
2. O'Donnell, Jim (23 April 2013). "The Slave Market of Viking Dublin". Around the World in Eighty Years. Archived from the original on 17 July 2019. Retrieved 31 January 2020.
3. Barrett (2016) p. 4.

Sources

• Barrett, JH (2016). "Maritime Societies and the Transformation of the Viking Age and Medieval World". In Barrett, JH; Gibbon, SJ (eds.). Maritime Societies of the Viking and Medieval World. The Society for Medieval Archaeology Monograph (series vol. 37). Milton Park, Abingdon: Routledge. pp. 1–13. doi:10.4324/9781315630755. ISBN 978-1-315-63075-5. ISSN 0583-9106.
• 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.