The Arrival of the Hiberno-Norse
"They did not come in ships armed for war, but in guise of peace, and under the pretext of being merchant adventurers..."
From: 1188 C.E. To: 1188 C.E.
Location: Ireland
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"Of the Arrival of the Ostmen," from The Topography of Ireland by Giraldus Cambrensis, c. 1188, translated by Thomas Wright.
Not long afterwards, some adventurers arrived again in the island from Norway and the Northern islands, who were either the remains of the former immigrants of that race who had seen with their own eyes, or their sons who had learnt from the reports of their parents, the wealth of the land.
They did not come in ships armed for war, but in guise of peace, and under the pretext of being merchant adventurers; so that having first established themselves in the seaport of Ireland, at length with the consent of the lords of the territory, they built several cities in the places. For as the inherent sloth of the Irish race prevented them, as we have before observed, from making any efforts to explore the seas or engage in commerce, it was deemed advisable, in a general council of the whole kingdom, that some people should be admitted into parts of the kingdom, by whose commercial industry the products of other lands might be brought into the country, in order to supply them with such articles as their own land did not furnish.
These foreigners had for leaders three brothers, whose names were Amelaus, Sytaracus, and Yvorus. They built first the three cities of Dublin, Waterford, and Limerick, of which Dublin fell to the share and was under the government of Amelaus, Waterford of Sytaracus, and Limerick of Yvorus; and from them colonies were sent in process of time to found other cities in Ireland.
This people, who are now called Ostmen, were at first submissive of the kings of the land, and peaceably disposed; but as soon as their numbers were increased to a great multitude, and they had fortified their cities with walls and ditches, they called to mind, at times, the ancient animosities buried in their bosoms, and began to rebel. They are called Ostmen in their own tongue, from a word corrupted in the Saxon language which means Eastern-men; for as regards this country, they arrived here from the East. From these new settlers, and the former immigration of the Norwegians (against whom they found little security), the natives learnt the use of the axe; and as knowledge brings evil in its train, the mischief which they thus learnt from the foreigners was often poured forth on others.
Giraldus Cambrensis and Thomas Wright, The Historical Works of Giraldus Cambrensis: Containing the Topography of Ireland, and the History of the Conquest of Ireland (London: H.G. Bohn, 1863), 152-153.
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