Osraig

The kingdom bordered on the large and powerful kingdoms of Ireland Leinster and Munster , located between them. Osraig occupied fertile lands around the Nor River, on the territory of almost the entire modern county of Kilkenny and the western part of County Liish .

The southern border of the kingdom passed along the rivers Shur (Irl. - Suir) and Barrow (Irl. - Barrow), although initially it reached the sea and influenced the Kingdom of the Scandinavian Vikings of Waterford . In the north, it reached the mountains of the Words of Bloom (Irl. - Slieve Bloom) and the river Shannon (Irl. - Shannon), but then the kingdom decreased in size.

The Kingdom of Osraig bordered on the lands of kingdoms and clans: Ele (Ir. Ele), Ui Duach (Ir. Ui Duach), Loigis (Ir. Loigis), Ui Drona (Ir. Ui Drona), Ui Hennselaig (Ir. Uí Cheinnselaig), Desi Muvayn (Irl. Desi Mumhain), Kashel Eoganakhtov (Irl. Eóganachta Caisel).

The capital of Osraig was Kilkenny . The kingdom was conquered by England and ceased to exist in 1176 .

The name Osraige means "people of the deer," and traditionally comes from the name of the once-ruling tribal dynasty founded by the semi-legendary pre-Christian founder Osrithe (see: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osraige#Origins_and_prehistory ).

The name of the kingdom - Osraig - comes from the Usdaye tribe (Irl. - Usdaie), which, according to Ptolemy , lived in this territory. Other tribes mentioned on these lands are brigants and kauka. The inhabitants of Osraig themselves claimed that they were descended from the Eraynn tribe.

The modern counties of Kilkenny and Laois are the core of the lands of the former kingdom of Osraig.

Initially, Osraig had a semi-independent status in the kingdom of Munster . During the reign of King Karball Mack Dunlinge ( 842 - 888 ), the influence and prestige of the kingdom of Osraig increased. He won a series of victories over the Vikings and forced the High King of Ireland, Maelshechneill poppy Mael Ruanaid, to finally recognize Osraig ’s independence from Munster in 859 .

At the end of the 10th century, kings who ruled Osraig, descendants of Karball Mack Dunlinge, adopted the surname Mack Giolla Patraig. In 1033, King Osraig Donnhad poppy Gilla Patraig (1003-1039) captured the neighboring kingdom of Leinster , where he ruled until his death in 1039 . In the middle of the XII century , an internecine struggle for power began in Osraig, the kingdom broke up into warring parts. This happened shortly before the Norman invasion of Ireland, which began in 1169 .

In the early years of the conquest, the Anglo-Norman feudal lords began to make devastating campaigns in the kingdom of Osraig and the surrounding lands. In 1171, King Henry II Plantagenet of England landed in the harbor of Waterford with an army. On the banks of the river. Shur was introduced to him by many Irish kings and tribal leaders, among them was King Osraig Domnall poppy Giolla Patraig (1165–1176). After the Norman invasion of Ireland, William Marshall arrived in Osraig (Ossori) and began to manage the vast land holdings he received through marriage to Isabella de Claire, daughter of Richard Strongbow, Earl of Pembroke . He began the construction of a large castle in Kilkenny Fortress. William Marshall is largely responsible for forcing the MacGioll Patraig clan to relocate from its southern headquarters on r. North to Osraig, which later became known as Upper Ossori.

Later, the Butler family inherited the southern lands of Ossori, having acquired the city of Kilkenny and the title of Counts of Ossori. Briain Mac Giolla Patrigue (c. 1485 - 1575 ) was one of the first representatives of the Irish nobility, who agreed to recognize the supreme power of the English Tudor dynasty and was officially introduced in 1537 to King Henry VIII of England. Rod Mac Giolla Patrike became known in the English manner "Fitzpatrick." In 1541, Briain received the title of Baron of Upper Ossori from the English king.

Later, his descendants received the title of Earls of Upper Ossori and Barons of Castletown. Bernard Fitzpatrick, the last Baron of Castletown , passed away in 1937 .

• Kings of Osraig
• Werewolves Osraig

• Kings of Osraige, a.842-1176. - Pages 202-203, in "A New History of Ireland", volume IX, ed. Byrne, Martin, Moody, 1984.
• The FitzPatricks of Ossory. - T. Lyng, Old Kilkenny Review, Vol. 2, no. 3, 1981.
• Book of Leinster , Reges Ossairge at CELT: Corpus of Electronic Texts at University College Cork
• Kilkenny. - John Hogan / PM Egan, 1884.
• The Encyclopaedia of Ireland. - B. Lawlor, Gill & McMillan, 2003 .-- ISBN 0-7171-3000-2