Gofraid ua Ímair
Gofraid ua Ímair | |
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Dynasty | Uí Ímair |
Gofraid ua Ímair or Guthfrith of Ivar (
Sitric Cáech died in 927 and Gofraid left for Northumbria, delegating authority in Dublin to his sons. This upset the sons of Sitric, who allied with a "son of Helgi", possibly Tomrair mac Ailchi of Limerick, and seized the city. This act began a period of conflict between the Hiberno-Scandinavian of Dublin and Limerick which would last until 937. Gofraid's attempt to rule in Northumbria was unsuccessful and he was driven out by Æthelstan of England within six months. He returned to Dublin to eject the sons of Sitric and continued to rule as king there. Following his return he led further raids, including attacks on Kildare and Dunmore Cave. In 931 he led an attack on a camp established by the Hiberno-Scandinavian of Limerick at Mag Raigne, near the borders of Gofraid's kingdom, with the intent of containing Gofraid's power. Gofraid died of a sickness in 934 and he was succeeded as king by his son Amlaíb mac Gofraid.
Background
The ruling Vikings of Dublin were expelled from the city in 902 by a joint force led by Máel Finnia mac Flannacán, overking of Brega and Cerball mac Muirecáin, overking of Leinster.[2] Those Vikings that survived the capture of the city split into different groups; some went to France, some to England, and some to Wales.[3] Archaeological evidence suggests Dublin remained occupied in the years immediately following this expulsion, perhaps indicating only the ruling elite were forced to leave.[4] However, Viking raids on Irish settlements continued, and in 914, a large Viking fleet travelled to Waterford.[5] The arrival of this fleet marked the re-establishment of Viking rule over parts of Ireland, and was followed by more Vikings settling in Limerick the following year.[6]
The main historical sources for this period are the Norse sagas and the Irish annals. Some of the annals, such as the Annals of Ulster, are believed to be contemporary accounts, whereas the sagas were written down at dates much later than the events they describe and are considered far less reliable. A few of the annals such as the Fragmentary Annals of Ireland and the Annals of the Four Masters were also compiled at later dates, in part from more contemporary material and in part from fragments of sagas.[7] According to Downham, "apart from these additions [of saga fragments], Irish chronicles are considered by scholars to be largely accurate records, albeit partisan in their presentation of events".[8]
Biography
Gofraid is presumed to have left Dublin with the rest of the ruling Vikings in 902.
Gofraid is first mentioned in the annals by the Annals of Ulster in 918, which describe him leading a battalion of troops at the
Another raid was led by Gofraid in 924, this time sailing to the south of Ireland, taking many hostages. He took them to Rosscarbery, and according to the Annals of Ulster he also sailed to Limerick where he lost a large number of his followers in battle against the son of Ailchi, presumably Tomrair mac Ailchi.[17] Two years later his son Albann[nb 3] led a raiding force north, landing at Linn Duachaill on 4 September. The raiders were attacked by the army of Muirchertach mac Néill, overking of the Northern Uí Néill, at the bridge of Cluain na Cruimther on 28 December and were routed. Albann and a large part of the force was killed, and around half of the army were besieged by the Uí Néill at Athcrathin in County Down for a week, until a force led by Gofraid relieved them.[18]
In 927 Gofraid's kinsman Sitric Cáech, King of Northumbria, died. The Irish annals record the Gofraid left Ireland that year, along with a great many others from Dublin and Linns to claim Sitric's throne. During his absence it seems Gofraid delegated authority to his sons, thus (according to the
Following his return to Dublin, the next mention of Gofraid in contemporary accounts is with regards to raids he led. In 929 he plundered
Chronicle evidence suggests the conflict between Dublin and Limerick lasted until 937 when Gofraid's son Amlaíb won a victory at Lough Ree where he captured the Limerick king Olaf Scabbyhead and destroyed his ships. Gofraid did not live to see this victory, having died in 934, with Amlaíb succeeding him as king of Dublin.[19] The Annals of Ulster describe him as "a most cruel king of the Norsemen", and say he died of a sickness.[22]
Family
In the annals Gofraid is identified by the use of "ua Ímair", meaning "grandson of Ímar", but never with a patronymic. As such, it is not possible to identify which of the three known sons of Ímar (
Four individuals are identifiable as sons of Gofraid. His son Amlaíb succeeded Gofraid as King of Dublin, and eventually reclaimed Northumbria for the Vikings too. Another son, Albann, was killed in battle against Muirchertach mac Néill in 926.
