When England first became involved in Ireland, a man named MacMurrough asked King Henry II of England for help. After the Dirtiers helped MacMurrough regain his kingdom, he gave them all the land as a reward. Irish land was then conquered by the English barons, the barons continued to conquer lands in Ireland and by 1300 held almost all the lands. However, loyalty to England had weakened and many of the former English barons now considered themselves more Irish than English. For this reason, by the end of the 15th century English control was limited to a small area around Dublin. This area was known as the Pale. Those beyond the Pale were considered barbarians. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay After the Norman invasions of 1169-1171, Ireland was under an ever-changing level of control by the Norman lords and the king of England. This was transformed by intervention in these conflicts by Norman mercenaries and later by the English crown. After the conquest of England, the Normans turned their attention to Ireland. Ireland became the Lordship of the King of England and much of its territory was conquered by the Norman barons. In time, Norman rule shrank to a territory known as the Pale, which stretched from Dublin to Dundalk. Norman lords in other parts of the country became Gaelicised and integrated into Gaelic society. The first Norman knight to land in Ireland was Richard Fitz Godbert de Roche in 1167, but it was not until 1169 that the main Norman forces, together with their Welsh and Flemish mercenary allies landed in Wexford. In short order, Leinster was recaptured and Waterford and Dublin were now under Diarmaid's control. Now he had a Strongbow for a son-in-law. He offered his eldest daughter Aoife to marry him in 1170 and named him heir to his kingdom. This development caused consternation to King Henry II of England, who feared the creation of a rival Norman state in Ireland. Accordingly, he decided to visit Leinster to establish his authority. What ultimately occurred in Ireland in the late 12th and early 13th centuries was a change from the acquisition of lordship over men to the colonization of territory. The Cambro-Norman invasion led to the foundation of fortified cities, numerous castles and churches, the importation of tenants and the increase in agriculture and trade; these were among the many permanent changes brought about by the Norman invasion and occupation of Ireland. The Normans changed Gaelic society with efficient land use, introducing feudalism into the existing native system of crop sharing. Feudalism never took hold in much of Ireland, but was an attempt to introduce cash payments into agriculture, which was entirely based on barter. Some Normans living further from Dublin and the east coast adopted the Irish language and customs and intermarried, and the Irish themselves also became irrevocably "Normanised". Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay The Hiberno-Normans then suffered a series of events in the 14th century that slowed, and eventually ceased, the spread of their settlement and power. First, numerous rebel attacks were launched by the Gaelic lords against the English lordships. Having lost pitched battles against the Norman knights, to defend their territory the Gaels now had to change tactics and face the charge of the armored knights. They began to rely on..