Cold Open

It’s the summer of 976 CE, and in the muddy fields outside Munster, Ireland, a battle is about to begin.

Brian Boru, a broad-chested, bearded Irish clan leader strides out onto the field. The 35-year-old’s heavy armor makes every movement a strain, and his weapons only add to the weight. In one hand, Brian carries a spear - in the other, a battle ax. Brian is all too aware that both will be stained with blood before the day is out. He turns to face his soldiers.

Rather than address his men with words, Brian simply lifts his giant ax above his head and roars like a beast. His warriors respond in kind.

And moments after Brian’s battle cry, the two armies charge at each other colliding in an explosion of metal on metal.

Ireland in the tenth century is a hotbed of infighting and bloodshed. Competing clans and princes vie for power, and these rivalries have been further complicated by the growing influence of outsiders, most notably Norsemen - or the Vikings - who have established permanent settlements of their own in Ireland.

Just a few months ago, Brian’s brother was murdered on the orders of a Norse leader in Ireland, Ivar of Limerick. But this killing would not have been possible without the help of Irish allies, including Mael Muad, the King of Munster.

It's Mael Muad who Brian desperately wants to find on the battlefield today.

And as the fighting begins, Brian forgets the weight of his armor and weapons. With each swipe of his mighty ax, Brian’s enemies lose limbs, heads, and lives. And it doesn’t take long for Brian to find his foe in the midst of the carnage.

Brian screams again as he races toward Mael Muad. After months of waiting, Brian is almost blind with a desire for revenge. He draws his short sword and lunges.

Mael Muad is smaller in stature than Brian, but he's still a seasoned fighter. And at first, he skillfully parries Brian’s blade - but Brian’s anger is something Mael Muad can not resist.

With a vicious blow, Brian knocks Mael Muad to the ground. He pushes his sword into the man’s stomach and then twists the blade. Brian’s vengeance is taken. 

Once the battle is over, Brian Boru uses this victory to proclaim himself the ruler of Munster. But he doesn’t want to stop there.

Brian has a mission to rid Ireland of all the Vikings. And he knows that if the country can unite around one leader, it will have a better chance of combatting these foreign invaders. But it's a goal that will take years to achieve, and Brian will be an old man by the time he faces his Viking enemy at the decisive Battle of Clontarf on April 23rd, 1014.

Introduction

From Noiser and Airship, I’m Lindsay Graham and this is History Daily.

History is made every day. On this podcast—every day—we tell the true stories of the people and events that shaped our world.

Today is April 23rd, 1014: The Battle of Clontarf.

Act One: An Ireland United

It’s fall in the year 1002, at Cashel in Ireland, 26 years after Brian Boru killed Mael Muad in battle.

Now, in a chapel perched on a rocky hilltop, the 60-year-old Brian kneels before an altar. The stone walls of the chapel echo, as a chanting priest steps up with a golden crown in his hands and places it slowly on Brian’s head.

Cheers erupt as Brian thinks back over the years of bloodshed that have led him to this moment. He's won many battles and lost many men. He’s put down rebellions and seen off betrayals. But it’s all been worth it for this. Because now, Brian Boru has finally claimed the title of High King of Ireland.

Once the coronation ceremony draws to a close, Brian turns to address his countrymen. He tells them that he will unite the people of Ireland under his leadership and halt the infighting that has weakened them for so long. The crowd again erupts into cheers.

But as the new High King of Ireland, Brian has achieved only half of his plan. Now that he's seized ultimate power in Ireland, he intends to use it - to seek revenge.

In Brian’s younger years, Ireland had over 150 Kings, each in charge of a small territory. That made it all too easy for Viking invaders to attack the country region by region. Some of the larger and more powerful Irish towns were able to make deals with the Vikings, becoming thriving trading hubs and growing their economies. But the smaller kingdoms were not so lucky. They couldn’t call on great armies to protect them or offer the invaders bribes to ward them off.

And it was in one such smaller region that Brian’s thirst for revenge was born. His father was the local King. And as the youngest of twelve boys, there seemed little chance that little Brian would follow in his father’s footsteps and become a leader of his people. But tragedy struck Brian at a young age. First, his father was killed in a battle against the Vikings. Then, his mother and many of his brothers were slain in a Viking raid, one in which the young Brian watched from the mountainside near his village. He could do nothing to stop the assault - but the memory never left him.

