Parents: Cennétig mac Lorcáin and Bé Binn inion Urchadh
Date of Birth: circa 941
House: O'Brien
Spouse: Mór, daughter of Uí Fiachrach Aidne, king of Connacht, then Gormflaith of Leinster, among others
Spouse: Mór, daughter of Uí Fiachrach Aidne, king of Connacht, then Gormflaith of Leinster, among others
Predecessor: Máel Sechnaill mac Domnaill
Reign: 1002 – 1014
Summary: Like so many others founders of dynasties, Brian came from relatively humble origins. He was one of the many sons of the king of Dál Cais, a sub-kingdom in Munster. When his father died in 964, his brother Mathgamain became the king. With the help of his brothers, Mathgamain began the conquest of all of Munster. He fought rivals for the title throughout the 960s and 970s but had to fight both Vikings and legitimate claimants the entire time. Mathgamain was murdered in 976 by the legitimate claimant to the title "king of Munster". Brian succeeded his brother that year and renewed his attacks on the claimant, eventually defeating him in 978. Brian claimed the overlordship of Munster and defeated the Vikings as well, though he made some survivors into his faithful allies. Soon after his victory, he began to stretch his power outward toward Leinster and Connacht, two neighboring kingdoms. By doing so, he came into direct conflict with Máel Sechnaill mac Domnaill, the reigning titular high king of Ireland. For fifteen years the two kings fought over each other's territories. Brian began to win when he combined land and water tactics to surprise his enemy. In 996, Brian took control of Leinster and Máel Sechnaill made a treaty with him the next year. They split Ireland in two. Brian controlled Munster and Leinster, as well as the Norse holdings in the south; Máel Sechnaill took Meath, Connacht, and Ulster in the north. In 998, Leinster went into open revolt against Brian and the Viking holdings joined in. Brian crushed them both but retained their rulers as vassals under his direct control. Brian immediately followed his victory in the south with a new attack on the north. Máel Sechnaill had had enough. In 1002, he surrendered the high kingship of Ireland to Brian and retired to his small kingdom of Meath.
Unlike his predecessors, Brian intended to be the true high king of Ireland. He sought power and authority. Brian invaded Ulster with a vengeance and forced every provincial lord to recognize his authority. In 1005, Brian changed his tactics and won over Ulster by basically bribing their head monastery. He donated a large sum of money to the monastery at Armagh and declared it the new religious capital of Ireland. Armagh instantly recognized Brian's claim by naming him Imperator Scottorum, "Emperor of the Irish". With control over the Catholic Church and the submission of the northern kingdoms, Brian began his rule as uncontested rulers of Ireland in 1011. He wished to establish a centralized Irish state such as that in Scotland and England. With unity achieved, his next step was to reduce the sub-kingdoms to duchies or other forms of vassal states. The feudal system had to be imposed and soon. But then everything went wrong. Leinster once again rose up in revolt in 1012. Allying with a lordling in Ulster and the Viking ruler of Dublin, the Leinster king fought long and hard and successfully defeated Brian. But his victory was tenuous and the rest of Ireland was not following his lead. The rebel king sent for help from Britain while Brian rallied his own armies to go on the offensive. All was going good for Brian until Máel Schnaill withdrew his support and his troops from Brian's army. The rebel king succeeded in brining fresh troops from Orkney and the Isle of Man. Outside Dublin, the two armies met and fought the long Battle of Clontarf into the night. Brian was killed in the battle and Máel Schnaill briefly retook his lost title of high king. The Ui Briain (O'Brien) clan would return time and again to reclaim the title of high king, but none of them ever received the authority that its founder, Brian Boru, maintained during his brief reign.
Unlike his predecessors, Brian intended to be the true high king of Ireland. He sought power and authority. Brian invaded Ulster with a vengeance and forced every provincial lord to recognize his authority. In 1005, Brian changed his tactics and won over Ulster by basically bribing their head monastery. He donated a large sum of money to the monastery at Armagh and declared it the new religious capital of Ireland. Armagh instantly recognized Brian's claim by naming him Imperator Scottorum, "Emperor of the Irish". With control over the Catholic Church and the submission of the northern kingdoms, Brian began his rule as uncontested rulers of Ireland in 1011. He wished to establish a centralized Irish state such as that in Scotland and England. With unity achieved, his next step was to reduce the sub-kingdoms to duchies or other forms of vassal states. The feudal system had to be imposed and soon. But then everything went wrong. Leinster once again rose up in revolt in 1012. Allying with a lordling in Ulster and the Viking ruler of Dublin, the Leinster king fought long and hard and successfully defeated Brian. But his victory was tenuous and the rest of Ireland was not following his lead. The rebel king sent for help from Britain while Brian rallied his own armies to go on the offensive. All was going good for Brian until Máel Schnaill withdrew his support and his troops from Brian's army. The rebel king succeeded in brining fresh troops from Orkney and the Isle of Man. Outside Dublin, the two armies met and fought the long Battle of Clontarf into the night. Brian was killed in the battle and Máel Schnaill briefly retook his lost title of high king. The Ui Briain (O'Brien) clan would return time and again to reclaim the title of high king, but none of them ever received the authority that its founder, Brian Boru, maintained during his brief reign.
Date of Death: 23 April 1014
Successor: Máel Sechnaill mac Domnaill
Other Monarch Deaths:
Wihtred, king of Kent (725)
Ethelred I, king of Wessex (871)
Ethelred II, king of England (1016)
Alexander I, king of Scots (1124)
Inge II, king of Norway (1217)
Boris Godunov, tsar of Russia (1605)
Maurice, stadtholder of the Netherlands (1625)
Solomon I, king of Imereti (1784)
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