Brian Boru

The first High King to truly rule the whole island, killed after the Battle of Clontarf.

Life

King of Munster

Brian came from the Dál gCais of Munster, and as a young man fought alongside his elder brother against the Vikings of Limerick. When his brother was killed in 976 CE, he became King of Munster and gradually unified the south.

High King

In 1002 he forced Máel Sechnaill II of the northern Uí Néill to step aside and became High King. He styled himself "Emperor of the Irish" and made donations to the church of Armagh, consolidating his position and breaking the Uí Néill's long monopoly on the high kingship.

Clontarf

In 1014 the King of Leinster, allied with the Vikings of Dublin and reinforcements from overseas, rose against him, and the two sides fought a decisive battle at Clontarf north of Dublin. Brian's army won, but the aged king was killed in his tent by fleeing Vikings.

Legacy

Brian Boru is the most famous king of medieval Ireland, and later generations portrayed the Battle of Clontarf as a national victory of the Irish over the Vikings.

Did you know? The harp on Ireland's coat of arms is traditionally called the "Brian Boru harp" (the actual instrument was made around the 14th–15th century).

Key dates

• 976Becomes King of Munster
• 1002Becomes High King
• 1005Styles himself "Emperor of the Irish" at Armagh
• 1014Battle of Clontarf; killed after the battle