Flaith
Encyclopedia
A flaith or flath (Modern Scottish), plural flatha, was an hereditary prince
, or even princess
, in the Gaelic
world, with the plural often referring to the social class. The term could refer to any member in general of a powerful family enjoying a high degree of sovereignty
, and so is also sometimes translated as lord
or aristocrat
in the general sense, or can refer to sovereignty itself. Thus it did not usually refer to a specific office such as Rí
(king) which any given flaith might or might not hold, allowing for the term to eventually develop the slightly alternative meaning of any hereditary high aristocrat who was understood to be subordinate to the king. In this later sense a flaith was similar to a magnate
or Grandee
.
The later development in meaning, innocent in itself, unfortunately allowed the term flaith to become confused with chief
as that term is commonly understood in English, when in fact a Gaelic "chief" was very often technically a rí (king) of any one of three or more grades and holding a White Wand
. A flaith might not hold a White Wand; he might simply be a brother, nephew or some relation of the king. The flaith might be the head of a junior sept
of the royal kindred or a member of another great family which was somehow in the king's service.
It became an element in personal and eventually family names, an example being the royal family of O'Flaherty
or Ua Flaithbertaig ("Descendants of the Bright Prince"). It could be combined with rí to form the personal name Flaithrí ("Princely King" or "Kingly Prince"), an example being Flaithrí mac Domnaill
, King of Connacht.
A Banfhlaith (lit. "Lady Prince") was a princess more specifically described. However, illustrative of how flaith was principally a general term for a member of the high nobility, the personal names Gormflaith
("Blue Princess" or "Blue Sovereignty") and Órflaith ("Golden Princess") were understood to be female without the addition of the feminine affix.
Prince
Prince is a general term for a ruler, monarch or member of a monarch's or former monarch's family, and is a hereditary title in the nobility of some European states. The feminine equivalent is a princess...
, or even princess
Princess
Princess is the feminine form of prince . Most often, the term has been used for the consort of a prince, or his daughters....
, in the Gaelic
Gaels
The Gaels or Goidels are speakers of one of the Goidelic Celtic languages: Irish, Scottish Gaelic, and Manx. Goidelic speech originated in Ireland and subsequently spread to western and northern Scotland and the Isle of Man....
world, with the plural often referring to the social class. The term could refer to any member in general of a powerful family enjoying a high degree of sovereignty
Sovereignty
Sovereignty is the quality of having supreme, independent authority over a geographic area, such as a territory. It can be found in a power to rule and make law that rests on a political fact for which no purely legal explanation can be provided...
, and so is also sometimes translated as lord
Lord
Lord is a title with various meanings. It can denote a prince or a feudal superior . The title today is mostly used in connection with the peerage of the United Kingdom or its predecessor countries, although some users of the title do not themselves hold peerages, and use it 'by courtesy'...
or aristocrat
Aristocracy (class)
The aristocracy are people considered to be in the highest social class in a society which has or once had a political system of Aristocracy. Aristocrats possess hereditary titles granted by a monarch, which once granted them feudal or legal privileges, or deriving, as in Ancient Greece and India,...
in the general sense, or can refer to sovereignty itself. Thus it did not usually refer to a specific office such as Rí
Rí
Rí, or very commonly ríg , is an ancient Gaelic word meaning "King". It is used in historical texts referring to the Irish and Scottish kings and those of similar rank. While the modern Irish word is exactly the same, in modern Scottish it is Rìgh, apparently derived from the genitive. The word...
(king) which any given flaith might or might not hold, allowing for the term to eventually develop the slightly alternative meaning of any hereditary high aristocrat who was understood to be subordinate to the king. In this later sense a flaith was similar to a magnate
Magnate
Magnate, from the Late Latin magnas, a great man, itself from Latin magnus 'great', designates a noble or other man in a high social position, by birth, wealth or other qualities...
or Grandee
Grandee
Grandee is the word used to render in English the Iberic high aristocratic title Grande , used by the Spanish nobility; Portuguese nobility, and Brazilian nobility....
.
The later development in meaning, innocent in itself, unfortunately allowed the term flaith to become confused with chief
Chief
- Title or rank :* Chiefs of the Name, the head of a family or clan* Chief executive officer, the highest-ranking corporate officer of an organization* Chief Master Sergeant, in the United States Air Force* Chief of police, the head of a police department...
as that term is commonly understood in English, when in fact a Gaelic "chief" was very often technically a rí (king) of any one of three or more grades and holding a White Wand
White Wand
The White Rod, White Wand, Rod of Inauguration, or Wand of Sovereignty, in the Irish language variously called the slat na ríghe and slat tighearnais , was the primary symbol of a Gaelic king or lord's legitimate authority and the principal prop used in his inauguration ceremony...
. A flaith might not hold a White Wand; he might simply be a brother, nephew or some relation of the king. The flaith might be the head of a junior sept
Sept
A sept is an English word for a division of a family, especially a division of a clan. The word might have its origin from Latin saeptum "enclosure, fold", or it can be an alteration of sect.The term is found in both Ireland and Scotland...
of the royal kindred or a member of another great family which was somehow in the king's service.
It became an element in personal and eventually family names, an example being the royal family of O'Flaherty
O'Flaherty
Ó Flaithbertaigh, Gaelic-Irish surname, anglicized as O'Flaherty-Overview:This Gaelic-Irish surname is written as "Ua Flaithbertach" or "Ua Flaithbertaig" in Old Irish and Middle Irish texts....
or Ua Flaithbertaig ("Descendants of the Bright Prince"). It could be combined with rí to form the personal name Flaithrí ("Princely King" or "Kingly Prince"), an example being Flaithrí mac Domnaill
Flaithrí mac Domnaill
Flaithrí mac Domnaill was a King of Connacht from the Uí Briúin branch of the Connachta. He was the son of Domnall mac Cellaig, a previous king. The sept of Ui Briun he belonged to was the Síl Cellaig of Loch Cime. He reigned from 773-777....
, King of Connacht.
A Banfhlaith (lit. "Lady Prince") was a princess more specifically described. However, illustrative of how flaith was principally a general term for a member of the high nobility, the personal names Gormflaith
Gormflaith
Gormflaith ingen Murchada was born in Naas, County Kildare, Ireland, around 960. She was the daughter of Murchad mac Finn, King of Leinster, sister of his successor, Mael Mórdha mac Murchada, and widow of Olaf Cuaran, the Viking king of Dublin and York. The main source of her life history is the...
("Blue Princess" or "Blue Sovereignty") and Órflaith ("Golden Princess") were understood to be female without the addition of the feminine affix.