I have seen in Ireland
A terrible slash. Heroes
In the thunder of swords they were cut, The shields were smashed into chips.
Fell bleeding
Sigurd on the battlefield.
Pal and Brian the brave, Having won the battle.
("The Saga of Nyala", translated by O. A. Smirnitskaya and A. I. Korsun)
At one time, the famous British poet Rudyard Kipling wrote a wonderful poem "Stranger", which says that it is difficult to accept people of a foreign culture, foreign language and foreign faith, even if they come to you in peace. And if they come to burn your house and take away your property, if you do not want to give it to them voluntarily, then it is quite clear that they are enemies and none of God's commandments in relation to them are valid. This is how we think even in our tolerant times, and, say, 1000 years ago, this was the only way they looked at it. Well, and if you had a sword or an ax in your hand, then your first business was to kill anyone who encroached on your property as soon as possible, and immediately.
That is why the same Vikings, who made their forays into the lands of England and France, met with resistance everywhere, although it was, let's say, not everywhere the same. Somewhere they preferred to pay off with money. However, there are truly epic battles between the Vikings and the locals, in which the warlike aliens from the North were defeated and no longer attempted to conquer them. Perhaps the most famous such battle is the Battle of Clontarf, which took place in Ireland in 1014. In scale, casualties and consequences, it is quite comparable to the Battle of Hastings, however, which happened half a century later.
Some of the readers of VO, who met a mention of it in part 4 (Ireland) of the series of articles "Knights and Chivalry", also asked to tell about it. And since the topic is really very interesting, so be it!
The Battle of Clontarf: oil painting by Hugh Fraser, 1826
Let's start with the historiography of this battle. Fortunately, it happened at a time when writing already existed. And it didn't just exist. In the lands of Ireland, while nowhere else at that time there were many monasteries, and they had many literate monks. Therefore, it is not surprising that largely heroic and romanized descriptions of this battle were included in both historical treatises and poetry. In particular, its description is found in the Dublin copy of the Annals of Innisfalen and in the South Irish poem The War of the Irish Against Foreigners. Information about it can be found in the "History of Ireland" by Jeffrey Keating (17th century). Some Icelandic sagas also narrate about the "Battle of Briand". It is described in sufficient detail in the famous "Saga of Nyala".
What can we take from all this? In principle, not so much. Thus, all Irish sources report that the battle lasted all day. "The War of the Irish Against Foreigners", a copy of "Annals of Innisfalen", as well as the historical treatise "The Battle of Clontarf", give a lot of pictorial details, most of which are most likely invented. As well as the frankly mystical prophecies in The Saga of Nyala. In general, the course of the battle is described very vaguely everywhere, although, judging by the descriptions, it was a battle "inflicting wounds, rumbling, murderous, bloody, terrible, violent …" place hand-to-hand combat. For hours, the warriors either chopped down or rested, taking a breath, giving their hands a rest, and then again converged and dispersed, attacked and retreated, staggered and fell from fatigue, and someone even had time to refresh themselves, drink wine, and even … pray to the Lord!
At the same time, the sagas tell us many small details about the weapons of that time and the methods of their use, so that we present the very armed struggle of that time in sufficient detail today. “He had a sword in his hand, and he struck with it a man who wanted to grab him, and cut off the bottom of his shield and his leg. Then Flosey arrived and struck Helga in the neck with his sword so that his head flew off. " ("Icelandic Sagas" in 2 volumes, vol. II.)
What is known for certain is that the Battle of Clontarfe took place on April 23, 1014 on Good Friday, and was attended by coalition forces commanded by the High King of Ireland, Brian Boru, and opposed by King of Leinster Mael Morda Mac Murhada, with his his own people, the Viking mercenaries, both located in Dublin, and who sailed to help them from the Orkney Islands, led by his cousin Sigurd, as well as one of the kings of the province of Ulster, who opposed Briand. During the battle, the troops of Mael Morda and his allies were defeated, but King Briand was also not lucky - he was killed by one of the Scandinavian warriors. The result of the battle was the liberation of Ireland from the rule of the Normans, but the unification of the country that he had planned never happened. It continued to remain fragmented and continued to consist of several kingdoms at war with each other.
The Battle of Clontarf could well be called a "battle of the nations", since the composition of its participants was indeed quite variegated. It was attended by the rulers of Dublin, Lagen, Tyr Owen, Brefne and Osraig. The king of Leinster mobilized people in the northern part of Lagen under his control, and the Dublin Scandinavians did the same. By April 18, Palm Sunday, his ally, the Norwegian Jarl from the Orkney Islands, Sigurd Clodvirsson (the Mighty), the son of Jarl Clodvir Thorfinson, and the Dane Brodir Hovding of the Isle of Man, arrived to help Morde.
It is known that Brodir brought 20 warships with him. If we assume that each had 20-25 pairs of rowers, then in total about 1000 soldiers dressed in chain mail could have arrived with him, as mentioned in the Irish annals. The size of Sigurd's fleet and the number of his men are unknown. In turn, another Viking Ospak, a former comrade-in-arms of Brodir, did not share something with him and brought his 10 ships to King Briand.
