The History of Wales

11. The early Kingdoms of Buellt and Gwrtheyrnion 406 - 800

Cantref

A cantref  (derived from the  welsh "Cant" meaning a hundred)was division of land in Medieval Wales, it was a unit of land made up of 100 tref, a tref was a small village or settlement, the equivalent word in England for a cantref was a hundred.  Later as populations inceased, the commote 0r cymwd became the unit used for 100 tref, and the cantref became a larger unit, cantref could vary considerably in size; most were divided into two or three commotes but the largest, the "Cantref Mawr" or "Great Cantref" in Ystrad Tywi (now in Carmarthenshire) was divided into seven commotes, and the island of Anglesey was divided into three cantrefi, Cemais, Aberffraw and Rhosyr.

 

The early Kingdoms of Buellt and Gwrtheyrnion

 

 

 

Buellt  was a cantref in medieval Mid Wales east of the River Wye.  It seems to have developed along earlier Celtic tribal boundaries, its boundaries were rivers Wye and Tywi and north of a line drawn roughly between Erwood and Llanwrtyd as far as the Cambrian Mountains.  It got its name from the Welsh words 'Bu' and 'Allt',  be translated as 'The Wild Ox of the Wooded Slope'.  Its capital was at Caer Beris

Unlike most cantrefs it was not part of any of the major Welsh kingdoms, and was instead ruled by an autonomous local dynasty, the first of whom was Pasgen.  Pasgen was the third son of Vortigern. Though their father was deposed, Pasgen reached an agreement with the new ruler of Britain,Ambrosius Aurelianus.whereby they were able to retain the major part of their family’s lands. Pasgen was thus recognised as King  Buellt and Gwerthrynion (which was named after his father). 

According to folklore, Buellt is the location  Carn Cabal, which was created when King Arthurs' dog Cabal stepped on a stone and marked it with his pawprint during the hunt for the divine boar Troit. Afterward, Arthur placed the stone on top of a hill, and anyone who tried to move it would find it back in place the next day.  The placename survives in modern Wales as  Carn Cafall near Rhayader. 

 

Gwrtheyrnion was a cantref in medieval Mid Wales north of the River Wye.  It is said to have been named after Vortigern (in Welsh Gwrtheyrn) as the place he fled to after Saint Germanius of Auxerre had castigated him for his various sins.   Vortigerns', family probably stemmed from the Gloucester area, with the seat of his power probably in Cirencester. Gwrtheyrnion could have been his personal estate, acquired at the end of Roman rule, or it may have the place he moved to before or after the fall of Gloucester in 577 as a result of the British defeat at Dyrham at the hands of the West Saxons.

When Vortigern died, his son Pascent was put in charge of Gwrtheyrnion and Buellt by Ambrosius Aurelianus.  Generally, its boundaries were the cantrefs of Arwystli to the north, Maelienydd  to the east, Elenydd to the west, Efael to the southeast, and Buellt to the southwest, with its capital at  Rhayader, (from which Radnorshire was later named).  Between 406 and 760, it was ruled directly from Buellt and subject to its rule and by 800 had ceased to exist, being absorbed by Seisyllwg and then Deheubarth.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rulers of Buellt and Gwrtheyrnion

c.406 - c.440  Pasgen ap Gwrtheyrn

c.440 - c.475  Braigad ap Pasgen  Joint ruler

c.442  Morgan ap Pasgen  Joint ruler

c.475 - c.510  Idnerth ap Briagad

c.510 - c.545   Meurig ap Idnerth

c.545 - c.580   Pawl ap Meurig  Sub-king to Brycheiniog for a time.

c.580 - c.615  Elaed ap Eldoc ap Pawl

c.615 - c.650  Morwd ap Elaed

c.650 - c.685  Gwyddgan ap Morwd

c.685 - c.715  Pasgen Buellt

c.715 - c.745  Tedwr ap Pasgen  Joint ruler

c.720   Glowd ap Pasgen  Joint ruler

c.745 - ?  Ffernfael ap Tewdr  Last king of  Buellt and Gwrtheyrnion.

c.785  Braustud ferch Glowd  Daughter of Glowd, married Arthfael Hen (the Old) of Glywissing.

by 800  The kingdom ceases to exist, being absorbed by Seisyllwg and then Deheuberth.

