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Kingdom of Leinster Laighin | |||||||||||||
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| 7th century BC–1603 | |||||||||||||
 TheMac Murchadha Caomhánach as leaders of theLaigin provided many kings of Leinster. | |||||||||||||
 A map of Leinster in the 10th century, with boundaries accounting for the loss ofOsraige. | |||||||||||||
| Capital | Ferns Naas,Mullaghmast &Lyons(rotational) Dún Ailinne(ancientl) | ||||||||||||
| Common languages | Primitive Irish,Old Irish,Middle Irish,Latin | ||||||||||||
| Religion | Gaelic Christianity Catholic Christianity Gaelic tradition | ||||||||||||
| Government | Tanistry | ||||||||||||
| Rí | |||||||||||||
• 634–594 BC | Úgaine Mór | ||||||||||||
• 1603 | Domhnall Spáinneach Mac Murchadha Caomhánach | ||||||||||||
| History | |||||||||||||
• Established | 7th century BC | ||||||||||||
• Disestablished | 1603 | ||||||||||||
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| Today part of | Ireland | ||||||||||||
TheKingdom of Leinster (Irish:Ríocht Laighean) was a kingdom ofGaelic Ireland which existed in the east of the island from theIrish Iron Age until the 17th centuryEarly Modern Ireland. According to traditionalIrish history found in theAnnals of the Four Masters, the kingdom was founded as the territory of theLaighin, aHeremonian tribe of IrishGaels. Some of the early kings of Leinster were alsoHigh Kings of Ireland andKings of Tara, such asÚgaine Mór,Labraid Loingsech andCathair Mór.
The Leinstermen had originally achieved hegemony in Ireland to the detriment of the Ulster-basedÉrainn, another group of Irish Gaels, but eventually lost out to their kinsmen theConnachta. This fall from power had lasting consequences in terms of territory for Leinster, as theSouthern Uí Néill carved out theKingdom of Meath to the north, and control ofOsraige to the west was lost to theCorcu Loígde, becoming part of theKingdom of Munster. The kingdom had different borders and internal divisions at different times during its history.
During the 5th to the early 8th centuries, the Kingship of Leinster was contested by various different branches of the Laighín, including theUí Cheinnselaig (ancestors of theMac Murchada andÓ Tuathail),[1][2] theUí Bairrche (ancestors of theMac Gormáin), theUí Máil (ancestors of theÓ Conchobhair Uí Failghe) and others. Following this period, until the 11th century, Leinster was mostly contested between two branches of theUí Dúnlainge kinship, represented by what are today the families ofÓ Tuathail andÓ Brion. In the 9th century, the Laighín also regained control of Osraige but it remained a largely independent realm under theMac Giolla Phádrag.
Leinster had to contend with raids from theVikings under theUí Ímair from the 9th century onwards, who established themselves atDublin andWexford. As part of these Gaelic-Viking battles,Murchad mac Diarmata, King of Leinster took control of theKingdom of Dublin and theKingdom of Mann and the Isles (what is now theIsle of Man and the ScottishHebrides) for a brief period.[3] His father,Diarmait mac Máel na mBó, was the first Leinster High King of Ireland in centuries. This reversal in fortunes was brief, however, with the 12th centuryNorman invasion of Ireland seeing Leinster closely caught up in the affairs withDiarmait mac Murchada. In the longterm Leinster lost territories to theNormans, which becamethe Pale as the administrative centre of theKingdom of England'sLordship of Ireland, as well as theEarldom of Kildare to theFitzGerald dynasty. This did not mean the end of Leinster, however and the kingdom continued to control much of what is todayCounty Wexford andCounty Carlow and parts ofCounty Wicklow until the early 17th century when it became part of the TudorKingdom of Ireland, later being revived as theProvince of Leinster.
The name of the Kingdom of Leinster is derived directly from the tribal nameLaigin, a group ofIrish Gaels who all claim descent in the male paternal line fromÉrimón. Other branches of the Heremonians include theÉrainn,Connachta,Uí Néill,Clan Colla,Uí Maine and theDalcassians (though they invented genealogies to deny this).[4]Labhraidh Loingseach is sometimes cited as the progenitor of theLaigin but his direct paternal ancestors had beenHigh Kings of Ireland andKings of Tara for some time before he emerged on the scene. A late medieval text inMiddle Irish namedCóir Anmann (known in English as the "Fitness of Names" or the "Elucidation of Names") gives an etymology for the term Leinster.[5] It claims that the name derives from the wordlaigin ("spears"), in reference to the large spears carried by "2,200" Gaulish mercenaries which Labhraidh Loingseach brought back from the Continent with him and hosted atCobthach Cóel Breg's house atDind Ríg.[5] His descendants were subsequently known as theLaigin ("Leinstermen").[5]
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The kingdom was founded by theLaighin, aHeremonian tribe of Irish Gaels: that is to say the rulership group claimed descent in the paternal line fromÉrimón, son ofMíl Espáine (though other groups of Irish Gaels also lived within the territory of the Kingdom of Leinster) and has provided many early High Kings of Ireland. The branch which became the Laighin had been in power struggle with theÉrainn kinship group of theCorcu Loígde, also known as the Dáirine, a fellow Heremonian tribe, for hegemony in Ireland.
