Máel Muire ingen Amlaíb
Encyclopedia
Máel Muire was Queen of Ireland, being actually styled so in the Annals of Clonmacnoise
. The wife of Máel Sechnaill mac Domnaill
, High King of Ireland
, she was a daughter of Amlaíb Cuarán, King of Dublin until 980/1 and formerly King of York, making her a member of the Norse-Irish Uí Ímair
dynasty and the first Queen of Ireland of ultimately foreign or non-Celtic lineage known to be historical. One of her brothers was the celebrated king of Dublin Sitric Silkbeard
, while a sister Gytha was wife to Olaf Tryggvason, King of Norway.
Máel Sechnaill's earlier wife, and quite possibly Máel Muire's own mother, being first married to Amlaíb Cuarán, was the thrice married Gormflaith ingen Murchada, who became married to Brian Bóruma circa 999, but it is unknown when Máel Muire replaced her. Since Brian was not recognized High King until 1002, it is then possible Máel Muire was already queen when he deposed Máel Sechnaill, becoming queen again when Brian died in the Battle of Clontarf
in 1014, succeeding her possible mother Gormflaith twice. In the interval she would have been styled both Queen of Mide
and Queen of Tara
.
Annals of Clonmacnoise
The Annals of Clonmacnoise are an early 17th-century Early Modern English translation of a lost Irish chronicle, which covered events in Ireland from pre-history to A.D. 1408...
. The wife of Máel Sechnaill mac Domnaill
Máel Sechnaill mac Domnaill
Máel Sechnaill mac Domnaill , also called Máel Sechnaill Mór, Máel Sechnaill II, anglicized Malachy II, was King of Mide and High King of Ireland...
, High King of Ireland
High King of Ireland
The High Kings of Ireland were sometimes historical and sometimes legendary figures who had, or who are claimed to have had, lordship over the whole of Ireland. Medieval and early modern Irish literature portrays an almost unbroken sequence of High Kings, ruling from Tara over a hierarchy of...
, she was a daughter of Amlaíb Cuarán, King of Dublin until 980/1 and formerly King of York, making her a member of the Norse-Irish Uí Ímair
Uí Ímair
The Uí Ímair , or Dynasty of Ivar, were an enormous royal and imperial Norse dynasty who ruled Northern England, the Irish Sea region and Kingdom of Dublin, and the western coast of Scotland, including the Hebrides, from the mid 9th century, losing control of the first in the mid 10th, but the rest...
dynasty and the first Queen of Ireland of ultimately foreign or non-Celtic lineage known to be historical. One of her brothers was the celebrated king of Dublin Sitric Silkbeard
Sigtrygg Silkbeard
Sigtrygg II Silkbeard Olafsson was a Hiberno-Norse King of Dublin of the Uí Ímair dynasty...
, while a sister Gytha was wife to Olaf Tryggvason, King of Norway.
Máel Sechnaill's earlier wife, and quite possibly Máel Muire's own mother, being first married to Amlaíb Cuarán, was the thrice married Gormflaith ingen Murchada, who became married to Brian Bóruma circa 999, but it is unknown when Máel Muire replaced her. Since Brian was not recognized High King until 1002, it is then possible Máel Muire was already queen when he deposed Máel Sechnaill, becoming queen again when Brian died in the Battle of Clontarf
Battle of Clontarf
The Battle of Clontarf took place on 23 April 1014 between the forces of Brian Boru and the forces led by the King of Leinster, Máel Mórda mac Murchada: composed mainly of his own men, Viking mercenaries from Dublin and the Orkney Islands led by his cousin Sigtrygg, as well as the one rebellious...
in 1014, succeeding her possible mother Gormflaith twice. In the interval she would have been styled both Queen of Mide
Kingdom of Mide
Mide , spelt Midhe in modern Irish and anglicised as Meath, was a medieval kingdom in Ireland for over 1,000 years. Its name means "middle", denoting the fact that lay in the middle of Ireland....
and Queen of Tara
Hill of Tara
The Hill of Tara , located near the River Boyne, is an archaeological complex that runs between Navan and Dunshaughlin in County Meath, Leinster, Ireland...
.