This book examines the rise and fall of the aristocratic Lacy family in
England, Ireland, Wales and Normandy. As one of the first truly
transnational studies of individual medieval aristocrats, it provides a
fresh look at lordship and the interplay between aristocracy and crown
from 1166 to 1241.
Hugh de Lacy (d.1186) traded on his military usefulness to King Henry II
of England in Wales and Normandy to gain a speculative grant of the
ancient Irish kingdom of Mide (Meath). Hugh was remarkably successful in
Ireland, where he was able to thwart the juvenile ambitions of the
future King John to increase his powers there. Hugh was hailed by native
commentators as 'lord of the foreigners of Ireland' and even 'king of
Ireland'. In this study, his near-legendary life is firmly grounded in
the realities of Anglo-Irish politics. The political career of Hugh's
less famous son and heir, Walter de Lacy (d.1241), is in turn
illuminated by surviving royal records and his own acta. Walter was one
of the major players in the Irish Sea province under Kings Richard I,
John and Henry III, and his relationship with each king provides a
unique insight into the nature of their reigns. Over the course of
fifty-two years, Walter helped to shape the course of Anglo-Irish
history. That history is recast
in the light of the transnational perspective of its chief participants.
This book is especially useful for those studying the history of
medieval Britain and Ireland, and is a major contribution to current
debates over the structure of medieval European society.
