In May 1169 a few hundred mail-clad adventurers land at Bannow Bay, at Mac Murchada's invitation. Two years later Strongbow holds Leinster, and a nervous Henry II arrives with an army of his own, there to keep his barons in hand as much as the Irish. Castles go up. Walled towns and shires spread across the south and east, while the north and west hold out.
Richard de Burgh overruns the west; the O'Connors keep only a 'king's cantred'.
Quick answersWhen was the Norman Invasion in Ireland?
The Norman Invasion spans 1169 to 1249 in this atlas. In May 1169 a few hundred mail-clad adventurers land at Bannow Bay, at Mac Murchada's invitation.
Who ruled Ireland during the Norman Invasion?
Power was divided: Anglo-Norman Lordship of Ireland (13 counties); Kingdom of Connacht (O'Connor) (4 counties); Airgíalla (Oriel) (3 counties); Earldom of Ulster (2 counties); Tír Eoghain (Mac Lochlainn / O'Neill) (2 counties), among others. County boundaries are modern approximations.
What is a lesser-known fact about the Norman Invasion?
England's claim rested on Laudabiliter, a papal bull 'granting' Ireland to Henry II — issued by Adrian IV, the only Englishman ever to be pope. Scholars still argue about whether the document was genuine.
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