 

 

 

 

 

 

10. The early Kingdoms of Ceredigion, Seisyllwg and Deheubarth 424 - 957

 

The early Kingdoms of Ceredigion, Seisyllwg and Deheubarth

Ceredigion

 

 

 

The Kingdom of Ceredigion was one of Welsh Kingdoms that emerged in 5th-century, it was originally part of the territory governed by Cunedda after he had warded off Irish invaders and granted the land to his son Ceredig (Ceretic) as his own kingdom in 424, and it was named after him. Ceredigion meaning "the people of Ceredig."  The earliest form of the kingdom's name may have been Ceretica.

Situated along the western coast of  Wales, its area corresponded roughly to that of the modern county of Ceredigion which includes modern towns of Aberaeron, Aberystwyth, Cardigan, Lampeter, Llanddewi brefi, New Quay, and Tregaron and it is where the rivers Severn and Wye have their source.  The Cambrian Mountains covered much of the east of the Kingdom and its hilly geography made it difficult for foreign invaders to conquer.  As a coastal Kingdom,  its creation was a very good strategic move as it sealed the vulnerable coastal gap between Dyfed and Gwynedd, thus preventing any further Irish gains in Wales.  It was bordered by the Kingdoms of Gwynedd, Powys and Dyfed, the River Teifi  formed the border with Dyfed for part of its length.

 

 

 

 

 

 

c.424 - 453  Ceredig  Fifth son of Cunedda

In Ceredig's later years, when the kingdom is under threat of attack by Irish raiders and he is advised to abdicate in favour of his young grandson, Carannog, who is horrified at the prospect and flees the court later becoming St Carannog.  According to tradition he is also the grandfather of St David. 

453–490  Usai 

490–525  Serwyl 

525–560  Boddw 

560–595  Arthfoddw 

595–630  Arthlwys 

630–665  Clydog I 

Seisyllwg

Seisyll, embarked on a series of conquests and added the three cantrefs of Ystrad Tywy to Ceredigion, the enlarged Kingdom of  Seisyllwg being named after him.  Note that the dates given for the reigns of Seisyll and his immediate descendents must be treated with caution, as they are are educated guesses. The only secure date we have is for the death of Gwgan derived from the Annales Cambriae.

665 - c.700  Seisyll ap Clydog.  Seisyll conquered Ystrad Towy (most of modernday Carmarthenshire), taking it from Dyfed. The enlarged kingdom of Ceredigion, which by then also included the Gower Peninsula, is renamed the kingdom of Seisyllwg in his honour

c.700 - c.735   Arthwyr ap Seisyll

c.735 - c.770  Dyfnwal ap Arthwyr

c.770 - c.807  Meurig ap Dyfnwal

by 800  The kingdoms of  Buellt and Gwerthrynion are taken by Seisyllwg

c.808 - 872  Gwgan ap Meurig 

872   Gwgon drowned  while crossing the River Llychwr in Gower whilst chasing off a Viking raid, leaving no heir. Gwgon's sister, Angharad, was married to Rhodri the Great of  Gwynedd, who became steward over Gwgon's realm. While this gave Rhodri no standing to press a claim to kingship himself, he was able to install his and Angharad's younger son, Cadell, as the new King of Seisyllwg.  Cadell ruled as a vassal to his father, giving Rhodri control of much of north and central Wales, and from this point onwards, Seisyllwg is ruled by a branch of the kings of Gwynedd as a sub-kingdom.

878  Cadell ap Rhodri confirmed King of Seisyllwg, upon the death of Rhodri Mawr, 

904  Cadell ap Rhodri and his son, Hywel Dda, conquer Dyfed 

911   Cadell died and Seisyllwg was divided among his two sons, Hywel Dda and Clydog

Deheubarth

920  Clydog died in 920, leaving the whole of Seissylwg to Hywel, who quickly merged Seisyllwg and Dyfed into the new kingdom of  Deheubarth, which covered most of southwest Wales.  From this power base, he later went on to unite almost all of Wales

950  The death of Hywel Dda, king of all Wales, leaves the country divided. Hywel's sons, Owain, Rhun, Rhodri and Edwyn, take possession of his estates in South Wales, with Rhodri becoming king of Deheubarth itself and Owain becoming prince of Ceredigion.

952 - 953  As part of the ongoing conflict between Deheubarth and Gwynedd, Owain leads an army into the North Wales Kingdom and engages its men at the Battle of Aberconwy. The fighting is so fierce that both sides are forced to withdraw, having sustained heavy losses. The following year, Gwynedd repays the compliment, invading and devastating Ceredigion, before being driven out by more fierce fighting.

