Feudal Kingdom - Teffia, Annaly, then Honour of Annaly Longford

The Earl of Westmeath, through his ancient Barony of Delvin and the numerous grants received, is the feudal and constitutional successor to the Princes (or Chiefs) of the ancient Gaelic kingdom of Annaly (Longford).

Specifically, he is the successor to:

The "Honour of Annaly" title signifies that the family inherited a great feudal lordship or proto-principality that absorbed the ancient Gaelic sovereignty of the O'Farrells, transforming it into a continuous, Crown-confirmed, Anglo-Norman-Irish dignity.

Here is what that legal status means in historical terms:

1. Successor to a Territorial Principality

A Principality is defined as a monarchical state or feudal territory ruled by a Prince ( Princeps). In the Irish and Gaelic context:

The grants to the Nugents, such as the one in 1597, conveyed the whole territorial seignory ( lordship) of Annaly/Longford, including:

• The land itself.

• The jurisdiction (rights to hold courts, exact fines, and exercise local government).

• The fiscal rights (tolls, chief-rents, market fees).

• The Captainship and Chief Status (a direct substitution for the Gaelic chieftaincy).

The Crown effectively converted the Gaelic Principality into a Crown-confirmed Feudal Honour and Seignory vested hereditarily in the Nugent family.

2. The Meaning of "Feudal and Constitutional Successor"

This specific phrase has two key components that explain the dignity:

3. The Dignity: The "Honour of Annaly"

The term Honour (as in Honour of Annaly) is a specific medieval legal term that signifies this proto-princely dignity. An Honour was a great feudal lordship composed of multiple manors, liberties, and subordinate estates held directly from the Crown.

Hybrid Dignity: Through these grants, the Barons Delvin were legally installed as the feudal successors to the Christian-Gaelic princely sovereignty of Annaly, giving them a unique hybrid status as feudal lords and princely captains of the ancient territory

By holding the Honour of Annaly, the Earl of Westmeath and Baron Delvin family became the:

• Dominus Territorii Annalensis (Lord of the Territory of Annaly).

• Lord of the County/Liberty of Longford.

This title established the Nugents as the continuous legal and landed authority in Longford, replacing the privious Clans, The ancient princely lordships of Annaly and Delvin (Delbhna–Teffia) were originally ruled by various kings and clans: including Maine, son of Niall of the Nine Hostages, Conmac, son of Fergus Mac Roigh and the legendary Queen Maeve of Connaught, Southern Uí Néill in ancient history, Muintir Giollagain, and  O’Fearghail (O’Farrell) dynasty, Princes of Anghaile, and the noble septs of O’Quinn (Ó Cuinn) of Rathcline, Mac Gilligan (Mac Giollagáin) of Muintir Gilligan, O’Mulfeeney (Ó Maolfhíneadha) of Corcard, O’Duignan (Ó Duibhgeannáin) of Ardagh, O’Skelly (Ó Scealláin) and O’Skully (Ó Scolaighe) of South Teffia, O’Reilly (Ó Raghallaigh) and O’Murray (Ó Muireadhaigh) on the eastern borders, Mac Donough (Mac Donnchadha) and O’Hanley (Ó hAinle) near Lough Ree, and the O’Fenelon (Ó Fionnaláin) and O’Finnallan chiefs of the ancient Delbhna or Delvin tribes of Western Westmeath—collectively forming the hereditary nobility of the old kingdom of Teffia, later known as the Principality of Annaly.

Below, we can draw a clear, historically grounded picture of Teffia (Tethba), Annaly, and what later becomes County Longford as a layered political landscape rather than a single kingdom. What follows is a synthesis that stays faithful to the annals, genealogies, and territorial evidence you’ve provided.

1. Teffia (Tethba): The Foundational Middle Kingdom

Teffia (Old Irish: Tethba) is the parent territorial kingdom from which Annaly and later Longford emerge.

• Founder lineage:
  Teffia was ruled by the Fir Tethba, descended from Maine, son of Niall of the Nine Hostages (Southern Uí Néill).

• Chronology:
  Active as an identifiable kingdom from at least the 5th century, continuing in recognizable form into the 12th–14th centuries (with kings still styled rí Tethba into the 1300s).

• Territorial extent:
  Core of modern County Longford, with spillover into north Westmeath and parts of south Leitrim.

