Rothechtaid Rotha, son of Róán, son of Failbe, son of Cas Cétchaingnech, son of
Faildergdóit, was, according to
medieval
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the Post-classical, post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with t ...
Irish legend and historical tradition, a king of the eastern midland kingdom of the
Gailenga who became
High King of Ireland
High King of Ireland ( ga, Ardrí na hÉireann ) was a royal title in Gaelic Ireland held by those who had, or who are claimed to have had, lordship over all of Ireland. The title was held by historical kings and later sometimes assigned ana ...
after defeating his predecessor,
Sírna Sáeglach
Sírna Sáeglach ("the long-lived"), son of Dian mac Demal, son of Demal mac Rothechtaid, son of Rothechtaid mac Main, was, according to medieval Irish legend and historical tradition, a High King of Ireland. He separated the province of Ulster f ...
, in the battle of Alind. He was the first Irish king to use a four-horse chariot, which he had made for his queen. He ruled for seven years, until he was struck by lightning at
Dunseverick,
County Antrim
County Antrim (named after the town of Antrim, ) is one of six counties of Northern Ireland and one of the thirty-two counties of Ireland. Adjoined to the north-east shore of Lough Neagh, the county covers an area of and has a population o ...
. He was succeeded by his son
Elim Olfínechta. The ''
Lebor Gabála Érenn
''Lebor Gabála Érenn'' (literally "The Book of the Taking of Ireland"), known in English as ''The Book of Invasions'', is a collection of poems and prose narratives in the Irish language intended to be a history of Ireland and the Irish fro ...
'' synchronises his reign with that of
Phraortes of the
Medes
The Medes (Old Persian: ; Akkadian: , ; Ancient Greek: ; Latin: ) were an ancient Iranian people who spoke the Median language and who inhabited an area known as Media between western and northern Iran. Around the 11th century BC, the ...
(665-633 BC). The chronology of
Geoffrey Keating's ''Foras Feasa ar Éirinn'' dates his reign to 794–787 BC, that of the ''Annals of the Four Masters'' to 1031–1024 BC.
['']Annals of the Four Masters
The ''Annals of the Kingdom of Ireland'' ( ga, Annála Ríoghachta Éireann) or the ''Annals of the Four Masters'' (''Annála na gCeithre Máistrí'') are chronicles of medieval Irish history. The entries span from the Deluge, dated as 2,24 ...
'
M4169-4176
/ref>
References
Legendary High Kings of Ireland
{{ireland-bio-stub