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Death of Brian Boru
On 23 April 1014, at the close of the Battle of Clontarf, Ireland's High King Brian Boru was killed in his tent by remnants of the enemy, aged about …
Timeline
- 1014Allied camp at Clontarf · LeinsterWhile the fierce fighting at Clontarf raged, the aged Brian Boru did not personally lead the van but stayed in the rear tent praying. His son Murchad and others commanded at the front, and the allied forces gradually gained the upper hand.
- 1014King Brian's tent · LeinsterAccording to the Annals of Ulster and Cogad Gáedel re Gallaib, remnants of the defeated enemy or the Viking warrior Brodar infiltrated Brian's tent and attacked. Brian was killed while his guards fought back, and the attackers were also slain.
- 1014–1016Ireland · IrelandAfter Brian's death, several of his sons had already fallen in battle or were still young, and Munster's dominance quickly declined. The title of High King passed within a few years to Ulster kings such as Máel Sechnaill mac Domnaill, but no one could rebuild Brian's island-wide dominance, and Irish politics returned to fragmentation among kingdoms.
Sources
- Annals of Ulster, U1014.2 https://celt.ucc.ie/published/T100001A/
- Brian Boru: Ireland's Greatest King? — Donnchadh Ó Corráin (2014)
- Oxford Dictionary of National Biography: Brian Bóruma — Seán Duffy (2004) https://www.oxforddnb.com/