POD: High King Ruaidrí Ua Conchobair managed to repel the Norman Invaders.
High Kings and Queens of Ireland
1166-1198 Ruaidrí I the Great [O'Conor]
1198-1221 Conchobar I [O'Conor] [1]
1221-1230 Ruaidrí II [O’Conor] [2]
1230-1289 Toirdhealbhach II [O’Conor] [3]
1289-1302 Hugh I [O’Conor] [4]
1302-1328 Caoimhghín I [O’Conor] [5]
1328-1347 Eochaid I [O’Conor] [6]
1347-1350 Civil War [7]
1350-1403: Eoin I [O’Conor] [8]
1403-1415: Ruaidrí III "The Wise" [O'Conor] [9]
1415-1432: Brian II [O'Conor] [10]
1432-1465: Eochaid II [O'Conor] [11]
1465-1493: Ruaidrí IV [O'Conor] [12]
1493-1502: Eochaid III [O'Conor] [13]
1502-1507: Eoin II [O'Coner/O'Rory] [14]
1507-1542: Pádraig I [O'Rory] [15]
1542-1577: Conchobar II and Ornóra I [O’Rory] [16]
1577-1618: Gráinne I [O’Rory] [17]
1618-1624: Domnall I [O’Rory] [18]
1624-1644: Eamon I [O’Rory] [19]
1644-1666: Ruaidrí V "the Bloody" [O’Rory] [20]
1666-1672: Eamon II "the Wise" [O’Rory] [21]
1672-1701: Hugh II [O’Hugh] [22]
1701-1744: Eoin III [O’Hugh] [23]
1744-1798: Brian III [O'Rory] [24]
1798-1809: Conn II [O’Hugh] [25]
1809-1821: Civil War [26]
1821-1855: Eileen I [O'Rory] [27]
1855-1897: Artúr I [O'Niall] [28]
1897-1921: Lachlan I "the Youngling / Poet King"[O'Niall] [29]
1921-1936: Seamus I "The Peaceful" [O'Niall] [30]
1936-1944: Pádraig II "the People's King" [O'Conor] [31]
1944-1971: Ruaidrí VI [O’Hugh] [32]
[32] Ruaidrí O'Hugh's father died in World War I which left Ruaidrí to be raised by his mother. When he was twenty-years-old, he married Ciara Fanning, the daughter of a cobbler and a seastress. As Ruaidrí was not considered a high ranking royal, their marriage flew under the rader. This would change when World War Two broke out and Ruaidrí became a war hero to the point where High King Pádraig felt he would be a worthy sucessor.
Ruaidrí was a hard working individual who was known to get his hands dirty, wether it was war or just manuel labor. Some derided him as low class lout, but Ruaidrí had natural charm that could sway over most people.
There were some objections to Ciara becoming queen, but Ruaidrí made it clear that if he was to be king, his wife would recive a title as well. Once Pádraig died, Ruaidrí decided that the joint coronation would be small and subdued so not to ruffle any feathers for those who still had a low opinion of both of them.
One of the first things, King Ruaidrí did was try to give his people a greater voice, wanting the lower and middle class have more rights. He proposed that Irish monarhcy become strictly electorial. This was rejected as the kings of Ireland noted that it would become a battle of who had enough money to back their canidates. They also pointed out that the Irish tridition of choosing heirs that weren't immedite kin had prevented any claims of neptotism.
Despite his liberial ideas when it came to the power of the people, Ruaidrí was very much set in his ways in things like television and reportedly refused to moderinze his family residence (because of the Tannist system, and the tridition of choosing outside the royal children, the residence of the new king had quickly because the manor he lived in before becoming king). His children often complained about the lack of television.
As an avid smoker, Ruaidrí was diagnosed with lung cancer in 1969. He would die two years later on the operating table at age fifty-one.
In 19___, he had made _____Prince(ss) of Tara. ____would succeeded him.
High Kings and Queens of Ireland
1166-1198 Ruaidrí I the Great [O'Conor]
1198-1221 Conchobar I [O'Conor] [1]
1221-1230 Ruaidrí II [O’Conor] [2]
1230-1289 Toirdhealbhach II [O’Conor] [3]
1289-1302 Hugh I [O’Conor] [4]
1302-1328 Caoimhghín I [O’Conor] [5]
1328-1347 Eochaid I [O’Conor] [6]
1347-1350 Civil War [7]
1350-1403: Eoin I [O’Conor] [8]
1403-1415: Ruaidrí III "The Wise" [O'Conor] [9]
1415-1432: Brian II [O'Conor] [10]
1432-1465: Eochaid II [O'Conor] [11]
1465-1493: Ruaidrí IV [O'Conor] [12]
1493-1502: Eochaid III [O'Conor] [13]
1502-1507: Eoin II [O'Coner/O'Rory] [14]
1507-1542: Pádraig I [O'Rory] [15]
1542-1577: Conchobar II and Ornóra I [O’Rory] [16]
1577-1618: Gráinne I [O’Rory] [17]
1618-1624: Domnall I [O’Rory] [18]
1624-1644: Eamon I [O’Rory] [19]
1644-1666: Ruaidrí V "the Bloody" [O’Rory] [20]
1666-1672: Eamon II "the Wise" [O’Rory] [21]
1672-1701: Hugh II [O’Hugh] [22]
1701-1744: Eoin III [O’Hugh] [23]
1744-1798: Brian III [O'Rory] [24]
1798-1809: Conn II [O’Hugh] [25]
1809-1821: Civil War [26]
1821-1855: Eileen I [O'Rory] [27]
1855-1897: Artúr I [O'Niall] [28]
1897-1921: Lachlan I "the Youngling / Poet King"[O'Niall] [29]
1921-1936: Seamus I "The Peaceful" [O'Niall] [30]
1936-1944: Pádraig II "the People's King" [O'Conor] [31]
1944-1971: Ruaidrí VI [O’Hugh] [32]
[1] Ruaidri (Rory or Roderic is the Anglicized version) was known as the great for his feat of ending the Norman invasion (for a while anyway as they would keep coming back). Conchobar was the eldest of his father's eight sons and took part in the defeating of Norman soldiers, earning a name for himself as a skilled fighter. He is called the butcher over in England for how many villages he pillaged and burned.
Once Conchobar returned to Ireland, he found himself fighting for his place as his father's heir, avoiding an assassination attempt and fighting against his own own uncle. But in the end, he fought just as he did against the Normans, viciously and ruthlessly.
When his father died, he traveled to Rome, almost emptying his coffers in order to be crowned by the pope himself. While he was there, he met King Philip II of France who suggested they make an alliance against the English. Having a deep hatred for those who attempted to take his country, Conchobar agreed. The two men, despite coming from vastly different cultures, would become unlikely friends, visiting each other's country twice and exchanging many letters.
King John of England tried to reach out to him, in hopes he would support John's war against the English barons. Conchobar who had fought with John's father and then his brother Richard, laughed at him, telling him, the only way Ireland would get itself involved with the English, it would be to stop any invaders.
In his personal life, Conchobar was married to a woman named Áine, who he had seven sons with. There are a few records of his daughters, only a scant few mentions of two of his girls who were either his daughters or nieces who married two of his political rivals.
For a man who lived most of his adult life, fighting for one reason or another, he died peacefully in his bed at age seventy. After his death, his son, Ruaidrí would become the new High King of Ireland.
[2] Ruadrí II was the third son of King Conchobar I. Born in 1195, he was originally destined for the Church, but two events changed his fate. The first was the untimely death of his older brother, and then Tanaiste, Brian, in 1210. Brian died in a horse-riding accident, though many suspect he was murdered by his brother, Seamus. Seamus was beyond ambitious and was noted for his cruelty, which led to many contemporaries accusing him of murdering Brian. It didn't help Seamus that he was his Father's least favourite son. Thus, Conchobar, would see to it that in 1218, Ruaidrí was elected the Taniaste. Seamus was angered by this and led a short-lived result, which was defeated, and he was exiled to England. In 1221, Conchobar died and Ruaidrí ascended the throne as Ruaidrí II, and held a splendorous coronation in Dublin.
In 1222, Ruaidrí would negotiate his marriage to the King of Alba’s niece, Lady Isabella Stewart, in a bid to create an alliance against England. The marriage would be agreed to in 1223. Isabela would be given a warm welcoming in Ireland, with a ceremony being held in her honour in Dublin, one which was remarked for it's great pomp. Ruaidrí would also be quite devoted to his wife, with no sources even speculating that he had an extramarital affair. The two would share ten kids, though only a few survived.
In 1224, Ireland and Alba launched a joint campaign against the Kingdom of Norway. The two Kingdoms hoped to conquer multiple small islands held by Norway, such as the Isle of Mann. Ruaidrí would lead his armies in person, and was noted to be a capable commander. After 4 long and bloody years, the Irish and Scots emerged victorious, defeating Norway and dividing the spoils of war between them. Ireland would gain the Isle of Man and the Islands of Iona, Islay and Arran. Ruaidrí would quickly install his favourite, Eoin O'Súilleabháin as the new Archbishop of Iona in 1227.
In 1228, Ruadrí's exiled brother, Seamus returned from exile in England with a force of 3,000 men, comprised mostly of mercenaries. The group would lay siege to Waterford that same year. Ruadrí rallied veterans from his recent war with Norway and march south to defeat his enemies. Annoyingly, they would scatter across the south, and utilises Guerrilla warfare tactics against him for the next year. After months of trial and error, Ruaidrí successfully lured Seamus's force into battle, at the Skirmish of Skibbereen, where Ruaidrí would emerge victorious, massacring the enemy force and capturing the enemy force. Ruaidrí would return to Dublin with his brother and had him kept under tight watch in his Castle.
In the final months of his life, Ruaidrí passed the Hereditary Act, which decreed that the King was to choose his successor before his death, and should he die prior to naming an heir, the crown would go to the nearest blood relative. Only a few weeks after this act passed, Ruaidrí fell ill with tuberculosis and died. He would be succeeded by his eldest surviving son, Turlough.
[3] Born in 1227, Turlough was the first child of Ruadr and Isabella to live past his first birthday. (Turlough’s seven older siblings, including a set of twins, each died young from a range of childhood illnesses. Before Turlough’s birth, Isabella wrote home saying “All he (Rory) has every given me is dead children”). Though only three years old at his father’s death, Turlough was legally his father’s heir due to Hereditary Act. This was challenged by several different claimants, all of which found Isabella an able opponent. She was able to secure her son a throne while being pregnant with her husband’s posthumous children. (She would give birth to twins some 5 months after the death of Rory)
Turlough would be forced to grow up fast. His early kingship shaped Turlough: Ireland was always his first priority and he would bring an intensity to ruling that impressed and intimidated his subjects.
He would marry a succession of Irish princesses: Muadhnait Ní Dhomhnaill (Maud O’Donnell) Princess of Tyrconnell, Labhaoise Nic Cárthaigh (Louise MacCarthy) Princess of Desmond, Eibhilín Ní Brian (Eileen O’Brian) Princess of Thomond, Ornóra Ní Néill (Honour O’Niell) Princess of Tyrone. And had an untold number of children. Turlough would use these marriages to bind the various lesser kingdoms closer to him and his dynasty.
Turlough brought that same single minded focus to choosing a successor that he brought to ruling. Several different sons and grandsons were examined and discarded before settling on Cormac late in the 1270s.
Turlough would pass away at age 62 from a winter chill. He was succeeded by his son, Hugh.
[4] Hugh was his father's seventh son by his third wife Eileen. He was born in 1260. His half-brother, Ruaidrí, had been his father's favorite but when he died supporting Prince Llywelyn of Wales against the English, leaving behind an infant son and an uncertain succession. Turlough deliberated over which of his sons should inherit. Eventually, he picked twelve-year-old Hugh. Historians suspect that Turlough wanted an heir young enough for him to groom, but not so young that if Turlough died, his son would be a child ruler, vulnerable to usurpation and used as a puppet.
Hugh married Gwladys ferch Dafydd, the niece of Prince Llywelyn of Wales when he was seventeen. He also took a leaf out of his father's book had took two concubines from the houses of other kingdoms. Wanting a closer relationship with the French, Hugh would start negotiating a marriage between his oldest son and the princess of France.
Unfortunately, King Philip III had two problems with the match. One, Hugh's son being the oldest did not mean he would actually succeed or that his children would. And two, the tradition of having concubines was far too close to bigamy for his comfort.
Hugh was ambitious and wanted his country's prestige to continue to grow, not to mention he felt that France would be a useful ally against the English invaders. Therefore three years after his father died and Hugh became king, he tried to outlaw having concubines, citing it was against secular law and that the oldest son would inherit everything.
This did not go over well with the traditional Irishmen and soon Hugh had a civil war on his hands. In 1302, he fell in battle, leaving his kingdom in the hands of his nephew, Caoimhghin
[5] Caoimhghín (modern day Kevin) was born in 1273 to Conchobar (the third son of Turlough by his second wife, Louise) and Alice (a daughter of an English Marcher lord). Alice had been captured during the Welsh/English War, and after the death of her father, her cousin was uninterested in ransoming her. She became Conchobar’s concubine and the mother of his only son.
Caoimhghín was Alice’s only child and the sole focus of her attention. She ensured he received an education worthy of the grandson of a King and pushed his interests in court winning him lands of his own. This left Caoimhghín with the impression that the world revolved around him and that he was capable of anything. Unfortunately for several people, he was capable of a lot.
Alice had a complicated relationship with her homeland that had raised and abandoned her. But her familiarity with the Welsh Marches that she passed onto her son would serve him well later in life.
Caoimhghín grew to adulthood during his uncle’s reign, and agreed with him that it was time for Ireland to be heard on a larger scale. But Caoimhghín disagreed with the alliance with France, thinking that Ireland shouldn’t be beholden to anybody to gain influence.
As such, Caoimhghín was an obvious focal point when the civil war started. Hugh, and later his eldest son, Lorcan, were backed by Wales, and it was here that Caoimhghín’s familiarity with the Marcher Lord’s mattered. Caoimhghín reached out to several Marcher Lords alerting them of various moments of the Welsh army. And caught between the Irish and the English, Prince Llywelyn found himself unable to support Lorcan. Without Welsh support, Lorcan was unable to continue his fight for the throne and surrendered. He would spend the rest of his life under house arrest and died from a winter chill some years later.