According to traditionalIrish history found in theAnnals of the Four Masters, the earliest King of Leinster of note wasÚgaine Mór, who was aHigh King of Ireland and had as his wife and queen, Cessair Chrothach, supposedlyGaulish woman (that is to say a member of a Celtic group fromContinental Europe). The histories of this period describe a lot of internal bloodshedding between different members of the royal family as they ruthlessly vied for the High Kingship of Ireland: Úgaine Mór was supposedly killed by his own brotherBodbchadh, who subsequently reigned as High King of Ireland for a mere day and a half until himself being killed by his nephewLóegaire Lorc, son of Úgaine Mór. He was not the only child of Úgaine Mór, as he supposedly had at least 25 offspring (twenty-two sons and three daughters) and is said to have parcelled out vast swathes of land in Ireland among his children.
Lóegaire's older brotherCobthach Cóel Breg was also an ambitious man and after seeking advice from aDruid, slew his brother in a treacherous manner. Cobthach carried this out by pretending to be on his death bed and when his brother Lóegaire Lorc lent over his body in grief, jumped up and stabbed his own brother to death. After seizing the High Kingship for himself, Cobthach proceeded to have Lóegaire Lorc's sonAilill Áine poisoned to death and forced his grandsonLabhraidh Loingseach into exile in Gaul, on the European Continent. Stories of the period relate that, before leaving for the Continent, Cobthach supposedly forced his great-nephew Labhradh to eat part of his slain father and grandfather's hearts (in an act of involuntarycannibalism), as well as a mouse. Labhradh stayed out his exile on the European Continent for thirty years, living principally amongst the Gauls (his grandmother, queen Cessair Chrothach, was supposedly Gaulish).[citation needed]
The period in which Labradh was exiled is dated to around the 3rd century BC, when theRoman–Gallic wars were then raging as theTransalpine Gauls were starting to push over theAlps intoEtruria, towards theRoman Republic. Here Labhradh came across fearsome Gallic warriors known as theGaesatae, who have been described as wielding spears and shields, rushing into battle naked. They were famous for some impressive military feats in their clashes with the Romans, such as those at the Battles ofFaesulae,Telamon andClastidium with Rome. The Gaesatae were immortalised in artistic form in theDying Gaul sculpture, an ancient Roman marble held in theCapitoline Museums.
After three decades of hostility, Cobthach and Labhradh made peace, with the latter returning to Ireland. As a reward for recognising his great-uncle as High King of Ireland, Labhradh was rewarded with "Galióin",[citation needed] the territorial basis of what would become Kingdom of Leinster.Galióin was used interchangeably withLaigin in the Annals: the term derives from the same root as the above-mentionedGaesatae (the Gaullish mercenaries).[6] The termLaigin itself supposedly etymologically refers to the broad-pointed spears of the Gaulish mercenaries which Labhradh brought to protect the realm.[6] According toFrancis John Byrne, "identical with or closely associated", with these two terms for Leinster wasFir Domnann; it is unclear if these were distinct groups of Celtic people later synthesised into one group, or simply different names for one group of people. The name is associated with theDumnonii inGreat Britain, who would become the basis for theCornish people.[7] After biding his time, Labhradh eventually waged a war on his great-uncle, winning the High Kingship of Ireland and avenge the murder of his progenitors, burning Cobthach and his followers to death at an iron house in Dind Ríg. The familiar pattern of fratricide continued as Labhradh was killed by his own nephewMeilge Molbthach. Eventually, after several more generations, the family lost control of the High Kingship, with the rise of theConnachta, also a Heremonian tribe, who descend fromÓengus Tuirmech Temrach.
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The kingdom was later raided and invaded byViking forces from the 8th century onwards, and by the 9th century,Dublin had become a major Viking settlement and trading center. Some of the Christian monasteries within the kingdom were sacked by them such asSt Mullin's.
In the late 10th century, a dynasty known as theUí Cheinnselaig emerged as the dominant force in Leinster.
