Amlaíb mac Sitriuc
Encyclopedia
Amlaíb mac Sitriuc was the son of the Hiberno-Norse King of Dublin, Sigtrygg Silkbeard
, a member of the Uí Ímair
dynasty. His ancestors included Brian Boru
, Olaf Cuaran
, and Gormflaith
, who were influential in medieval Ireland. He was ransomed by the Gaelic lord of Brega
and later killed in England by Anglo-Saxons
while on his way on pilgrimage
to Rome
in 1034. Some of his descendants later became the Kings of Gwynedd in Wales
.
(d. 1042), and his wife Sláine, daughter of the King of Munster and High King of Ireland
, Brian Boru
(d. 1014), and his first wife. His paternal grandfather was Olaf Cuarán (d. 981), the powerful King of York and of Dublin. Olaf's wife was Gormflaith
(d. 1030), a "beautiful, powerful and intriguing Irish woman" who later married Boru at the same time Sigtrygg married Sláine.
Amlaíb had four half-brothers: Artalach (d. 999), Oleif (d. 1013), Godfrey (d. 1036), Glúniairn (d. 1031). Oleif was killed in immediate vengeance for the burning of the Norse city of Cork
. Glúniairn was killed by the people of South Brega in 1031. Godfrey was killed in Wales
, possibly by a first cousin. Amlaíb was outlived by his half-sister Cellach, who died in 1042 in the same month as her father.
. Amlaíb joined Donnchad of Brega in a raid on Staholmock, County Meath. The army of Sigtrygg and Donnchad was defeated by the men of Meath under their king
, Roen Ua Mael Sechlainn. Sigtrygg rallied to the fight again, and fought a battle at Lickblaw where Donnchad and Roen were slain.
In 1029, Amlaíb was taken prisoner by the new lord of Brega
, Mathghamhain Ua Riagain, who exacted a ransom of 1200 cows. Further conditions of the agreement necessitated payment of another 140 British horses, 60 ounces of gold and of silver, "the sword of Carlus", the Irish hostage
s of Leinster and Leath Cuinn
, "four hostages to Ua Riagain as a security for peace, and the full value of the life of the third hostage." Added to the total, 80 cows "for word and supplication
" were to be paid to the man who entreated for Olaf's release. The incident illustrates the importance of ransoming noble captives, as a means of political manipulation, increasing one's own revenues and exhausting the resources of one's foes. The demand of British horses also suggests that Dublin was one of the main ports for importing horses into 11th century Ireland, and that Amlaíb's family may have been personally involved in husbandry
.
According to the 17th century Annals of the Four Masters
, Amlaíb mac Sitriuc "was slain by the Saxons
" on his way on a pilgrimage to Rome in 1034. He was survived by one Ragnhild, who was the mother of Gruffydd ap Cynan
, from whom the Kings of Gwynedd were descended.
Sigtrygg Silkbeard
Sigtrygg II Silkbeard Olafsson was a Hiberno-Norse King of Dublin of the Uí Ímair dynasty...
, a member of the Uí Ímair
Uí Ímair
The Uí Ímair , or Dynasty of Ivar, were an enormous royal and imperial Norse dynasty who ruled Northern England, the Irish Sea region and Kingdom of Dublin, and the western coast of Scotland, including the Hebrides, from the mid 9th century, losing control of the first in the mid 10th, but the rest...
dynasty. His ancestors included Brian Boru
Brian Boru
Brian Bóruma mac Cennétig, , , was an Irish king who ended the domination of the High Kingship of Ireland by the Uí Néill. Building on the achievements of his father, Cennétig mac Lorcain, and especially his elder brother, Mathgamain, Brian first made himself King of Munster, then subjugated...
, Olaf Cuaran
Olaf Cuaran
Amlaíb mac Sitric , commonly called Amlaíb Cuarán, in Old Norse: Óláfr kváran, was a 10th century Norse-Gael who was king of Northumbria and king of Dublin. His byname, cuarán, is usually translated as "sandal"...
, and Gormflaith
Gormflaith
Gormflaith ingen Murchada was born in Naas, County Kildare, Ireland, around 960. She was the daughter of Murchad mac Finn, King of Leinster, sister of his successor, Mael Mórdha mac Murchada, and widow of Olaf Cuaran, the Viking king of Dublin and York. The main source of her life history is the...
, who were influential in medieval Ireland. He was ransomed by the Gaelic lord of Brega
Kings of Brega
-Overview:Brega took its name from Mag Breg, the plain of Brega, in modern County Meath, County Louth and County Dublin, Ireland. They formed part of the Uí Néill kindred, belonging to the Síl nÁedo Sláine branch of the southern Uí Néill. The kingdom of Brega included the Hill of Tara, the site...
and later killed in England by Anglo-Saxons
Anglo-Saxons
Anglo-Saxon is a term used by historians to designate the Germanic tribes who invaded and settled the south and east of Great Britain beginning in the early 5th century AD, and the period from their creation of the English nation to the Norman conquest. The Anglo-Saxon Era denotes the period of...
while on his way on pilgrimage
Pilgrimage
A pilgrimage is a journey or search of great moral or spiritual significance. Typically, it is a journey to a shrine or other location of importance to a person's beliefs and faith...
to Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
in 1034. Some of his descendants later became the Kings of Gwynedd in Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
.
Life
Family
Amlaíb was the son of the ruling King of Dublin, Sigtrygg SilkbeardSigtrygg Silkbeard
Sigtrygg II Silkbeard Olafsson was a Hiberno-Norse King of Dublin of the Uí Ímair dynasty...
(d. 1042), and his wife Sláine, daughter of the King of Munster and High King of Ireland
High King of Ireland
The High Kings of Ireland were sometimes historical and sometimes legendary figures who had, or who are claimed to have had, lordship over the whole of Ireland. Medieval and early modern Irish literature portrays an almost unbroken sequence of High Kings, ruling from Tara over a hierarchy of...