Caoimhghín was already married to a woman named Eithne, and two children by her. But for reasons unknown he considered her unsuitable as Queen and shortly after Caoimhghín was crowned Eithne would retire to a nunnery, and Caoimhghín went searching for a Queen. He found Margaret Eriksdatter, illegitimate daughter of the Norwegian King. They wed in 1307. (He had been offered Agnes Eriksdatter, the legitimate daughter of King Erik, but that marriage alliance required a guarantee that her son would be heir, a guarantee Caoimhghín wasn’t willing to give)
Caoimhghín would also take three concubines fairly early in his reign: Bronagh or Bronwen, his cousin and the daughter of Hugh and Gwladys ferch Dafydd; Sorcha Ní Dhomhnaill (Sarah O’Donnell) niece of the King of Tyrconnell; and a Lady known as Constance who appears to have been from Brittany or Normandy.
After securing his throne and arranging his marriage, Caoimhghín turned his attention to Wales and the mess he had left there. The Second Welsh/English War had slowed to a slog as the same few castles were won and lost over and over again. Additionally Prince Llywelyn of Wales would fall in battle in 1309, and his son Owain was ill-prepared.
Caoimhghín reached out to Owain offering to help…. with a price. Wales would join the list of Kingdoms that Caoimhghín as High King ruled over and in return, Caoimhghín would drive the English away. Owain would accept, and Caoimhghín was as good as his word; the English would be driven out of Wales.
While Wales was the first instance of Caoimhghín’s pattern of causing problems and then showing up to solve those same problems, it was not the last. Next, He used the Irish navy to harass trade ships from the Lowlands, and then offered his assistance protecting those same ships. And he got away with it, causing Ireland to gain quite a bit of wealth and influence.
He would take two more concubines later in his reign: Ceridwen ferch Gruffudd, a minor Welsh noblewoman of renowned beauty in 1317 and another cousin (though the exact relation is unknown) Fineamhain Ní Conchobair (Feenawn O’Conor) in 1324. And in 1322, Queen Margaret died giving birth to her fourth child. Caoimhghín would remarry to Joan of Flanders, daughter of the Count of Flanders. Between his three wives and five concubines, Caoimhghín had over thirty children.
Caoimhghín chose several heirs throughout his reign before being succeeded by son, Eochaid when Caoimhghín died from a hunting accident in 1328.
[6] Eochaid was born to Caoimhghín and Margart Erikdatter in 1310. He was twelve when his mother died and eighteen when his father died. He married Joan of Savoy when they were both eighteen. He would have two concubines, Eileen of Ormond and Margaret of Stirling, both daughters of noblemen.
A fierce traditionalist, he wrote an essay in defense on concubines and choosing one heir, pointing to the succession crises that plagued the countries of Europe and of all the weak and ineffectual rulers that could have been passed over had the Irish Tanist laws been applied. It was a controversial piece and was completely banned in England who did not appreciate the attacks on their previous rulers that is until Queen Philippa thought to use it in support of her husband's claim to France then it was quickly turned into a propaganda piece much to Eochaid's horror and fury.
When war broke out in 1337 between England and France, King Philip VI was eager to renew the alliance between Ireland and France, offering a marriage between the year-old Philip, Duke of Orléans and one of King Eochaid's daughters. Eager to have the French match, his ancestors pushed for, Eochaid only agreed if his chosen heir would marry a future French Princess. As he had no daughters yet, Philip agreed.
With Scotland, Ireland and Wales standing behind France, many suspected the war would not last long. Unfortunately King David of Scots being captured in 1346 and a year later, King Eochaid died of the black plague as would several of his children, leaving his underaged son Eoin as his heir. Historians would note the irony of a man who had written about how the Irish succession laws protected the realm from succession crisis when it was his death that caused one to happen.
[7] Succession Crisis
1347 saw the death of King Eochaid and his two eldest sons by Joan of Savoy. This left his legal heir as his last son by Joan, Eoin* (the Hereditary Act being amended to give precedence to the children of wives over concubines. This was a condition of Eochaid’s marriage to Joan of Savoy). But, Eoin was barely 12, with many elder half-brothers and a plethora of uncles (not to mention even more distant relatives) ready and willing to step up to the plate.
(*Apparently this was the original form of John in Ireland, Sean was introduced by the Normans.)
The initial claimants and their relationship to the deceased King:
Internationally: Ireland pretty much ignored the rest of the world. Wales would take this opportunity to revolt, crowning a relatively unknown minor Welsh lord, Madok ap Mabilia, as Prince of Wales. (Since Prince Madok choose to use his mother’s name instead of his father’s, some historians believe he may have been a bastard. The more common theory is Madok’s father was an English Marcher lord: Willam de Braose, 2nd Baron Braose who is recorded as married to a Mabel, the English form of Mabilia). The Anglo-French war ended up being actually just the English and the French as Scotland took a peace deal as part of the ransom of King David and Ireland was out. King Philip VI would hold a grudge over this.
Internally: As various armies fought for the throne, Ireland suffered first from black plague, the from famine as many farms went un-attended.
After three years many of the claimants were not longer on the field:
Crimthann Ua Conchobair: He could be the easy choice. He’s the eldest surviving son of Eochaid, he has a strong internal marriage, and he’s a decently competent guy. He's won quite a few battle during the war. Not stellar, but nothing to worry about. There are concerns in that he and his wife have no children. Compounding that he hasn’t taken any concubines, but he is pretty dependent on his in-laws and many think he'd accept their sister/nieces/daughters as concubines as soon as he's king. But, many Irish still strongly defend their tanistry succession, and the precedent of choosing the eldest son worries them.
David Ua Conchobair: He’s a nice fit since he can back his claim with some interpretation of the Hereditary Act. If only adult relatives are considered, David is the closet relative to Eochaid. He has several sons, so no worries on that front. Also, he's just an all around great guy. People love him, even his enemies say he's a stand up guy. He's married to a Scottish lady, so that's something on the international front.
And the dark horse: Eoin Ua Conchobair: While 3 years ago, Eoin was a scrawny 12 year old, now he’s 15 and a strapping young man, easily around 6’4” tall. Two years into the war, Eoin married his half-aunt, Aideen daughter of Caoimhghín and Joan of Flanders. (This was arranged by the two Queen Dowagers: Joan of Savoy and Joan of Flanders.) Eoin has won decent renown as a commander, is more charismatic than his elder half-brother, and has the best international connections. (Due to his mother and mother-in-law). And with England, Wales, and France are all ticked with Ireland, that's pretty important.
But the three have pretty even footing and they know Ireland can’t sustain more war. So some deals were made and Eoin was crowned.
[8] Upon becoming the High King of Ireland, Eoin's wife Aideen gave birth to their first child, a daughter named Síne. This event, along with the end of the Irish Civil War, marked an period of celebration across Ireland, and Eoin's reign would be considered the start of the Irish Golden Age as he not only helped Ireland to recover quicker from the Black Plauge than other countries, but also grew it's economy with him promoting farming and fishing.
The Tanist succession laws spread out from Ireland during this time as Prince Madok of Wales adopted them for how the Welsh line of succession will work, and King David of Scotland tweaked the Scottish laws of succession so that if the first born son of the King died then he chose from any male member of the Scottish royal family to become the new heir.
Eoin, along with his wife Aideen, had taken three concubines, Margaret, a noblewoman from Norway, Margart Ua Brain, his niece and daughter of Rechtabra and Margart Ni Conchobair, and Eithne, a Irish noblewomen. His wife and concubines would give Eoin over twenty children.
Eoin died in 1403 at the age of 68, and his heir, Ruaidri succeeded to the throne.
[9] Ruaidrí III (later know as "The Wise"), was the 18th child of Eoin I and his concubine Margart Ni Conchobair and was born in 1379. Ruaidrí was originally planned for the Church but would evade such a fate when an outbreak of the plague in 1387 left him as the third surviving son of Eoin I. This meant Ruaidrí would be given an education befitting that of a medieval prince, learning how to govern, fight, command armies, dance, sing, etc. Ruaidrí would excel at diplomacy in particular and from the tender age of 17 would serve as a diplomat to several countries. By 1398, Ruaidrí was the de-factor Irish Ambassador to England, and regularly attended the court of Richard II. It was at about this time that he met his future wife, Joan of Beaufort, who had been widowed for the second time the previous year. The two fell in love and spent much of their time with each other. In February of 1399 the two would ask Richard II for permission to marry. Richard who was on relatively good terms with the couple agreed and would be married the next month. However, the marriage occurred without Eoin I's knowledge, who was outraged at the marriage.
Eoin had hoped to marry Ruaidrí to the Bourbon Princess Suzanne, so Ruaidrí's marriage to Joan came as an insult to him. It didn't help that in Eoin's eyes Joan was a bastard, despite the fact she had been legitimised in 1396. This led to Eoin refusing to allow Ruaidrí to return to Ireland for several months. Fortunately Eoin would allow the couple to return to Ireland after he learnt that his eldest surviving son, Turlough had planned on assassinating him so that he could ascend the throne (as at this time Eoin had yet to name an heir), unfortunately for Turlough the plot failed and he would spend the rest of his life in prison. Ruaidrí and Joan would race back to Ireland and arrived in August of 1399. There, Ruaidrí would be named the heir and bestowed the title Prince of Tara, which would become the Irish equivalent of the Prince of Cumberland. Ruaidrí would also write to his brother-in-law Henry Bolingbroke following his usurpation of the throne in 1399, recognising him as King and discussing the possibility of an alliance between Ireland and England.
Some years passed and in 1403, Ruaidrí ascended the throne. He quickly had his traitorous brother Turlough executed for high treason and allowed his other brother, Concobhar to become a Priest (he had wanted to do so since childhood, but following the 1387 plague outbreak, his Father had refused to let him enter the church). In the New Year of 1404, Ruaidrí would officially recognized Henry IV as the King of England, and signed a mutual pact of friendship between England and Ireland the same year. The two Kings both held dreams of being remembered as great conquerors and so privately discussed launching a joint campaign against Wales, as both Kings wanted to increase the popularity for the English were beginning to view Henry as a usurper who failed to deliver on his promises, while the Irish were questioning Ruaidrí's foreign policy which was remarkably Pro-English. The next year would see planning occurring between the two and by 1405 their armies were ready. The Irish claimed that they were the rightful overlords of most of Wales, while the English claimed that they were entitled to much of Northern Wales. It also helped that at the time, Wales was experiencing a civil war between Madok of Wales's chosen heir, his nephew Owain and eldest son Rhys.
Ruaidrí would lead 7,000 men into Southern Wales and began besieging much of it's southern forts and castles, while Henry IV attacked Northern Wales. Initially the campaign went quite smoothly and by 1406 it seemed as though Wales was on the verge of collapse. Wales would survive however thanks to Scottish and French support, who didn't want the English to become too powerful. From 1407-1409, the Welsh retook much of it's norther territories, and halted the Irish advance in the south. Then in 1410 two crucial events occurred. Firstly; a revolt in England broke out and Henry IV had to withdraw much of his men from Wales. Secondly; Ruaidrí suffered a severe wound at the Battle of Carmarthen, where he was hit in the leg by a mace. The hit was so severe that Ruaidrí would never again be able to walk. Unable to lead the campaign Ruaidrí would depart back home to Dublin, leaving his most loyal vassal and distant cousin, Artúr Mac Suibhne in charge of the Welsh campaign. This was perhaps Ruaidrí's greatest failure, as the war dragged on another 10 years and drained Irish finances and resulted in thousands of deaths. In many ways it was Ireland's Vietnam.
Back home at Dublin, Ruiadrí took a keen interest in the running of his court. He invited the finest artists, scholars and architects from across Europe to his court and employed their talents to make his court one of the most cultured in Europe. In many ways it was like a mini-renaissance. Frescoes and marble statues were produced and displayed, Romanesque baths were introduced across Dublin and Latin surged in popularity. Ruaidrí also had plays and books written, some of which include "The History of the Reign of Brian Bóru", "The Triumph of Ruaidrí The Great" and "The Saga of the House of O'Connor". Most of the works still survive and are considered some of the best ever produced. Ruaidrí's wife Joan also played a key role in running the court and introduced several English customs and phrases to the Irish.
From 1412, Ruaidrí's health deteriorated and he entrusted his wife as Regent. The two had been beyond close, and unlike his predecessors Ruaidrí took no concubines, which meant he had a small family of 6 children, at least he did in comparison to his Father and ancestors. Finally, in 1415, Ruaidrí passed away and would be succeeded by his son, Brian.
[10] Brian was twelve years old when his father died and he was thrust into kingship. Being the oldest son and underage made the Irish nobles grumble with some worrying that this would be the start of the Irish conforming to English laws and traditions. The fact that the very English Joan Beoufort was regent for her young son did not help matters. Knowing she needed allies, Joan married her second oldest daughter, Margaret, to Richard, the 3rd Duke of York and arranged a betrothal between Joan of Valois and King Brian, hoping to counter any English ambitions, her oldest daughter was married to the King of Tyrone.
Brian was perhaps the very reason why the Tanist succession laws were so important. As his parents' oldest son, he spoiled and coddled. He barely had any interest in ruling preferring to play instead, a trait he would continue to have in adulthood, enjoying spending his time, drinking, dancing and hunting while his mother ran the kingdom.
He married Joan in 1424. Many nobles found themselves unable to attend, citing illness and roads being unsuited for traveling. It was clear that most of Ireland was unhappy of their new king, The Scottish ambassador even noted that the tensions in England and France were not so heated. The couple were noted to be quite happy together, for all of Brian's faults, he was a loving husband and took no concubines or mistresses. Sadly their marriage would be childless for unknown reasons.
Surprisingly, peace would last for almost another eight years. Until one day at a private meal, the king and queen would suddenly get ill from drinking wine. Later historians would suspect it was typhoid fever. However, it was long suspected that King Brian and Queen Joan were poisoned. Leaving Eochaid to become the next ruler of Ireland.
[11] Eochaid was fifteen when his cousin Brian made him the Prince of Tara. Eochaid was the grandson of Eoin, by one of his children with his wife Aileen.
Eochaid was the third heir that Brian had appointed. The first, Fianamail Ua Conchobair, was the only son of Crimthann Ua Conchobair. Fianamail was older than Brian and passed away early in Brian’s reign. The second, Manuel Maria Ua Margaret, was the grandson of Margaret by her second husband Fernando das Barcelos the bastard son of a Portuguese King. Manuel Maria, or Manchán as he was called in Ireland, was viewed as too foreign. In 1427, Manuel Maria died jousting. A year later in 1428, Eochaid was the heir to Ireland.