The most famous king of this dynasty was Diarmait Mac Murchada, who ruled from 1126 to 1171. Diarmait was a powerful and ambitious king who sought to expand his territory and influence, and he was involved in several wars and alliances with other Irish kings.
In 1166, however, Diarmait was expelled from his kingdom by the High King of Ireland, Ruaidrí Ua Conchobair. Diarmait fled to England, where he sought the support of King Henry II, and in 1170, he returned to Ireland with a force of Norman knights. With their help, he was able to reclaim his kingdom and become even more powerful than before.
Diarmait had several sons, one of whom was named Donnchad mac Murchada. Donnchad became the king of Leinster after his father's death in 1171, but he was forced to share power with his half-brother, Conchobar Mac Murchada. Donnchad's descendants became known as the Kavanagh dynasty, and they continued to hold power in Leinster for centuries.
The Kavanaghs were known for their fierce resistance to theLordship of Ireland associated with theKingdom of England, and they frequently clashed with the forces ofthe Pale in the late medieval period. One of the most famous Kavanagh kings wasArt MacMurrough-Kavanagh, who ruled from 1375 to 1417. Art was a powerful and charismatic leader who was known for his military prowess and his fierce determination to defend his kingdom from English encroachment.
Leinster remained a powerful kingdom throughout the medieval period, but it gradually lost its independence as the English Crown extended its authority over Ireland.[8] In the 16th century, Leinster was incorporated into the English-controlledProvince of Leinster as part of theKingdom of Ireland, which included much of eastern Ireland.
Today, Leinster is one of the four provinces of Ireland, and it is home to several of Ireland's largest cities, includingDublin,Kilkenny, andWexford.
Although founded in the paganGaelic tradition era, the religion which came to predominate at an official level in Leinster wasCatholic Christianity. Indeed, it is through Leinster and the neighbouringKingdom of Munster, thatChristianity in Ireland first took root, even before the arrival ofSt. Patrick. One of the best known pre-Patrician saints of Ireland,Abbán, was a Leinsterman. Saints from Leinster were also represented among theTwelve Apostles of Ireland. Some of the more prominent monasteries founded byIrish Gaels in Leinster from the 5th to the 8th centuries include;Kildare Abbey founded byBrigid of Kildare (apatron saint of Ireland),Glendalough Monastery founded byKevin of Glendalough,Clonard Abbey founded byFinnian of Clonard,Ferns Abbey founded byMáedóc of Ferns,Tallaght Monastery founded byMáel Ruain (part of theCuldee movement) andSt Mullin's Monastery founded byMo Ling (where theBook of Mulling originated).
By the early 12th century, theSynod of Ráth Breasail took place which moved the organisation of the Church in Ireland from one based on monasteries, to thediocesian model popular throughout the rest ofLatin Christendom. The geographical boundaries of these dioceses represented in Ireland to some extent aspects of local tribal territorial control and in Leinster this was no different, with its north–south dynamic; theUí Ceinnselaig were associated with theDiocese of Ferns[9] andDiocese of Leighlin[10] in the south, while theDiocese of Kildare,[10]Diocese of Glendalough[11] andArchdiocese of Dublin[12] in the north were associated with theUí Dúnlainge's historical area of control.[13] Although it should be noted, by the time of the Synod, theNorse Vikings fromScandinavia had set up theirKingdom of Dublin from territory previously belonging to Leinster (control of which was contest at various times by theUí Ímair, theÓ Briain and theMac Murchadha). Until theSynod of Kells in 1152, the small walled Norse enclave at Dublin had the unusual distinction of being part of theProvince of Canterbury unlike the rest of the Church in Ireland, while Glendalough was associated with the Gaels of Leinster in the same area. In 1216, during the reigns ofPope Innocent III andPope Honorius III, the Archdiocese of Dublin and Glendalough were merged.
As a consequence of theNorman invasion of Ireland, by the 13th century, control of the diocese and the positions within the episcopate within Leinster had been taken over by those of foreign origin (namely theNormans in Ireland). A couple of late examples of positions held by Leinstermen, include St.Lorcán Ó Tuathail, theArchbishop of Dublin, previously the Abbot of Glendalough, who was involved in implementing theGregorian Reform in Ireland and took part in theSynod of Cashel. He also attended theThird Council of the Lateran in Rome underPope Alexander III. Another native Irish cleric in Leinster, born in the following generation,Ailbe Ó Maíl Mhuaidh, Bishop of Ferns, would attend theFourth Council of the Lateran in Rome under Pope Innocent III. He was nationalistic, opposed to the meddling of foreign clergy in Ireland and excommunicatedWilliam Marshal, one of the leading Norman invaders.
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