957  Owain succeeds to the throne of Deheubarth and Ceredigion is fully reunited with it under him as its single ruler.

 

 

 

 

 

Map of the extent of Hywel Dda's power          

Deheubarth, Hywel Dda's principality

Gwent and Glywising combine to form Morgannwg

9. The early Kingdoms of Ewyas, Gwerthefyriwg, Gwent, Ergyng, Cernyw, Glywyssing and Morganwg (383 - 1055)

Ewyas, Gwerthefyriwg, Gwent, Ergyng, Cernyw, Glywyssing and Morganwg

 The history of this area is particularly challenging to understand.  This is because over this period there were not only name changes, but border changes, unifying of kingdoms and conquering of Kingdoms, both internally amoung the Welsh Kingdoms and also, because this was what turned out to be on the border between Wales and England, there was the constant threat from the expanding Anglo Saxon Kingdoms.

 

 

Map highlighting the Kingdoms of South East Wales in 425

Map highlighting the Kingdoms of South East Wales in 450

 

Map highlighting the Kingdoms of South East Wales in 550

       

Map highlighting the Kingdoms of South East Wales in 575

 

 

 

 

In the diagram below, I have attempted to summarise the most significant events in relation to this area.  

 

Ewyas / Gwerthefyriwg

Founded from the kingdom of the Silures , Ewyas (now in Herefordshire) was situated on the eastern edge of Wales.

383 - c.430   Around the start of the fourth century there is a threat from Irish raids coming up the River Severn, so Magnus Maximus creates the Kingdom of mid-south Wales which incorporated Ewyas and Cernyw

c.430   Ewyas seems to have come under the control of Vortigern, whose family had lived in Glevum (Gloucester) before the  depature of the Romans, and imposed himself as the local leader before taking control of the whole country . He is known to the Welsh as Gwrtheyrn Gwertheneu (Vortigern the Thin). As a man with no Imperial connections, he was viewed as a usurper by Roman legitimists, though he tried to consolidate his position by marrying a daughter of Magnus Maximus.  Ewyas was renamed in honour of his son Vortimer (using the Welsh version of his Romanised name, Gwerthefyriwg).

c.474  Gwerthefyriwg divided into Gwent and Ergyng

 

Gwent

The Kingdom of Gwent was traditionally the area between the rivers Usk, Wye and Severn.  Its capital was the Roman city of Caerwent (Caer Gwent) after which the kingdom is named

c.490   Caradog Freichfras (Strongarm) ap Ynyr secures the kingdom, It seems that Caradog Freichfras is named in honour of  Caratacus, the heroic resister of Roman occupation of the Silures four hundred years earlier.    Caer Gwent is Caradog Freichfras's original base, but later stories have him handing his headquarters (the Roman basilica in the heart of the town) over to St Tathyw so that he can found a monastery. Caradog moves his court to Portskewett, which may be the hill fort of Sudbrook Fort, Following his accession he also sails across the Channel to found the kingdom of Bro Erch in Brittany.

577   Caer Gloui (Gloucester) falls to the West Saxon, seperating Gwent from Dumnonia (Devon, Cornwall and parts of Somerset and Dorset) and opened up the Welsh border to attack 

c.595  Erb ap Erbic becomes  King of Gwent, Glywissing and Ergyng, being dubbed the 'King of South-East Wales'.

c.600  Ynys Manau (Isle of Man) is invaded by the Dal Riadan (Scotti from Ulster), their leader Dingad ap Nudd and his family flee and take refuge in Gwent, where they settle in the role of minor chieftains.

c.610  Upon Erb's death the unified kingdom of Gwent and Ergyng is divided between his sons, Nynnio gains Gwent and Glywissing, while Pebiaw gains  Ergyng.

c.630  Gwent is subjected to a largescale Saxon raid and its Christian King Tewdrig was mortally wounded.

656  Pengwern is overrun by Oswiu of  Northumbria the kingdom terminated, further exposing the border of Gwent .

c.735  Ithel ap Morgan becomes King of Gwent, Glywyssing and Ergyng and is dubbed  King of South-East Wales. Also around this time  Gwent may also have extended east of the River Wye into areas known as Cantref Coch, which later became the Forest of Dean.

745  It is probable that Ithel divides the joint kingdom between sons, Brochwal ap Ithel rules Gwent and Rhys ap Ithel rules in Glywyssing, with Ithael remaing overlord of both. The name of Ergyng is no longer used, parts of the territory probably having been lost to the Hwicce while the rest having been absorbed by Gwent for more than a century. It seems that, by the ninth century, the greater portion of it has been absorbed by Mercia.

