Read 1014: Brian Boru & the Battle for Ireland for Free Online Page A

Empire in the fifth century had meant the end of a great merchant network, but in time the Vikings constructed something similar to suit themselves. By the late tenth century they were trading with rising commercial interests along the borders of the English Channel and the North Sea. The once-flourishing traffic in luxury goods through the Mediterranean was long gone, but now Swedish and Danish adventurers were opening new trade routes from Byzantium to Russia, and importing eastern goods to the northern coasts.
    Dublin had become a very valuable property. Sitric and Maelmora looked upon it as their own. Let the new Árd Rí have the rest of Ireland – ancient, backward Ireland.
    Malachy Mór did not see it that way. He set about confirming his new position by demanding tribute from the provincial kings. The Uí Néill of Ulster responded immediately, as he expected. Connacht took a little longer, and Leinster longer still, sending only a fraction of the cattle due a high king.
    Nothing was heard from Munster.
    By this time Malachy was well aware of the rise to power of Brian Boru. From Malachy’s point of view the Dalcassian upstart lacked the credentials to be a provincial king at all. To remind him what real power was, Malachy led an army to Thomond to cut down the inaugural tree of the Dalcassians, the sacred oak beneath which every king of Thomond was crowned. This gesture of dominance was something the Dalcassian at Cashel could hardly ignore. Malachy fully expected that the Munster tribute would arrive at Tara in due course. Things had always been done this way in Ireland.
    The Árd Rí then marched into Leinster to attack its king, Donall, take a number of hostages and destroy most of his army. Malachy ordered his men to collect double the number of cattle still due to him and deliver them tohis personal fort at Dun na Sciath – the Fort of the Shield – on Lough Ennell, in what is now County Westmeath. The high king’s army swept through the green countryside driving everything before it, including all the cattle from the royal stronghold of Naas, which was surrounded by some of the richest grassland in Ireland. Maelmora, senior among the princes living at Naas, was one of those left to pick up the pieces.
    Maelmora was a man with his own agenda. He aspired to the kingship of the province, and saw the defeat of the pious Donall as a step in the right direction. Although he was seething inside over the loss of the royal herds, Maelmora did not openly defy the new Árd Rí. Politics triumphed over passion. He played his trump card. One might more accurately say he played his queen.
    Chess was an extremely popular game in Ireland. The Gaelic version of this almost universal game was known as
fidchell
, and was the perfect pastime when inclement weather kept warriors from taking the field. No chieftain worthy of the gold torc he wore around his neck would fail to have at least one board and a set of chessmen among his possessions. The
fidchell
board was carved from yew wood and divided into black and white squares. The chessmen were two and a half inches tall, elaborately carved and embellished with preciousmetals. Chess furniture was considered so much of a necessity that it was classified along with food under Brehon law. Brian Boru’s favourite chess pieces were said to be fashioned entirely of yellow gold and white bronze, and the soft leather bag in which they were stored was gilded. Maelmora of Leinster considered himself a champion at chess.
    In 984 Maelmora encouraged Malachy Mór to marry his sister, the newly widowed princess Gormlaith, former wife of Olaf Cuaran. Maelmora assured Malachy that the marriage would be sufficient to gain the loyalty of himself and his followers among the Leinstermen. In addition , through Gormlaith’s son, Sitric, the commercial strength of Dublin would be at the disposal of the high king. Last but not least – and Maelmora did not mention this to Malachy – having family