• Political character:
  Teffia was not absorbed early like many túatha. Instead, it persisted as a named kingship with internal sub-kingdoms and sept-lordships.

Key point:
Teffia is one of the best-documented “Middle Kingdoms” of Ireland, sitting between Connacht, Meath (Mide), and Breifne, and retaining its identity longer than most comparable regions.

2. Internal Kingdoms and Lordships Within Teffia

Teffia was not unitary. It functioned as a federal landscape of related but distinct kingdoms and peoples:

A. Fir Tethba (Core Royal Kingdom)

• The principal kingship (rí Tethba).

• Rulers recorded continuously from the 6th to 14th centuries.

• Later rulers include Ua Flannacáin, Ua h-Airt, Sinnach, and others.

B. Cenél Cairpri Gabhra (Cairpre Gabra)

• Descended from Cairbre, son of Niall.

• Overlords of large parts of northern and eastern Teffia.

• Later known through Ua Ciardha (O’Keary / O’Carey).

• Exercised dominance over:

  • Upper Conmaicne

  • Portions of Annaly

• Often styled rí Cairpri or tighearna Cairpre.

C. Upper Conmaicne (Conmaicne Rein)

• Pre-Uí Néill population absorbed into Teffia.

• By the early medieval period, under Ui Cairpri Gabhra overlordship.

• Territory corresponds to north Longford / south Leitrim.

• This Conmaicne substrate is crucial for understanding Annaly’s mixed ethnic character.

D. Fir Chul Tethba

• Located in western Teffia / Longford–Westmeath borderlands.

• Closely affiliated with Luigne and Sil Ronain.

• Kings styled rí Fer Cúl Teathbha.

E. Breaghmhaine (in Teffia)

• Smaller but important lordship within Teffia.

• Ruled by Ua Braoin (O’Breen).

• Demonstrates the internal fragmentation of Teffia into named territories with their own rulers.

3. Annaly (Anghaile): A Dynastic Kingdom Within Teffia

Annaly emerges not as a replacement of Teffia, but as a dynastic super-kingdom within it.

• Name origin:
  From Anghaile, linked to the Uí Fhailghe / O’Farrell line.

• Nature:
  Annaly is both:

  • Territorial (covering much of modern Longford)

  • Dynastic (a ruling house exercising overlordship across Teffian sub-kingdoms)

• Population mix:

  • Fir Tethba (Southern Uí Néill)

  • Cenél Cairpri

  • Conmaicne

• Political reality:
  Annaly functioned as a confederated kingship, uniting older Teffian units under a dominant ruling family.

Key insight:
Annaly does not erase Teffia—it sits on top of it, much like Mide sat atop older Laigin territories.

4. Relationship to Mide (Meath) and the Southern Uí Néill

Teffia and Annaly were:

• Part of the Southern Uí Néill sphere

• But not absorbed into Clann Cholmáin (Mide)

This is crucial.

• Unlike Brega or Mide proper:

  • Teffia retained local kings

  • Annals continue to record rí Tethba long after Meath became centralized

• Conflicts with:

  • Clann Cholmáin

  • Delbna

  • Cenél Lóegaire
    are frequent and recorded on equal footing, indicating peer status, not subordination.

5. Transition to County Longford

When the Normans arrive:

• Annaly becomes the framework through which the English understand the territory.

• Teffia survives as a historical and legal memory, embedded in:

  • Baronial divisions

  • Lordships

  • Later titles (including those connected to Delvin and Westmeath)

County Longford thus inherits:

• The territorial continuity of Teffia

• The dynastic continuity of Annaly

• The plural kingship model (multiple legitimate rulers within one region)

6. Bottom Line (Core Conclusions)

1. Teffia (Tethba) is the original middle kingdom of Longford, founded by Maine mac Néill, and among the longest-enduring regional kingships in Ireland.

2. It contained multiple internal kingdoms, not just petty túatha.

3. Annaly is a later dynastic consolidation, not a replacement—both territorial and hereditary.

4. The region shows exceptional continuity of rulership from the 5th century through the late medieval period.

5. Few regions in Ireland retain such a clear overlap of territorial kingship, dynastic succession, and recorded sovereignty across 800–900 years.