848  King Ithael of Gwent is killed in battle against King Elisedd ap Tewdr of Brycheiniog

c.942  Morgan Hen Fawr (Morgan the Old) , becomes king  of Glywyssing and Gwent under the new name of Morgannwg (modern Glamorgan), he was one of the Welsh rulers who paid tribute to Athelstan's overlordship, and attended him at court in Hereford.  However, Gwent remained a distinct Welsh kingdom and its eastern boundary became established as the Wye,

974  Gwent and Glywysing were were broken up again after  the death of his death of Morgan Hen Fawr 

1055  Morgannwg reformed when Gruffudd ap Llywelyn conquers both kingdoms

Ergyng

Originally a Welsh kingdom that lay mostly in what is now western Herefordshire, its heartland was between the Rivers Monnow and Wye, but it also spread east of the Wye  into modern Monmouthshire, its capital was Ariconium (Welsh: Din Aricon) at Weston under Penyard and was originally part of the Kingdom of  Gwent, but seems to have become independent for a period under Gwrfoddw Hen in the late 5th century, and again under King Peibio Clafrog in the mid-6th century. Peibio was the grandfather of Saint Dubricius  the first Bishop of Ergyng and an important figure in the establishment of  Christianity in South Wales.  Dubricius' cousin, Gwgran Fawr (the Great) was one of its most important monarchs and may have obtained sway over Glamorgan as far as the River Neath.

c.595  Erb ap Erbic becomes  King of Gwent, Glywissing and Ergyng, being dubbed the 'King of South-East Wales'.

c.610  Upon Erb's death the unified kingdom of Gwent and Ergyng is divided between his sons, Nynnio gains Gwent and Glywissing, while Pebiaw gains  Ergyng.

c.630  Gwent is subjected to a largescale Saxon raid and its Christian King Tewdrig was mortally wounded.

c.735  Ithel ap Morgan  King of South-East Wales (Gwent, Glywissing and Ergyng).

745  It is probable that Ithel divides the joint kingdom between sons, Rhys ap Ithel ruling Glywissing with Ithael remaing overlord of both.  The name of Ergyng is no longer used, parts of the territory probably having been lost to the Hwicce while the rest has been part of Gwent for more than a century. It seems that, by the ninth century, the greater portion of it has been absorbed by Mercia.

 by the 9th century the Mercians had gained control over the area and nearby Hereford,  although its Welsh-speaking inhabitants retained special rights.  Ergyng then became known to the English as Archenfield.

 

Cernyw / Glywyssing / Morgannwg

The small Celtic kingdom of Cernyw was a western chunk of the former Silures territory

c.420  The country is subjected to raids along its coastline. Irish raiders sail up the Severn and seize a large amount of booty in the form of corn and cattle and also take children as slaves. They are also credited with kidnapping the young St Patrick from the College of Theodosius ( Llantwit Major ), which would place the raid within  the territory of  Cernyw

437  Cernyw and Ewyas combined (known by later chroniclers as the 'Kingdom of Mid-South Wales')  by Eugenius ( in Welsh Owain Finddu or Black Lips), son of Magnus Maximus, but continued to operate as seperate Kingdoms.  

 c.440  The mythology of his death tells us that he and his brother, King Constantine of North Wales, were escorting their mother, St. Elen Luyddog (of the Host), through the Mountains of Snowdonia when Owain's rear-guard were attacked by an evil giant, named Cidwm, near Nantmor. The two took part in a fierce battle in which they pelted each other with either arrows or huge steel balls. Eventually Owain killed the giant, but was so badly wounded himself that he shot an arrow into the air and asked to be buried where it fell. He died immediately afterward and was buried at what became Bedd Owain.  In reality Eugenius  is thought to have been killed in battle against Irish raiders.

c470  When Glwys came to power, Cernyw was renamed Glywyssing in his honour .

c.480 - c 580  Glywyssing comprised three main regions, probably created with the same borders as their preceding Roman cantrefs which were often ruled as separate kingdoms, with one of the three rulers filling the role of nominal overlord

Gwynllg formed the far eastern part of Glywyssing, divided from Gwent by the River Usk, with a capital at Allt Wynllyw on Stow Hill (in Newport)

Penychen divided from Gwynllg by the River Elerch, otherwise known as the Greater Rumney, which was ruled from Nant Pawl

Gorfynedd the westernmost section, which included the Gower Peninsula and which was ruled from Llaniltud Fawr (Llantwit Major).

