Amlaíb Conung facts for kids

Amlaíb Conung (pronounced AW-lav KON-ung) was a powerful Viking leader. He was active in Ireland and Scotland during the mid-to-late 800s. He was the son of the king of Lochlann, a place often thought to be Norway. Amlaíb had two brothers, Auisle and Ímar. Ímar later started the famous Uí Ímair family, whose members ruled the Irish Sea area for many years.

The old Irish records, called the Irish Annals, called Amlaíb, Ímar, and Auisle "kings of the foreigners." Today, historians often call them "kings of Dublin." This is because Dublin was the main base for their power. The name "Conung" comes from an old Norse word, konungr, which simply means "king." Some experts believe Amlaíb was the same person as Olaf the White, another Viking king mentioned in old Icelandic stories.

In the late 850s and early 860s, Amlaíb fought a long war with Máel Sechnaill. Máel Sechnaill was the most powerful ruler in Ireland at the time. The reason for their fight is not fully clear. It might have been about who controlled Munster, a region in Ireland, and its valuable resources. Amlaíb teamed up with different Irish kings, like Cerball of Ossory and Áed Findliath of the Northern Uí Néill, to fight Máel Sechnaill.

Máel Sechnaill died in 862, and his lands were divided. This effectively ended the conflict. After this, Amlaíb and his family fought against other Irish leaders to make their kingdom bigger. In later years, Amlaíb led many raids in Scotland. However, these raids were stopped in 868 when he fought against his former ally, Áed Findliath. Several Viking camps along the northern coast were burned down during this time. Amlaíb is last mentioned in historical records in 871. Later stories say he went back to Lochlann to help his father in a war. The Pictish Chronicle says he died in battle against Constantine I of Scotland, probably around 874.

Viking Raids and Settlements

The first recorded Viking raids in Ireland happened in 795. Over time, these attacks became more frequent and intense. Vikings started staying in Ireland through the winter for the first time in 840–841. In 841, a Viking camp, called a longphort, was built at Áth Cliath. This place later grew into the city of Dublin. Other longphorts were also set up around Ireland. Some of these grew into larger Viking towns over time.

More Vikings arrived in Ireland in 851. These new arrivals were called "dark foreigners." This term usually meant the newly arrived Vikings, while the "fair foreigners" were the Vikings who had lived in Ireland for a while. By the mid-800s, a Viking kingdom was established in Scotland. This kingdom controlled some of the Vikings in Ireland. By 853, a separate kingdom of Dublin was set up. It claimed control over all the Vikings in Ireland.

Amlaíb's Arrival in Ireland

The first mention of Amlaíb Conung is in the Annals of Ulster. In 853, these records describe his arrival in Ireland:

Amlaíb, son of the king of Lochlann, came to Ireland, and the foreigners of Ireland submitted to him, and he took tribute from the Irish.

Amlaíb is called a "king of the foreigners" in these old writings. But in modern books, he is usually called the first king of Dublin. This is because Dublin was the main place where his power was based. His brothers arrived in Ireland later, and they ruled together as co-kings. The Fragmentary Annals give more details about Amlaíb's arrival:

Also in this year, i.e., the sixth year of the reign of Máel Sechlainn, Amlaíb Conung, son of the king of Lochlann, came to Ireland, and he brought with him a proclamation of many tributes and taxes from his father, and he departed suddenly. Then his younger brother Ímar came after him to levy the same tribute.

The land of Lochlann, where Amlaíb's father was king, is often thought to be Norway. However, some historians believe that in early times, Lochlann referred to the Norse and Norse-Gael lands in places like the Hebrides, the Isle of Man, and parts of mainland Scotland. By the 1100s, it definitely meant Norway.

Wars and Alliances

If Amlaíb left Ireland, he was back by 857. In that year, he and Ímar fought against Máel Sechnaill. Máel Sechnaill was the most powerful king in Ireland at the time. His lands were close to the Viking settlement of Dublin. The fighting had started the year before. The Annals of Ulster reported "Great warfare between the heathens and Mael Sechnaill, supported by Norse-Irish."