Here is what happens when the Barons of Delvin take control in Annaly / Teffia / later County Longford, and how that transition actually occurs in legal-historical terms. I’ll keep this tight, factual, and aligned with the annals and feudal reality rather than later nationalist simplifications.

1. The Situation Before Delvin: A Living Gaelic Kingship

Before the Barons of Delvin appear:

• Teffia (Tethba) and Annaly (Anghaile) are:

  • Functioning Gaelic territorial kingships

  • Ruled by native dynasties (notably Uí Fhailghe / O’Farrell, Cenél Cairpri, Fir Tethba)

• Kings are styled:

  • rí Tethba

  • rí Anghaile

• Authority is:

  • Territorial

  • Hereditary

  • Militarily defended

• Overlordship shifts between:

  • Southern Uí Néill

  • Connacht

  • Local hegemonic families

This remains true into the late 12th century.

2. Entry of the Barons of Delvin (de Nangle / Nugent)

Who they are

• The Barons of Delvin descend from the de Nangle / Nugent Norman family.

• They are:

  • Feudal magnates

  • Crown tenants-in-chief

  • Lords of Delvin (Westmeath) initially

How they enter Annaly

The takeover is not a single conquest. It happens in stages:

1. Norman intervention in Meath (1170s–1200s)

   • Strongholds established in Meath and Westmeath

2. Strategic marriage alliances

   • Nugents intermarry with Gaelic nobility

   • They become de facto insiders

3. Military pressure + Crown backing

   • English kings recognize Nugents as lawful lords

4. Gradual displacement of O’Farrell supremacy

   • Not total extermination

   • Instead: fragmentation and submission

Key point:
The Nugents do not destroy Annaly — they appropriate its territorial authority.

3. Legal Mechanism of Takeover: Feudal Translation, Not Abolition

This is critical.

What England does NOT do

• It does not abolish:

  • The territory

  • The land units

  • The historic dignity

What England DOES do

• It reclassifies sovereignty:

So Annaly becomes:

• A feudal lordship

• Held by the Baron of Delvin

• Recognized by the Crown

But the territorial continuity remains intact.

4. The Honour of Annaly: Why Delvin Is More Than a Baron

By the 13th century:

• The Baron of Delvin is:

  • Overlord of most of Annaly

  • Holder of lands across all six historic baronies

• Annaly functions as an Honour:

  • A superior territorial dignity

  • Encompassing multiple manors and sub-lordships

• This mirrors:

  • Honour of Leicester

  • Honour of Richmond

  • Honour of Chester

This is why Annaly remains special:
It is not just land, but a historic territorial dignity.

5. Gaelicization of the Nugents (Why This Lasts 850 Years)

Rather than acting as foreign occupiers, the Delvin Nugents:

• Become Gaelicized

• Adopt:

  • Irish law practices

  • Irish marriage networks

  • Irish military alliances

• Are recognized locally as:

  • Legitimate rulers

  • “Captains of the Country”

This explains:

• Why Delvin remains dominant for ~850 years

• Why they later become:

  • Earls of Westmeath

  • Principal successors to Annaly

6. What Happens to the Native Kings?

They are not erased.

• Some O’Farrells:

  • Retain sub-lordships

  • Act as tenants or allies

• Others:

  • Are displaced westward

• Their bloodline legitimacy survives, but:

  • Territorial sovereignty transfers to Delvin

This is a property-based succession, not extinction.

7. Why This Matters Today (Legally & Historically)

The Delvin takeover means:

1. Feudal tenure was abolished in Ireland (17th c.)

   • BUT:

     • Feudal property

     • Honours

     • Territorial dignities
       were not abolished

2. The successor to the Barons of Delvin / Earls of Westmeath:

   • Inherits the Honour of Annaly

   • As a historic territorial dignity

3. This mirrors:

   • Austrian

   • German

   • Italian noble survivals
     where sovereignty ends but property-derived honours remain

8. Bottom Line (Clear Summary)

• The Barons of Delvin do not conquer and erase Annaly.

• They inherit, translate, and consolidate it.

• Annaly survives as:

  • A territorial honour

  • A dynastic dignity

  • A continuous jurisdiction in law and history

• This continuity explains why Annaly is:

  • Older than most European principalities

  • Still legally intelligible today as a property-derived honour