Family tree
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Notes:
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See also
- Gofraid mac Fergusa, a genealogical figure partly based upon fabricated annal entries concerning Gofraid ua Ímair
Notes
- ^ The definition as given by Downham is used here - Vikings were "people of Scandinavian culture who were active outside of Scandinavia".[1]
- ^ It seems that the three kinsmen Sitric, Ragnall and Gofraid co-operated for the greater good of their dynasty, with the senior of the three (initially Ragnall) getting the Kingdom of Northumbria and the next senior (initially Sitric) getting the relatively poorer Kingdom of Dublin.[14]
- ^ Also spelt Albdann or Alpthann
References
Citations
- ^ Downham, p. xvi
- ^ Downham, p. 26
- ^ Downham, p. 27–28; Fragmentary Annals of Ireland, § 429; Annales Cambriae, s.a. 902; Brenhinedd y Saesson, s.a. 903; Brut y Tywysogyon (Pen. 20), s.a. 903; Brut y Tywysogyon (RBH), s.a. 903
- ^ Downham, p. 27
- ^ Sawyer, p. 97; Annals of the Four Masters, s.a. 914; Chronicon Scotorum, s.a. 914; Annals of Ulster, s.a. 914
- ^ Downham, p. 31
- ^ Radner, p. 322–325
- ^ Downham, p. 12
- ^ Hart
- ^ a b Downham, pp. 31, 273–274
- ^ Annals of Ulster, s.a. 917; Annals of the Four Masters, s.a. 917
- ^ Annals of Ulster, s.a. 918
- ^ a b c Downham, pp. 254–255
- ^ a b c Downham, p. 34
- ^ Annals of Ulster, s.a. 921; Annals of the Four Masters, s.a. 921
- ^ Annals of Ulster, s.a. 921
- ^ Annals of Ulster, s.a. 924; Annals of Inisfallen, s.a. 924
- ^ Annals of Ulster, s.a. 926; Annals of the Four Masters, s.a. 926; Downham, pp. 254–255
- ^ a b c Downham, pp. 34–41
- ^ Woolf, p. 151
- ^ Moyes, p. 586
- ^ Annals of Ulster, s.a. 934
- ^ Downham, p. 29
- ^ Downham, p. 111–112, 238, 248, 253
- ^ Downham, p. 249, 253
Primary sources
- Williams Ab Ithel, J, ed. (1860). Annales Cambriae. Rerum Britannicarum Medii Ævi Scriptores. London: Longman, Green, Longman, and Roberts. Accessed via Internet Archive.
- "Annals of the Four Masters". Corpus of Electronic Texts (16 December 2013 ed.). University College Cork. 2013. Retrieved 23 November 2014.
- "The Annals of Inisfallen". Corpus of Electronic Texts (16 February 2010 ed.). University College Cork. 2010. Retrieved 13 August 2015.
- "The Annals of Ulster". Corpus of Electronic Texts (15 August 2012 ed.). University College Cork. 2012. Retrieved 23 November 2014.
- Dumville, D. N. (2005). Brenhinoedd y Saeson, 'The Kings of the English', A.D. 682-954: Texts P, R, S in Parallel. University of Aberdeen.
- Williams Ab Ithel, J, ed. (1860). Brut y Tywysigion; or, The Chronicle of the Princes. Rerum Britannicarum Medii Ævi Scriptores. London: Longman, Green, Longman, and Roberts. Accessed via Internet Archive.
- "Chronicon Scotorum". Corpus of Electronic Texts (24 March 2010 ed.). University College Cork. 2010. Retrieved 26 November 2014.
- "Fragmentary Annals of Ireland". Corpus of Electronic Texts (5 September 2008 ed.). University College Cork. 2008. Retrieved 29 November 2014.
Secondary sources
- Ashley, Mike (7 June 2012). The Mammoth Book of British Kings and Queens. Little, Brown Book Group. ISBN 978-1-4721-0113-6.
- Downham, Clare (2007). Viking Kings of Britain and Ireland: The Dynasty of Ívarr to A.D. 1014. Edinburgh: ISBN 978-1-903765-89-0.
- Forte, Angelo; Oram, Richard D.; Pedersen, Frederik (5 May 2005). Viking Empires. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-82992-2.
- Hart, Cyril (2004). "Sihtric Cáech (d. 927)". doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/25543. Retrieved 6 January 2015. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.) Subscription or UK public library membership Archived 29 April 2013 at the Wayback Machinerequired.
- Moyes, Holley (1 September 2012). Sacred Darkness: A Global Perspective on the Ritual use of Caves. University Press of Colorado. ISBN 978-1-4571-1750-3.
- Muir, Tom (2005). Orkney in the Sagas. Kirkwall: Orcadian. ISBN 978-0-9548-8623-3.
- S2CID 182393802.
- Ó Corrain, Donnchadh (1998). "The Vikings in Scotland and Ireland in the Ninth Century" (PDF). Peritia. 12: 296–339. .
- Radner, Joan. "Writing history: Early Irish historiography and the significance of form" (PDF). Celtica. 23: 312–325. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 September 2015.
- Sawyer, Peter (January 2001). The Oxford Illustrated History of the Vikings. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-285434-6.
- Smyth, Alfred P. (1975). Scandinavian York and Dublin: the history and archaeology of two related Viking kingdoms. Templekieran Press. ISBN 9780391010499.
- Woolf, Alex (2007). From Pictland to Alba: 789 – 1070. Edinburgh University Press. ISBN 978-0-7486-1234-5.
External links
- Guthfrith 5 at Prosopography of Anglo-Saxon England
- CELT: Corpus of Electronic Texts at University College Cork. The Corpus of Electronic Texts includes the Annals of Ulster and the Four Masters, the Chronicon Scotorum and the Book of Leinster as well as Genealogies, and various Saints' Lives. Most are translated into English, or translations are in progress.