Rí, or commonly ríg ( genitive), is an ancient Gaelic word meaning '

king King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king. *In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...

'. It is used in historical texts referring to the

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

and Scottish kings, and those of similar rank. While the

Modern Irish Irish ( Standard Irish: ), also known as Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Insular Celtic branch of the Celtic language family, which is a part of the Indo-European language family. Irish is indigenous to the island of Ireland and was t ...

word is exactly the same, in modern

Scottish Gaelic Scottish Gaelic ( gd, Gàidhlig ), also known as Scots Gaelic and Gaelic, is a Goidelic language (in the Celtic branch of the Indo-European language family) native to the Gaels of Scotland. As a Goidelic language, Scottish Gaelic, as well ...

it is , apparently derived from the genitive. Cognates include

Gaulish Gaulish was an ancient Celtic language spoken in parts of Continental Europe before and during the period of the Roman Empire. In the narrow sense, Gaulish was the language of the Celts of Gaul (now France, Luxembourg, Belgium, most of Switze ...

''Rix'',

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

'' rex/regis'',

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

, French ,

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...

raja ''Raja'' (; from , IAST ') is a royal title used for South Asian monarchs. The title is equivalent to king or princely ruler in South Asia and Southeast Asia. The title has a long history in South Asia and Southeast Asia, being attested f ...

'', and German ''

Reich ''Reich'' (; ) is a German noun whose meaning is analogous to the meaning of the English word "realm"; this is not to be confused with the German adjective "reich" which means "rich". The terms ' (literally the "realm of an emperor") and ' (lit ...

''. There were three grades of ''rí'': a ''ruirí'' or 'overking' was a major, regional king and superior to a ''rí tuatha'' 'king of tribes' or a ''rí buiden'' 'king of bands' either of whom, in turn, were superior to several figures known as ''rí benn'' 'king of peaks' or ''rí tuath'' 'king of a tribe'.

Three traditional grades

The three traditional grades of ''rí'' in Gaelic Ireland was largely symbolic. As time went on, the real power of many lesser kings could equal or even eclipse those of higher grade.

''Rí benn''

A ''rí benn'' (king of peaks), or ''rí tuaithe'' (king of a single tribe), was most commonly a local

petty king A petty kingdom is a kingdom described as minor or "petty" (from the French 'petit' meaning small) by contrast to an empire or unified kingdom that either preceded or succeeded it (e.g. the numerous kingdoms of Anglo-Saxon England unified into t ...

of a single ''

túath ''Túath'' (plural ''túatha'') is the Old Irish term for the basic political and jurisdictional unit of Gaelic Ireland. ''Túath'' can refer to both a geographical territory as well the people who lived in that territory. Social structure In ...

'', although one ''túath'' might 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 a ''ri benn'' himself, and exercised no direct compulsory legal authority outside his own ancestral ''túath''. Kings were bound to others by military allegiance and the payment of tribute. Examples: * Kings of Thira Dha Locha *

Kings of Umaill The Kings of Umaill were rulers of Umaill, a kingdom or territory located in the west of what is now County Mayo, Ireland. Its earliest rulers were the semi-historical Tuath mhac nUmhoir. The Umaill, its early historical rulers, were renamed ...

''Rí buiden''

A ''rí buiden'' ('king of bands'), also ''rí tuath'' ('king of anytribes') or ''ruiri'' ('overking'), was a regional king to whom several ''rí benn'' were 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 genuine ''ruirí'' in Ireland at any one time. Examples: *

Kings of Osraige The kings of Osraige (alternately spelled ''Osraighe'' and Anglicised as ''Ossory'') reigned over the medieval Irish kingdom of Osraige from the first or second century AD until the late twelfth century. Osraige was a semi-provincial kingdom in s ...

* Kings of Breifne *

Kings of Uí Maine Uí Maine was the name of a kingdom situated in south Connacht, consisting of all of County Galway east of Athenry, all of southern and central County Roscommon. In prehistory it was believed to have spanned the River Shannon, and in the 8th cen ...

Kings of Moylurg The Kings of or Moylurg were a branch of the , and a kindred family to the Kings of Connacht. Their ancestor, , was a brother to , King of Connacht 967–973, ancestor of the O Connor family of Connacht. is said to have made a deal of some nat ...

* Kings of Iar Connacht

''Rí ruirech''

A "king of over-kings", a ''rí ruirech'' was often a provincial (''rí cóicid'') or semi-provincial king to whom several ''ruiri'' were subordinate. They were also referred to as ''ri 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 genuine ''rí ruirech'' were ever contemporary, with the average being three or four. Originally, there were only five provinces, at least according to legend (see the

Táin Bó Cúailnge (Modern ; "the driving-off of the cows of Cooley"), commonly known as ''The Táin'' or less commonly as ''The Cattle Raid of Cooley'', is an epic from Irish mythology. It is often called "The Irish Iliad", although like most other early Iri ...