Four years later, age nineteen, Eochaid was King of Ireland. Since Eochaid was a traditional Tanist heir, many viewed his rule as a return to “true Irish values.” What this meant varied depending on who you talked to.
Eochaid would nominally investigate the death of his predecessor, and quickly ruled that “bad food” was the cause.
Eochaid was unmarried when he became king, and quickly married Philippa of Guelders, the Netherlands having been allies with the Irish for almost a hundred years, Philippa was viewed as an acceptable foreign bride. Eochaid continued his pattern of “acceptably foreign” and used concubines to renew many connections with “acceptable” foreign allies: in 1436, Eochaid took Angharat ferch Tegwared, a minor Welsh lady, as concubine; then in 1439, Eochaid took Isabel of Ross, the bastard niece of the Scottish King, as concubine; and Eochaid’s final foreign concubine was Ingeborg, the sister-in-law of the Norwegian King. To counteract the foreign concubines, Eochaid would take three different Irish ladies as concubines. Eochaid doesn’t appear to have been the most virile, as only Philippa, Isabel, and Áine (one of the Irish concubines) would bear children, and even then only one child each.
Eochaid’s reign would continue what his marriage and concubines had started: strengthening the more popular foreign ties, and avoiding the more hot-button counties of England and France. He would also expand the Irish fleet, continuing to protect allied trade ships and expanding into transporting goods and people too and from the New World.
He committed to Tanistry succession and appointed his nephew Ruaidrí in 1445. So, when Eochaid died in 1465, Ruaidrí succeeded him.
[12] Ruaidrí was the son of Eochaid's younger brother. Born in 1430. As his uncle's fertility problems were well known, it was all but guaranteed he would succeed him. He was also of age by the time his uncle died while his oldest male cousin was only twelve-years-old.
In hopes of a better relationship with the church, Ruaidrí spent some time in Italy as his uncle's envoy. This is were he met Bianca de' Medici. Much to the shock and fury of her family, the couple would elope. Bianca's father, Piero would demand the marriage be annulled insisting that Ruaidri had absconded with his daughter, forcing her into this marriage, ignoring his daughter's very loud statements to the country.
Luckily for Ruaidrí despite the numerous bribe attempts, his witnesses, friends from his time in the Sapienza University of Rome, remained adamant that there had been no wrong doing on the groom's part. Eventually Pope Pious II decreed that the marriage was valid. However, because it was done without permission from the bride's father, the groom would receive no dowry.
In 1465, Ruaidrí and Bianca would receive word that King Eochaid had passed away and they would return to Ireland. Bianca and Ruaidrí would use their Italian contacts to to get involved in trade, as well as sponsoring great artists----one of the first Irish playwrights was noted to have been discovered by her. Bianca would embrace the Irish culture fully with the only exception being her husband getting a concubine, something she refused to let him even consider.
She did however accept that it might not be her children (seven in total, three of them sons) who inherited the throne. She helped Ruaidrí vet the candidates before he choose the next Prince of Tara. Bianca and Ruaidrí would continue to be in love for their long years of marriage.
In 1490, King Edward of England would decide to try what his ancestors had failed to do and conquer Ireland, being a descendant of Richard, the 3rd Duke of York and his wife Margaret, daughter of King Ruaidrí the Wise. Despite pushing sixty, Ruaidrí would lead his men against the invading English.
Alas, he would not see the end of the war, for three short years later, he would die in a hectic battlefield, managing a mutual kill with King Edward, leaving Eochaid to pick up his crown.
[13] Eochaid was born in 1432 as the cousin of Ruaidrí IV and was chosen as his successor due to his strong leadership skills. By the time he ascended the Irish throne, he had six children through his wife Princess Astrid of Norway, whom he married in 1459, and didn't took any concubines as he was faithful to his wife. Eochaid's main issue to deal with was the destruction left in the wake of the failed English invasion, which would be cleaned up during most of his reign.
Tanist succession by this point had made to the continent, first with Brittany, then the Scandinavian countries, and finally the Netherlands, with the former using the original version while the latter two the Scottish version. The continuing spread of Tanist succession also saw it's rivalry with traditional succession deepen as in 1497, the French King made a speech about wanting to wage a crusade against the Tanist succession following countries for their "barbaric practices".
Eochaid died in 1502 at seventy years old, and his distant cousin, Eoin, whom he appointed in 1498, succeeded him.
[14] Since pretty much everyone liked Eoin, no one was surprised when Eochaid III made Eoin Prince of Tara in 1498. At the time, he was in his late forties (since Eochaid was from a more minor branch of the O’Conor family we don’t have concrete birth records for him) and had spent most of his life traveling with the Irish fleet. He had found in several sea battles, been to all the known continents, and spoke several languages. Besides his less than stellar bloodline, he was perfect.
Since there was some pushback due to his status as a distant cousin (his line of the family hadn’t hadn't had real influence at court or a significant marriage to either foreigners or powerful Irish lords in generations) Eoin sometimes would use the appellation Ua Ruaidrí, or O’Rory, since his last monarchial ancestor was Ruaidrí II, as a reminder of his relation to the first three Irish High Kings of the O’Conor family.
Eoin never had time to get married, and once he became king that didn’t change. Anytime anyone suggested he married, Eoin pointed out that he’d already appointed his nephew, Pádraig as Prince of Tara and had plenty of brothers, nephews, and cousins to continue on the family name.
After only five years of rule, during which the Irish fleet was expanded again making it one of, if not the, great power(s) of the Ocean, Eoin would pass away from a winter chill, leaving Pádraig as heir.
[15] Named for Ireland's patron saint, Pádraig O'Rory was twenty years old when he became King of Ireland. He married the daughter of the King of Sweden, Ursula in 1505 after being chosen as his uncle's heir. They had nine children.
He was a devoted Catholic, and viewed concubinage close to bigamy. However, knowing how much his people stubbornly held onto to their traditions, he did not outlaw the practice, instead sending priests to preach against it, hoping it would fall out of fashion eventually.
Pádraig was staunchly against Lutheranism, writing a pamphlet defending the Pope against Luther. He would make an alliance with the Holy Roman Emperor to defend their lands against the so-called Reformation.
In 1542, the King of England started calling himself the King of Ireland. Pádraig disagreed quite vehemently, declaring that no English monarch would ever have claim over the Irish. Weeks later, Pádraig would die of a bad belly.
[16a] Conchobar was the eldest son of Padraig and Ursula and he wasn’t supposed to be King. He was disinclined to the martial arts, and rather quiet, so Padraig appointed his brother (Padraig’s brother not Conchobar’s) Brian O’Rory as Prince of Tara. But Brian O’Rory would die shortly before his brother Padraig in an early skirmish between the English and the Irish. Padraig wouldn’t have time to appoint a new heir before his death. Thanks to the Hereditary Act this left Conchobar as the heir.
There were some significant murmurings over the idea of Conchobar as king and the fact that Conchobar didn’t really want the job either made it seem that civil war was inevitable. Enter Ornóra stage left.
[16b] If Ornóra had been born a boy, she would have been Prince of Tara: she was descended from Ruaidri IV and his wife Bianca de Medici; she had spent many years at sea and was an excellent ship’s captain, through her sisters she had marital ties to many of Ireland’s petty kings as well as Wales, Flanders, and Hainaut; and she was well spoken, charismatic, and people just liked her.
Not only could Ornóra fulfill the role of King, she wanted it. Shortly after Padraig’s death, Ornóra approached Conchobar and proposed marriage. (The two really should both already be married, but both had refused several proposals choosing instead to keep company with a “dear companion”) She would rule and he would keep the men who thought they could do a better job off her back. Conchobar accepted.
Seeing Ornóra step up to Conchobar’s side settled many of the murmurings and Conchobar and Ornóra were crowned without issue. Ornóra would also be addressed as O’Rory as she was also descended from one of the Irish kings name Ruaidri. Ornóra would lead several campaigns against the English (though she wouldn’t fight in the actual battles) until the King of England gave up on his claim to Ireland.
The two would have a smooth reign, Ornóra managed much of the traditional monarchial roles and Conchobar found he enjoyed handling the realm’s finances. Due to his attention, Ireland would gain much wealth. They would only have two children as neither Ornóra or Conchobar appeared to enjoy the marriage bed.
Conveniently they would pass away within days of each other when the sweating sickness broke out in 1577. They were succeeded by their daughter, Grace.
[17] Gráinne or Grace was a spirited girl. As her parents only had her and her sister, her father took the unusal step of declaring her his heir, reminding everyone it was his right to choose. Grace was married to the King of Ulster when she was eighteen. Her husband, Hugh, was a tritiditonal man and often fought with his wife who refused to sumbit to his will.
Despite her rather independent spirit, Grace tempered it with her natural charisma and charm, able to wrap many people around her fingers. She was twenty-seven when her parents died. By then, she had managed to sway many of the lesser kings and the rich landowners to her side, convincing them to accept them as their queen, quoting her father and adding that the whole Tanist system was to put the best heir. And since she had been groomed from partically birth, she was the best fit.
Men like her husband disagreed and soon after her coronation, Grace had a rebellion on her hands with Hugh leading the rebels against his stubborn and opinonated wife. Grace dressed in armor and lead the army herself, leading some to call her Queen Maeve after a historical warrior queen. Another nickname for Grace was Gráinne Mhao (Grainne the Bald) after she shaved her head to keep her long hair from being a problem in the battle.
Although popular folktale would have Grace slaying her deceitful husband in one and one combat, it is actually unknown how Hugh died. What is known is Grace gave her husband a respectful burial, saying as much as she hated him, her was the father of her two children.
A year later, she would remarry the King of Tyrone and have six children with him.
In 1600, Grace would meet up with the Prince of Wales, the Queen of Scotland and the Queen of England to sign a treatry, often called the Women's Peace (despite the inclusion of the Prince of Wales), which was made to end all tensions between the four rulers, ending the constant territory wars. They also promised to come to aid whenever one country was under attack.
Grace would die in 1618, at seventy-one, having nominated Domnall as her sucessor.
[18] Domnall or Donald was born in 1541 to Prince Eoin and Princess Mary of Scotland and was the nephew of High Queen Gráinne through his father, who was a grandson of Pádraig through his son Ruaidrí, the younger brother of Conchobar II. Domnall had a rough childhood as his father was infamous for his short temper and so stayed in the company of his greatuncle and aunt, and became Prince of Tara in 1598 for his help in the Ulster Rebellion. By the time he became High King he had married Princess Anne of Brittany, whom he had six children with.
In 1620, the War of the Breton Succession started following the death of Duke Conan VIII without a clear heir. Domnall would declare his claim to Brittany though his wife (who was the aunt of Conan) and sent a invasion there, with himself leading it. This would his downfall as in 1624 the eighty-three year old King died in battle to forces that were loyal to Prince Arthur of Brittany, who was Conan's cousin.
Domnall was sent back to Ireland and burried next to his wife who died seventeen years before him. His successor, his grandson, Eamon would deal with the end of the War of the Breton Succession.
[19] Eamon was the eldest son of Eoin O’Rory (third son of Domnall I) and Mary of Flanders. He was a controversial choice as Prince of Tara as he was wed to Queen Janet of Scotland. But upon his appointment in 1620, Eamon swore that his heir would not be the heir of Scotland. And, once Eamon was King of Ireland, Queen Janet joined the Breton Succession War to reinforce her husband, sending Scottish forces. This did much to endear her to the Irish people.
Eamon declared that since the previous Duke hadn’t declared his heir, the closest relative should inherit and so he was fighting on behalf of his uncle, Prince Niall
(eldest son of Domnall I and Anne of Brittany). (That Eamon was Niall’s heir, as neither Niall nor Turlough (second son of Domnall) had sons, was left unmentioned). This combined with the additional forces from Scotland, saw Eamon win the Breton Succession War. Prince Niall was crowned and the dethroned Arthur of Brittany would be brought back to Ireland where he lived the rest of his days in an isolated abby.
Following the end of the war, Eamon followed through with his promise regarding Irish inheritance, and appointed his nephew Ruaidrí as Prince of Tara.
Eamon spent the rest of his reign curating the bonds between Ireland, Scotland, England, and Wales building on the efforts of Gráinne I. He arranged many marriages: his eldest daughter wed the English heir, his third daughter wed the grandson and probable heir of the Prince of Wales, his eldest son (the Scottish heir) wed an Welsh princess.
Neither did Eamon forget Ireland’s oldest ally, the Netherlands. He arranged the marriage of Ruaidrí to Eamon’s mother’s niece Joan of Flanders.
In 1644 while hunting, Eamon would misjudge a jump and his horse stumbled while landing. He would tumble from his horse and hit his head. He spent the next several hours delirious and passed away the next day, leaving his nephew, Ruaidrí as King of Ireland.
[20] Ruaidrí was the son of Eamon's younger brother. His father had died in the Breton Succession war when he was nine years old. He was fostered with the King of Leinster. This would begin a tradition where the Prince of Tara, if underaged, would be fostered in one of the petty king's courts so they could learn how to rule and befriend their vessels.
When he turned eighteen, he would travel to Connacht where he acted as his uncle's regent. At twenty-one, he married Joan of Flanders. Although Ruaidrí was an intelligent and shrewd leader, he had a fierce temper and a mean streak a mile wide. He also had very little interest in his wife, only bedding her once a month. He did mange to sire four children, who he promptly ignored, beliving that niether of them were truly worthy of succeeding him.
He only respected two people, the King of Connacht, who he viewed as a second father and his uncle Eamon. In 1644, when his uncle died, Ruaidrí was apologetic with rage, ordering Eamon's Master of Horses executed for failing to train the horse properly. This would be the start of his harsh punishments.
As soon as he was crowned, King Ruaidrí decided he was surrounded by "heretics and weaklings", and he would have to root the corruption out with fire and sword. Anyone who wasn't Catholic needed to die least they contaminated good Irishmen with their blasphemy. No one was sure where Ruaidrí' religious fanaticism came from with some historians suspecting this might have been Ruaidrí's way of indulging his sadistic side in a way seen somewhat socially acceptable. Others reject this theory as there were no reports of Ruaidrí showing violent tendencies in his early years barring the disproportionate execution of his uncle's horse master.
