List of kings of Waterford facts for kids
This article tells you about the important leaders, called kings, who ruled the city of Waterford a long time ago. Waterford is a city in Ireland. We'll look at the Viking kings and later the early Norman rulers.
Viking Kings of Waterford (914–1170)
The Vikings first set up a camp or port, called a longphort, near Waterford in 853. They finally settled down and built a town there in 914. These early Viking settlers were led by Ottir Iarla.
In 917, Ragnall ua Ímair took charge of the Vikings in Waterford. However, he left for Britain a year later with Ottir, likely leaving someone else in charge.
Many of the Norse kings in the 11th century were descendants of Ímar, who died in the year 1000. These kings often worked with and sometimes reported to the powerful O'Brien dynasty. They may have even married into the O'Brien family. In the 1070s, a member of the O'Brien family, Diarmait, son of Toirrdelbach Ua Briain, even ruled Waterford directly for a time.
Here are some of the Viking kings of Waterford:
- Ottir Iarla (914–917)
- Ragnall ua Ímair (917-920/1)
- Ímar (died 1000)
- Ragnall mac Ímair (died 1018)
- Sitriuc mac Ímair (died 1022)
- Ragnall ua Ímair (ruled 1022–1035)
- Cú Inmain ua Robann (died 1037)
- Wadter (?-?)
- Ragnall Mac Gilla Muire (?-1170)
- O'Faoláin (?-1170)
We don't know exactly what happened to the Viking rulers of Waterford after the Normans arrived. The Vikings were forced out of their city. Records show they lived in the countryside nearby for a while. It's also unclear how long the Uí Ímair family continued to provide rulers for Waterford.
Early Norman Rulers (1170–1284)
This section lists the rulers of Waterford from the early Cambro-Norman period. These were people from Wales and Normandy (in France) who came to Ireland. These rulers were in charge, even if they weren't always living in Waterford.
In 1171, King Henry II of England declared Waterford to be a "royal city." This meant it was directly controlled by the king. The first known official document, called a charter, for Waterford was given by King John of England in 1205. We know that Waterford had a "Provost" (an early type of city manager) in 1195. This shows that the city had a civil administration before mayors were officially established.
Here are some of the early Norman rulers of Waterford:
- Richard de Clare, 2nd Earl of Pembroke (also known as Strongbow) (1170)
- Raymond le Gros (also known as Raymond Fitzgerald) (1170)
- King Henry II of England (1171)
See also
- List of mayors of Waterford
