Abstract
BY THE MIDDLE OF THE 15TH CENTURY a series of lordships had become firmly established along Gaelic Ireland’s western seaboard. These territories were controlled by a number of semi-autonomous kin groups, or ‘septs’. They were not homogenous entities but instead emerged under varying socio-political conditions and negotiated their relationships with society and landscape in multiple ways. Both physical geography and environment played a significant part in shaping the settlement and economic structures of each group. While this was a relatively conservative society, rooted in the traditions of the past, the lordships were also outward facing in their social and economic outlook. Rather than being remote and marginalised, these groupings were embedded within the broader north-western Atlantic social world, tied to the Continent through trade, the fishing industry and the increasingly cultural interconnectedness of society. However, by the close of the 16th century the lordships were under considerable stress following centuries of internecine conflict and increasing pressure from the English administration in Dublin and London.
Résumé
Seigneurie maritime dans l’Irlande gaélique de la fin du Moyen-Âge par Colin Breen et John Raven
Au milieu du 15ème siècle, une série de seigneuries s’étaient fermement établies le long du littoral ouest de l’Irlande gaélique, dans des territoires contrôlés par plusieurs groupes apparentés semi-autonomes, ou septs. Ces entités, loin d’être homogènes, avaient émergé sous diverses conditions sociopolitiques et négocié leur relation avec la société et le paysage de multiples manières. La géographie physique et l’environnement ont tous deux joué un rôle significatif dans la formation des structures de peuplement et économiques de chaque groupe. Bien qu’étant une société relativement conservatrice et ancrée dans les traditions anciennes, les seigneuries étaient également ouvertes vers l’extérieur dans leur vision sociale et économique. Loin d’être reculés et marginalisés, ces groupements étaient intégrés dans l’univers social global du nord-ouest Atlantique, ancrés au continent par le biais du négoce, de la pêche et l’interdépendance culturelle croissante de la société. Cependant, à la fin du 16ème siècle, des tensions considérables s’exerçaient sur les seigneuries, après des siècles de conflits fratricides et sous la pression croissante de l’administration anglaise à Dublin et à Londres.
Zusammenfassung
Maritime Lordship im gälischen Irland des späten Mittelalters von Colin Breen und John Raven
In der Mitte des 15. Jahrhunderts hatten sich an der Westküste des gälischen Irland eine Reihe von Lordships fest etablieren können. Diese Gebiete wurden beherrscht durch verschiedene teilautonome Sippen oder „septs”. Diese waren keine homogenen Einheiten, sondern das Produkt soziopolitischer Bedingungen, und formten ihre Beziehungen zu Gesellschaft und Landschaft auf vielfältige Weise. Bei der Gestaltung der Niederlassungen und ökonomischen Strukturen jeder Gruppe spielten sowohl physische Geografie als auch Umwelt eine Rolle. Es war eine relativ konservative Gesellschaft, tief verwurzelt in Traditionen; in sozialer und ökonomischer Hinsicht hatten die Lordships jedoch gleichzeitig eine weltoffene Haltung. Die Gruppen waren keineswegs weltfremd und marginalisiert, sondern Teil des nordwestatlantischen sozialen Gefüges, verbunden mit dem Kontinent durch Handel, Fischerei und zunehmend enger werdende kulturelle und gesellschaftliche Beziehungen. Dennoch waren die Lordships gegen Ende des 16. Jahrhunderts, nach Jahrhunderten innerer Konflikte und unter zunehmendem Druck der englischen Verwaltungsorgane in Dublin und London, erheblichen Spannungen ausgesetzt.
Riassunto
Le signorie marittime nell’Irlanda gaelica del tardo Medioevo di Colin Breen e John Raven
Entro la metà del XV secolo si era saldamente stabilita una serie di signorie lungo la costa occidentale dell’Irlanda gaelica. Diversi gruppi semiautonomi imparentati, o ‘sette’, avevano il controllo di questi territori. Non erano entità omogenee, anzi erano gruppi emersi nel corso di condizioni socio-politiche mutevoli e avevano negoziato i loro rapporti con la società e con il territorio in modi svariati. Sia la geografia fisica che l’ambiente avevano avuto un ruolo importante nella formazione degli stanziamenti e delle strutture economiche di ciascun gruppo. Pur essendo relativamente conservatrice e radicata nelle tradizioni del passato, la società delle signorie era allo stesso tempo rivolta all’esterno per quanto riguarda le prospettive sociali ed economiche. Questi gruppi, anziché essere remoti ed emarginati, erano ben radicati nel più ampio tessuto sociale del nordovest atlantico, legato all’Europa continentale tramite i commerci, l’industria della pesca e i sempre più crescenti scambi interculturali della società. Tuttavia alla fine del XVI secolo le signorie si trovarono sottoposte a un notevole stress dovuto a secoli di conflitti micidiali e all’accresciuta pressione da parte dell’amministrazione inglese a Dublino e a Londra.
Notes
68 As we will argue, Gaelic lords in contrast adopted informed architectural flourishes when building ecclesiastical buildings, in which context, it seems, such cultural tensions did not exist.
90 Although undated, the Scottish character of Red Bay may suggest that what remains is primarily a MacDonnell rebuild.
91 We intend exploring these differences in future articles so will not elaborate further here.
101 This relatively high number is probably associated with the inland character of much of their territory, the nature of its topography and the relatively good quality of agricultural land present.
103 While men had a military obligation, interrogating the historical and archaeological evidence of women in this society is more difficult and is something we intend returning to in a future article.
106 Cal Carew MSS 1589–1600, 27.
111 This is an issue intended for further exploration in a future paper.
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