A fourth region, Edeligion was located in the very east of Glywyssing. It appears to have been short-lived and was probably quickly absorbed into Gwynllg.

c 580  Meurig, king of Gwent through inheritance and marriage gains control of Glywyssing and the kingdom remains part of Gwent until 745.  

c.595  Erb ap Erbic becomes  King of Gwent, Glywissing and Ergyng, being dubbed the 'King of South-East Wales'

c.610  Upon Erb's death the unified kingdom of Gwent and Ergyng is divided between his sons, Nynnio gains Gwent and Glywissing, while Pebiaw gains  Ergyng.

c.735  Ithel ap Morgan becomes King of Gwent, Glywyssing and Ergyng and is dubbed  King of South-East Wales.

745  It is probable that Ithel divides the joint kingdom between sons, Brochwal ap Ithel rules Gwent and Rhys ap Ithel rules in Glywyssing, with Ithael remaing overlord of both. Glywissing re-emerges as a seperate kingdom  and seems to have remained relatively stable throughout the remainder of the eighth century and into the ninth..

c.785  King Meyryg ap Rhys builds a castle at Caerleon upon Usk and another at a place called Meigen cil Ceincoed, near the River Elerch or Romney, however according to tradition he was a man of great cruelty and was launched to his death from a high cliff by nobles for daring to molest a noble's daughter.

c.825 - c.830  Glywyssing is taken back into Gwent, however, this is only for a brief period and Rhys ap Arthfael soon regains control 

856 - 886  During this period, King Hywel ap Rhys comes into conflict with the king of Brycheiniog, Elisedd ap Tewdr, over the district of Ystrad Yw (Crickhowell), he is forced to relinquish his right to that district and  set the boundary of his kingdom there.  It is here the town and castle of Cerrig Hywel ( 'the stones of Hywel') was constructed. 

c.942  Morgan Hen Fawr (Morgan the Old) , becomes king  of Glywyssing and Gwent under the new name of Morgannwg (modern Glamorgan), he was one of the Welsh rulers who paid tribute to Athelstan's overlordship, and attended him at court in Hereford. 

974  The kingdom breaks after the death of Morgan Hen Fawr.

1055  Morgannwg reformed when Gruffudd ap Llywelyn conquers both kingdoms

8. The early Kingdoms of Dyfed and Brycheiniog 382 - 1045

 

The Early Kingdoms of Dyfed and Brycheiniog

The high number of memorial stones found with Irish (Ogham) inscriptions in south-west Wales, tells us that Dyfed was subject to substantial Irish settlement following the fall of Rome in Britain.  In particular, Aed Brosc, of the Deisi tribe from the County Waterford region of Ireland played a major role in the foundation of the Kingdoms of both Dyfed and Brycheiniog. His grandfather, Eochaid Allmuir (from Over the Sea) had left his homeland when a bid for independence by his people was severely crushed by their High-King and left them homeless, and the descendants of Aed’s eldest son, Urb, eventually founded the Kingdom of Brycheiniog, while his younger son, Triffyn Farfog, married the heiress of the King of Dyfed.

The connection with Brycheiniog was to be a recurring theme throughout the history of Dyfed, with Cloten ap Nowy in the mid seventh century becoming ruler of both kingdoms, and the future rulers of Dyfed all assumed some kind of influence over Brycheiniog to the east.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dyfed

Demetia

The British kingdom based on the Celtic tribal territory of the Demetae, its earliest centre was at Castell Dwyan nr Narbeth in Pembrokeshire.

382  Irish raiders were causing the British widespread problems, and to combat this,   Roman authorities put Anwn Dynod (Antonius Donatus Gregorius) son of Magnus Maximus in charge in much the same way as Cunedda was given Gwynedd as king of North Wales and asked for the help of Aed Brosc and the Deisi tribe in keeping Irish pirates away from the western coast of Britain 

c.400   Ednyfed ap Anwn (Demetius).   After his father's death, retains control of the region,

c.410 - c.421   Clotri ap Ednyfed (Clotrius). Last British ruler of Demetia.