The fighting mainly happened in Munster. Máel Sechnaill wanted to control the kings there. He took important people as hostages from Munster in 854, 856, and 858. The power of the local kings in Munster had become weaker. This weakness likely attracted both Máel Sechnaill and the Vikings. Their competition for Munster's resources might have caused the war. Early battles seemed to go well for the Vikings. Amlaíb and Ímar "inflicted a rout on Caitill the Fair and his Norse-Irish in the lands of Munster."

In 858, Ímar teamed up with Cerball, the King of Ossory. They defeated a group of Norse-Irish at Araid Tíre. Ossory was a small kingdom between the larger areas of Munster and Leinster. Cerball had fought against the Vikings before. But he allied with them to challenge Máel Sechnaill's power. The next year, Amlaíb, Ímar, and Cerball raided Máel Sechnaill's main lands in Meath. After this, Cerball stopped his alliance with the Vikings and joined Máel Sechnaill.

With their ally gone, Amlaíb and Ímar looked for a new partner. They found one in Áed Findliath, the overking of the Northern Uí Néill. Áed was a rival of Máel Sechnaill. In 860, Máel Sechnaill and Cerball led a large army into Áed Findliath's lands near Armagh. While the southern army was camped there, Áed launched a night attack. His forces caused some damage but had to retreat. To get back at them, Amlaíb and Áed raided Meath in 861 and 862, but they were pushed back both times. The Fragmentary Annals say this alliance was made stronger by a marriage:

Áed son of Niall and his son-in-law Amlaíb (Áed's daughter was Amlaíb's wife) went with great armies of Irish and Norwegians to the plain of Mide, and they plundered it and killed many freemen.

Later on, alliances between the Northern Uí Néill and the Vikings of Dublin became common. The Northern and Southern Uí Néill often competed for power in Ireland. The Vikings and the Southern Uí Néill were not always friendly, which made the Vikings natural allies for the Northerners.

Later Campaigns and Disappearance

Dumbarton Rock (Alt Clut), captured by Amlaíb and Ímar after a four-month siege in 870

Máel Sechnaill died in 862. His territory in Meath was split between two rulers. Amlaíb and Ímar, now joined by their younger brother Auisle, tried to use this change to expand their power. In 863, the three brothers raided Brega with one of the new rulers. The next year, Amlaíb drowned the other ruler at Clonard Abbey. Another Irish king, Muirecán mac Diarmata, was killed by Vikings in 863. This was likely Amlaíb and his family trying to expand into Leinster.

Around 864, the three brothers stopped their campaigns in Ireland. Instead, they went to Britain. Ímar disappears from the Irish records in 864 and doesn't show up again until 870. Some historians believe he is the same person as Ivar the Boneless. Ivar was a Viking leader active in England as a commander of the Great Heathen Army. In 866, Amlaíb and Auisle led a large army to Pictland (Scotland) and raided much of the country. They took many people as captives.

The Irish kings took advantage of the Vikings' absence to fight back. In 866, several Viking camps along the northern coast were destroyed by Áed Findliath. It's possible Áed was still allied with Amlaíb then. But by 868, Amlaíb and Áed were at war. The Vikings faced more problems in 866–867. Their camps at Cork and Youghal were destroyed. An army was defeated in Kerry. Two battles were lost against the Irish in Leinster, and Amlaíb's fort at Clondalkin was destroyed.

Amlaíb returned to Ireland in 867, probably to stop these defeats. Around this time, his brother Auisle was killed by a relative, possibly Amlaíb himself. In 868, Amlaíb's son Carlus died in battle at Killineer, fighting against Áed Findliath's forces. This was a big victory for the Northern Uí Néill. To get revenge, Amlaíb raided the monastery at Armagh. This was an important religious site supported by the Northern Uí Néill kings.

In 870, the Vikings' situation improved because of fighting among the Irish rulers of Leinster. Another victory came that year when a "dark foreigner" named Úlfr killed a king of southern Brega. The situation was stable enough for Amlaíb to raid Britain again. In 870, Amlaíb and Ímar (who reappeared in the records) attacked Dumbarton Rock. This was the main fortress of the Kingdom of Strathclyde. They captured it after a four-month siege. The two returned to Dublin in 871 with 200 ships. They "brought with them in captivity a great prey of Angles, Britons and Picts."

