Strongbow: The Norman Invasion of Ireland

Wonderful read for those interested in the Anglo-Norman invasion of Ireland. While detailed, it is written in a very succinct manner. Thoroughly enjoyed it. Need to correct rating. Gave it a one star rating accidently. It is definitely a five star book

This is probably one way of seeing Richard Fitz Gilbert de Clare, better known as Richard Strongbow, and the role he played in the Norman invasion of Ireland. This is an interesting, very good, and often exciting and excellent biography of the Norman warlord, his companions, his times and his deeds. Of the main qualities of this book is that the author has well described the context in which the invasion took place and the motivations of the invaders, who had little to lose and were seeking land and riches, and of Dermott MacMurrough, the exiled King of Leinster who recruited them to exact his vengeance and reconquer his kingdom. The description of the complex political situation in fragmented Ireland is particularly good. So is the presentation of the Anglo-Normans (and their Flemish and Welsh mercenaries) that would become the “Marcher Lords” and their Welsh enemies in Wales. The presentation of “Normanitas” – the book’s first chapter summarising the history of the Normans – is also relatively good, although less so because there are a number of inaccuracies on minor points, even if the main points are made. For instance, the statement according to which Norman elite used Norse in Normandy for several generations is questionable. Rolf, the Viking warlord and first Count of Rouen, send his son and heir to the Western part of Normandy which was not under his control at the time to learn the language of his ancestors, presumably because it was already falling out of use in and around Rouen. Also questionable is the statement that the Norman aristocracy, by the end of the first millennium could trace their origins back to Viking ancestors. This was true for some, but not all, of the Norman families. Others, particularly those on the borders of the Duchy, were of Frankish origins, such as the Bellêmes, or even Bretons. There are a few other similar little glitches. The core of the story is well told and exciting, to the extent that I sometimes wondered if I was reading a historical novel or a historical biography. The author does manage to show how the Anglo-Normans, despite their small numbers, managed to prevail through military skills combining a few heavy cavalry – the miles -, Welsh archers and Flemish crossbowmen, and more heavily equipped infantry that what any of the Irish kings could field. Also well showed is the strategic use of castles that the Normans once again build to control the countryside, just as they had done in Normandy, England, Southern Italy and Wales. Even the descendants of the Norse and Dane settlers that made up the populations of the main trading towns (Wexford, Waterford, Dublin, Cork and Limerick) could not match them since they lacked archery and heavy cavalry. Another interesting and well-made point is about Henry II’s ambivalence regarding the invasion. After having initially accepted the exiled Irish King’s request to recruit volunteers, he tried – and failed - to prevent what started out as a private initiative of some of his warlords, constables and castellans in Wales. He then came in person to Ireland, imposed his suzerainty over the Irish kings, took control of the major towns, starting with Dublin, and nominated his own governors instead of the initial conquerors. The reasons for this are well explained in the book. In a nutshell, there was no way Henry II was going to allow for a Norman warlord, and one of his vassals, to conquer a kingdom for himself and become sufficiently powerful to either challenge him or become independent. Nevertheless, and as the author shows well, the Norman warlords that initially took part all did extremely well for themselves. Here again, however, a few glitches creep up sometimes. Henry II was for a time the most powerful monarch of the XIIth century at the head of his Angevine Empire which ranged from the borders of Scotland to the Pyrenees. However, contrary to the author’s claim, Henry II never had “at his disposal the service of tens of thousands of knights”. There were probably less than ten thousand knights throughout his far-flung Empire anyway. Not only was it impossible to raise all of them at the same time but it was also impossible to keep them all in the field for more than the feudal forty days unless they were paid. Medieval finances, even those of Henry II, simply did not make this possible. In fact, Henry II relied for his military expeditions on his own household knights, just like each of his main barons, and complemented these buy using professional soldiers, i.e. mercenaries, most of which were Flemish or from Gascony. Numbers never seem to have exceeded ten to fifteen thousand at most. A similar comment can be made with regards to the armies gathered by the High King at the time. It is very unlikely than any High King, not even Brian Boru at Clontarf, was able to field the tens of thousands that the author mentions as lined up against the Normans, if only because of logistics there were no roads in Ireland, for instance). Again, the largest army than a High King may have raised did probably not exceed ten to fifteen thousand, a very considerable force at the time. Another great point is the author’s discussion of the sources. Of particular interest is the analysis showing that the Norman source was not above using forgeries, or even forging a papal document himself to make his point more convincing. He was however far from unique in this respect. I found particularly interested by the author’s convincing demonstration showing the document to be a forgery. Finally, the author also has a very useful and well-balanced assessment of the Norman conquest of Ireland. It was certainly very brutal and violent at times, but there does not seem to have been anything as terrible as William the Conqueror’s “Harrowing of the North” or Robert Guiscard’s deliberate use of famine to subdue Calabria. Also of interest is that by discussing what the Normans destroyed but also what they brought with them, the author also puts to bed the caricature according to which the Norman invasion was the beginning of eight hundred years of oppression of the Irish at English hands. Four strong stars.