So, as soon as he was of age, Brian picked up the sword and ax to fight alongside his last remaining brothers. But no matter how many battles he fought in, Brian swore he would never rest until he had forced all the Vikings from his land.

And now, he has the chance to finally take this revenge. But not everyone in Ireland supports its new leader. Some clans back another dynasty with a claim of their own to the crown, and other houses have married into Norse families, forming Norse-Gaelic alliances that have no interest in ending the Viking influence in Ireland. So, in the years after his coronation, Brian’s rule comes under constant threat. Everywhere he looks, it seems that some enemy is staring back.

Despite these challenges, Brian is able to hold onto his crown for many years and steadily consolidates his power over the country. He succeeds in pushing the Norse out of some areas and weakens their grip elsewhere. But as he ages, Brian realizes that not all victories have to come by sword or ax. Brian has six sons and three daughters, and he marries his children into powerful families across the country. These new marital alliances make Brian’s position only stronger. And using such diplomatic tactics, Brian is even able to exert some political control over remaining Viking strongholds like the important coastal city of Dublin.

But time is not on Brian's side. By the year 1013, he is 72 years old and has been on the throne for more than a decade. Sensing weakness, his enemies, both Irish and Vikings, re-emerge to challenge Brian’s grip on power. This time, they combine their efforts to overthrow him. And after years of fighting to rid Ireland of his enemies, Brian now faces the very thing he has spent his life trying to build: a united force.

And among those joining the fight against Brian are members of his own family. His brother-in-law Mael Morda, and his stepson Sitric, will both take up arms against Brian and become leading members of the alliance with the Norsemen. The stage will be set for a battle that will decide the fate of King Brian and shape the history of Ireland for centuries to come.  

Act Two: The Battle

It’s April 23rd, 1014, at Clontarf, near Dublin, two years after Mael Morda and his allies rose up against Brian Boru, the High King of Ireland.

In a large, heavily guarded tent nestled in the woods, the 73-year-old Brian stirs wearily from sleep. His body is frail now, and his mind is often troubled. He rises slowly to his feet. Next to his bed, on a ceremonial stand, is his old sword. Brian runs his hands over its hilt. He can’t resist picking the weapon up. And when he does memories flood through him of the battles he’s fought and the victories he’s won. Even though it’s been years since Brian was strong enough to wield the sword in battle, the blade is still sharp. So, it’s only with great sorrow that Brian puts the weapon back on its stand. He knows that his days of fighting are long since over. Now, Brian must rely on others to win his battles for him.

He pulls on a thick, richly embroidered robe. It’s meant to make Brian look broader, stronger, and more virile. But it hangs loosely off his narrow frame and only seems to highlight Brian’s aging body.

Brain sits on the side of his bed and calls for his bodyguards telling them to summon his son and grandson to the tent. The younger men sweep inside, dressed for battle. They bow before their king and beckoning them close, Brian whispers of the great legacy that victory today will have. Brian tells them that the coming battle is sure to be bloody - but it will finally see the defeat of Viking forces in Ireland and the death of the traitors who have aided them. The two younger men then leave the royal tent and join their army in the field. King Brian kneels to pray.

Brian has marched with this army to the gates of Dublin to confront his rebellious stepson Sitric and his brother-in-law Mael Morda, who together rule this region from behind the city's walls. If Brian’s forces can defeat them in battle today, he can quell the uprising against him once and for all.

And once it begins, the fight is just as devastating as Brian predicted. The combat is chaotic and bloody. Wind and rain blow in from the Irish Sea. Men slip in soggy ground, as they grapple, stab, and slash. Both forces plow on, with little ground given or taken.

Brian has around 10,000 men, who fight mostly with axes and spears. The 7,000 warriors facing them are predominantly Norsemen, who favor daggers and short swords. Brian has the advantage in numbers, but with the coast nearby, the threat of Norse ships arriving with reinforcements is one Brian can’t ignore. So, he tells his men to continue their assault, hoping to break the ranks of the enemy and achieve victory before any reinforcements can reach the field.