Amlaíb's return to Dublin in 871 is the last time he is mentioned in records from that period. However, the Fragmentary Annals say he returned to Lochlann that year to help his father Gofraid in a war. The Pictish Chronicle says he died around 874 during a long fight against Constantine I in Scotland:

...after two years Amlaib, with his people, laid waste Pictavia; and he dwelt there from 1 January until the feast of Saint Patrick. Again in the third year Amlaib, while collecting tribute, was killed by Constantine. A short while after that battle was fought in his 14th year at Dollar between the Danes and the Scots, the Scots were annihilated at Atholl. The Norsemen spent a whole year in Pictavia.

Amlaíb and Olaf the White

The Viking sea-king Olaf the White is mentioned in several Nordic stories called sagas. Many historians believe he is the same person as Amlaíb. The Landnámabók, an Icelandic saga, says that Olaf the White landed in Ireland in 852 and started the kingdom of Dublin. This matches closely with the Irish records about Amlaíb.

However, there are some differences. The sagas give different family trees for Olaf. The Irish records say Amlaíb was the son of Gofraid, King of Lochlann. The sagas also disagree on Amlaíb/Olaf's children. The sagas name Thorstein the Red, while the Irish records name Oistin and Carlus. Some historians have tried to say Thorstein and Oistin are the same person, but this is generally not accepted due to the different dates mentioned for them.

Another problem is that the Pictish Chronicle says Amlaíb was killed in Scotland. But the sagas say Olaf was killed in Ireland. One idea is that the Vikings did not always tell the difference between the Gaelic people of Scotland and Ireland.

Amlaíb's Family

The Fragmentary Annals say Amlaíb's father was Gofraid. His brother Ímar joined him in Ireland by 857, and his brother Auisle by 863. The Annals of Ulster call the three "kings of the foreigners" in 863. The Fragmentary Annals describe them as brothers:

The king had three sons: Amlaíb, Ímar, and Óisle. Óisle was the least of them in age, but he was the greatest in valor, for he outshone the Irish in casting javelins and in strength with spears. He outshone the Norwegians in strength with swords and in shooting arrows. His brothers loathed him greatly, and Amlaíb the most; the causes of the hatred are not told because of their length.

The Annals of Ulster say Auisle was killed in 867 by "kinsmen in parricide." The Fragmentary Annals clearly state that Amlaíb and Ímar were responsible for their brother's death:

[Auisle] said: 'Brother,' he said, 'if your wife, i.e., the daughter of Cináed, does not love you, why not give her to me, and whatever you have lost by her, I shall give to you.' When Amlaíb heard that, he was seized with great jealousy, and he drew his sword, and struck it into the head of Óisle, his brother, so that he killed him.

Some historians think Halfdan Ragnarsson was another brother. This idea depends on Ímar being the same as Ivar the Boneless. Halfdan and Ivar are named as brothers in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle. According to the Annals of Ulster, Amlaíb's son Oistin was killed in battle by "Albann" in 875. This "Albann" is generally believed to be Halfdan. If this is true, it might explain the fight: it was a family dispute for control of the kingdom. One issue is that Norse stories say Ivar and Halfdan were sons of Ragnar Lodbrok. But Ímar and Amlaíb are named as sons of Gofraid in the Fragmentary Annals. However, whether Ragnar was a real person is uncertain, so the idea of him being their father might not be accurate.

The records mention two wives of Amlaíb. One was an unnamed daughter of Áed Findliath. The other, mentioned when Auisle died, was "the daughter of Cináed." It's been suggested that the reference to Áed was a mistake, and Amlaíb's wife was a daughter of Cináed mac Conaing. Another idea is that Cináed was Kenneth MacAlpin. This would make Amlaíb a brother-in-law of Constantine I, who killed him. Amlaíb had two sons mentioned in the records: Oistin and Carlus. Both died violently. Carlus died in 868 fighting Áed Findliath, and Oistin was "deceitfully killed by Albann" in 875.

Family Tree

Images for kids

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  Ireland around 900, showing Viking settlements like Dublin, Wexford, and Limerick.