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The history of Ireland 800–1169 covers the period in the history of Ireland Ireland consisted of many semi-independent túatha, and during the whole period attempts were made by various factions to gain political control over the whole of the island. For the first two centuries of this period this was mainly a rivalry between High Kings of Ireland from the northern and southern branch of the Uí Néill. The one who came closest to being de facto king over the whole of Ireland however was Brian Boru, the first high king in this period not belonging to the Uí Néill. Following Brian's death at the Battle of Clontarf in 1014, the political situation became more complex with rivalry for high kingship from several clans and dynasties. Brian's descendants failed to maintain a unified throne, and regional squabbling over territory led indirectly to the invasion of the Normans under Richard de Clare in 1169. ==Historiography== Due to the rich amount of written sources, the study of Irish history 800–1169 has to a large extent focused on gathering, interpretation and textual criticism of these. Only recently have other sources of historical knowledge received more attention, in particular archaeology. Since the modern excavations of Dublin started in 1961, followed by similar efforts in Wexford, Waterford and Limerick, great advances have been made in the understanding of the physical character of the towns established in this period.〔Wallace, The archaeology..., pp. 814–815.〕 The first part of the period from 800 to 1014 is well-studied; the "Viking age" has attracted the interest of historians for quite some time. The period between 1014 and 1169 has received less attention. In the words of Sean Duffy, this period has – historiographically speaking – fallen between two stools. Historians of early medieval Ireland, seeking to conclude their narratives on a high note, have traditionally done so after recounting the death of the famous high-king Brian Bórama (Boru) at the battle of Clontarf in 1014. On the other hand, historians of later medieval Ireland generally choose to begin proceedings with the English invasion of the 1160s. Eleventh- and early twelfth-century Ireland has, therefore, often assumed the character of a snappy epilogue or a lengthy prologue.〔Duffy, Ireland, c.1000 – c.1100, p. 285.〕〔See also McNeill, "Archaeology", "The 150 years before 1200 have been lost, between the assumptions that life was a continuation of the fifth through eighth-century world and that the incursion of English lords marked a fundamental change throughout Ireland."〕 In trying to interpret the history of early Ireland, one of the most frequently asked questions addressed by historians is how early it is possible to speak of an Irish nation, a ''natio'' encompassing the whole island of Ireland. Early poet-historians like Flann Mainistrech constructed a history of a monarchy of all Ireland going back to St Patrick and beyond. Only a hundred years after Flann, Gerald of Wales described the Irish society in his Topographia Hibernica as utterly primitive and savage. At the beginning of modern scholarly interpretation of Irish history, Eoin MacNeills and G.H. Orpen came to opposite conclusions analysing the same period. Orpen saw an anarchic country still in ‘a tribal state’; he could see no ''natio'', no wider community in Ireland than the tribe. MacNeill stressed the reality of the high-kingship of Ireland and the existence of many of those institutions of government which Orpen found wanting, and claimed that Irish law had a national character.〔Ó Corráin, "Nationality and Kingship..."〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「History of Ireland (800–1169)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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