History of Ireland (400–795)
History of Ireland |
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The early medieval
Overview
Early Christian Ireland began after the country emerged from a mysterious decline in population and standards of living that archaeological evidence suggests lasted from c. 100 to 300 AD. During this period, called the
The older view that early medieval Irish farming concentrated on livestock has been overturned by
By 800, small towns had started to form around some of the larger monasteries, such as Trim and Lismore, and some kings were based in them, but the foundation of larger towns by the Vikings had yet to occur. Otherwise, kings lived in ringforts larger than the norm, but generally similar; however the possession of luxury objects such as elaborate Celtic brooches was much greater among royalty.[8] The latter part of the period was the peak of the Irish contribution to Insular art, whose surviving products include illuminated manuscripts, most famously the Book of Kells, brooches, which were worn by clergy as well as nobles, carved stone high crosses, and other isolated survivals of metalwork, such as the Derrynaflan and Ardagh Hoards.
Early Christian history
Recorded Irish history begins with the introduction of Christianity and Latin literacy, beginning in the 5th century or possibly slightly before. When compared to neighbouring
Ecclesiastical history
The first reliable historical event in Irish history, recorded in the Chronicle of
By the early 6th century the church had developed separate dioceses, with bishops as the most senior ecclesiastical figures, but the country was still predominantly pagan. The
From the 7th century on, Irish churchmen such as
Political history
See also
References
- ^ Flechner & Meeder 2016, pp. 231–241.
- ^ Ó Cróinín, pp. 550.
- ^ Ó Cróinín, pp. 237–249, 550 (quoted) to 553.
- ^ Ó Cróinín, pp. 257–259.
- ^ Ó Cróinín, pp. 264–265, 559–536.
- ^ Ó Cróinín, p. 549.
- ^ Ó Cróinín, pp. 568–573.
- ^ Ó Cróinín, pp. 550–553.
- ^ Dáibhí Ó Cróinín, Early Medieval Ireland 400–1200, Longman, 1995, pp. 1, 14–40
- ^ Kathleen Hughes, "The church in Irish society, 400–800", in Dáibhí Ó Cróinín (ed.), A New History of Ireland Vol 1: Prehistoric and Early Ireland, Oxford University Press, 2005, pp. 301–330
- ^ Eoin MacNeill, Phases of Irish History, Dublin, 1920, pp. 98–132
- ^ Ó Cróinín, pp. 182–234.
Bibliography
- Flechner, Roy; Meeder, Sven, eds. (2016). The Irish in Early Medieval Europe: Identity, Culture and Religion. London: Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 9781137430595.
- Green, Alice Stopford (1925). History of the Irish state to 1014. London: Macmillan.
- Skene, William (1889). Celtic Scotland — A history of ancient Alban. Vol. III. Edinburgh: David Douglas.
- Foster, R.F., ed. (1989). The Oxford Illustrated History of Ireland. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-822970-4.
- Neill, Kenneth (1979). The Irish people. An illustrated history. Dublin: Gill & Macmillan. ISBN 0-7171-0915-1.
- ISBN 978-0-19-922665-8.
- Downham, Clare (2017). Medieval Ireland. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9781107651654.
- O'Corráin, Donnacha (1972). Ireland before the Normans. The Gill history of Ireland. Dublin: Gill & Macmillan. ISBN 0-7171-0559-8.