| Notes |
- Amlaíb mac Sitriuc
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Amlaíb mac Sitriuc ("Amhlaeibh, son of Sitric") or Olaf Sigtryggsson was the son of Sigtrygg Silkbeard, the
Hiberno-Norse King of Dublin, and Sláine, the daughter of Brian Boru. A member of the Uí Ímair dynasty, his
ancestors also included Amlaíb Cuarán and Gormflaith, who were influential in medieval Ireland. He was
ransomed by the Gaelic lord of Brega and later killed in England by Anglo-Saxons while on his way on
pilgrimage to Rome in 1034. Some of his descendants later became the Kings of Gwynedd in Wales.
Contents
1 Life
1.1 Family
1.2 Politics
2 Footnotes
3 References
Life
Family
Amlaíb was the son of the ruling King of Dublin, Sigtrygg Silkbeard (d. 1042), and his wife Sláine, daughter of
the King of Munster and High King of Ireland, Brian Boru (d. 1014), and his first wife.[1][1][2][3] His paternal
grandfather was Amlaíb Cuarán (d. 981), the powerful King of York and of Dublin.[1] Amlaíb Cuarán's wife
was Gormflaith (d. 1030), a "beautiful, powerful and intriguing Irish woman" who later married Boru at the
same time Sigtrygg married Sláine.[3]
Amlaíb had four half-brothers: Artalach (d. 999),[4] Oleif (d. 1013), Godfrey (d. 1036), Glúniairn (d. 1031).[1]
Oleif was killed in immediate vengeance for the burning of the Norse city of Cork.[5] Glúniairn was killed by
the people of South Brega in 1031.[6] Godfrey was killed in Wales, possibly by a first cousin.[7] Amlaíb was
outlived by his half-sister Cellach, who died in 1042 in the same month as her father.[8]
Politics
In 1027, after the death of Máel Sechlainn in 1022 and the chaos which accompanied the subsequent bids for
the High Kingship by the Irish princes, Sigtrygg Silkbeard was forced to make a new alliance with the men of
Brega.[9] Amlaíb joined Donnchad of Brega in a raid on Staholmock, County Meath.[10] The army of Sigtrygg
and Donnchad was defeated by the men of Meath under their king, Roen Ua Mael Sechlainn.[10][11] Sigtrygg
rallied to the fight again, and fought a battle at Lickblaw where Donnchad and Roen were slain.[10][11]
In 1029, Amlaíb was taken prisoner by the new lord of Brega, Mathghamhain Ua Riagain, who exacted a
ransom of 1200 cows.[2] Further conditions of the agreement necessitated payment of another 140 British
horses, 60 ounces of gold and of silver, "the sword of Carlus", the Irish hostages of Leinster and Leath Cuinn,
"four hostages to Ua Riagain as a security for peace, and the full value of the life of the third hostage."[2]
Added to the total, 80 cows "for word and supplication"[2] were to be paid to the man who entreated for
Amlaíb's release.[12] The incident illustrates the importance of ransoming noble captives, as a means of
political manipulation, increasing one's own revenues and exhausting the resources of one's foes.[12] The
demand of British horses also suggests that Dublin was one of the main ports for importing horses into 11th
century Ireland, and that Amlaíb's family may have been personally involved in husbandry.[12]
According to the 17th century Annals of the Four Masters, Amlaíb mac Sitriuc "was slain by the Saxons" on
his way on a pilgrimage to Rome in 1034.[13] He was survived by one Ragnhild, who was the mother of
Gruffudd ap Cynan, from whom the Kings of Gwynedd were descended.[1]
Footnotes
References
Hudson, Benjamin T (2005). Viking pirates and Christian princes: dynasty, religion, and empire in the
North Atlantic (Illustrated ed.). United States: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-516237-4, ISBN 978-
0-19-516237-0.
MacManus, Seumas (1921). The Story of the Irish Race: A Popular History of Ireland. Ireland: The Irish
Publishing Co. ISBN 0-517-06408-1.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Amlaíb_mac_Sitriuc&oldid=782306690"
Categories: 1034 deaths Military personnel killed in action People from County Dublin Norse-Gaels
11th-century Irish people Uí Ímair Monarchs of Dublin
This page was last edited on 26 May 2017, at 02:06.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may
apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia® is a registered
trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.
1. Hudson, p 83
2. "Part 13 of the Annals of the Four Masters" (http://ww
w.ucc.ie/celt/online/T100005B/text013.html.) Annals
of the Four Masters. University College Cork. p. 819.
Retrieved 10 March 2009.
3. MacManus, p 278
4. Hudson, Benjamin T. "Sihtric (Sigtryggr Óláfsson,
Sigtryggr Silkiskegg) (d. 1042)".O xford Dictionary of
National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University
Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/25545 (https://doi.org/10.1
093%2Fref%3Aodnb%2F25545). (Subscription or UK
public library membership (https://global.oup.com/oxfordd
nb/info/freeodnb/libraries/) required.)
5. "Part 11 of the Annals of the Four Masters" (http://ww
w.ucc.ie/celt/online/T100005B/text01.html). Annals
of the Four Masters. University College Cork. p. 769.
Retrieved 10 March 2009.
6. "Part 13 of the Annals of the Four Masters" (http://ww
6. "Part 13 of the Annals of the Four Masters" (http://ww
w.ucc.ie/celt/online/T100005B/text013.html.) Annals
of the Four Masters. University College Cork. p. 823.
Retrieved 10 March 2009.
7. Hudson, p 82
8. "Part 14 of the Annals of the Four Masters" (http://ww
w.ucc.ie/celt/online/T100005B/text014.html.) Annals
of the Four Masters. University College Cork. p. 843.
Retrieved 10 March 2009.
9. Hudson, p 109-110
10. Hudson, p 110
11. "Part 13 of the Annals of the Four Masters" (http://ww
w.ucc.ie/celt/online/T100005B/text013.html.) Annals
of the Four Masters. University College Cork. p. 815.
Retrieved 10 March 2009.
12. Hudson, p 111
13. "Part 14 of the Annals of the Four Masters" (http://ww
w.ucc.ie/celt/online/T100005B/text014.html.) Annals
of the Four Masters. University College Cork. p. 831.
Retrieved 10 March 2009.
|
d. 1042, Dublin, Ireland