Another theory is Ruaidrí had a mental breakdown following his uncle's death or suffered a blow to the head. Either way, as the years went by, he slowly became worse, growing more paranoid and violent. The breaking point came in 1666 when he viciously attacked his wife, accusing her of cheating on him.
His eldest son decided enough was enough and staged a coup, imprisioning Ruaidrí and forcing him to abdicate, allowing Eamon II to take the throne.
[21] Eamon was the eldest son of Ruaidrí and Joan of Flanders. He was named for his father’s beloved Uncle. That was the most attention he ever got from his father. We have few records of his early years as for the first two decades of life he was almost a nonentity at court; his father didn’t want him there.
Based on his later life we know he was a bookish man, and many believe Eamon spent his late teens and early twenties drifting between the courts of the different Irish petty kings, though really only interacting with their library. We do know he visited his cousin, second son of Eamon I and now Duke of Brittany, as the two became good friends and referenced their initial meeting in later letters.
Starting in 1661, Eamon pops up at his father’s court, though he doesn’t make many waves at first. Slowly Eamon would begin to gather allies, often by acting to shield them from his father’s temper. Then in 1666, Ruaidrí’s heir, the Prince of Tara and distant cousin, died from the fever. Now, by the Hereditary Act, Eamon was the heir.
Taking advantage of his father’s attack upon his mother’s person, Eamon would seize his father. There was some initial pushback but Eamon was supported by his cousins, the Duke of Brittany and King of Scotland.
Slowly the realm grew to know Eamon. They found him to be discerning, reserved, not particularly martial though he was capable of handling himself, and possessing a prodigious knowledge of all things Ireland. He could discuss agriculture, fishing, sailing, the historical connections between various clans, old alliances, the sundry treaties between Ireland and other countries.
He would dial back the religious pressure that his father had enacted, and reviewed the cases of everyone his father tried, both those living and those dead. Many were pardoned posthumously. He also immediately made Hugh, the third son of the King of Ulster, Prince of Tara, and made it known that if something were to happen to him, he would choose his distinct cousin Brian as Prince of Tara, ensuring that a situation such as he took advantage of would not occur again.
After several years of ruling, courtiers and advisors began insisting Eamon wed. He had resisted as Eamon viewed himself as already married. Before he became king Eamon had taken a woman he called Aisling (for the Irish word for vision, as Eamon said she was a vision to behold) as concubine.
Aisling’s actual name and origins were unknown. Records indicate that she wasn’t European, but as no portrait of her survived we don’t know if she was from the Americas, Africa, or Asia, as she could have been from any of the many places the Irish fleet traveled to. Due to her ethnicity, Aisling wasn’t viewed as appropriate for the role of wife and Queen.
Though before attending to his marriage, Eamon would arrange the marriages of his three children by Aisling: His eldest daughter was wed to Brian, Eamon’s second choice for Prince of Tara; his son was wed to the heiress of Guelders; and his youngest daughter was betrothed to an petty Irish King.
Finally in 1672, Eamon would arrange his marriage to Maria of Portugal. But the two would never wed, the day Maria docked in Dublin, Eamon and Aisling were both found dead in their bed. Hugh would inherit.
[22] Hugh was born in 1642 as the third son of the King of Ulster and wasn’t expected to become king. But due to his friendship with a young Eamon II, he was made Prince of Tara by Eamon when he became High King in 1666 and so helped his father in ruling Ulster in preparation for succeeding Eamon.
In 1672 Hugh became High King after Eamon and Aisling both committed suicide and married Maria of Portugal, who was going to be Eamon’s wife. The newlyweds loved each other very much as Hugh didn’t take any mistresses or concubines. A total of seven children would be born to the couple. Hugh used the appellation O’Hugh, as he was a descendant of Queen Gráinne’s first husband, King Hugh of Ulster.
Hugh continued his predecessor’s policies of Religious tolerance and was a patron of the arts.
His reign was generally peaceful, expect when Ireland supported William of Holland in the Scottish War of Succession (1689-1694), which he won.
Hugh died in 1701 at the age of 59, with his successor that he picked in 1692, Eoin III succeeding him.
[23] Eoin was the second son of Hugh and Maria of Portugal. His elder brother was passed over as Eoin had more easy manners and was a better student. Eoin was made Prince of Tara at age 15 and shortly afterwards his father arranged his marriage to Anna of Guelders, the granddaughter of Eamon II.
While not particularly fond of his wife, Eoin wouldn’t take any concubines, and in fact would end the practice of concubinage. He cited how in the Bible God’s people took multiples wives and concubines for a time and then the practice ended. He did not require the lords that currently had concubines to renounce them, instead insisting that no new concubines be taken.
Eoin spent his reign focusing on Ireland’s foreign interests. He would see the trading outpost expanded into colonies and the Irish fleet expanded yet again making it the largest fleet in Europe.
Eoin and Anna had five children, and Eoin invited many distant cousins to come and be companions of his children. Eoin made it known that he would be choosing the Prince of Tara from among these children and so many O’Conor, O’Rory, and O’Hugh cousins were sent to be raised with the Royal Children.
Eoin would choose an O’Connor cousin in 1705, but this lord passed away in 1734 and so Eoin simply repeated his invitation for cousins to come be raised at court, this time as companions for his grandchildren. He would choose his gandson Brian in 1739.
Eoin would pass away in 1744 and was succeeded by Brian III.
[24] Born in 1732 as the son of Princess Márie O'Hugh and her O'Rory husband, Brian was though his mother a grandson of High King Eoin III, and was picked as the Prince of Tara due to his connections to two of the three branchs of the Irish royal family. Brian became High King in 1744 at the young age of eight, and so a regency was put in place that will rule for him until he turned eighteen. During this time Brian would be taught by various tutors on subjects like military tactics, Irish history, and more.
By the time Brian turned eighteen in 1750, he was a intellegent and handsome man, as he would receive many offers from the various crowned heads of europe to marry their daughters. But he would ultimately pick Princess Isabella of Spain as his wife, with the couple having seven living children together. Brian continued the pratice done by his father of surrounding his children with distant cousins who would act as companions of them.
Brian lead Ireland though most of the major wars of the 18th Century. The first being the Eight Years War (1757-1765), where Ireland, Scotland, France and others fought against England, Portugal, Austria and others. Ireland would upon the end of the war receive most of England's colonies in North Vespuccia (OTL America).
Ireland then supported Vespuccian indepence from England during the Vespucccian Revolution (1778-1786), which resulted in the overthrow of the English monarchy and it's replacement of an republic. Ireland joined the First Coalition in fighting against Republican England in the War of the First Coalition (1793-1798), but lost.
Brian would die just weeks later at the age of 65, some say of his saddness over the First Coalition's loss in the war. his cousion Conn, who became Prince of Tara in 1786, succeeded him.
[25] Conn was named for the legendary King Conn of the Hundred Battles. He was a grandson of King Eion III by his youngest son. Conn made a name for himself in the Vespuccian Revolution by being a great figther. It was his victories that caused Brian to name him, his heir. To appease his Spanish wife, Brian arranged a marriage between one of his daughters to Conn. Unfortunetly, Brian died before he could see the two be married.
The minute after he was crowned, Conn demanded an annulment, claiming he was coerced and the marriage was unconsummated. The annulment was granted and Conn would marry Catherine Howard, an English noblewoman who he had fallen in love with during the War of the First Coalition. Considering the new queen was not a princess, and English, this was seen as a huge slap in the face not only by Conn's jilted wife, Eileen, but also her siblings and several other important Irish families.
It wouldn't be long before there were riots and rebellions, forcing Conn and his bride to fled to England, begging for help in exchange for concessions which would anger his remaining allies.
The civil war that would break out would last 12 years with the main contenders being Eileen O’Rory, Conchobar O’Conor, and Hugh O’Rory.
[26] As the newly restored English King, had no desire to reignite foreign tensions, Conn II quickly fell to the side. Within months there were three alternative claimants, each with their own focus and support.
The first was the jilted princess Eileen O’Rory: the Europe Centric candidate. Well educated and articulate Eileen had numerous European connections through her mother and siblings and to strengthen these she would wed her very distant cousin Domnall O’Nial, Duke of Brittany. They would have two children by war’s end.
While Eileen was seen as the European candidate, she was not without support back home, many of the petty Irish kings had grown up with her in her father’s court.
The second was Conchobar O’Conor, a distant cousin of the original O’Conor family: the Ireland Centric Candidate. Conchobar was 54 at the start of the civil war, and was easily the most experienced of the candidates. He had served in many different court functions. Two of his sons, and a grandson were all approached as potential Kings, but each would put their weight behind Conchobar. From his own marriage to an Ulster princess, and his many children’s marriages, Conchobar had connections to most of the mover’s an shakers in Ireland.
Not that Conchobar was without foreign experience: he had served Ambassador to several different Dutch duchies.
The last was Hugh O’Rory, descended from Eamon’s eldest daughter and Brian O’Rory: the World Centric candidate. Hugh’s father had served as Governor of three different Irish colonies, giving Hugh a wealth of experience with Ireland‘s colonies and trading outposts. He also spoke many of the languages of Ireland’s trade allies. (I see Ireland as avoiding conquering or subjugating the natives they interact with. They do muscle some people out of choice territory, so they’re not angels)
Hugh would offer his hand in marriage to win support, and after some negotiation would wed Princess Mary of Scotland. Since Hugh was often at sea during the war, they would only have one child before the war’s end.
Something that many saw as a deterrent was that three of Hugh’s grandparents were children of foreign concubines, and he was decidedly not Irish in appearance. Hugh did have Irish support though mainly with those Irish lords with lands or appointments among the colonies and trade outposts.
The war was wide spread, as the many Irish colonies and trade outposts contributed resources and man power. And several key battles were fought over the colonies.
Hugh O'Rory would fall in battle in 1814, leaving Conchobar O’Conor and Eileen O’Rory to duke it out for 7 more years.
Eventually, Conchobar O’Conor would be captured by Eileen O’Rory and Eileen O’Rory would force Conchobar O’Conor to surrender. Though Eileen O’Rory would betrothe Conchobar's granddaughter, Roisin to her son, Donnel who she appointed as Prince of Tara.
So, in 1821 Eileen O’Rory would be crowned.
[27] Born in 1780, Eileen O'Rory was twenty-two when her husband annuled their marriage to marry his English sweetheart. This and the death of her two of her brothers in the English wars, caused Eileen to have a grudge agianst all things English. Upon becoming queen, she outright banned the mention of Conn or his children in her presence. When a English match was suggested for one of her nephews, she outright reused, saying she would rather die than allow the blood of the people who had spent centuries attacking Ireland into her family.
She did, however, make friends with Scotland and Wales, having the widow of Hugh O'Rory marry the King of Ulster and married one of her daughters marry the Prince of Wales.
Despite being her parents' youngest child, Eileen had a very good education and was well prephared to rule her country. A bitter woman who often let her temper get in the way of her good judgement, she at least knew how to be an effective leader. For more diplomatic matters, she left that in the hands of her husband and then when he passed away her son.
Eileen was a great supported of the intoventions, espically when it came to transportation. She absolutly adored trains, admiring the machinery and how fast it went. Her son once put it in a letter that one of few times he had seen his mother smile was when she rode the first train made in Ireland (later named the Elegent Eileen).
Prince Donnell died suddenly in 1839. Although his death was reported to be of a natural causes, smallpox in fact. Eileen was certian this was an English plot to put Conn II on the throne. She wipped up her subjects in a frensy before declaring war on England. This war is often called the war of Mother's Grief or less chairitibaly the war of a Woman Scorned. In the end, much bloodshed was spilled for nothing at all as the war ended in just three short years with Eileen's advisors strongarming her into signing a peace treaty.
Afterwards, Eileen fell into a deep depression that left her health falling fast. She named her nephew, Arthur, as the new Prince of Tara. She would die in 1855, bedridden and with only a priest beside her.
[28] Arthur was born in 1818 as a member of the Breton royal family and wasn't expected to be a ruler and was passed over as a candidate for the Breton throne when his uncle Domnall abdicated in 1821 (he did it as to avoid a personal union between Brittany and Ireland), so he was able to marry for love to Princess Juliana of Brabant in 1838, when the groom was twenty and the bride nineteen. The event is notable for being one of the last public appearences of Prince Domnall, whose death the following year sparked the War of Mother's Grief.
Arthur was made Prince of Tara in 1849 by his aunt Eileen after Donnel, his cousin, died from choking on a potato, and became High King in 1855. Arthur would change his to name to the Irish version (Artúr), and used the appellation of O'Niall, as he was a descendent of Duke Niall of Brittany. his reign was mostly peaceful and saw immigration of many Irishmen and women to the colonies, the United States of Vespuccia, or other places. In the later years of his reign, Artúr helped to establish the Pan-Celtic Trading Bloc between the countires of Ireland, Scotland, Wales, and Brittany.
Artúr died in 1897 at the age of 79, with his grandson, Lachlan succeeding him.
Photograph of Lachlan (circa 1893)
[29] As Artur's grandson, Lachlan succeed his grandfather at the tender age of 17 after his own father, Artur, Prince of Tara, died before he took the throne. Upon his accession, he was 6'1" (185 cm) and weight 180 lbs (81.6 kg), donned with smooth light brown hair along with clear brown eyes. His youthful appearance has High King of Ireland was remarked by the populace and by ambassadors of the Pan-Celtic Alliance dubbing him "the Youngling". During his reign, he earned a reputation of being a prolific poet with a flair heavy-handedness for romanticism. His poems deeply inspire awe and wonder for many in the Pan-Celtic Alliance.
However, by early Autumn of 1913, the world plunged into the Great War. As High King, he lead the Pan-Celtic alliance into the war. As the war dragged on into 1918, the Great Powers were barely holding on to their strength. By 1919, knowing that the war isn't going anywhere, Lachlan summoned an international conference of the warring parties and the Treaty of Dublin. The Treaty marked the beginning of the "Age of Apathy" and Lachlan lost all the love and respect to the Irish Public.
Fell into a state of contemplative melancholy, Lachlan nonchalantly committed suicide in 1921 with his pistol with a silencer in his bedroom.
As a very pious Irish Catholic, he wasn't too keen on marriage and thus died childless. Therefore he is succeed by his brother, Seamus.