Dyfed

The kingdom's name is altered by the Irish pronunciation of it so that, within a century, the accepted pronunciation is Dyfed.   

c.421 - c.445    Triffyn Farfog the Bearded (Triphun mac Aed), son of Aed Brosc. married Gweldyr, heiress of Demetia.  With Clotri's only male heir dead, his daughter Gweldyr, the sole heiress to the kingdom marries Triffyn, eventhough 35 years his junior. 

c.432 - 436   Aurelius Ambrosius of Caer Gloui is apparently a leader of a Brittish council, which presumably answers to Vortigern. It is his decision to confirm the Irish Deisi as protectors of the Demetia area of the west coast to counter the threat of  Irish raiders.  This is motivated by the council's reluctance to depend entirely on Saxon mercenaries, with their constant demands for increased provisions, especially in an area were they would be lightly supervised. The Deisi have already been settled for some time and would be self-supporting.

c.467  Aergol Lawhir  (Long-Hand) Aircol  mac Triffyn.

 His residence court was at Lis Castell (Lydstep nr Tenby) and may have had a second residence at Castell Argoel in Dyfed. He was patron of St Teilo Bishop of Glywissing.  He welcomed King Budic II of Brittany when he was expelled from Brittany. Also Aergol was known to be an enemy of King Cynan Garwyn of Powys and they clashed at Crug Dyfed.

c.495 - 540  Vortepor mac Aricol (Vortiporius) , King or 'Protector' of Dyfed, ruled over an area approximately corresponding to the modern Pembrokeshire. 

 The only contemporary information about him comes from Gildas, who says he was king of Dyfed, that he was grey with age, that his wife had died, and that he had at least one daughter.  Gildas also makes a condemnation of 5 British kings by likening them to the beasts of the Christian Apocalypse. Vortiporius is called "the spotted leopard" and the "tyrant of the Demetians"  He alleges him to be the bad son of a good father and calls his daughter "shameless".  The reasons for his derogatory remarks are not known.  

c.550   Cyngar ap Gwrthefyr

c.570  Pedr ap Cyngar

c.590   The Bernician Angles successfully destroy the kingdom of  The Peak (Southern Pennines) around this time and King Sawyl Penuchel is forced to flee to Wales. There is a story in the Life of St Cadoc that places him at Allt Cunedda near Kidwelly,  The story about Sawyl in Wales has him and his warband stealing food from Llancarfan Abbey. St Cadoc follows them and finds them sleeping under a tree. He cuts off their hair and flees to a bog. When Sawyl and his men follow they drown in the bog.

c.595-c.615   Arthur ap Pedr   Named after Arthur Pendragon  

c.625   Nowy Hen (the Old)   King of Dyfed and Brycheiniog

 

The Kingdom of Dyfed and Brycheiniog

c.650   Cloten ap Nowy (Gwlyddien)  King of Dyfed marries Princess Ceindrych of Brycheiniog  briefly uniting the two kingdoms for three generations. Making him King of Dyfed and Brycheiniog

c.670   Caten ap Cloten   King of Dyfed and Brycheiniog

c.690   Cadwgan Tredylig ap Caten  King of Dyfed and Brycheiniog

The Kingdom of Rheinwg

 

Map showing Dyfed, after the late 7th century, showing its seven cantrefi.

c.710   Rhein ap Cadwgan  During Rhein's rule, Dyfed is invaded by Seisyll, king of Ceredigion. Ceredigion conquers and takes control of Ystrad Towy from Dyfed,  the remainder of Rhein's Kingdom comprises of the remainder of Dyfed, and Brycheiniog, he passes control of the sub-kingdom of Brycheiniog to his younger brother Aust, however for a time both areas appear to have been known as Rheinwg, named after him.

c.730   Teuder ap Regin (Tewdos)

? - 798   Meredydd ap Teuder

798 - 808   Rhein ap Maredydd

808 - c.810   Triffyn ap Rhein   No heir

c.810 - 811   Owain ap Meredydd   Owain was the last male descendent of Aed Brosc.

 

 

 

 

The ninth century gap

No one is quite sure what was happening in Dyfed in the middle of the ninth century as there is no real mention of any ruler of Dyfed. After the deaths of Triffyn ap Rhein and Owain ap Meredydd, there is no indication of who is in charge until the appearance of Hyfaidd ap Bledrig at the court of King Alfred the Great of Wessex in the 880s requesting assistance in resisting the inroads of Cadell ap Rhodri and his brother Anarawd of Gwynedd.

We know that Coenwulf of Mercia ravaged Dyfed in 818 as part of his great push into Wales and thus the kingdom may have been destabilised. The only clue is the reference in the Annales Cambriae for the year 860 to the expulsion of one 'Catgueithen' and a record of his death for the year 882. However since Dyfed bears the highest concentration of Viking place names in Wales there is therefore a suspicion that the kingdom may well have fallen under Viking control during the missing half century or so.

