Ragnall mac Torcaill facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Ragnall mac Torcaill |
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| King of Dublin | |
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Ragnall's name as it appears on folio 23r of Oxford Bodleian Library MS Rawlinson B 488 (the Annals of Tigernach): "Raghnall".
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| Died | 1146 |
| House | Meic Torcaill |
| Father | Torcall |
Ragnall mac Torcaill (died 1146) was an important leader in the 1100s. He was part of a powerful family called the Meic Torcaill. Ragnall might have been the King of Dublin. He was killed in 1146. Some old records say he was a king when he died. Ragnall had at least one son, Ascall, who definitely became a king later on.
Contents
Ragnall's Family and Dublin's History
Ragnall's father was a significant person named Torcall. Old writings from the 1500s mention Torcall in 1133. Even though we don't know much about Torcall's family history, later records show that his family, the Meic Torcaill, owned a lot of land in the area. They were a very important family.
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Torcall's family became powerful around the time the Kingdom of Dublin was working closely with Diarmait Mac Murchada, King of Leinster. However, Diarmait lost control of Dublin in 1141. Another old book, the Annals of the Four Masters, says that Conchobar Ua Briain, a ruler from Munster, took over the town.
Dublin's Rulers and Welsh Adventures
After Conchobar was removed, the Annals of the Four Masters also tells us that the people of Dublin chose a man from the Isles, Ottar mac meic Ottair, to be their King of Dublin in 1142.
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Two years later, Ottar and an unnamed member of the Meic Torcaill family (who might have been Ragnall) went to Wales. They were working as hired soldiers, helping in a fight between two brothers, Owain Gwynedd and Cadwaladr. These brothers were sons of Gruffudd ap Cynan, the King of Gwynedd. Cadwaladr had asked for help from Ireland.
During this time, the Dubliners asked for two thousand captives or cattle as payment for their help. This shows that Dublin was still involved in the slave trade, where people were captured and sold. Some English leaders later used the desire to stop this slave trade as a reason to invade Ireland in the 1100s.
Ragnall's Death and Legacy
Ragnall died in 1146. Several old books, like the Annals of Tigernach and Chronicon Scotorum, report his death. These books call Ragnall the King of Dublin. If this is true, his rule would have started around 1144 and interrupted Ottar's time as king.
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However, the Annals of the Four Masters calls Ragnall a mórmáer. This might mean he was a leader but still under Ottar's command. Ragnall's death happened during a conflict with people from East Meath. This event, along with the Dubliners killing Cellach Ua Cellaig, the King of Brega, in the same year, shows that Dublin was trying to expand its power to the northwest in the 1100s.
Even though Ottar and the Meic Torcaill family might have worked together at first, the Annals of Tigernach and Chronicon Scotorum say that the Meic Torcaill family was responsible for killing Ottar in 1148.
Ragnall's Children
Ragnall had at least one son named Ascall. Ascall became king for a short time later in the century.
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Another old record, the Annals of the Four Masters, mentions the death of a "son of Mac Turgaill" in 1138. If Ragnall was the main leader of the family at that time, and this person wasn't called a king, it's possible he was another son of Ragnall. Or, he could have been a son of Torcall, Ragnall's father, or another family member.
There might have been another son of Ragnall named Ragnall mac Ragnaill. He was called tigerna Gall ("lord of the foreigners"). The Annals of the Four Masters says he attended a big meeting called by Ruaidrí Ua Conchobair, High King of Ireland in 1167. This Ragnall might have been another son of Ragnall mac Torcaill, or it could have been a mistake in the old record, and they were actually talking about Ascall.
