The man behind the cider brand was a defiant medieval rebel.
In short: Richard de Clare, known as Strongbow, didn't just lead an invasion; he defied his king to seize a kingdom. His legacy is a complex web of royal betrayal, negotiated marriages, and a tomb that became a site of legendary—yet likely fictional—brutality.
In 1168, Richard de Clare secured specific permission from King Henry II to travel to Ireland. He partnered with the deposed King of Leinster, Dermot MacMurrough, to retake his kingdom in exchange for a marriage to Dermot's eldest daughter, Aoife. Despite receiving a royal messenger's order to stay back, Richard sailed anyway in 1170, leading an army that captured Wexford, Waterford, and Dublin between 1169 and 1170.
The relationship with the Crown was volatile. After Dermot died in 1171, Richard claimed the kingship for himself by right of his wife. To appease a worried Henry II, he sent an embassy to negotiate. He eventually surrendered Dublin and other fortresses to the King in exchange for his confiscated lands in France, England, and Wales. However, after helping Henry with a revolt in France in 1173, Richard was rewarded with the return of Leinster.
Richard's life ended in 1176 from an infection in his leg or foot. His burial site became a source of historical confusion; while he was interred in Dublin's Christ Church Cathedral, later centuries saw the rise of myths regarding his tomb. One famous legend claimed he cleft his son in twain for cowardice—a story with no contemporary evidence. Today, his most enduring public legacy is the name of an English cider brand.
The linguistic evolution of his identity is also notable. In 14th-century records, his nickname was rendered as "Stranghose," a likely misspelling of Striguil (modern Chepstow), where he held a marcher Lordship. It wasn't until the 14th century that the name finally stabilized into the recognizable "Strongbow."
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Richard de Clare, 2nd Earl of Pembroke
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