high kings
Kings over kings
High kings are monarchs who rule over other kings, standing at the apex of a hierarchical system where regional or lesser kings owe allegiance to a supreme sovereign.
The title appears prominently in Irish and Scottish history, where the High King of Ireland (*Ard Rí*) theoretically held authority over provincial kings.
Similar concepts appear in other cultures: Anglo-Saxon *bretwalda*, ancient Persian *shahanshah* (king of kings).
The term now often appears in fantasy literature following this historical model.
- Brehon lawsPre-Norman Irish legal tradition
- monarchHereditary supreme ruler
- Tuatha Dé DanannAncient Irish deity tribe
- emperorMale ruler of empire
- supremeHighest in authority
sovereign · throne · pharaoh · Tara · regnant · sultan · ruler · Irish mythology · shah · coronation rites · dominion · czar · highness · caliph · royal seat · dynasty · ancient Ireland · noble houses
- Irish HistoryGreat Famine, Easter Rising, Irish nationalism, Irish War of Independence, Irish Civil War
- Ancient IrelandCelts, Gaels, druids, Tara, Brehon law
- CeltsCelts, Gauls, Britons, Galatians, Celtiberians
- nobilityqueen, prince, princess, duke, duchess
- Irish MythologyFenian Cycle, Morrigan, Deirdre, Sidhe, Brigid
- Celtic MythologyBrigid, Morrigan, Rhiannon, Anu
high kingslocal lords
Nobles controlling nearby lands
kinglets · chieftains · clan chiefs · tribal chiefs · thanes
high kingsvassals
Feudal subordinates owing service
subjects · tributaries · subordinates · thralls · underlings
high, king, higher, highest, highly, height, heighten, kings, kingly