[30] Seamus was a chrismatic young lad, who many held great hopes for. He proved to be a man of strong moral character. He wanted to heal the wounds left by the first great war and therefore he spearheaded a peace treatry which he hoped would end fighting between the great powers. Unfortunetly this did not go over well with many who feared that this made Ireland seem weak and would be used as pretext for other countries to browbeat them into handing over many concessions.
In 1936, Seamus would be killed by a car bomb, by an anarchist. This would directly lead into World War II which would last for seven years. Seamus would be succeeded by Pádraig II.
[31] A member of the prestigious O'Conor family, Pádraig was chosen as Prince of Tara by his predecessor Seamus I in 1922 for his strong leadership skills and granfatherly personality. After becoming High King following the assassination of Seamus and subsequent start of World War II in 1936, Pádraig made many public appearances around Ireland and deliver countless addresses over the radio, with these actions helping to improve the monarchy's reputation among the Irish people and end the "Age of Apathy".
The Pan-Celtic Alliance would be on the winning side of World War II when it ended in 1943, with it Pádraig was at the height of his popularity, the most the Irish monarchy had seen since before World War I. Sadly though Pádraig died the following year at the age of 73, with his passing being mourn all around the world. Although he was married and had children, Pádraig chose his distant cousin, Ruaidrí O'Hugh to be Prince of Tara in 1939, with Ruaidrí succeeding him upon his death.
Once Conchobar returned to Ireland, he found himself fighting for his place as his father's heir, avoiding an assassination attempt and fighting against his own own uncle. But in the end, he fought just as he did against the Normans, viciously and ruthlessly.
When his father died, he traveled to Rome, almost emptying his coffers in order to be crowned by the pope himself. While he was there, he met King Philip II of France who suggested they make an alliance against the English. Having a deep hatred for those who attempted to take his country, Conchobar agreed. The two men, despite coming from vastly different cultures, would become unlikely friends, visiting each other's country twice and exchanging many letters.
King John of England tried to reach out to him, in hopes he would support John's war against the English barons. Conchobar who had fought with John's father and then his brother Richard, laughed at him, telling him, the only way Ireland would get itself involved with the English, it would be to stop any invaders.
In his personal life, Conchobar was married to a woman named Áine, who he had seven sons with. There are a few records of his daughters, only a scant few mentions of two of his girls who were either his daughters or nieces who married two of his political rivals.
For a man who lived most of his adult life, fighting for one reason or another, he died peacefully in his bed at age seventy. After his death, his son, Ruaidrí would become the new High King of Ireland.
[2] Ruadrí II was the third son of King Conchobar I. Born in 1195, he was originally destined for the Church, but two events changed his fate. The first was the untimely death of his older brother, and then Tanaiste, Brian, in 1210. Brian died in a horse-riding accident, though many suspect he was murdered by his brother, Seamus. Seamus was beyond ambitious and was noted for his cruelty, which led to many contemporaries accusing him of murdering Brian. It didn't help Seamus that he was his Father's least favourite son. Thus, Conchobar, would see to it that in 1218, Ruaidrí was elected the Taniaste. Seamus was angered by this and led a short-lived result, which was defeated, and he was exiled to England. In 1221, Conchobar died and Ruaidrí ascended the throne as Ruaidrí II, and held a splendorous coronation in Dublin.
In 1222, Ruaidrí would negotiate his marriage to the King of Alba’s niece, Lady Isabella Stewart, in a bid to create an alliance against England. The marriage would be agreed to in 1223. Isabela would be given a warm welcoming in Ireland, with a ceremony being held in her honour in Dublin, one which was remarked for it's great pomp. Ruaidrí would also be quite devoted to his wife, with no sources even speculating that he had an extramarital affair. The two would share ten kids, though only a few survived.
In 1224, Ireland and Alba launched a joint campaign against the Kingdom of Norway. The two Kingdoms hoped to conquer multiple small islands held by Norway, such as the Isle of Mann. Ruaidrí would lead his armies in person, and was noted to be a capable commander. After 4 long and bloody years, the Irish and Scots emerged victorious, defeating Norway and dividing the spoils of war between them. Ireland would gain the Isle of Man and the Islands of Iona, Islay and Arran. Ruaidrí would quickly install his favourite, Eoin O'Súilleabháin as the new Archbishop of Iona in 1227.
In 1228, Ruadrí's exiled brother, Seamus returned from exile in England with a force of 3,000 men, comprised mostly of mercenaries. The group would lay siege to Waterford that same year. Ruadrí rallied veterans from his recent war with Norway and march south to defeat his enemies. Annoyingly, they would scatter across the south, and utilises Guerrilla warfare tactics against him for the next year. After months of trial and error, Ruaidrí successfully lured Seamus's force into battle, at the Skirmish of Skibbereen, where Ruaidrí would emerge victorious, massacring the enemy force and capturing the enemy force. Ruaidrí would return to Dublin with his brother and had him kept under tight watch in his Castle.
In the final months of his life, Ruaidrí passed the Hereditary Act, which decreed that the King was to choose his successor before his death, and should he die prior to naming an heir, the crown would go to the nearest blood relative. Only a few weeks after this act passed, Ruaidrí fell ill with tuberculosis and died. He would be succeeded by his eldest surviving son, Turlough.
[3] Born in 1227, Turlough was the first child of Ruadr and Isabella to live past his first birthday. (Turlough’s seven older siblings, including a set of twins, each died young from a range of childhood illnesses. Before Turlough’s birth, Isabella wrote home saying “All he (Rory) has every given me is dead children”). Though only three years old at his father’s death, Turlough was legally his father’s heir due to Hereditary Act. This was challenged by several different claimants, all of which found Isabella an able opponent. She was able to secure her son a throne while being pregnant with her husband’s posthumous children. (She would give birth to twins some 5 months after the death of Rory)
Turlough would be forced to grow up fast. His early kingship shaped Turlough: Ireland was always his first priority and he would bring an intensity to ruling that impressed and intimidated his subjects.
He would marry a succession of Irish princesses: Muadhnait Ní Dhomhnaill (Maud O’Donnell) Princess of Tyrconnell, Labhaoise Nic Cárthaigh (Louise MacCarthy) Princess of Desmond, Eibhilín Ní Brian (Eileen O’Brian) Princess of Thomond, Ornóra Ní Néill (Honour O’Niell) Princess of Tyrone. And had an untold number of children. Turlough would use these marriages to bind the various lesser kingdoms closer to him and his dynasty.
Turlough brought that same single minded focus to choosing a successor that he brought to ruling. Several different sons and grandsons were examined and discarded before settling on Cormac late in the 1270s.
Turlough would pass away at age 62 from a winter chill. He was succeeded by his son, Hugh.
[4] Hugh was his father's seventh son by his third wife Eileen. He was born in 1260. His half-brother, Ruaidrí, had been his father's favorite but when he died supporting Prince Llywelyn of Wales against the English, leaving behind an infant son and an uncertain succession. Turlough deliberated over which of his sons should inherit. Eventually, he picked twelve-year-old Hugh. Historians suspect that Turlough wanted an heir young enough for him to groom, but not so young that if Turlough died, his son would be a child ruler, vulnerable to usurpation and used as a puppet.
Hugh married Gwladys ferch Dafydd, the niece of Prince Llywelyn of Wales when he was seventeen. He also took a leaf out of his father's book had took two concubines from the houses of other kingdoms. Wanting a closer relationship with the French, Hugh would start negotiating a marriage between his oldest son and the princess of France.
Unfortunately, King Philip III had two problems with the match. One, Hugh's son being the oldest did not mean he would actually succeed or that his children would. And two, the tradition of having concubines was far too close to bigamy for his comfort.
Hugh was ambitious and wanted his country's prestige to continue to grow, not to mention he felt that France would be a useful ally against the English invaders. Therefore three years after his father died and Hugh became king, he tried to outlaw having concubines, citing it was against secular law and that the oldest son would inherit everything.
This did not go over well with the traditional Irishmen and soon Hugh had a civil war on his hands. In 1302, he fell in battle, leaving his kingdom in the hands of his nephew, Caoimhghin
[5] Caoimhghín (modern day Kevin) was born in 1273 to Conchobar (the third son of Turlough by his second wife, Louise) and Alice (a daughter of an English Marcher lord). Alice had been captured during the Welsh/English War, and after the death of her father, her cousin was uninterested in ransoming her. She became Conchobar’s concubine and the mother of his only son.
Caoimhghín was Alice’s only child and the sole focus of her attention. She ensured he received an education worthy of the grandson of a King and pushed his interests in court winning him lands of his own. This left Caoimhghín with the impression that the world revolved around him and that he was capable of anything. Unfortunately for several people, he was capable of a lot.
Alice had a complicated relationship with her homeland that had raised and abandoned her. But her familiarity with the Welsh Marches that she passed onto her son would serve him well later in life.
Caoimhghín grew to adulthood during his uncle’s reign, and agreed with him that it was time for Ireland to be heard on a larger scale. But Caoimhghín disagreed with the alliance with France, thinking that Ireland shouldn’t be beholden to anybody to gain influence.
As such, Caoimhghín was an obvious focal point when the civil war started. Hugh, and later his eldest son, Lorcan, were backed by Wales, and it was here that Caoimhghín’s familiarity with the Marcher Lord’s mattered. Caoimhghín reached out to several Marcher Lords alerting them of various moments of the Welsh army. And caught between the Irish and the English, Prince Llywelyn found himself unable to support Lorcan. Without Welsh support, Lorcan was unable to continue his fight for the throne and surrendered. He would spend the rest of his life under house arrest and died from a winter chill some years later.
Caoimhghín was already married to a woman named Eithne, and two children by her. But for reasons unknown he considered her unsuitable as Queen and shortly after Caoimhghín was crowned Eithne would retire to a nunnery, and Caoimhghín went searching for a Queen. He found Margaret Eriksdatter, illegitimate daughter of the Norwegian King. They wed in 1307. (He had been offered Agnes Eriksdatter, the legitimate daughter of King Erik, but that marriage alliance required a guarantee that her son would be heir, a guarantee Caoimhghín wasn’t willing to give)
Caoimhghín would also take three concubines fairly early in his reign: Bronagh or Bronwen, his cousin and the daughter of Hugh and Gwladys ferch Dafydd; Sorcha Ní Dhomhnaill (Sarah O’Donnell) niece of the King of Tyrconnell; and a Lady known as Constance who appears to have been from Brittany or Normandy.
After securing his throne and arranging his marriage, Caoimhghín turned his attention to Wales and the mess he had left there. The Second Welsh/English War had slowed to a slog as the same few castles were won and lost over and over again. Additionally Prince Llywelyn of Wales would fall in battle in 1309, and his son Owain was ill-prepared.
Caoimhghín reached out to Owain offering to help…. with a price. Wales would join the list of Kingdoms that Caoimhghín as High King ruled over and in return, Caoimhghín would drive the English away. Owain would accept, and Caoimhghín was as good as his word; the English would be driven out of Wales.
While Wales was the first instance of Caoimhghín’s pattern of causing problems and then showing up to solve those same problems, it was not the last. Next, He used the Irish navy to harass trade ships from the Lowlands, and then offered his assistance protecting those same ships. And he got away with it, causing Ireland to gain quite a bit of wealth and influence.
He would take two more concubines later in his reign: Ceridwen ferch Gruffudd, a minor Welsh noblewoman of renowned beauty in 1317 and another cousin (though the exact relation is unknown) Fineamhain Ní Conchobair (Feenawn O’Conor) in 1324. And in 1322, Queen Margaret died giving birth to her fourth child. Caoimhghín would remarry to Joan of Flanders, daughter of the Count of Flanders. Between his three wives and five concubines, Caoimhghín had over thirty children.
Caoimhghín chose several heirs throughout his reign before being succeeded by son, Eochaid when Caoimhghín died from a hunting accident in 1328.
[6] Eochaid was born to Caoimhghín and Margart Erikdatter in 1310. He was twelve when his mother died and eighteen when his father died. He married Joan of Savoy when they were both eighteen. He would have two concubines, Eileen of Ormond and Margaret of Stirling, both daughters of noblemen.
A fierce traditionalist, he wrote an essay in defense on concubines and choosing one heir, pointing to the succession crises that plagued the countries of Europe and of all the weak and ineffectual rulers that could have been passed over had the Irish Tanist laws been applied. It was a controversial piece and was completely banned in England who did not appreciate the attacks on their previous rulers that is until Queen Philippa thought to use it in support of her husband's claim to France then it was quickly turned into a propaganda piece much to Eochaid's horror and fury.
When war broke out in 1337 between England and France, King Philip VI was eager to renew the alliance between Ireland and France, offering a marriage between the year-old Philip, Duke of Orléans and one of King Eochaid's daughters. Eager to have the French match, his ancestors pushed for, Eochaid only agreed if his chosen heir would marry a future French Princess. As he had no daughters yet, Philip agreed.
With Scotland, Ireland and Wales standing behind France, many suspected the war would not last long. Unfortunately King David of Scots being captured in 1346 and a year later, King Eochaid died of the black plague as would several of his children, leaving his underaged son Eoin as his heir. Historians would note the irony of a man who had written about how the Irish succession laws protected the realm from succession crisis when it was his death that caused one to happen.
[7] Succession Crisis
1347 saw the death of King Eochaid and his two eldest sons by Joan of Savoy. This left his legal heir as his last son by Joan, Eoin* (the Hereditary Act being amended to give precedence to the children of wives over concubines. This was a condition of Eochaid’s marriage to Joan of Savoy). But, Eoin was barely 12, with many elder half-brothers and a plethora of uncles (not to mention even more distant relatives) ready and willing to step up to the plate.
(*Apparently this was the original form of John in Ireland, Sean was introduced by the Normans.)
The initial claimants and their relationship to the deceased King:
- (son) Crimthann Ua Conchobair, son of Caoimhghín and Eileen of Ormond, age 17. Married to a Princess of Tyrconnell. He can count on his in-laws backing him and he’s and all around decent fellow, but not anything spectacular.
- (son) Fianamail Ua Conchobair, younger full-brother of Crimthann, age 14. Currently being used as a figure head by the lord who’d been awarded his wardship, it’s believed he’d prefer to back his older full-brother.
- (son-in-law) Rechtabra Ua Brian, married to Margart Ni Conchobair, age 34. An eloquent and rather rich landholder, has a decent following.
- (half-brother) Cathal Ua Conchobair, son of Caoimhghín and Fineamhain Ní Conchobair, age 24. Cathal has the benefit of the backing of a good fraction of the O’Conor family.
