The Lordship of Ireland reaches its greatest extent. De Burghs in Connacht, Geraldines in Kerry, perhaps two-thirds of the island paying rent to a Norman lord. Then it turns. The Bruce invasion of 1315 to 1318, famine behind it, and in 1333 the murder of the last de Burgh earl. The colony begins its long ebb.
The last resident earl of Ulster is killed; Norman Connacht and Ulster begin to unravel.
Quick answersWhen was High Tide of the Colony in Ireland?
High Tide of the Colony spans 1250 to 1333 in this atlas. The Lordship of Ireland reaches its greatest extent.
Who ruled Ireland during High Tide of the Colony?
Power was divided: Anglo-Norman Lordship of Ireland (17 counties); Airgíalla (Oriel) (3 counties); Earldom of Ulster (2 counties); Tír Eoghain (Mac Lochlainn / O'Neill) (2 counties); Bréifne (O'Rourke) (2 counties), among others. County boundaries are modern approximations.
What is a lesser-known fact about High Tide of the Colony?
For two years Ireland had a Scottish king. Edward Bruce, brother of Robert, was crowned King of Ireland in 1316 and ravaged the colony until he was killed at Faughart in 1318 — during a famine so dire the annals accuse his own army of cannibalism.
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