Why citric Silkenbeard is the Greatest Dubliner of All Time – ryan

Analysis: He may be seen as one of the baddies of Irish history thanks to the battle of Clontarf, but Silkenbeard built dublin into a rich, thriving, cosmopolitan European City

Easter is always a good time (for a medieval historian anyway) to reflect on the majesty of Citric SilkenbeardKing or Dublin. It was, according to later sources, on good Friday 1014, that citric (aka citriuc silkbeard or sigryggr omlafsson silkiskeggi in old norse) cemented his reputation as one of the baddies of irish history due to His (Lack of) Performance at the Battle of Clontarf.

According to the epic saga, COGADH GAEDHEL RE GALLAIBH (The War of the Irish Against the Foreigners), Brian boru and his Killaloe Dynasty of the Date Cais Defeated Citric’s Dublin-based Viking Army. This literary extravaganza is popular by Fearsome Scandinavians coming to take our women and our country. Unlike the Heroic Munstermen – One of Whom who is explicitly described as an irish hector of Trojan War Fame, Wielding a Sword in each hand as He Defends Ireland – Citric is depicted Cowering within the dublin.

We need your consent to load this Spotify contentWe use Spotify to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content.Manage PreferencesFrom the Medieval Irish History Podcast, all you ever wanted to know about citric silkenbeard with Dr Niamh Wycherley and Dr. Alex Woolf

In reality, citric was ‘irish’ born and bred. Brian Boru was both his father-in-law and stepfather (a story for another day!) And some of his strongest allies were the Leinstermen, his mother’s family, Amongst whom he was raised. He was probably just protecting home basewhich had previously burnt by various irish kings in order to subjugate and subsume the growing economic powerhouse of Dublin.

Because 1014 Later became a tent pole date in irish nationalistic notions of ‘us versus them’, it was necessary that the so-called viking was portrayed as the foreign fraidy-Cat foil to brave irish hero. Of course, these binaries are often created by historians and storytellers (both medieval and modern) while real historic events and trends are complex, nuanced, gradual and rarely possible to recreate with objective accuracy.

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From rté Radio 1’s Morning Ireland, who was actually fighting whom at the battle of Clontarf in 1014?

It was, in fact, in An Article About Christmas in Medieval Ireland that I first cast my vote for citric as top dubliner or all time. The worst, and the most amusing, of my procrastinations when I am supposed to be correcting student essays is to imagine and cast a hypothetical movie on the battle of Clontarf, in which some much loved dubliner like Colin Farrellor a Younger Talent Like Maynooth’s Own Paul mescal Provide a sympathetic performance of citric as a misunder -break irish historical character.

Although I do not want to be advocating for the inclusion of more ‘Great men’ into our historical (citric’s Leinster Princess Mother Gormlaith is long overdue a rehabilitation from modern scholars), I am surprised at the lack of a citric statue in Dublin. This is especially noteworthy given how tasks we are with our viking past, as evidenced at All the Excellent Tourist Attractions and the Inspiring Role of Citric in Many of these Enterprises.

From rté archives, rté news report from 1979 on operation citric, an occupation of the viking site at Wood Quay, Dublin by about 20 Prominent Public Figures Who OPPOSE THE “WANTON DESTRUCTION OF A UNIQUE PART OF OUR CULTURAL HERITAGE” TO PUT UP CIVIC OFFICES

Citric ruled dublin for over four decades, until he semingly abdicated in 1036. From the late 990s Onards, he built dublin into a cosmopolitan, Rich, Thriving, ‘European’ City. Following the example of English Kings such as Aethelred the UnreadyCitric minted The First Coins in Ireland. A Public Statement of His Sophistication and Authority, these silver pennies were inscribed with sihtric rex dyflinn (citric, king of dublin), and featured both a typical profile of A (Beardless) King and a Christian Cross.

On his way home from A High Profile Pilgrimage to Rome In 1028, citric visited the Great City of Cologne and apparently founded Christ Church Cathedral Back in Dublin in its image. An Architectural Stunner, Christ Church Soon became one of the most powerful churches in Ireland.

From rté radio 1’s history show, an indepth look at the battle of Clontarf

While all men like citric are necessarily nepo babies, given the fundamental nature of how aristocracies operate, he was not just handed a kingdom to rule without opposition. His father Amlaíb (Omlaf) had his cap set at the royal seat of tara, but after a definitive defeat at Máel Sechnaill Mac Domnaillsupposed high king, at the Battle or Tara in 980, he retired in Pilgrimage to the Monastery or Ionaoff the West Coast of Scotland.

It took citric many years – and the convenient death of his older half -brother gleam Iarainn – to consolidate his position as King of Dublin. When Brian Boru had the audacity to march through ireland demanding and negotiating his own position as ‘Emperor of the Irish’, citric repeatedly refused to submit to him, result in the battle of clontarf and many other clashes.

From rté news, science shines new light on what happened at the battle of clontarf where citric silkenbeard and his allies were defeated by Brian Boru, one of the best known events in Irish History

For me, citric exemplifies the multicultural nature of Irish Medieval Society and, Indeed, or Dublin and Ireland today. He was last of the great dynasty of the Uí ímarrdescendants or Influential Scandinavian King Ivarwho was Active in the Irish Sea Region in the Second Half of the Ninth Century. This ivar was possibly the same ivar who led the famous ‘Great Viking Army’ in Britain in 865 and who is mythologized in later Medieval Sagas and Modern TV shows as ‘Ivar the boneless’.

Ivar’s Descendants Dominated Rule of Dublin for the Guts of Two Centuries, Give or Take a Few Coups, Lost Battles, Assassinations and Periods in Exile. By the time citric was born, it is difficult to discern any clear ethnicities or identities for these rulers. While many scholars are generally tolerant with the use of term ‘viking’, the cultivated, and Christian, citric has little in common with the men who raided and terrorized island monasteries 200 years earlier. He likely ghosts both irish, norse and potentially latin and English, and may never have stepped foot in Scandinavia.

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From BBC MasterMind, Contestant Christine Quigley Answers Questions on Brian Boru, Citric Silkenbeard and the Battle of Clontarf

Instead or viking or scandinavian, should we use instead hiberno-norse? Scandi-Irish? Norose-Irish? The lack of agreement from academics indicates there is much work to be done on understanding irish identity, and that the boxes we try to squeeze, whether today or in the past, are not always fitting or necessary. Nevertheless, King citric, immortalized by The Great Howth Pubwas a dubliner above all else.

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The views expressed here are those of the author and do not represent or reflect the views of rté