- (brother) David Ua Conchobair, son of Caoimhghín and Margaret, age 30. David argues that he’s the legal heir since he’s the closest adult relation of Eochaid.
- (half-brother) Domnall Ua Conchobair, son of Caoimhghín and Sorcha Ní Dhomhnaill, age 33
- (half-brother) Congalach Ua Conchobair, son of Caoimhghín and Ceridwen ferch Gruffudd, age 28
- (cousin) Dubthach Ua Conchobair, descended from Toirdhealbhach and Ornóra Ní Néill
- (cousin) Fedelmid Ua Conchobair, son of Hugh and one of his concubines, age 66. Has a stellar military reputation. But not much backing.
- (cousin) Ruaidri Ua Conchobair, son of Caoimhghín and his first wife Eithne, 54. Above average military commander and has a decent amount of backing. But he has a bit of a chip on his shoulder over his mother’s “banishment” (perhaps rightly so) and it annoys his followers.
Internationally: Ireland pretty much ignored the rest of the world. Wales would take this opportunity to revolt, crowning a relatively unknown minor Welsh lord, Madok ap Mabilia, as Prince of Wales. (Since Prince Madok choose to use his mother’s name instead of his father’s, some historians believe he may have been a bastard. The more common theory is Madok’s father was an English Marcher lord: Willam de Braose, 2nd Baron Braose who is recorded as married to a Mabel, the English form of Mabilia). The Anglo-French war ended up being actually just the English and the French as Scotland took a peace deal as part of the ransom of King David and Ireland was out. King Philip VI would hold a grudge over this.
Internally: As various armies fought for the throne, Ireland suffered first from black plague, the from famine as many farms went un-attended.
After three years many of the claimants were not longer on the field:
- Fianamail had been rescued by his brother and loudly withdrawn his own claim.
- Rechtabra has been dumped by Margaret. (Margaret is now a pirate and living her best life)
- Cathal, Domnall, Congalach, and Dubthach fell in battle and none of their sons were old enough to push their claims.
- Fedelmid passed away from old age and none of his sons were impactful enough to pick up his claim.
- Ruaidri was dumped by his backers for being too annoying.
Crimthann Ua Conchobair: He could be the easy choice. He’s the eldest surviving son of Eochaid, he has a strong internal marriage, and he’s a decently competent guy. He's won quite a few battle during the war. Not stellar, but nothing to worry about. There are concerns in that he and his wife have no children. Compounding that he hasn’t taken any concubines, but he is pretty dependent on his in-laws and many think he'd accept their sister/nieces/daughters as concubines as soon as he's king. But, many Irish still strongly defend their tanistry succession, and the precedent of choosing the eldest son worries them.
David Ua Conchobair: He’s a nice fit since he can back his claim with some interpretation of the Hereditary Act. If only adult relatives are considered, David is the closet relative to Eochaid. He has several sons, so no worries on that front. Also, he's just an all around great guy. People love him, even his enemies say he's a stand up guy. He's married to a Scottish lady, so that's something on the international front.
And the dark horse: Eoin Ua Conchobair: While 3 years ago, Eoin was a scrawny 12 year old, now he’s 15 and a strapping young man, easily around 6’4” tall. Two years into the war, Eoin married his half-aunt, Aideen daughter of Caoimhghín and Joan of Flanders. (This was arranged by the two Queen Dowagers: Joan of Savoy and Joan of Flanders.) Eoin has won decent renown as a commander, is more charismatic than his elder half-brother, and has the best international connections. (Due to his mother and mother-in-law). And with England, Wales, and France are all ticked with Ireland, that's pretty important.
But the three have pretty even footing and they know Ireland can’t sustain more war. So some deals were made and Eoin was crowned.
[8] Upon becoming the High King of Ireland, Eoin's wife Aideen gave birth to their first child, a daughter named Síne. This event, along with the end of the Irish Civil War, marked an period of celebration across Ireland, and Eoin's reign would be considered the start of the Irish Golden Age as he not only helped Ireland to recover quicker from the Black Plauge than other countries, but also grew it's economy with him promoting farming and fishing.
The Tanist succession laws spread out from Ireland during this time as Prince Madok of Wales adopted them for how the Welsh line of succession will work, and King David of Scotland tweaked the Scottish laws of succession so that if the first born son of the King died then he chose from any male member of the Scottish royal family to become the new heir.
Eoin, along with his wife Aideen, had taken three concubines, Margaret, a noblewoman from Norway, Margart Ua Brain, his niece and daughter of Rechtabra and Margart Ni Conchobair, and Eithne, a Irish noblewomen. His wife and concubines would give Eoin over twenty children.
Eoin died in 1403 at the age of 68, and his heir, Ruaidri succeeded to the throne.
[9] Ruaidrí III (later know as "The Wise"), was the 18th child of Eoin I and his concubine Margart Ni Conchobair and was born in 1379. Ruaidrí was originally planned for the Church but would evade such a fate when an outbreak of the plague in 1387 left him as the third surviving son of Eoin I. This meant Ruaidrí would be given an education befitting that of a medieval prince, learning how to govern, fight, command armies, dance, sing, etc. Ruaidrí would excel at diplomacy in particular and from the tender age of 17 would serve as a diplomat to several countries. By 1398, Ruaidrí was the de-factor Irish Ambassador to England, and regularly attended the court of Richard II. It was at about this time that he met his future wife, Joan of Beaufort, who had been widowed for the second time the previous year. The two fell in love and spent much of their time with each other. In February of 1399 the two would ask Richard II for permission to marry. Richard who was on relatively good terms with the couple agreed and would be married the next month. However, the marriage occurred without Eoin I's knowledge, who was outraged at the marriage.
Eoin had hoped to marry Ruaidrí to the Bourbon Princess Suzanne, so Ruaidrí's marriage to Joan came as an insult to him. It didn't help that in Eoin's eyes Joan was a bastard, despite the fact she had been legitimised in 1396. This led to Eoin refusing to allow Ruaidrí to return to Ireland for several months. Fortunately Eoin would allow the couple to return to Ireland after he learnt that his eldest surviving son, Turlough had planned on assassinating him so that he could ascend the throne (as at this time Eoin had yet to name an heir), unfortunately for Turlough the plot failed and he would spend the rest of his life in prison. Ruaidrí and Joan would race back to Ireland and arrived in August of 1399. There, Ruaidrí would be named the heir and bestowed the title Prince of Tara, which would become the Irish equivalent of the Prince of Cumberland. Ruaidrí would also write to his brother-in-law Henry Bolingbroke following his usurpation of the throne in 1399, recognising him as King and discussing the possibility of an alliance between Ireland and England.
Some years passed and in 1403, Ruaidrí ascended the throne. He quickly had his traitorous brother Turlough executed for high treason and allowed his other brother, Concobhar to become a Priest (he had wanted to do so since childhood, but following the 1387 plague outbreak, his Father had refused to let him enter the church). In the New Year of 1404, Ruaidrí would officially recognized Henry IV as the King of England, and signed a mutual pact of friendship between England and Ireland the same year. The two Kings both held dreams of being remembered as great conquerors and so privately discussed launching a joint campaign against Wales, as both Kings wanted to increase the popularity for the English were beginning to view Henry as a usurper who failed to deliver on his promises, while the Irish were questioning Ruaidrí's foreign policy which was remarkably Pro-English. The next year would see planning occurring between the two and by 1405 their armies were ready. The Irish claimed that they were the rightful overlords of most of Wales, while the English claimed that they were entitled to much of Northern Wales. It also helped that at the time, Wales was experiencing a civil war between Madok of Wales's chosen heir, his nephew Owain and eldest son Rhys.
Ruaidrí would lead 7,000 men into Southern Wales and began besieging much of it's southern forts and castles, while Henry IV attacked Northern Wales. Initially the campaign went quite smoothly and by 1406 it seemed as though Wales was on the verge of collapse. Wales would survive however thanks to Scottish and French support, who didn't want the English to become too powerful. From 1407-1409, the Welsh retook much of it's norther territories, and halted the Irish advance in the south. Then in 1410 two crucial events occurred. Firstly; a revolt in England broke out and Henry IV had to withdraw much of his men from Wales. Secondly; Ruaidrí suffered a severe wound at the Battle of Carmarthen, where he was hit in the leg by a mace. The hit was so severe that Ruaidrí would never again be able to walk. Unable to lead the campaign Ruaidrí would depart back home to Dublin, leaving his most loyal vassal and distant cousin, Artúr Mac Suibhne in charge of the Welsh campaign. This was perhaps Ruaidrí's greatest failure, as the war dragged on another 10 years and drained Irish finances and resulted in thousands of deaths. In many ways it was Ireland's Vietnam.
Back home at Dublin, Ruiadrí took a keen interest in the running of his court. He invited the finest artists, scholars and architects from across Europe to his court and employed their talents to make his court one of the most cultured in Europe. In many ways it was like a mini-renaissance. Frescoes and marble statues were produced and displayed, Romanesque baths were introduced across Dublin and Latin surged in popularity. Ruaidrí also had plays and books written, some of which include "The History of the Reign of Brian Bóru", "The Triumph of Ruaidrí The Great" and "The Saga of the House of O'Connor". Most of the works still survive and are considered some of the best ever produced. Ruaidrí's wife Joan also played a key role in running the court and introduced several English customs and phrases to the Irish.
From 1412, Ruaidrí's health deteriorated and he entrusted his wife as Regent. The two had been beyond close, and unlike his predecessors Ruaidrí took no concubines, which meant he had a small family of 6 children, at least he did in comparison to his Father and ancestors. Finally, in 1415, Ruaidrí passed away and would be succeeded by his son, Brian.
[10] Brian was twelve years old when his father died and he was thrust into kingship. Being the oldest son and underage made the Irish nobles grumble with some worrying that this would be the start of the Irish conforming to English laws and traditions. The fact that the very English Joan Beoufort was regent for her young son did not help matters. Knowing she needed allies, Joan married her second oldest daughter, Margaret, to Richard, the 3rd Duke of York and arranged a betrothal between Joan of Valois and King Brian, hoping to counter any English ambitions, her oldest daughter was married to the King of Tyrone.
Brian was perhaps the very reason why the Tanist succession laws were so important. As his parents' oldest son, he spoiled and coddled. He barely had any interest in ruling preferring to play instead, a trait he would continue to have in adulthood, enjoying spending his time, drinking, dancing and hunting while his mother ran the kingdom.
He married Joan in 1424. Many nobles found themselves unable to attend, citing illness and roads being unsuited for traveling. It was clear that most of Ireland was unhappy of their new king, The Scottish ambassador even noted that the tensions in England and France were not so heated. The couple were noted to be quite happy together, for all of Brian's faults, he was a loving husband and took no concubines or mistresses. Sadly their marriage would be childless for unknown reasons.
Surprisingly, peace would last for almost another eight years. Until one day at a private meal, the king and queen would suddenly get ill from drinking wine. Later historians would suspect it was typhoid fever. However, it was long suspected that King Brian and Queen Joan were poisoned. Leaving Eochaid to become the next ruler of Ireland.
[11] Eochaid was fifteen when his cousin Brian made him the Prince of Tara. Eochaid was the grandson of Eoin, by one of his children with his wife Aileen.
Eochaid was the third heir that Brian had appointed. The first, Fianamail Ua Conchobair, was the only son of Crimthann Ua Conchobair. Fianamail was older than Brian and passed away early in Brian’s reign. The second, Manuel Maria Ua Margaret, was the grandson of Margaret by her second husband Fernando das Barcelos the bastard son of a Portuguese King. Manuel Maria, or Manchán as he was called in Ireland, was viewed as too foreign. In 1427, Manuel Maria died jousting. A year later in 1428, Eochaid was the heir to Ireland.
Four years later, age nineteen, Eochaid was King of Ireland. Since Eochaid was a traditional Tanist heir, many viewed his rule as a return to “true Irish values.” What this meant varied depending on who you talked to.
Eochaid would nominally investigate the death of his predecessor, and quickly ruled that “bad food” was the cause.
Eochaid was unmarried when he became king, and quickly married Philippa of Guelders, the Netherlands having been allies with the Irish for almost a hundred years, Philippa was viewed as an acceptable foreign bride. Eochaid continued his pattern of “acceptably foreign” and used concubines to renew many connections with “acceptable” foreign allies: in 1436, Eochaid took Angharat ferch Tegwared, a minor Welsh lady, as concubine; then in 1439, Eochaid took Isabel of Ross, the bastard niece of the Scottish King, as concubine; and Eochaid’s final foreign concubine was Ingeborg, the sister-in-law of the Norwegian King. To counteract the foreign concubines, Eochaid would take three different Irish ladies as concubines. Eochaid doesn’t appear to have been the most virile, as only Philippa, Isabel, and Áine (one of the Irish concubines) would bear children, and even then only one child each.
Eochaid’s reign would continue what his marriage and concubines had started: strengthening the more popular foreign ties, and avoiding the more hot-button counties of England and France. He would also expand the Irish fleet, continuing to protect allied trade ships and expanding into transporting goods and people too and from the New World.
He committed to Tanistry succession and appointed his nephew Ruaidrí in 1445. So, when Eochaid died in 1465, Ruaidrí succeeded him.
[12] Ruaidrí was the son of Eochaid's younger brother. Born in 1430. As his uncle's fertility problems were well known, it was all but guaranteed he would succeed him. He was also of age by the time his uncle died while his oldest male cousin was only twelve-years-old.
In hopes of a better relationship with the church, Ruaidrí spent some time in Italy as his uncle's envoy. This is were he met Bianca de' Medici. Much to the shock and fury of her family, the couple would elope. Bianca's father, Piero would demand the marriage be annulled insisting that Ruaidri had absconded with his daughter, forcing her into this marriage, ignoring his daughter's very loud statements to the country.
Luckily for Ruaidrí despite the numerous bribe attempts, his witnesses, friends from his time in the Sapienza University of Rome, remained adamant that there had been no wrong doing on the groom's part. Eventually Pope Pious II decreed that the marriage was valid. However, because it was done without permission from the bride's father, the groom would receive no dowry.
In 1465, Ruaidrí and Bianca would receive word that King Eochaid had passed away and they would return to Ireland. Bianca and Ruaidrí would use their Italian contacts to to get involved in trade, as well as sponsoring great artists----one of the first Irish playwrights was noted to have been discovered by her. Bianca would embrace the Irish culture fully with the only exception being her husband getting a concubine, something she refused to let him even consider.
