Rí

This article is about Gaelic. For other uses, seeRI (disambiguation).

Rí,or commonlyríg(genitive), is an ancientGaelicword meaning 'king'.It is used in historical texts referring to theIrishandScottishkings, and those of similar rank. While theModern Irishword is exactly the same,in modernScottish Gaelicit isrìgh,apparently derived from the genitive. Cognates includeGaulishRix,Latinrex/regis,Spanishrey,Frenchroi,Sanskritraja,andGermanReich.

There were three grades ofrí:aruirior 'overking'was a major, regional king and superior to arí túath'king of tribes' or arí buiden'king of bands' either of whom, in turn, were superior to several figures known asrí benn'king of peaks' orrí túaithe'king of a tribe'.

Three traditional grades

See also:Early Irish law § Kingship

The three traditional grades ofríinGaelic Irelandwas largely symbolic.As time went on, the real power of many lesser kings could equal or even eclipse those of higher grade.

Rí benn

Arí benn(king of peaks), orrí túaithe(king of a single tribe), was most commonly a localpetty kingof a singletúath,although onetúathmight be many times the size of another. There are generally estimated to have been between 100 and 150 in Ireland, depending on who really qualified.

Importantly, in theory every king of a superior grade was also arí bennhimself, and exercised no direct compulsory legal authority outside his own ancestraltúath.Kings were bound to others by military allegiance and the payment of tribute.

Examples:

• Kings of Thira Dha Locha
• Kings of Umaill

Rí buiden

Arí buiden('king of bands'), alsorí túath('king of [many] tribes') orruiri('overking'), was a regional king to whom severalrí bennwere subordinate, and often other territories. He was in some sense still a petty king, but could also achieve provincial-level prominence, including, although rarely, the provincial kingship, and was often fully sovereign in any case. Depending on who was counted, there may have been as many as 20 genuineruiriin Ireland at any one time.

Examples:

• Kings of Osraige
• Kings of Breifne
• Kings of Uí Maine
• Kings of Moylurg
• Kings of Iar Connacht

Rí ruirech

A "king of over-kings", arí ruirechwas often a provincial (rí cóicid) or semi-provincial king to whom severalruiriwere subordinate. They were also referred to asri bunaid cach cinn('ultimate king of every individual'). Several kingdoms belonging to the 1st and 2nd millennia are listed below, but do not all belong to the same periods. No more than six genuinerí ruirechwere ever contemporary, with the average being three or four. Originally, there were only five provinces, at least according to legend (see theTáin Bó Cúailnge,the actual text thereof).

Examples:

• Kings of Ulster
• Kings of Munster
• Kings of Mide
• Kings of Connacht
• Kings of Leinster

Ard Rí

See also:Malcolm II of Scotland

Theard rí,or 'High King' (of Ireland), was traditionally the supreme ruler of all the Irish provinces, subject to no higher domestic authority. While therí ruirechwere in theory subordinate to the high king, Irish stories and mythology relate that the power of the high king varied considerably throughout the office's existence, and he was usually not more than a figurehead exercisingsuzeraintyover the largely independent lower kingdoms.

According to tradition, the high king was originally crowned atLia Fáilupon the Hill of Tara in Meath, in the Kingdom of Mide. When stood upon by a candidate for the throne, if they were the rightful High King of Ireland, the stone monument was said to loudly roar in joy. The stone was supposedly split by the sword ofCú Chulainnwhen it refused to acknowledge his preferred candidateLugaid Riab nDerg,following which it never called out again.

• High King of Ireland

In Scotland, theArd Ríinitially had very little centralized power. Instead, he exercised suzerainty over the lower kingdoms, much like his Irish counterpart. This would change as Scotland combined into a more centralized state, and the High King gathered more power over regional monarchs. This was to the point where the regional Kings were referred to asearlsby the English rather than the proper term,Rí.

• High King of Scotland
• Style of the monarchs of Scotland

Scotland

See also:Style of the monarchs of Scotland

Scotland had a variety ofrías well. In addition to the monarch or 'high king' there were others, although these are conventionally styled onlylordsin the English language.

• Lord of the Isles
• Lords of Galloway
• Lords of Argyle

There were also a number ofKings of Moray,who are commonly styledmormaersin later Scottish tradition, but properly styledríin contemporary Irish sources. The famousMacbeth of Scotlandis argued to have begun his career asRuiriof Moray.

A number of Scottish monarchs styled themselves 'High King of Scotland,' 'High King of Picts,' or 'High King of Alba,' using the following variants of the termArd Rí:

• Ard Ríg Toí
• Ardrí
• Aird-Rí
• Airdrígh
• Airdrí

Other than the Irish/Scottish Gaelic titles, some styled themselves in Latin:

• Scottorum Basileus
• Rex omnium prouiciarum Pictorum('King of All the Provinces of the Picts')

See also

• White Wand
• Flaith
• Tigerna
• Irish nobility
• Ollam
• Ríg (Norse god)

References

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• Byrne, Francis J.,Irish Kings and High-Kings.Dublin: Four Courts Press. 2nd edition, 2001.
• Charles-Edwards, T. M.,Early Christian Ireland.Cambridge University Press.2000.
• Cowan, Edward J.,"The Historical Macbeth", inMoray: Province and People.ed. W. H. D. Sellar. Edinburgh: Scottish Society for Northern Studies. 1993. 117–142.
• Dillon, Myles,"The consecration of Irish kings", inCeltica10(1973): 1–8.
• Dillon, Myles,The Cycles of the Kings.Oxford. 1946.
• FitzPatrick, Elizabeth,Royal Inauguration in Gaelic Ireland c. 1100–1600: A Cultural Landscape Study.Boydell Press. 2004.
• Hamp, Eric P.,"Scottish Gaelicmorair",inScottish Gaelic Studies XIV Part II(1986): 138–141.
• Jaski, Bart,Early Irish Kingship and Succession.Dublin: Four Courts Press. 2000.
• MacCotter, Paul,Medieval Ireland: Territorial, Political and Economic Divisions.Dublin: Four Courts Press. 2008.
• MacNeill, Eoin,Celtic Ireland.Dublin: The Academy Press. 1981. Reissue with new intro. and notes by Donnchadh Ó Corráin of original Martin Lester Ltd edition, 1921.
• Nicholls, K. W.,Gaelic and Gaelicized Ireland in the Middle Ages.Dublin: Lilliput Press. 2nd edition, 2003.
• Ó Corráin, Donnchadh,"Nationality and Kingship in Pre-Norman Ireland".1975.
• Richter, Michael,Medieval Ireland: The Enduring Tradition.Dublin: Gill & Macmillan. 1988.
• Watkins, Calvert,"Italo-Celtic Revisited", in Birnbaum, Henrik and Jaan Puhvel (eds.),Ancient Indo-European Dialects.University of California Press.pp. 29–50.