, the actual text thereof). Examples: *

Kings of Ulster The King of Ulster (Old Irish: ''Rí Ulad'', Modern Irish: ''Rí Uladh'') also known as the King of Ulaid and King of the Ulaid, was any of the kings of the Irish provincial over-kingdom of Ulaid. The title rí in Chóicid, which means "king of ...

Kings of Munster The kings of Munster ( ga, Rí Mumhan), ruled from the establishment of Munster during the Irish Iron Age, until the High Middle Ages. According to Gaelic traditional history, laid out in works such as the ''Book of Invasions'', the earliest k ...

* Kings of Mide *

Kings of Connacht The Kings of Connacht were rulers of the ''cóiced'' (variously translated as portion, fifth, province) of Connacht, which lies west of the River Shannon, Ireland. However, the name only became applied to it in the early medieval era, being name ...

Kings of Leinster Kings or King's may refer to: *Monarchs: The sovereign heads of states and/or nations, with the male being kings *One of several works known as the "Book of Kings": **The Books of Kings part of the Bible, divided into two parts **The ''Shahnameh'' ...

Ard Rí

The ''ard rí'', or 'High King' (of Ireland), was traditionally the supreme ruler of all the Irish provinces, subject to no higher domestic authority. While the ''rí ruirech'' were 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 exercising suzerainty over the largely independent lower kingdoms. According to tradition, the high king was originally crowned at

Lia Fáil The (; meaning "Stone of Destiny" or "Speaking Stone" to account for its oracular legend) is a stone at the Inauguration Mound ( ga, an Forrad) on the Hill of Tara in County Meath, Ireland, which served as the coronation stone for the High K ...

upon 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 of Cuchulain when it refused to acknowledge his preferred candidate

Lugaid Riab nDerg Lugaid Riab nDerg ("the red-striped") or Réoderg ("Red Sky"), son of the three '' findemna'', triplet sons of Eochu Feidlech, and their sister Clothru was, according to medieval Irish legend and historical tradition, a High King of Ireland. C ...

, following which it never called out again. * High King of Ireland In Scotland, the ''Ard Rí'' initially 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 as ''earls'' by the English rather than the proper term, ''Rí''. * High King of Scotland * Style of the monarchs of Scotland

Scotland

Scotland had a variety of ''rí'' as well. In addition to the monarch or 'high king' there were others, although these are conventionally styled only ''lords'' in the English language. * Lord of the Isles *

Lords of Galloway The lords of Galloway consisted of a dynasty of heirs who were lords (or kings) and ladies who ruled over Galloway in southwest Scotland, mainly during the High Middle Ages. Many regions of Scotland, including Galloway and Moray, periodically h ...

* Lords of Argyle There were also a number of Kings of Moray, who are commonly styled

mormaer In early medieval Scotland, a mormaer was the Gaelic name for a regional or provincial ruler, theoretically second only to the King of Scots, and the senior of a ''Toísech'' (chieftain). Mormaers were equivalent to English earls or Continental c ...

s in later Scottish tradition, but properly styled ''rí'' in contemporary Irish sources. The famous

Macbeth of Scotland Macbeth ( – 15 August 1057) was King of Scots from 1040 until his death. He ruled over the Kingdom of Alba, which covered only a portion of present-day Scotland. Little is known about Macbeth's early life, although he was the son of Findl� ...

is argued to have begun his career as ''Ruiri'' of 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 term ''Ard Rí'': * ''Ard Ríg Toí'' * ''Ardrí'' * ''Aird-Rí'' * ''Airdrígh'' * ''Airdrí'' Other than the Irish/Scottish Gaelic titles, some styled themselves in Latin: * * ('King of All the Provinces of the Picts')

Notes

References

* Bhreathnach, Edel (ed.), ''The Kingship and Landscape of Tara''. Dublin:

Four Courts Press Four Courts Press is an independent Irish academic publishing house, with its office at Malpas Street, Dublin 8, Ireland. Founded in 1970 by Michael Adams, who died in February 2009, its early publications were primarily theological, notably t ...

for The Discovery Programme. 2005. * 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 Cambridge University Press is the university press of the University of Cambridge. Granted letters patent by King Henry VIII in 1534, it is the oldest university press in the world. It is also the King's Printer. Cambridge University Pre ...

. 2000. * Cowan, Edward J., "The Historical Macbeth", in ''Moray: Province and People''. ed. W. H. D. Sellar. Edinburgh: Scottish Society for Northern Studies. 1993. 117–142. * Dillon, Myles, "The consecration of Irish kings", in '' Celtica 10'' (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 Gaelic ''morair''", in ''Scottish 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 The University of California Press, otherwise known as UC Press, is a publishing house associated with the University of California that engages in academic publishing. It was founded in 1893 to publish scholarly and scientific works by facult ...

. pp. 29–50. {{DEFAULTSORT:Ri Royal titles Irish kings Gaelic nobility of Ireland Kingdom of Scotland Scottish royal houses