She did however accept that it might not be her children (seven in total, three of them sons) who inherited the throne. She helped Ruaidrí vet the candidates before he choose the next Prince of Tara. Bianca and Ruaidrí would continue to be in love for their long years of marriage.
In 1490, King Edward of England would decide to try what his ancestors had failed to do and conquer Ireland, being a descendant of Richard, the 3rd Duke of York and his wife Margaret, daughter of King Ruaidrí the Wise. Despite pushing sixty, Ruaidrí would lead his men against the invading English.
Alas, he would not see the end of the war, for three short years later, he would die in a hectic battlefield, managing a mutual kill with King Edward, leaving Eochaid to pick up his crown.
[13] Eochaid was born in 1432 as the cousin of Ruaidrí IV and was chosen as his successor due to his strong leadership skills. By the time he ascended the Irish throne, he had six children through his wife Princess Astrid of Norway, whom he married in 1459, and didn't took any concubines as he was faithful to his wife. Eochaid's main issue to deal with was the destruction left in the wake of the failed English invasion, which would be cleaned up during most of his reign.
Tanist succession by this point had made to the continent, first with Brittany, then the Scandinavian countries, and finally the Netherlands, with the former using the original version while the latter two the Scottish version. The continuing spread of Tanist succession also saw it's rivalry with traditional succession deepen as in 1497, the French King made a speech about wanting to wage a crusade against the Tanist succession following countries for their "barbaric practices".
Eochaid died in 1502 at seventy years old, and his distant cousin, Eoin, whom he appointed in 1498, succeeded him.
[14] Since pretty much everyone liked Eoin, no one was surprised when Eochaid III made Eoin Prince of Tara in 1498. At the time, he was in his late forties (since Eochaid was from a more minor branch of the O’Conor family we don’t have concrete birth records for him) and had spent most of his life traveling with the Irish fleet. He had found in several sea battles, been to all the known continents, and spoke several languages. Besides his less than stellar bloodline, he was perfect.
Since there was some pushback due to his status as a distant cousin (his line of the family hadn’t hadn't had real influence at court or a significant marriage to either foreigners or powerful Irish lords in generations) Eoin sometimes would use the appellation Ua Ruaidrí, or O’Rory, since his last monarchial ancestor was Ruaidrí II, as a reminder of his relation to the first three Irish High Kings of the O’Conor family.
Eoin never had time to get married, and once he became king that didn’t change. Anytime anyone suggested he married, Eoin pointed out that he’d already appointed his nephew, Pádraig as Prince of Tara and had plenty of brothers, nephews, and cousins to continue on the family name.
After only five years of rule, during which the Irish fleet was expanded again making it one of, if not the, great power(s) of the Ocean, Eoin would pass away from a winter chill, leaving Pádraig as heir.
[15] Named for Ireland's patron saint, Pádraig O'Rory was twenty years old when he became King of Ireland. He married the daughter of the King of Sweden, Ursula in 1505 after being chosen as his uncle's heir. They had nine children.
He was a devoted Catholic, and viewed concubinage close to bigamy. However, knowing how much his people stubbornly held onto to their traditions, he did not outlaw the practice, instead sending priests to preach against it, hoping it would fall out of fashion eventually.
Pádraig was staunchly against Lutheranism, writing a pamphlet defending the Pope against Luther. He would make an alliance with the Holy Roman Emperor to defend their lands against the so-called Reformation.
In 1542, the King of England started calling himself the King of Ireland. Pádraig disagreed quite vehemently, declaring that no English monarch would ever have claim over the Irish. Weeks later, Pádraig would die of a bad belly.
[16a] Conchobar was the eldest son of Padraig and Ursula and he wasn’t supposed to be King. He was disinclined to the martial arts, and rather quiet, so Padraig appointed his brother (Padraig’s brother not Conchobar’s) Brian O’Rory as Prince of Tara. But Brian O’Rory would die shortly before his brother Padraig in an early skirmish between the English and the Irish. Padraig wouldn’t have time to appoint a new heir before his death. Thanks to the Hereditary Act this left Conchobar as the heir.
There were some significant murmurings over the idea of Conchobar as king and the fact that Conchobar didn’t really want the job either made it seem that civil war was inevitable. Enter Ornóra stage left.
[16b] If Ornóra had been born a boy, she would have been Prince of Tara: she was descended from Ruaidri IV and his wife Bianca de Medici; she had spent many years at sea and was an excellent ship’s captain, through her sisters she had marital ties to many of Ireland’s petty kings as well as Wales, Flanders, and Hainaut; and she was well spoken, charismatic, and people just liked her.
Not only could Ornóra fulfill the role of King, she wanted it. Shortly after Padraig’s death, Ornóra approached Conchobar and proposed marriage. (The two really should both already be married, but both had refused several proposals choosing instead to keep company with a “dear companion”) She would rule and he would keep the men who thought they could do a better job off her back. Conchobar accepted.
Seeing Ornóra step up to Conchobar’s side settled many of the murmurings and Conchobar and Ornóra were crowned without issue. Ornóra would also be addressed as O’Rory as she was also descended from one of the Irish kings name Ruaidri. Ornóra would lead several campaigns against the English (though she wouldn’t fight in the actual battles) until the King of England gave up on his claim to Ireland.
The two would have a smooth reign, Ornóra managed much of the traditional monarchial roles and Conchobar found he enjoyed handling the realm’s finances. Due to his attention, Ireland would gain much wealth. They would only have two children as neither Ornóra or Conchobar appeared to enjoy the marriage bed.
Conveniently they would pass away within days of each other when the sweating sickness broke out in 1577. They were succeeded by their daughter, Grace.
[17] Gráinne or Grace was a spirited girl. As her parents only had her and her sister, her father took the unusal step of declaring her his heir, reminding everyone it was his right to choose. Grace was married to the King of Ulster when she was eighteen. Her husband, Hugh, was a tritiditonal man and often fought with his wife who refused to sumbit to his will.
Despite her rather independent spirit, Grace tempered it with her natural charisma and charm, able to wrap many people around her fingers. She was twenty-seven when her parents died. By then, she had managed to sway many of the lesser kings and the rich landowners to her side, convincing them to accept them as their queen, quoting her father and adding that the whole Tanist system was to put the best heir. And since she had been groomed from partically birth, she was the best fit.
Men like her husband disagreed and soon after her coronation, Grace had a rebellion on her hands with Hugh leading the rebels against his stubborn and opinonated wife. Grace dressed in armor and lead the army herself, leading some to call her Queen Maeve after a historical warrior queen. Another nickname for Grace was Gráinne Mhao (Grainne the Bald) after she shaved her head to keep her long hair from being a problem in the battle.
Although popular folktale would have Grace slaying her deceitful husband in one and one combat, it is actually unknown how Hugh died. What is known is Grace gave her husband a respectful burial, saying as much as she hated him, her was the father of her two children.
A year later, she would remarry the King of Tyrone and have six children with him.
In 1600, Grace would meet up with the Prince of Wales, the Queen of Scotland and the Queen of England to sign a treatry, often called the Women's Peace (despite the inclusion of the Prince of Wales), which was made to end all tensions between the four rulers, ending the constant territory wars. They also promised to come to aid whenever one country was under attack.
Grace would die in 1618, at seventy-one, having nominated Domnall as her sucessor.
[18] Domnall or Donald was born in 1541 to Prince Eoin and Princess Mary of Scotland and was the nephew of High Queen Gráinne through his father, who was a grandson of Pádraig through his son Ruaidrí, the younger brother of Conchobar II. Domnall had a rough childhood as his father was infamous for his short temper and so stayed in the company of his greatuncle and aunt, and became Prince of Tara in 1598 for his help in the Ulster Rebellion. By the time he became High King he had married Princess Anne of Brittany, whom he had six children with.
In 1620, the War of the Breton Succession started following the death of Duke Conan VIII without a clear heir. Domnall would declare his claim to Brittany though his wife (who was the aunt of Conan) and sent a invasion there, with himself leading it. This would his downfall as in 1624 the eighty-three year old King died in battle to forces that were loyal to Prince Arthur of Brittany, who was Conan's cousin.
Domnall was sent back to Ireland and burried next to his wife who died seventeen years before him. His successor, his grandson, Eamon would deal with the end of the War of the Breton Succession.
[19] Eamon was the eldest son of Eoin O’Rory (third son of Domnall I) and Mary of Flanders. He was a controversial choice as Prince of Tara as he was wed to Queen Janet of Scotland. But upon his appointment in 1620, Eamon swore that his heir would not be the heir of Scotland. And, once Eamon was King of Ireland, Queen Janet joined the Breton Succession War to reinforce her husband, sending Scottish forces. This did much to endear her to the Irish people.
Eamon declared that since the previous Duke hadn’t declared his heir, the closest relative should inherit and so he was fighting on behalf of his uncle, Prince Niall
(eldest son of Domnall I and Anne of Brittany). (That Eamon was Niall’s heir, as neither Niall nor Turlough (second son of Domnall) had sons, was left unmentioned). This combined with the additional forces from Scotland, saw Eamon win the Breton Succession War. Prince Niall was crowned and the dethroned Arthur of Brittany would be brought back to Ireland where he lived the rest of his days in an isolated abby.
Following the end of the war, Eamon followed through with his promise regarding Irish inheritance, and appointed his nephew Ruaidrí as Prince of Tara.
Eamon spent the rest of his reign curating the bonds between Ireland, Scotland, England, and Wales building on the efforts of Gráinne I. He arranged many marriages: his eldest daughter wed the English heir, his third daughter wed the grandson and probable heir of the Prince of Wales, his eldest son (the Scottish heir) wed an Welsh princess.
Neither did Eamon forget Ireland’s oldest ally, the Netherlands. He arranged the marriage of Ruaidrí to Eamon’s mother’s niece Joan of Flanders.
In 1644 while hunting, Eamon would misjudge a jump and his horse stumbled while landing. He would tumble from his horse and hit his head. He spent the next several hours delirious and passed away the next day, leaving his nephew, Ruaidrí as King of Ireland.
[20] Ruaidrí was the son of Eamon's younger brother. His father had died in the Breton Succession war when he was nine years old. He was fostered with the King of Leinster. This would begin a tradition where the Prince of Tara, if underaged, would be fostered in one of the petty king's courts so they could learn how to rule and befriend their vessels.
When he turned eighteen, he would travel to Connacht where he acted as his uncle's regent. At twenty-one, he married Joan of Flanders. Although Ruaidrí was an intelligent and shrewd leader, he had a fierce temper and a mean streak a mile wide. He also had very little interest in his wife, only bedding her once a month. He did mange to sire four children, who he promptly ignored, beliving that niether of them were truly worthy of succeeding him.
He only respected two people, the King of Connacht, who he viewed as a second father and his uncle Eamon. In 1644, when his uncle died, Ruaidrí was apologetic with rage, ordering Eamon's Master of Horses executed for failing to train the horse properly. This would be the start of his harsh punishments.
As soon as he was crowned, King Ruaidrí decided he was surrounded by "heretics and weaklings", and he would have to root the corruption out with fire and sword. Anyone who wasn't Catholic needed to die least they contaminated good Irishmen with their blasphemy. No one was sure where Ruaidrí' religious fanaticism came from with some historians suspecting this might have been Ruaidrí's way of indulging his sadistic side in a way seen somewhat socially acceptable. Others reject this theory as there were no reports of Ruaidrí showing violent tendencies in his early years barring the disproportionate execution of his uncle's horse master.
Another theory is Ruaidrí had a mental breakdown following his uncle's death or suffered a blow to the head. Either way, as the years went by, he slowly became worse, growing more paranoid and violent. The breaking point came in 1666 when he viciously attacked his wife, accusing her of cheating on him.
His eldest son decided enough was enough and staged a coup, imprisioning Ruaidrí and forcing him to abdicate, allowing Eamon II to take the throne.
[21] Eamon was the eldest son of Ruaidrí and Joan of Flanders. He was named for his father’s beloved Uncle. That was the most attention he ever got from his father. We have few records of his early years as for the first two decades of life he was almost a nonentity at court; his father didn’t want him there.
Based on his later life we know he was a bookish man, and many believe Eamon spent his late teens and early twenties drifting between the courts of the different Irish petty kings, though really only interacting with their library. We do know he visited his cousin, second son of Eamon I and now Duke of Brittany, as the two became good friends and referenced their initial meeting in later letters.
Starting in 1661, Eamon pops up at his father’s court, though he doesn’t make many waves at first. Slowly Eamon would begin to gather allies, often by acting to shield them from his father’s temper. Then in 1666, Ruaidrí’s heir, the Prince of Tara and distant cousin, died from the fever. Now, by the Hereditary Act, Eamon was the heir.
Taking advantage of his father’s attack upon his mother’s person, Eamon would seize his father. There was some initial pushback but Eamon was supported by his cousins, the Duke of Brittany and King of Scotland.
Slowly the realm grew to know Eamon. They found him to be discerning, reserved, not particularly martial though he was capable of handling himself, and possessing a prodigious knowledge of all things Ireland. He could discuss agriculture, fishing, sailing, the historical connections between various clans, old alliances, the sundry treaties between Ireland and other countries.
He would dial back the religious pressure that his father had enacted, and reviewed the cases of everyone his father tried, both those living and those dead. Many were pardoned posthumously. He also immediately made Hugh, the third son of the King of Ulster, Prince of Tara, and made it known that if something were to happen to him, he would choose his distinct cousin Brian as Prince of Tara, ensuring that a situation such as he took advantage of would not occur again.
After several years of ruling, courtiers and advisors began insisting Eamon wed. He had resisted as Eamon viewed himself as already married. Before he became king Eamon had taken a woman he called Aisling (for the Irish word for vision, as Eamon said she was a vision to behold) as concubine.
Aisling’s actual name and origins were unknown. Records indicate that she wasn’t European, but as no portrait of her survived we don’t know if she was from the Americas, Africa, or Asia, as she could have been from any of the many places the Irish fleet traveled to. Due to her ethnicity, Aisling wasn’t viewed as appropriate for the role of wife and Queen.
Though before attending to his marriage, Eamon would arrange the marriages of his three children by Aisling: His eldest daughter was wed to Brian, Eamon’s second choice for Prince of Tara; his son was wed to the heiress of Guelders; and his youngest daughter was betrothed to an petty Irish King.
