Brian
Bórú
Brian
Bórú (941?-1014), king of Ireland. In 978 he became king
of Cashel, capital of the ancient kingdom of Munster.
By
984 he controlled all of Munster, and in 1001 he was acknowledged
the chief king of Ireland.
From
his youth, Brian had been fighting the Vikings, who had
occupied part of the country. In the Battle of Clontarf
(April 23, 1014), his sons led an Irish army to a decisive
victory over the Vikings, thereby permanently destroying
their power in Ireland. Brian, too aged to fight, was awaiting
news of the battle when he was slain in his tent by a Viking
intruder.
Brian
is one of the great heroes of the Irish, but fact and legend
have become so intertwined in the accounts of his life that
an accurate biography cannot be given.
"Brian
Bórú,"Microsoft® Encarta® Online Encyclopedia 2001
http://encarta.msn.com
© 1997-2000 Microsoft Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