The fighting rages back and forth well into the evening and it's only at sunset that the balance tips in Brian’s favor. His advantage in numbers finally begins to make a difference. And at his tent deep in the forest, Brian is told his men are close to victory. And soon, the day will be theirs. But it's not all good news. Brian is also told that his grandson has been killed in the fighting.

On hearing this, Brian sinks to his knees in sorrow. His steward tries to console him, telling Brain that the loss is part of a greater victory. The Vikings who sided with Mael Mordor are now on the run, fleeing to their boats to cross the Irish Sea, and Mael Mordor himself will soon shortly be captured.

But Brian won’t be consoled by his steward’s words or by the great victory his men seem to have won. He can only think about his beloved and now dead grandson. Seeing Brian in such pain, the king’s bodyguards swear revenge. They leave the camp in the forest to join Brian’s army in its rout of the fleeing Vikings. A grieving Brian and his steward are left alone in the tent.

It's this decision that will have devastating consequences and lead to the most pivotal moment in the Battle of Clontarf. A band of Viking soldiers will soon find the royal tent, and discover Brian Boru, the High King of Ireland, unarmed and unguarded.

Act Three: An Unarmed Man

It’s April 23rd, 1014, at Clontarf, near Dublin, just moments after the High King of Ireland, Brian Boru, was left unprotected by his bodyguards.

Stalking through the forest near the battlefield is the Viking mercenary Brodir and three of his men. They are fresh from the fight, their faces splattered with gore and their weapons dripping with blood.

When it became clear that the rebellion of Mael Mordor has failed and the Vikings had been defeated, Brodir decided to leave the battlefield and make one desperate last attempt to end the rule of Brian Boru - by finding and killing Brian himself.

Brodir has little clue as to where he’s heading, so it’s by more luck than judgment that Brodir and his band stumble across Brian’s tent. And when they do they are amazed to find it unguarded.

They slip through the canvas doorway into the richly decorated royal bed chamber. Brian is on his knees, praying for the soul of his dead grandson, and when he sees the Vikings enter the tent, the steward flees for his life through a back exit. But Brian is too old to run. Seeing Brodir, he rises to his feet, his old instincts kicking in. He reaches for his sword and attempts to swing it at the Viking.

But Brian is no match for the younger warrior. Brodir easily deflects Brian’s sword and, using a battle ax taken from an Irish soldier, Brodir strikes Brian down with one mighty swing.

There is little time for Brodir and his men to revel in their victory, though. Almost immediately after the fatal blow, Brian’s bodyguards return. Finding their King dead and Vikings standing over his body, the enraged bodyguards fly forward with weapons drawn. Brodir and his men are outnumbered and soon each fall.

With this, the Battle of Clontarf is over. Mael Mordor is dead. But his rebellion has now succeeded in one respect - it has claimed the life of the High King of Ireland, Brian Boru.

Brian’s body is taken to the city of Armagh and laid to rest. His son, Donchad, is one of the few family members to survive the Battle, and he tries to take his father’s place as ruler. But he will never be as powerful, and Ireland will fall back into its old ways of in-fighting and intrigue. But one major legacy of Brian’s rule and the Battle of Clontarf will remain - the Vikings will never regain their former influence in Ireland.

And in the centuries to come, Brian’s story of resisting outside forces will become an Irish legend. During the long years of British domination over Ireland, Brian’s story will grow in power and meaning.   

Until, one thousand years after the Battle of Clontarf, the people of Ireland will remember their famous King Brian in a series of commemorative events. These millennium festivities will include the largest historical reenactment that Ireland has ever seen, with 500 actors bringing to life the epic tale of Brian Boru, the High King of Ireland whose reign came to an end at the Battle of Clontarf on April 23rd, 1014.

Outro

Next on History Daily. April 24th, 1915. Police in Constantinople seize hundreds of Armenian leaders and intellectuals, beginning the Armenian Genocide.

From Noiser and Airship, this is History Daily, hosted, edited, and executive produced by me, Lindsay Graham.

Audio editing by Muhammad Shahzaib.

Sound design by Matthew Filler.

Music by Thrumm.

This episode is written and researched by Owen Paul Nicholls.

Edited by Joel Callen.

Managing producer Emily Burke.

Executive Producers are William Simpson for Airship, and Pascal Hughes for Noiser.