Anglo-Norman invasion of Ireland

The military arrival of Anglo-Norman forces in Ireland from 1169, invited by an Irish king and followed by intervention from Henry II. It began the English Crown’s expansion into the island.

Diarmait Mac Murchada: King of Leinster who sought military aid abroad after losing his kingdom to rival Irish rulers. His appeal to Henry II and recruitment of Welsh-Norman forces launched the invasion.
Norman invasion of Wales: The gradual conquest and settlement of parts of Wales by Norman and later Anglo-Norman lords. Wales supplied the military networks and coastal bases used to reach Ireland.
Lordship of Ireland: The medieval polity ruled by the English Crown in Ireland from the late twelfth century until the creation of the Kingdom of Ireland in 1542. It was the political framework that emerged from the Crown’s intervention.
Viking activity in Ireland: Raiding, trading, and settlement by Scandinavian groups in Ireland from the late eighth century onward. Earlier Scandinavian settlement shaped coastal towns later targeted during the invasion.
Ruaidrí Ua Conchobair: King of Connacht who became Ireland’s high king in 1166 and opposed Diarmait Mac Murchada’s return. His support for Diarmait’s expulsion created the crisis that prompted the appeal abroad.
Richard de Clare, 2nd Earl of Pembroke: An Anglo-Norman magnate, commonly called Strongbow, who led forces in Ireland and married Aoife, daughter of Diarmait. His campaign and dynastic marriage secured control of Leinster for Diarmait’s allies.
Pale (Ireland): The region around Dublin under effective English government in late medieval Ireland. It became the lasting core of English administration as control beyond it weakened.
Irish kingship: The system of regional kingdoms and overlapping claims to authority that governed medieval Ireland. The invasion entered a landscape of rival rulers rather than a unified Irish state.
Dermot and the Earl: A medieval French account by Gerald of Wales describing the invasion and the marriage alliance between Diarmait and Richard de Clare. It preserves a near-contemporary account of the agreements behind the expedition.
Siege of Wexford: The 1169 capture of Wexford by forces supporting Diarmait Mac Murchada. It established an early foothold for the newcomers on Ireland’s southeastern coast.

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