Finally in 1672, Eamon would arrange his marriage to Maria of Portugal. But the two would never wed, the day Maria docked in Dublin, Eamon and Aisling were both found dead in their bed. Hugh would inherit.
[22] Hugh was born in 1642 as the third son of the King of Ulster and wasn’t expected to become king. But due to his friendship with a young Eamon II, he was made Prince of Tara by Eamon when he became High King in 1666 and so helped his father in ruling Ulster in preparation for succeeding Eamon.
In 1672 Hugh became High King after Eamon and Aisling both committed suicide and married Maria of Portugal, who was going to be Eamon’s wife. The newlyweds loved each other very much as Hugh didn’t take any mistresses or concubines. A total of seven children would be born to the couple. Hugh used the appellation O’Hugh, as he was a descendant of Queen Gráinne’s first husband, King Hugh of Ulster.
Hugh continued his predecessor’s policies of Religious tolerance and was a patron of the arts.
His reign was generally peaceful, expect when Ireland supported William of Holland in the Scottish War of Succession (1689-1694), which he won.
Hugh died in 1701 at the age of 59, with his successor that he picked in 1692, Eoin III succeeding him.
[23] Eoin was the second son of Hugh and Maria of Portugal. His elder brother was passed over as Eoin had more easy manners and was a better student. Eoin was made Prince of Tara at age 15 and shortly afterwards his father arranged his marriage to Anna of Guelders, the granddaughter of Eamon II.
While not particularly fond of his wife, Eoin wouldn’t take any concubines, and in fact would end the practice of concubinage. He cited how in the Bible God’s people took multiples wives and concubines for a time and then the practice ended. He did not require the lords that currently had concubines to renounce them, instead insisting that no new concubines be taken.
Eoin spent his reign focusing on Ireland’s foreign interests. He would see the trading outpost expanded into colonies and the Irish fleet expanded yet again making it the largest fleet in Europe.
Eoin and Anna had five children, and Eoin invited many distant cousins to come and be companions of his children. Eoin made it known that he would be choosing the Prince of Tara from among these children and so many O’Conor, O’Rory, and O’Hugh cousins were sent to be raised with the Royal Children.
Eoin would choose an O’Connor cousin in 1705, but this lord passed away in 1734 and so Eoin simply repeated his invitation for cousins to come be raised at court, this time as companions for his grandchildren. He would choose his gandson Brian in 1739.
Eoin would pass away in 1744 and was succeeded by Brian III.
[24] Born in 1732 as the son of Princess Márie O'Hugh and her O'Rory husband, Brian was though his mother a grandson of High King Eoin III, and was picked as the Prince of Tara due to his connections to two of the three branchs of the Irish royal family. Brian became High King in 1744 at the young age of eight, and so a regency was put in place that will rule for him until he turned eighteen. During this time Brian would be taught by various tutors on subjects like military tactics, Irish history, and more.
By the time Brian turned eighteen in 1750, he was a intellegent and handsome man, as he would receive many offers from the various crowned heads of europe to marry their daughters. But he would ultimately pick Princess Isabella of Spain as his wife, with the couple having seven living children together. Brian continued the pratice done by his father of surrounding his children with distant cousins who would act as companions of them.
Brian lead Ireland though most of the major wars of the 18th Century. The first being the Eight Years War (1757-1765), where Ireland, Scotland, France and others fought against England, Portugal, Austria and others. Ireland would upon the end of the war receive most of England's colonies in North Vespuccia (OTL America).
Ireland then supported Vespuccian indepence from England during the Vespucccian Revolution (1778-1786), which resulted in the overthrow of the English monarchy and it's replacement of an republic. Ireland joined the First Coalition in fighting against Republican England in the War of the First Coalition (1793-1798), but lost.
Brian would die just weeks later at the age of 65, some say of his saddness over the First Coalition's loss in the war. his cousion Conn, who became Prince of Tara in 1786, succeeded him.
[25] Conn was named for the legendary King Conn of the Hundred Battles. He was a grandson of King Eion III by his youngest son. Conn made a name for himself in the Vespuccian Revolution by being a great figther. It was his victories that caused Brian to name him, his heir. To appease his Spanish wife, Brian arranged a marriage between one of his daughters to Conn. Unfortunetly, Brian died before he could see the two be married.
The minute after he was crowned, Conn demanded an annulment, claiming he was coerced and the marriage was unconsummated. The annulment was granted and Conn would marry Catherine Howard, an English noblewoman who he had fallen in love with during the War of the First Coalition. Considering the new queen was not a princess, and English, this was seen as a huge slap in the face not only by Conn's jilted wife, Eileen, but also her siblings and several other important Irish families.
It wouldn't be long before there were riots and rebellions, forcing Conn and his bride to fled to England, begging for help in exchange for concessions which would anger his remaining allies.
The civil war that would break out would last 12 years with the main contenders being Eileen O’Rory, Conchobar O’Conor, and Hugh O’Rory.
[26] As the newly restored English King, had no desire to reignite foreign tensions, Conn II quickly fell to the side. Within months there were three alternative claimants, each with their own focus and support.
The first was the jilted princess Eileen O’Rory: the Europe Centric candidate. Well educated and articulate Eileen had numerous European connections through her mother and siblings and to strengthen these she would wed her very distant cousin Domnall O’Nial, Duke of Brittany. They would have two children by war’s end.
While Eileen was seen as the European candidate, she was not without support back home, many of the petty Irish kings had grown up with her in her father’s court.
The second was Conchobar O’Conor, a distant cousin of the original O’Conor family: the Ireland Centric Candidate. Conchobar was 54 at the start of the civil war, and was easily the most experienced of the candidates. He had served in many different court functions. Two of his sons, and a grandson were all approached as potential Kings, but each would put their weight behind Conchobar. From his own marriage to an Ulster princess, and his many children’s marriages, Conchobar had connections to most of the mover’s an shakers in Ireland.
Not that Conchobar was without foreign experience: he had served Ambassador to several different Dutch duchies.
The last was Hugh O’Rory, descended from Eamon’s eldest daughter and Brian O’Rory: the World Centric candidate. Hugh’s father had served as Governor of three different Irish colonies, giving Hugh a wealth of experience with Ireland‘s colonies and trading outposts. He also spoke many of the languages of Ireland’s trade allies. (I see Ireland as avoiding conquering or subjugating the natives they interact with. They do muscle some people out of choice territory, so they’re not angels)
Hugh would offer his hand in marriage to win support, and after some negotiation would wed Princess Mary of Scotland. Since Hugh was often at sea during the war, they would only have one child before the war’s end.
Something that many saw as a deterrent was that three of Hugh’s grandparents were children of foreign concubines, and he was decidedly not Irish in appearance. Hugh did have Irish support though mainly with those Irish lords with lands or appointments among the colonies and trade outposts.
The war was wide spread, as the many Irish colonies and trade outposts contributed resources and man power. And several key battles were fought over the colonies.
Hugh O'Rory would fall in battle in 1814, leaving Conchobar O’Conor and Eileen O’Rory to duke it out for 7 more years.
Eventually, Conchobar O’Conor would be captured by Eileen O’Rory and Eileen O’Rory would force Conchobar O’Conor to surrender. Though Eileen O’Rory would betrothe Conchobar's granddaughter, Roisin to her son, Donnel who she appointed as Prince of Tara.
So, in 1821 Eileen O’Rory would be crowned.
[27] Born in 1780, Eileen O'Rory was twenty-two when her husband annuled their marriage to marry his English sweetheart. This and the death of her two of her brothers in the English wars, caused Eileen to have a grudge agianst all things English. Upon becoming queen, she outright banned the mention of Conn or his children in her presence. When a English match was suggested for one of her nephews, she outright reused, saying she would rather die than allow the blood of the people who had spent centuries attacking Ireland into her family.
She did, however, make friends with Scotland and Wales, having the widow of Hugh O'Rory marry the King of Ulster and married one of her daughters marry the Prince of Wales.
Despite being her parents' youngest child, Eileen had a very good education and was well prephared to rule her country. A bitter woman who often let her temper get in the way of her good judgement, she at least knew how to be an effective leader. For more diplomatic matters, she left that in the hands of her husband and then when he passed away her son.
Eileen was a great supported of the intoventions, espically when it came to transportation. She absolutly adored trains, admiring the machinery and how fast it went. Her son once put it in a letter that one of few times he had seen his mother smile was when she rode the first train made in Ireland (later named the Elegent Eileen).
Prince Donnell died suddenly in 1839. Although his death was reported to be of a natural causes, smallpox in fact. Eileen was certian this was an English plot to put Conn II on the throne. She wipped up her subjects in a frensy before declaring war on England. This war is often called the war of Mother's Grief or less chairitibaly the war of a Woman Scorned. In the end, much bloodshed was spilled for nothing at all as the war ended in just three short years with Eileen's advisors strongarming her into signing a peace treaty.
Afterwards, Eileen fell into a deep depression that left her health falling fast. She named her nephew, Arthur, as the new Prince of Tara. She would die in 1855, bedridden and with only a priest beside her.
[28] Arthur was born in 1818 as a member of the Breton royal family and wasn't expected to be a ruler and was passed over as a candidate for the Breton throne when his uncle Domnall abdicated in 1821 (he did it as to avoid a personal union between Brittany and Ireland), so he was able to marry for love to Princess Juliana of Brabant in 1838, when the groom was twenty and the bride nineteen. The event is notable for being one of the last public appearences of Prince Domnall, whose death the following year sparked the War of Mother's Grief.
Arthur was made Prince of Tara in 1849 by his aunt Eileen after Donnel, his cousin, died from choking on a potato, and became High King in 1855. Arthur would change his to name to the Irish version (Artúr), and used the appellation of O'Niall, as he was a descendent of Duke Niall of Brittany. his reign was mostly peaceful and saw immigration of many Irishmen and women to the colonies, the United States of Vespuccia, or other places. In the later years of his reign, Artúr helped to establish the Pan-Celtic Trading Bloc between the countires of Ireland, Scotland, Wales, and Brittany.
Artúr died in 1897 at the age of 79, with his grandson, Lachlan succeeding him.
Photograph of Lachlan (circa 1893)
[29] As Artur's grandson, Lachlan succeed his grandfather at the tender age of 17 after his own father, Artur, Prince of Tara, died before he took the throne. Upon his accession, he was 6'1" (185 cm) and weight 180 lbs (81.6 kg), donned with smooth light brown hair along with clear brown eyes. His youthful appearance has High King of Ireland was remarked by the populace and by ambassadors of the Pan-Celtic Alliance dubbing him "the Youngling". During his reign, he earned a reputation of being a prolific poet with a flair heavy-handedness for romanticism. His poems deeply inspire awe and wonder for many in the Pan-Celtic Alliance.
However, by early Autumn of 1913, the world plunged into the Great War. As High King, he lead the Pan-Celtic alliance into the war. As the war dragged on into 1918, the Great Powers were barely holding on to their strength. By 1919, knowing that the war isn't going anywhere, Lachlan summoned an international conference of the warring parties and the Treaty of Dublin. The Treaty marked the beginning of the "Age of Apathy" and Lachlan lost all the love and respect to the Irish Public.
Fell into a state of contemplative melancholy, Lachlan nonchalantly committed suicide in 1921 with his pistol with a silencer in his bedroom.
As a very pious Irish Catholic, he wasn't too keen on marriage and thus died childless. Therefore he is succeed by his brother, Seamus.
[30] Seamus was a chrismatic young lad, who many held great hopes for. He proved to be a man of strong moral character. He wanted to heal the wounds left by the first great war and therefore he spearheaded a peace treatry which he hoped would end fighting between the great powers. Unfortunetly this did not go over well with many who feared that this made Ireland seem weak and would be used as pretext for other countries to browbeat them into handing over many concessions.
In 1936, Seamus would be killed by a car bomb, by an anarchist. This would directly lead into World War II which would last for seven years. Seamus would be succeeded by Pádraig II.
[31] A member of the prestigious O'Conor family, Pádraig was chosen as Prince of Tara by his predecessor Seamus I in 1922 for his strong leadership skills and granfatherly personality. After becoming High King following the assassination of Seamus and subsequent start of World War II in 1936, Pádraig made many public appearances around Ireland and deliver countless addresses over the radio, with these actions helping to improve the monarchy's reputation among the Irish people and end the "Age of Apathy".
The Pan-Celtic Alliance would be on the winning side of World War II when it ended in 1943, with it Pádraig was at the height of his popularity, the most the Irish monarchy had seen since before World War I. Sadly though Pádraig died the following year at the age of 73, with his passing being mourn all around the world. Although he was married and had children, Pádraig chose his distant cousin, Ruaidrí O'Hugh to be Prince of Tara in 1939, with Ruaidrí succeeding him upon his death.
[32] Ruaidrí O'Hugh's father died in World War I which left Ruaidrí to be raised by his mother. When he was twenty-years-old, he married Ciara Fanning, the daughter of a cobbler and a seastress. As Ruaidrí was not considered a high ranking royal, their marriage flew under the rader. This would change when World War Two broke out and Ruaidrí became a war hero to the point where High King Pádraig felt he would be a worthy sucessor.
Ruaidrí was a hard working individual who was known to get his hands dirty, wether it was war or just manuel labor. Some derided him as low class lout, but Ruaidrí had natural charm that could sway over most people.
There were some objections to Ciara becoming queen, but Ruaidrí made it clear that if he was to be king, his wife would recive a title as well. Once Pádraig died, Ruaidrí decided that the joint coronation would be small and subdued so not to ruffle any feathers for those who still had a low opinion of both of them.
One of the first things, King Ruaidrí did was try to give his people a greater voice, wanting the lower and middle class have more rights. He proposed that Irish monarhcy become strictly electorial. This was rejected as the kings of Ireland noted that it would become a battle of who had enough money to back their canidates. They also pointed out that the Irish tridition of choosing heirs that weren't immedite kin had prevented any claims of neptotism.
Despite his liberial ideas when it came to the power of the people, Ruaidrí was very much set in his ways in things like television and reportedly refused to moderinze his family residence (because of the Tannist system, and the tridition of choosing outside the royal children, the residence of the new king had quickly because the manor he lived in before becoming king). His children often complained about the lack of television.
As an avid smoker, Ruaidrí was diagnosed with lung cancer in 1969. He would die two years later on the operating table at age fifty-one.
In 19___, he had made _____Prince(ss) of Tara. ____would succeeded him.
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