Irish Kingship in the Eleventh and Twelfth Centuries

Approaches to the Study of Power

Irish Kingship in the Eleventh and Twelfth Centuries examines the power of medieval Irish kings but treats ‘power’ as a complex concept worthy of study in its own right. It starts from the premise that historians of medieval Ireland have interpreted ‘power’ in a narrow way.

Irish Kingship in the Eleventh and Twelfth Centuries examines the power of medieval Irish kings but treats ‘power’ as a complex concept worthy of study in its own right. It starts from the premise that historians of medieval Ireland have interpreted ‘power’ in a narrow way. This book engages with the rich corpus of literature on power produced by political scientists and sociologists, which reveals the sheer complexity, and vicissitudes, of ‘power’ as a concept. Where there is power, there is resistance. Hence, drawing on evidence from medieval Irish chronicles, hagiographies, saga literature, and advice texts, this book explores the largely ignored phenomena of revolt, resistance, and violence in eleventh- and twelfth-century Ireland.

It argues against a panoptic narrative of royal centralisation and suggests that the existence of a multiplicity of kings and non-royal lords has proven to be more of a problem for historians than it was for the Irish kings themselves.

This book will appeal to scholars and students of medieval Ireland, as well as those interested in the history of kingship, power, and resistance.

UK Delivery:

• Free delivery on all orders of £10 or more.
• £1.49 delivery fee on orders below £10.
• UK orders are shipped via Royal Mail 2nd Class.

International Delivery:

• Flat rate delivery charges vary by country.

Dispatch and Delivery Times:

• All orders are shipped from our warehouse in Northampton, UK within 48 hours of receipt during working hours.
• UK mainland orders typically arrive within 3-5 working days via Royal Mail 2nd Class.
• International estimated delivery times:
• Europe & Channel Islands: 7 to 10 working days
• USA: 7 to 15 working days
• Rest of the World: 9 to 21 working days

View our full delivery infomation here.