Synopsis
Between 1169 and around 1240, large parts of Ireland were occupied by members of an Anglo-Norman upper class, which had already advanced into Wales and which was still engaged in acquiring land in Scotland. In their wake came peasants, craftsmen and traders, to settle mainly in the lowlands of the south and east. English law and forms of government were also transplanted, as the Plantagenet kings asserted their authority, turning Ireland into a lordship where they could reward those around them with lands and rights, and from which they expected financial returns and support in their wars. No part of the island was unaffected by the military and political activities of the Anglo-Normans, who upset existing power-structures and faced Irish rulers with complex pressures and choices.
This book traces the course of the invasion and conquest, assesses the role of the English monarchy in the process, and considers the response of the Gaelic dynasties. It shows how the newcomers built castles and churches, organized lordships, developed boroughs, and changed the character of institutions in many parts of Ireland by introducing English systems of law and administration. It ends in the fourteenth century, when the age of territorial expansion was long past, and the colony - though far from collapse - was experiencing significant stress and change.
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