A very entertaining telling of the Norman invasion of Ireland. Much more enjoyable to read than other books I have on the subject.

This reads like a work of fiction and is likely intended for a middle/high school audience. While the author includes footnotes and a bibliography at the end, he does not cite his sources within his writing. Disappointed in this book as I was intending to use it as research in my genealogy work as I am descending from Strongbow and Aoife.

This book provided me with a clear understanding of the Norman invasion of Ireland and their later assimilation into Irish culture.

Well written. Very easy to read. Does a great job of describing both the main characters (Norman and Irish) and the complex politics in Ireland. A great read

Reviewers Note: I was given a copy of the book for Christmas by my wonderful Son! Thanks Jesse! Author Bio: Conor Kostick is an Irish Historian and Writer, he lives in Dublin. He's written books across genres including fantasy, science fiction and children's books in addition to nonfiction. My Review: This book took me good long while to get to the end. I had to battle my way through hordes of unpronounceable Irish names, both person and place, which all ran together in my head. like an giant Celtic knot. With the help of St. Brigid, who lent me her patience, I slogged page by page, battle by battle, gross blinding of innocent boys, bodies broken and hurled off cliffs, beheadings by crazed females, double and triple crossing petty kings, and crossed the finish line, exhausted but exultant. This book is not just the story of Strongbow, Richard de Clare, 2nd Earl of Pembroke, an Anglo- Norman Lord, born c. 1130, but the story of how the Norman culture came to dominate large swaths of Europe. So it's really a twofer. I especially enjoyed the chapters on the spread of the warring Normans and how they fought their way across Europe and the Middle East. These proud descendants of the Vikings ruled the Kingdom of Jerusalem from 1099-1187 and conquered all of Southern Italy, spreading their castles across the landscape. This second part of this book is about the great Anglo-Norman knight, Strongbow. Down on his luck and out of favor with King Henry II, Richard de Clare is offered a piece of Ireland by the King of Leinster and ruler of the Ui Chennselaig, Diarmait Mac Murchada. See what I mean about those names! Diarmait has lost a major battle and fled Ireland. He lands in King Henry's court seeking support for his cause. Stongbow gambles on Ireland and takes up the challenge, he marries Diarmait's beautiful daughter Aife along the way. Anyway, I don't want to give away the story, but the entire book is a bloody brawl. I felt like I'd been beaten by a Norman sword but survived. It's worth reading. I found it very enlightening. The author makes comments at the end on the lasting impact of the Normans on Ireland and Irish culture which I found fascinating. Recommendations: I think anyone who enjoys medieval history, Irish history, books about battles should give this a go. It might take a while but it's worth pushing through to the end. The author recommends two further readings: Gerald of Wales, The Conquest of Ireland and The Deeds of the Normans in Ireland by anonymous poet.

A reader might have a sense that at some point "the Normans" (or "the English") at some point "invaded Ireland". Conor Kostick shows how the reality was much more nuanced, and much more interesting - and he manages to tell a compelling, well paced story throughout. There is a danger that a book on valiant knights conquering lands could be some horrible glorification of brutality. But this book has no illusions that the knights, for all their skill and bravery, were ultimately greedy thugs looking to enrich themselves and steal land. In turn this could lead to the romantic imagining of the Irish as some sort of innocent primal nation crushed by a foreign, mailed fist. But here again the book excels, showing not only that the pre-existing warlords were far from romantic or innocent, with theft, rape and mutilation used as instruments of political policy - for example, lots of people get blinded in this book - but also that Ireland was far from culturally or politically unified. And the book is at its best when it it surprises or deviates from the expected story of marches and battles. A Flemish knight forced to switch sides and then, with impressive diplomatic skill, switch back again; a Welsh woman who comes to Ireland as a camp follower and becomes a multiple murderess; the Norse commander of the Dublin forces who struggles to keep the city's independence... there are plenty of human, intriguing characters who do not fit convenient modern stereotypes. There are unfortunate flaws. The author's sources are generally pro-Strongbow, and so the "heroic" anecdotes tend to be of Norman, nor Norse or Irish fighters; women are largely absent from the story, except as pawns or victims. But these are inevitable, given the source material available. Overall, the author has done an excellent job of bringing a chaotic set of episodes to life as an engaging, coherent, balanced narrative.

When I was studying A level history, the books were staid, boring, written by experts in their given field who were not wordsmiths. Not so Strongbow. Conor Kostick has a way with words, which makes his historical books a joy to read. Novices might find the names of the Irish kings and chieftains a bit of a minefield, but I would recommend perseverance, it is a learning curve. Thoroughly recommended.

Enjoyed very much

Detailed and fact filled. A very interesting read

Thoroughly enjoyed this book. Fascinating insight into early Norman Ireland