??? - 893   Hyfaidd ap Bledrig - Son of Tangwystyl the daughter of Owain ap Meredydd and Bledrig Aillt (or Bledrig 'the foreigner).  Bledrig seems to have had no connection with the previous Demetian dynasty and it is thought he was either a low born Welshman, or of Viking extract 

Hyfaidd was known as something of a tyrant who is reported as having plundered the Cathedral of Mynyw (St.Davids), expelling the monks.  Dyfed was in conflict at this time with the brothers Cadell and Anarawd  of Gwynedd and as a defensive measure, Hyfaidd submitted to the overlordship of King Alfred the Great of England in the 880s

893 - 904   Llywarch ap Hyfaidd

 

Dyfed becomes part of Seisyllwg

904   Rhodri ap Hyfaidd - Beheaded.  King Cadell of Seisyllwg and his son, Hywel Dda, conquer Dyfed. Hywel is granted control of the kingdom, a position which is entirely legitimate thanks to his marriage to Elen, daughter of Llywarch ap Hyfaidd.

 

Deheubarth

916   Hywel Dda is the son of Cadell of Seisyllwg accedes to the throne and renames the new Kingdom of Dyfed, Ceredigion, Seisyllwg and Ystrad Tywi as Deheubarth

 

 

 

Brycheiniog

The Kingdom of Brycheiniog was an offshoot of Dyfed (Land of the Demetae), centred around Garth Madryn (Talgarth), it was founded (and named after) in the mid 5th century by Brychan, son of King Anlach of the Irish Deisi tribe (Waterford),  who had  peacefully taken control of the area by marrying Marchel, the heiress of Garth Madrun (There are ogham inscriptions on memorial stones in the area proving the presence of ethnic Irish within the kingdom).  When Brychen was made king upon the death of this father, the area of Garthmadrun was renamed Brycheiniog in his. honour.  Brychan fathered an extremely large number of children, many becoming saints in Wales and Cornwall.  In the 7th century, Brycheiniog came under the control of Dyfed,as there was no male heir and the heiress Ceindrych married Cloten of Dyfed. The union with Dyfed lasted for about a century, until the invasion of Seisyll of the Ceredigion in the mid 8th century when the Kingdoms were separated again.  

 

c.391  Urb mac Aed  Son of Aed Brosc, leader of the Irish Deisi tribe (Waterford)

Aed Brosc was of the tribe of the Déssi who hailed from the County Waterford region of Ireland. His grandfather, Eochaid Allmuir (from Over the Sea) had left his homeland when a bid for independence by his people was severely crushed by their High-King. There is some evidence to suggest the Roman authorities asked for his help in keeping Irish pirates away from the Dyfed coast. His descendants in the area certainly used the Roman title of 'Protector' rather than king.

The descendants of Aed’s eldest son, Urb, eventually founded the Kingdom of Brycheiniog, Like most Irish Royalty, Eochaid claimed descent from Belonus, the Celtic Sun-God, through his son, Miled. The Sons of Miled were traditionally the first Celts to come to Ireland, driving the Old Gods into the Otherworld and founding the Milesian dynasty of Irish Kings

C.407  Cormac mac Urb 

c.420  Anlach mac Cormac 

Kingdom of Brycheiniog

c.450 - c.490  Brychen Brycheiniog

Brychan Brycheiniog  (Brecon)  Born c.419  (His name implies he was a freckled baby).  He was regarded as a saintly King dedicated to the Christian Church 

Brychan Brycheiniog was the son of King Anlach of Garthmadrun and Marchel, heiress of that kingdom. Brychan was born in Ireland but, soon afterward,  moved with his parents to Wales, to Marchel's homeland of Garthmadrun (Talgarth). At the age of four, Brychan was sent to be tutored by a holy-man named Drichan beside the River Ysgir (Epynt), as a young man, war broke out between Anlach and Banadl, the usurping Irish King of Powys and Brychan was taken hostage, where he had a son, Cynog by the King’s daughter, Banhadlwedd.  After the war, Brychan returned to Garthmadrun and became King on Anlachs' death.  He successfully defended his kingdom many times, once against King Gwynllyw of Gwynllwg, who had abducted his daughter Gwladys, and on another occaison, he earned a great battle victory over Dyfed who had raided Brychan's Kingdom in order to dispel the boast "that no spoil could ever be taken from Brychan's land", and collected the dismembered limbs of the enemy as trophies! His reign was so successful that the kingdom was renamed Brycheiniog in his honour.  In old age he is believed to have abdicated the throne of Brycheniog in order to become a hermit on Ynys Brychan (Lundy Island), where he died and was buried at a great age in the mid 5th century 

The children of Brychan

Brychan married three times (Prawst, Banhadlwedd  and Gwladys)  and is reported to have farthered twenty-four sons and twenty-four daughters. Together they are known as one of the "Holy Families of Britain".  Most of his children appear to have travelled from  Brycheiniog to evangelise Cornwall and North Devon, where they are now venerated. 

