The lordship of Ireland in the middle ages was vested in the English crown by the famous grant of Pope Adrian IV in 1155, resulting in the invasion of 1169. This book shows how that lordship developed and the heritage it passed on to later generations. It is not wholly a narrative but is thematic in its approach, examining the emergence of the Anglo-Irish identity, the growth of separatism both politically and culturally, and the survival of Gaelic Ireland. The resulting conflict between the two traditions helped to create the situation out of which modern Ireland was to emerge. Professor Lydon's book, presented here in a new annotated edition with full apparatus, is a highly readable and scholarly overview of four centuries of Irish political history.

In this volume of the Study of Irish Historic Settlement series, scholars from the perspectives of archaeology, art history, and history offer insights into the development and consolidation of lordship in medieval Ireland as well as its demise by the advent of the 17th century. Contents include: Edel Bhreatnach (U.C. Dublin), Perceptions of kingship in early medieval Irish vernacular literature --- Howard B. Clarke (RIA), Lordship and feudalism in north-western Europe in theÃ?Â?Ã?Â?High Middle Ages --- Linda Doran (RSAI), Economic and military lordship in the Carlow Corridor, c.1200-1350 --- Emmett O'Byrne (UCD), The MacMurroughs and the marches of Leinster, 1170-1340 --- Margaret Murphy (ind.), Roger Bigod and the lordship of Carlow, 1266-1306 --- John Malcolm (U Glasgow), Castles and landscapes in UÃ?Â?Ã?Â- Fhiachrach Muaidhe, c.1235- c.1400 --- Freya Verstraten (TCD), Images of Gaelic lordship in Ireland, c.1200- c.1400 --- Paul Naessens (NUIG), The lordship of the UÃ?Â?Ã?Â- Fhlaithbheartaigh of Iar Connacht --- Connie Kelleher (DEHLG), The Gaelic O'Driscoll lords of Baltimore, Co. Cork --- James Lyttleton (Eachtra Projects), The MacCoghlans of Delvin Eathra

It is well known that political, economic, and social power in the British Isles in the Middle Ages lay in the hands of a small group of domini-lords. In his final book, the late Sir Rees Davies explores the personalities of these magnates, the nature of their lordship, and the ways in which it was expressed in a diverse and divided region in the period 1272-1422. Although their right to rule was rarely questioned, the lords flaunted their identity and superiority through the promotion of heraldic lore, the use of elevated forms of address, and by the extravagant display of their wealth and power. Their domestic routine, furnishings, dress, diet, artistic preferences, and pastimes all spoke of a lifestyle of privilege and authority. Warfare was a constant element in their lives, affording access to riches and reputation, but also carrying the danger of capture, ruin and even death, while their enthusiasm for crusades and tournaments testified to their energy and bellicose inclinations. Above all, underpinning the lords' control of land was their control of men-a complex system of dependence and reward that Davies restores to central significance by studying the British Isles as a whole. The exercise and experience of lordship was far more varied than the English model alone would suggest.