Reenactment of the Battle of Clontarf - Millennium Anniversary, April 19, 2014
As for the weapons of the opposing sides, the Scandinavians traditionally included round shields with umbons, two-handed axes, swords and spears (including throwing ones), and bows with arrows. It is noted that Brodir's warriors had chain mail. As for the Irish, they also had swords, spears and shields with metal bosses. The leaders had helmets on their heads. It is possible that the Irish aristocrats also had chain mail, but no exact mention of them has survived. It is known, however, that some of the Irish, especially the Dal Qays warriors, already had axes similar to the Scandinavian ones. They also had bows, but as a throwing weapon they still preferred darts with colored straps attached to the shaft, with which they were pulled back by their owner. It's hard enough to imagine how exactly this happened in hand-to-hand combat. However, this has been reported. In addition, 12th century sources also report that the Irish often threw stones in battle. Although it is not reported how. But they had a lot of stones under their feet, so why not just pick them up and throw them, especially if you have practice in this. That is, the Irish could fight in close formation, or hit their opponents with darts, arrows and stones from a distance.
Miniature depicting a warrior from the Viking era. "Stuttgart Psalter" 820-830. (Stuttgart. Regional Württemberg Library)
The forces of the parties were approximately equal - on the side of the high king there were about 7000 people, on the side of his opponents - about 6000. However, part of the soldiers that came with him - the Irish from Meade, led by the former high king Maelsehnailom mac Domnailom, refused to fight. In this way, Briand had only 4,500 soldiers left, and they approached the walls of Dublin and camped there. Dublin's troops were commanded by his adversary Sigtrik, a cousin of Muzzle Mac Murhad, but he had only a thousand warriors, although they were better armed than the villagers gathered in the south of the island.
Rider. Miniature from the Stuttgart Psalter. (Stuttgart, Regional Württemberg Library)
At the time, Dublin was entirely on the south bank of the River Liffey. The northern shore, on which the village of Clontarf was located, could be accessed through a single bridge, which allowed the Vikings - allies of Sigtrik, not only to safely land on the northern shore, but also to prepare for battle without expecting a sudden attack.
But they did not expect that Brian Bornu's army would cross the Liffey not over this bridge, but much higher along the river, bypass Dublin in a large arc and eventually … end up also in the north, that is, in their rear, pressing their entire army to the seashore. However, this did not particularly frighten them, because Dublin - their base and support was still behind them, just like their ships.
These were the warriors in 1100. Miniature from the manuscript "Exposition of Psalms". (Library of Louis Aragon, Mans, in Sarthe, France)
Preparing for battle, the Viking army was divided into five detachments, but Sigtrik and his thousand warriors still remained in the city and did not go out into the field. But his son became the head of the left flank of the battle line, with a thousand more men from Dublin under his command, who nevertheless decided to fight in the field. Mael Mord had three thousand warriors from Leinster, who were built in two squads. There were many of them, but they were much less armed than the Vikings who fought alongside them. In the center stood another thousand Vikings from the Orkney Islands, commanded by Sigurd. Brodir with his thousand stood on the right flank, near the coast and in full view of the ships. That is, they stood so that they had a sea bay behind them, where their ships were stationed, and the sea to the right. Also in their rear, although across the river, was Dublin. True, to get there it was necessary to wade the small river Tolka and the bridge over the Liffey …
Burial of a Viking. (National Museum of Ireland, Dublin)
Brian Bohr's troops lined up so that against the left flank of the Vikings were a thousand mercenaries and Vikings from the Isle of Man. Another 1,500 warriors, commanded by their kings, stood behind the Vikings. Further along the front were two thousand warriors of Munster, led by Brian's son Murhad. Another 1,400 soldiers stood a little further, under the command of other relatives of the High King, and not far from the right flank of his army, there was also a thousand of King Maelsehnail's soldiers, who decided, if not to participate in this battle, then at least look at it. It's interesting, isn't it ?!
However, referring to the text of "The Wars of the Irish Against Foreigners", one can learn that Briand's army was built in a phalanx, in which the soldiers stood so closely that "a chariot drawn by four horses could ride over their heads from one side to the other." … 32 banners fluttered over them, stirring up the fighting spirit of the Irish. It is emphasized that all the people of the High King were built in three lines. And in a similar way, that is, the Vikings, Dublinians and Irish-northerners stood in three lines. At the same time, all southern Irish sources deny the participation of Maelsehnail's soldiers in the battle at its initial stage.
Probably, these are the guys who fought there then! Reenactment of the 2014 battle.
The battle began early in the morning and, as was customary at the time, with separate duels between the warrior-ringleaders in the middle of the field. The "fans" on both sides encouraged them, excited, and soon the whole mass joined the battle.
