20 Jan Brian Boru (Boruma) , High King of Ireland 1002 – 1014
High king of Ireland from 1002 to 1014. Born in Munster, Ireland , Brian Boru was the youngest of twelve sons of Bebinn and Cennedi , who were members of the Dal Cais tribe.
In 965 , Brian’s brother Mathgamain seized the throne of Munster from the Eoganacht rulers.
On the death of his brother , Brian established himself as the king of Munster.
He invaded Ossory in 983 , and by 997 had control of South Ireland.
In 1002 , Brian made himself Ard-Ri (high king) of Ireland , becoming the first monarch outside the O’Neill dynasty to claim such authority. He was described in the Book of Armagh as the emperor of the Irish.
In his expeditions to the North in 1002 and 1005 , Brian took hostages and collected tributes from local kings. Much of these monies were used to rebuild monasteries and to restore the libraries , which had been burned by the Vikings.
As his power increased , relations with some of the native lords and Norse rulers on the Irish coast deteriorated. In 1013 , the Vikings of Dublin and the Leinster Irish united against him and a decisive battle was fought at Clontarf , near Dublin, on April 23 , 1014. Brian’s army annihilated the forces of the Leinster-Viking alliance , but he was hacked to death in his tent by Norsemen fleeing the battlefield.
He is an interesting character and you will come across the name and history on tours of Ireland.