Medieval Ireland. An Encyclopedia

(sharon) #1

It need not surprise us that literary reflexes of
these links have also survived. The Welsh prose tale,
Branwen uerch Lyr(Branwen, daughter of Llyr) has
as its starting point a marriage alliance between
Branwen, sister of the Welsh king Bendigeidfran, and
his Irish counterpart, Matholwch. An alliance of a dif-
ferent kind with the war leader Ingcél, mac ríg Bretan
(son of the king of the Britons) forms the core of the
Irish narrative To gail Bruidne Da Derga(The Destruc-
tion of Da Derga’s Hostel). Ecclesiastical intercourse
is a commonplace motif in the Lives of a number of
Welsh and Irish saints, and while textual borrowing
may explain the resemblances in some instances, both
hagiographical cultures could well reflect indepen-
dently contacts taking place on the ground. In the
same way, we would do well to assess carefully the
perceived similarities between both literatures, recog-
nizing that while ample opportunity for borrowing
may have arisen, the two textual traditions are ulti-
mately the product of two distinct societies, however
intertwined.
MÁIRE NÍ MHAONAIGH


References and Further Reading


Charles-Edwards, Thomas. “Language and Society among the
Insular Celts A.D. 400–1000.” In The Celtic World, edited by
Miranda J. Green, 703–736. London and New York: Routledge,
1995.
Duffy, Seán. “Ostmen, Irish and Welsh in the Eleventh Century.”
Peritia: Journal of the Medieval Academy of Ireland 9
(1995): 378–396.
Lapidge, Michael. “Latin Learning in Dark Age Wales: Some
Prolegomena.” In Proceedings of the Seventh International
Congress of Celtic Studies, Oxford 1983, edited by D. Ellis
Evans, John G. Griffith, and E. M. Jope, 91–107. Oxford:
Cranham Press, 1986.
O’Rahilly, Cecile. Ireland and Wales: Their Historical and Lit-
erary Relations. London: Longmans, Green and Co., 1924.
Sims-Williams, Patrick. “The Evidence for Vernacular Irish Lit-
erary Influence on Early Mediaeval Welsh Literature.” In
Ireland in Early Mediaeval Europe: Studies in Memory of
Kathleen Hughes, edited by Dorothy Whitelock, Rosamond
McKitterick, and David Dumville, 235–257. Cambridge:
Cambridge University Press, 1982.


See alsoCormac mac Cuilennáin; Hagiography
and Martyrologies; Scriptoria


WILLIAM OF WINDSOR (c.1330–1386)
William of Windsor was born sometime around 1330
in Westmoreland. He was chief governor of Ireland
from1369 to 1372 and from 1373 to 1376. Windsor’s
appointment as king’s lieutenant in 1369 was a con-
tinuation of the policy of large-scale military interven-
tion, funded from England, that began with Lionel of
Clarence in 1361. Unlike Lionel, Windsor was not a


great prince of royal blood, but a mere knight. Yet his
experience of frontier conditions in the north of
England, where he had repeatedly demonstrated mili-
tary and administrative skill, and his service in Ireland
under Lionel from 1363, made him an obvious choice
to govern the lordship of Ireland.
Windsor’s tenure as chief governor was hampered
by acrimonious relations with the Anglo-Irish commu-
nity over the question of taxation. Whereas Lionel had
been appointed in the wake of a peace treaty of 1360
with France, Windsor’s appointment coincided with
the renewal of hostilities. It was feared that France
would attempt an invasion of Ireland as a “back door”
into England, and part of Windsor’s mandate was to
secure the southern coast. Windsor was heavily subsi-
dized from England, receiving some £22,300. This
figure was, however, modest compared to the sums
invested against France, and it was inadequate to main-
tain Windsor’s large army. Furthermore, the strain that
the Anglo-French war put on the English exchequer
meant that money was often slow in arriving. Windsor
therefore repeatedly summoned the Irish parliament
and demanded that it contribute to the cost of the
lordship’s defense.
The frequency and extent of Windsor’s demands
were unprecedented, and he resorted to coercion to
gain the funds he required. This breached the principle
that taxation had to be voted by parliament of its free
will and caused great antagonism. Lists of grievances
against him were sent to England, and in 1372 he was
recalled. He was reappointed, however, in 1373 and
continued as before. The policy reached a climax when
Irish representatives were summoned to England, pre-
sumably in the hope that they could be browbeaten
into voting funds. Representatives were duly elected,
but the communities specifically withheld the power
to grant a subsidy.
The opposition may in part have stemmed from
discontentment with Windsor’s record. He did suc-
ceed in gaining some submissions from Irish lords,
notably capturing and executing the king of Leinster,
Diarmait Láimhderg Mac Murchada. But these sub-
missions lasted only as long as they were directly
enforced. This dissatisfaction was mirrored in
England, where parliament found it difficult to justify
continued investment in Ireland when there was little
sign of a return to self-sufficiency, let alone profit-
ability. Renewed complaints sent to England found a
ready audience in the growing opposition to Edward III.
Windsor was vulnerable because he was the husband
of Alice Perrers, Edward III’s influential and despised
mistress. Windsor was recalled to England in 1376
to coincide with the “Good Parliament,” where the
accusations against his administration in Ireland may
have been used to attack Perrers.

WILLIAM OF WINDSOR (c. 1330–1386)
Free download pdf