Richard de Clare, 2nd Earl of Pembroke (of the first creation), Lord of Leinster, Justiciar of Ireland (1130 – 20 April 1176). Like his father, he was also commonly known by his nickname Strongbow (Norman French: Arc-Fort). He was a Cambro-Norman lord notable for his leading role in the Norman invasion of Ireland.Richard was the son of Gilbert de Clare, 1st Earl of Pembroke and Isabel de Beaumont.[1] Richards father died in about 1148, when he was about 18 years old, and Richard inherited the title Earl of Pembroke. It is probable that this title was not recognized at Henry IIs coronation in 1154.[2] As the son of the first Earl, he succeeded to his fathers estates in 1148, but was deprived of the title by King Henry II of England in 1154 for siding with King Stephen of England against Henry’s mother, the Empress Matilda.[3] Richard was in fact, called by his contemporaries Earl Striguil, for his marcher lordship of Striguil where he had a fortress at a place now called Chepstow, in Monmouthshire on the River Wye.[4] He saw an opportunity to reverse his bad fortune in 1168 when he met Diarmait Mac Murchada, the deposed King of Leinster n 1167, Diarmait Mac Murchada was deprived of the Kingdom of Leinster by the High King of Ireland - Rory OConnor (Irish: Tairrdelbach mac Ruaidri Ua Conchobair). The grounds for the dispossession were that MacMurrough had, in 1152, abducted Derbforgaill, the wife of the King of Breifne, Tiernan ORourke (Irish: Tighearnán Ua Ruairc). To recover his kingdom, MacMurrough solicited help from the King of England - Henry II. The deposed king embarked for Bristol from near Bannow on 1 August 1166.[6] He met Henry in Aquitaine in the Autumn of 1166. Henry could not help him at this time, but provided a letter of comfort for willing supporters of Mac Murchadas cause in his kingdom. However, after his return to Wales he failed to rally any forces to his standard. He eventually met the Earl of Striguil (nicknamed Strongbow) and other barons of the Welsh Marches. Mac Murchada came to an agreement with de Clare: for the Earl’s assistance with an army the following spring, he could have Aoife, Mac Murchadas eldest daughter in marriage and the succession to Leinster.[7] As Henry’s approval or license to Mac Murchada was a general one, the Earl of Striguil thought it prudent to obtain Henrys specific consent to travel to Ireland: he waited two years to do this.[8] The license he got was to aid Mac Murchada in the recovery of his kingdom of Leinster.[3An army was assembled that included Welsh archers. It was led by Raymond FitzGerald (also known as Raymond le Gros) and in quick succession it took the Viking-established towns of Wexford, Waterford and Dublin[a] in 1169-1170.[9] Strongbow, however, was not with the first invading party, only arriving later, in August 1170.[10] In May 1171, Diarmuid Mac Murchada died and his son, Donal MacMurrough-Kavanagh (Irish: Domhnall Caemanach mac Murchada) claimed the kingdom of Leinster in accordance with his rights under the Brehon Laws. The Earl of Striguil also claimed the kingship in the right of his wife. The old kings death was the signal of a general rising, and Richard barely managed to keep Rory OConnor out of Dublin. At this time Strongbow sent his uncle, Hervey de Montmorency, on an embassy to Henry. This was necessary to appease the King who was growing restive at the Earls increasing power. Upon his return, de Montmorency conveyed the Kings terms - the return of Strongbows lands in Normandy, England and Wales as well as leaving him in possession of his Irish lands.[11] In return, de Clare surrendered Dublin, Waterford and other fortresses to the King.[12] Henrys intervention was successful and both the Irish and Cambro-Norman lords in the south and east of Ireland accepted his rule.[13] Strongbow also agreed to assist the King in his coming war in France.
Posted on: Fri, 11 Jul 2014 05:57:06 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015