Initially, the advantage was on the side of the Vikings, since thanks to helmets and chain mail, it was easier for them to fight the poorly protected Irish. But on the right flank of Briand's army, as it turned out, the Vikings had better weapons than their opponents, and they began to slowly push them back. Brodir pressed the Irish on the left flank, and walked ahead of his soldiers until he met an Irish warrior nicknamed the Bully Wolf (or Ulv Scarecrow - in different sources differently, Briand's brother or stepson). He managed to knock him to the ground, but could not kill him because of the armor he was wearing. Such a devastating fiasco, however, apparently had a strong effect on Brodir, because he left the battlefield. Murkhad (recall that this was the son of the High King Briand) showed miracles of courage in battle, but died, having received a blow from a dying Scandinavian, whom he himself inflicted a mortal wound. Another, 15-year-old son Briand was found drowned in the Tolka River, clutching the corpse of the enemy in his hands! Nevertheless, the soldiers of Murhad were not taken aback and continued to fight. As a result, by noon they managed to crush Brodir's warriors and they ran to their ships.
Noteworthy is the man's long-length chain mail, with long wide sleeves. Miniature from "Psychomachia" by Aurelius Prudentius, Roman poet and writer of the 4th century, dating back to 1120. Scene "Battle of women and men." Abbey of St. Alban, Britain. (British Library, London)
In the center, the Vikings of Sigurd and Mael Morda first pressed the warriors of Munster. One by one, their standard-bearers perished, and then Sigurd himself decided to take the banner, although they told him not to do this. And what? Taking the banner, he was killed too! After all, what amazing miracles happened then. His tired warriors could no longer fight with their former fervor, and the Irish made their way to the shore of the bay. Many Vikings tried to escape on ships that were not far from the coast, but after a hard battle, and, moreover, dressed in chain mail, they drowned, trying to swim to them.
Seeing that the victory was clearly leaning towards Brian Bohr, the Dublin Vikings decided to seek salvation in the city, and it was then that Maelsehnail finally decided to join the battle and ordered his soldiers to cut the road to the only bridge for the fugitives. As a result, none of them managed to escape, and all the leaders of the "foreign" Vikings perished. However, not everything is yet …
Excerpt from The Saga of Njala from The Bedstraw Book, c. 1350. (Trinity College Dublin Library)
The fact is that the defeated Brodir at this time was still alive and was hiding in the forest near Dublin. It was then that he noticed King Briand, who … was praying in his tent. At first he mistook him for a priest and wanted to pass by. But someone with whom he was, recognized him as the high king and told Brodir about it. He decided to take advantage of the opportunity, and with several of his soldiers attacked Briand. The old king, who was either 70 or 80 years old, got up and with one blow of the sword cut off both legs of the first of the attackers at that moment, but he himself fell, struck by Brodir's blow. Well, and he, having done his dirty deed, again ran into the forest, shouting loudly that "Brian fell from the hand of Brodir." Then Ulv the Scarecrow approached the place of the murder of the High King with his people. Seeing such an evil deed, they went into the forest, found there and killed Brodir's people, and managed to take him prisoner. They executed him in a sophisticated and terrifying manner: they ripped open his stomach, nailed his guts to the trunk of a tree and made him run around him until they wound around him.
After a hard fight, why not get some sleep …
The losses of the Vikings ranged from 6, 5 to 7 thousand people, including the soldiers of the allied forces, and all their leaders were also killed. The losses of the Irish amounted to 4 thousand, but their king and most of his sons died, so that the royal dynasty of Bohr was thus interrupted.
The Battle of Clontharf is also immortalized in several Irish whiskeys!
After that, the influence of the Vikings in Ireland ended, however, the Irish also lost their leaders, including the old high king, who had great authority. Because of this, their island soon plunged into a series of bloody feuds between clans who fought for power, but the unification of the country into a single state did not happen in the end.
The price of this drink is $ 57!
References:
1. Cogad Gaedel re Gallaib. The War of the Gaedhil with the Gaill / Todd J. H. - London: Longmans, Green, Reader, and Dyer, 1867. (there is an excellent electronic version in which the book can be flipped page by page).
2. Clare Dowhan. Medieval Ireland. Cambridge University Press, 2018. (There is a viewable version of the text on the Internet up to page 40. From 40 to 393 pages, the text is not available for free)
3. Clare Downham. No Horns on Their Helmets? Essays on the Insular Viking-Age. Celtic, Anglo-Saxon, and Scandinavian Studies (Volume 1). Center for Celtic Studies, University of Aberdeen, 2013.
4. Clare Downham. Viking Kings of Britain and Ireland: The Dynasty of Ívarr to A. D. 1014, Dunedin Academic Press, 2007. (Not all pages of this book are available for viewing on the Internet, but the entire list of references and a fairly large number of pages of the main text are available. In general, the book is very informative.)
5. The Saga of Nyal / Translated by S. D. Katsnelson (Ch. I-XXXVIII), V. P. Berkov (Ch. XXXIX-CXXIV and CXXXI-CLIX), M. I. Steblin-Kamensky (Ch. CXXV-CXXX). New edition of V. P. Berkov's translation // Icelandic sagas / Under the general editorship of O. A. Smirnitskaya. SPb., 1999. T. II.