, Brian Boru
Brian Boru
Brian Bóruma mac Cennétig, , , was an Irish king who ended the domination of the High Kingship of Ireland by the Uí Néill. Building on the achievements of his father, Cennétig mac Lorcain, and especially his elder brother, Mathgamain, Brian first made himself King of Munster, then subjugated...
(d. 1014), and his first wife. His paternal grandfather was Olaf Cuarán (d. 981), the powerful King of York and of Dublin. Olaf's wife was Gormflaith
Gormflaith
Gormflaith ingen Murchada was born in Naas, County Kildare, Ireland, around 960. She was the daughter of Murchad mac Finn, King of Leinster, sister of his successor, Mael Mórdha mac Murchada, and widow of Olaf Cuaran, the Viking king of Dublin and York. The main source of her life history is the...
(d. 1030), a "beautiful, powerful and intriguing Irish woman" who later married Boru at the same time Sigtrygg married Sláine.
Amlaíb had four half-brothers: Artalach (d. 999), Oleif (d. 1013), Godfrey (d. 1036), Glúniairn (d. 1031). Oleif was killed in immediate vengeance for the burning of the Norse city of Cork
Cork (city)
Cork is the second largest city in the Republic of Ireland and the island of Ireland's third most populous city. It is the principal city and administrative centre of County Cork and the largest city in the province of Munster. Cork has a population of 119,418, while the addition of the suburban...
. Glúniairn was killed by the people of South Brega in 1031. Godfrey was killed in Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
, possibly by a first cousin. Amlaíb was outlived by his half-sister Cellach, who died in 1042 in the same month as her father.
Politics
In 1027, after the death of Máel Sechlainn in 1022 and the chaos which accompanied the subsequent bids for the High Kingship by the Irish princes, Sigtrygg Silkbeard was forced to make a new alliance with the men of BregaKings of Brega
-Overview:Brega took its name from Mag Breg, the plain of Brega, in modern County Meath, County Louth and County Dublin, Ireland. They formed part of the Uí Néill kindred, belonging to the Síl nÁedo Sláine branch of the southern Uí Néill. The kingdom of Brega included the Hill of Tara, the site...
. Amlaíb joined Donnchad of Brega in a raid on Staholmock, County Meath. The army of Sigtrygg and Donnchad was defeated by the men of Meath under their king
Kings of Mide
In medieval Ireland, the Kings of Mide were of the Clann Cholmáin, a branch of the Uí Néill. Several were High Kings of Ireland. After the collapse of the kingdom in the 12th century its dynasty, the Ua Mael Sechlainn or Ó Melaghlins, were forced west and settled on the east bank of the Shannon...
, Roen Ua Mael Sechlainn. Sigtrygg rallied to the fight again, and fought a battle at Lickblaw where Donnchad and Roen were slain.
In 1029, Amlaíb was taken prisoner by the new lord of Brega
Kings of Brega
-Overview:Brega took its name from Mag Breg, the plain of Brega, in modern County Meath, County Louth and County Dublin, Ireland. They formed part of the Uí Néill kindred, belonging to the Síl nÁedo Sláine branch of the southern Uí Néill. The kingdom of Brega included the Hill of Tara, the site...
, Mathghamhain Ua Riagain, who exacted a ransom of 1200 cows. Further conditions of the agreement necessitated payment of another 140 British horses, 60 ounces of gold and of silver, "the sword of Carlus", the Irish hostage
Hostage
A hostage is a person or entity which is held by a captor. The original definition meant that this was handed over by one of two belligerent parties to the other or seized as security for the carrying out of an agreement, or as a preventive measure against certain acts of war...
s of Leinster and Leath Cuinn
Leath Cuinn
Leath Cuinn and Leath Moga refers to a legendary ancient division of Ireland.-Geographical extant:Leath Cuinn was the island north of the Esker Riada...
, "four hostages to Ua Riagain as a security for peace, and the full value of the life of the third hostage." Added to the total, 80 cows "for word and supplication
Supplication
Supplication is the most common form of prayer, wherein a person asks God to provide something, either for the person or who is doing the praying or for someone else on whose behalf a prayer. This because of a supplication is being made, also known as intercession.The concept of supplication is...
" were to be paid to the man who entreated for Olaf's release. The incident illustrates the importance of ransoming noble captives, as a means of political manipulation, increasing one's own revenues and exhausting the resources of one's foes. The demand of British horses also suggests that Dublin was one of the main ports for importing horses into 11th century Ireland, and that Amlaíb's family may have been personally involved in husbandry
Animal husbandry
Animal husbandry is the agricultural practice of breeding and raising livestock.- History :Animal husbandry has been practiced for thousands of years, since the first domestication of animals....
.
According to the 17th century Annals of the Four Masters
Annals of the Four Masters
The Annals of the Kingdom of Ireland or the Annals of the Four Masters are a chronicle of medieval Irish history...
, Amlaíb mac Sitriuc "was slain by the Saxons
Anglo-Saxons
Anglo-Saxon is a term used by historians to designate the Germanic tribes who invaded and settled the south and east of Great Britain beginning in the early 5th century AD, and the period from their creation of the English nation to the Norman conquest. The Anglo-Saxon Era denotes the period of...
" on his way on a pilgrimage to Rome in 1034. He was survived by one Ragnhild, who was the mother of Gruffydd ap Cynan
Gruffydd ap Cynan
Gruffydd ap Cynan was a King of Gwynedd. In the course of a long and eventful life, he became a key figure in Welsh resistance to Norman rule, and was remembered as King of all Wales...
, from whom the Kings of Gwynedd were descended.