kingdom · British Isles
Kingdom of Brega
Origins
Brega emerged in the 7th century when the Sil nAedo Slaine, descendants of Aed Slaine of the southern Ui Neill, established themselves in the plain of Brega, stretching from the Liffey northwards across the Boyne. Their rulers made the ancient passage tomb at Knowth into a royal residence.
Rule and society
Brega's kings shared the kingship of Tara with Clann Cholmain and the northern Ui Neill, holding it often in the 7th and early 8th centuries and once more under Congalach Cnogba in the 10th. The kingdom split into northern and southern parts. It contained monasteries such as Slane, Duleek and Monasterboice, and from the 9th century suffered heavy pressure from the Norse of the Kingdom of Dublin.
Decline and legacy
By the 11th century Brega was fragmented and dominated by Mide, Dublin and Leinster. Its lands passed into the Lordship of Meath granted to Hugh de Lacy in 1172, and its name survives in Irish place-names.
Lineage
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Cite this page
- APA
- The Epoch Institute. (2026). Kingdom of Brega. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/kingdom-of-brega
- MLA
- “Kingdom of Brega.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/kingdom-of-brega. Accessed .
- Chicago
- The Epoch Institute. “Kingdom of Brega.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/kingdom-of-brega.
- Harvard
- The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Kingdom of Brega’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/kingdom-of-brega (Accessed: ).
Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