Báetán mac Cairill

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Báetán mac Cairill, died 581, was king of the Dál Fiatach, and high-king of Ulaid, from circa 572 until his death. According to some sources, he was high-king of Ireland.[1]

Báetán sought to impose his authority over Dál Riata in Scotland, and over the Isle of Man. Medieval Ulster genealogists describe him as rí Érenn ocus Alban (king of Ireland and Scotland), and quote from a poem, now lost, which has him receiving tribute from Munster, Connaught, Skye and the Isle of Man. This is probably to overstate his power, and represents what it meant to be high-king in much later times, rather than in Báetán's day.[2]

Báetán's power can best be judged by actions of his enemies, Áed mac Ainmuirech of Northern Uí Néill and Áedán mac Gabráin of Dál Riata. In 575, at Druim Cett, these two met and made an alliance, fostered by the future Saint Columba, a member of the Cenél Conaill like Áed, to oppose Báetán's attempts to increase his power by extending Dál Fiatach influence beyond the isle of Ireland.[3]

Báetán was unable to achieve his ends, but he was not be the last king of the Ulaid to seek conquests and allies overseas. Fiachnae mac Báetáin of the Dál nAraidi would follow the same path in the 620s and Congal Cáech in the 630s.

Contents

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ Byrne, pp. 109–111, 285; Báetán's death, Annals of Ulster, s.a. 581.
  2. ^ Byrne, pp. 109–110.
  3. ^ Byrne, pp. 109–110; Ó Cróinín, pp. 50– 51. See also Adomnán, Life, notes 84 & 204, where Sharpe argues for a date later than the 575 reported by the annals. An expedition by the Ulaid to the Isle of Man is reported in the Annals of Ulster, s.a. 577 & 578.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  • Adomnán, Life of St Columba, tr. & ed. Richard Sharpe. Penguin, London, 1995. ISBN 0-14-044462-9
  • Byrne, Francis John, Irish Kings and High-Kings. Batsford, London, 1973. ISBN 0-7134-5882-8
  • Ó Cróinín, Dáibhí, Early Medieval Ireland: 400–1200. Longman, London, 1995. ISBN 0-582-01565-0

[edit] External links

  • CELT: Corpus of Electronic Texts at University College Cork
    • The Corpus of Electronic Texts includes the Annals of Ulster, Tigernach, the Four Masters and Innisfallen, the Chronicon Scotorum, the Lebor Bretnach, Genealogies, and various Saints' Lives. Most are translated into English, or translations are in progress
Languages