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- BIOGRAPHY
Amlaib Cuaran, also known by his Norse name Oláfr Cuarán, was a 10th century Norse-Gael who was king of Dublin and York. His byname, Cuarán, is usually translated as 'sandal'. His name appears in a variety of anglicised forms, including Olaf Cuaran and Olaf Sihtricson, particularly in relation to his short-lived rule in York. He was the last of the Ui Imair dynasty to play a major part in the politics of Britain and Ireland.
Amlaib was twice, perhaps three times, ruler of York and Northumbria and twice ruler of Dublin and its dependencies. A king for forty years, he was an indomitable warrior, but far from invincible, and a ruthless pillager of churches, who ended his days in respectable retirement at Iona Abbey. Born when the Ui Imair ruled over large areas of Britain and Ireland, by the time of his death the kingdom of Dublin was a minor power in Irish politics. At the same time, Dublin became a major centre of trade in Atlantic Europe, and mastery over the city and its wealth became the supreme prize for ambitious Irish kings.
Amlaib was a patron of Irish poets and Scandinavian skalds who wrote verses praising their paymaster. He married at least twice, and had many children who married into Irish and Scandinavian royal families. His descendants were kings in the Isle of Man and the Hebrides until the 13th century. By his wife Gormlaith ingen Murchada he had a son Sitric 'Silkbeard' who would also rule Dublin. Other sons included Ragnall, Glum Iarainn and Harald.
Amlaib abdicated in 980 and died on Iona in 981.
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