Everything about Richard De Clare 2nd Earl Of Pembroke totally explained
Richard de Clare, 2nd Earl of Pembroke, Lord of Leinster, Justiciar of Ireland (
1130 –
20 April 1176), known as
Strongbow, was a
Cambro-Norman lord notable for his leading role in the
Norman invasion of Ireland.
He was the son of
Gilbert de Clare, 1st Earl of Pembroke and Isabel de Beaumont. His father Gilbert died when Richard was about eighteen years old, and he inherited the title
Earl of Pembroke, but had either forfeited or lost it by
1168.
Ireland
In 1168
Dermot MacMurrough (Daimait MacMurchada), King of Leinster, driven out of his kingdom by
Turlough O'Connor (Irish
Tairrdelbach mac Ruaidri Ua Conchobair),
High King of Ireland with the help of
Tiernan O'Rourke (Irish
Tigernán Ua Ruairc), came to solicit help from
Henry II.
He was pointed in the direction of Richard and other
Marcher barons and knights by King Henry, who was always looking to extend his power in
Ireland. Diarmuid secured the services of Richard, promising him the hand of his daughter Aoife and the succession to Leinster. An army was assembled that included
Welsh archers. The army, under
Raymond le Gros, took
Wexford,
Waterford and
Dublin in
1169 and
1170, and Strongbow joined them in August 1170. The day after the capture of Waterford, he married MacMorrough's daughter
Aoife of Leinster.
The success was bittersweet, as King Henry, concerned that his barons would become too powerful and independent overseas, ordered all the troops to return by Easter
1171. However, in May of that year, Diarmuid died, and Strongbow claimed the kingship of Leinster in the right of his wife. The old King's death was the signal of a general rising, and Richard barely managed to keep
Roderick out of
Dublin. Immediately afterwards, Richard hurried to England to solicit help from Henry II, and in return surrendered to him all his lands and castles. Henry invaded in October
1172, staying six months and putting his own men into nearly all the important places, and assumed the title
Lord of Ireland. Richard kept only
Kildare, and found himself again largely disenfranchised.
In
1173, Henry's sons
rose against him in
Normandy, and Richard went to France with the King. As a reward for his service he was reinstated in Leinster and made governor of Ireland, where he faced near-constant rebellion. In
1174, he advanced into Connaught and was severely defeated, but Raymond le Gros, his chief general, re-established his supremacy in Leinster. After another rebellion, in
1176, Raymond took
Limerick for Richard, but just at this moment of triumph, Strongbow died of an infection in his foot.
Legacy
Strongbow was the statesman, whereas Raymond was the soldier, of the conquest. He is vividly described by
Giraldus Cambrensis as a tall and fair man, of pleasing appearance, modest in his bearing, delicate in features, of a low voice, but sage in council and the idol of his soldiers. He was buried in Dublin's
Christ Church Cathedral where his alleged
effigy can be viewed.
Strongbow's original tomb-effigy was destroyed when the roof of the Cathedral collapsed in the 16th century. The one that's on display now actually bears the coat of arms of the Earls of Kildare and dates from c.15th century.
He left a young son Gilbert who died in
1185 while still a minor, and a daughter Isabel. King Henry II promised Isabel in marriage to
William the Marshal together with her father's lands and title. Strongbow's widow, Aoife, lived on to
1188, when she's last found in a charter.
Richard also held the title of
Lord Marshal of England.
It is as a result of Welsh settlers remaining behind after Strongbow's expedition that certain Irish surnames such as "Walsh" and "Wogan" are said to originate.
| Name |
irth |
eath |
otes |
| By Aoife of Leinster (Eva MacMurrough) (1145–1188), married 29 August 1170, daughter of Dermot MacMurrough, King of Leinster, and More O'Toole. |
| Isabel de Clare |
1172 |
1240 |
m. Aug 1189, Sir William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke, Lord Marshal, son of John Fitz Gilbert, Marshal (Marechal) of England, and Sibylla of Salisbury. |
| Gilbert de Striguil (Chepstow), 3rd Earl of Pembroke |
1173 |
1185 |
Inherited title from father but died as a minor. The title then went to his sister's husband on marriage. |
| By an unknown mistress |
| Basile de Clare |
1156 |
1203 |
m. [1], 1172, Robert de Quincy. m. [2] 1173, Raymond Fitzgerald, known as Raymond le Gros (External Link ), Constable of Leinster. m. [3] 1188, Geoffrey Fitz Robert, Baron of Kells. |
Further Information
Get more info on 'Richard De Clare 2nd Earl Of Pembroke'.
|
External Link Exchanges
Do you know how hard it is to get a link from a large encyclopaedia? Well we're different and will prove it. To get a link from us just add the following HTML to your site on a relevant page:
<a href="http://richard_de_clare__2nd_earl_of_pembroke.totallyexplained.com">Richard de Clare, 2nd Earl of Pembroke Totally Explained</a>
Then simply click through this link from your web page. Our crawlers will verify your link, extract the title of your web page and instantly add a link back to it. If you like you can remove the words Totally Explained and embed the link in article text.
As long as your link remains in place, we'll keep our link to you right here. Please play fair - our crawlers are watching. Your site must be closely related to this one's topic. Any kind of spamming, dubious practises or removing the link will result in your link from us being dropped and, potentially, your whole site being banned. |