I list below some of his more well known children:-

Sons of Brychan 

Rhain Dremrudd Suceeded his father as King of Brycheiniog 

Cynog (also known as Saint Kynauc)

Reported as being a powerful Welsh prince . Cynog's mother was Banhadlwedd, daughter of Benadyl, King of Powys. He is said to have been murdered on the mountain called the Van in the Brecon Beacons, and buried in the church of  Merthyr Cynog, which is dedicated to his memory. 

Dingad  Known as  a late 5th century Welsh saint and early Christian church founder, he was patron of  Llandingat Church (in Llandovery) and Dingestow (Monmouthshire). 

Saint Nectan  Feast day  June 17th

The eldest of the 24 children of King Brychan  Having received a vocation to become a monk earlier in his life, he  sailed to north Devon where he lived as a hermit in the dense forest of Hartland.   The Church of Saint Nectan in Hartland is dedicated to him.  According to tradition he lived in the solitude of a remote valley where he helped a swineherd recover his lost pigs and in turn was given a gift of two cows. Nectan's cows were stolen and after finding them he attempted to convert the robbers to the Christian faith. In return he was attacked by robbers who cut off his head.  Tradition also says that wherever Nectan's blood fell, foxgloves grew, and  there is still a tradition of taking foxgloves to his well on 17th June, his feast day  and  the supposed day of his death

 

Daughters of Brychan

Saint Keyne   Died on 5 October in 505. 

  It was said of her that she "grew up to be very beautiful, and many young men sought her hand in marriage, but she rejected them all."  She is also recorded as being a dragon-slayer, on par with St George

Keyne was a pious virgin who lived in Keynsham in Somerset and founded St Keyne in Cornwall, where there is a well, whose waters are said to give the upper hand to whichever of two newly-weds first drinks of them, a plaque next to the well describes the spell which Saint Keyne cast upon the water of the well.  'The quality that man or wife whom chance or choice attains first of this sacred spring to drink thereby the mastery gains".  In 490 she visited her nephew Saint Cadoc at St Michaels' Mount (Cornwall) where a granite chair supposedly is said to grant matrimonial advantage.

She was the original patron of St Martin-by-Looe (Penndrumm) and is linked with the River Kenwyn in Truro. She also founded chuches at Llangeinor in mid Glamorgan, Llangunnor and Llangain in Dyfed, at Rockfield (Llangennon), Runston, in Gwent and St Ceinwens' Church (Cerrigceinwen in Anglesey). 

 

Saint Endelienta  Feast day  29 April 29th.

She travelled to North Cornwall to join her siblings in converting the locals to Christianity, during her journey, she is said to have landed on the island of Lundy, where she is believed to have founded a small chapel,  She subsequently moved on to the mainland where she stayed with her brother,Saint Nectan at Hartland, before eventually choosing to settle at Trentinney, south-west of the present day village of St Endellion, although she would return to Lundy from time to time on retreat for meditation.

Legend says that she was a goddaughter of King Arthur and lived as a hermit at Trentinney where she subsisted solely on the milk of a cow, and that the cow was killed by the Lord of Trentinney after straying onto his land. He in turn is said to have been killed by King Arthur, after Arthur was angered by the deed and sent his men to exact revenge. However, Endelienta was said to be unhappy that Trentinney had been killed in her name, and restored both the cow and the nobleman back to life

Following a vision of her death, the saint is said to have asked that upon her death, her body should be placed on a sledge or cart drawn by bullocks, and that she should be buried at the place where they stopped. She is thought to have died on 29 April , possibly at the hands of Saxon pirates. She was buried at the top of a hill, and a church built over her grave. The present church at St Endellion stands on that site. 

 British Prime Minister, David Cameron and his wife Samantha named their daughter Florence Rose Endellion after the village of St Endellion, reflecting the fact she was born whilst the Cameron family were holidaying in Cornwall.

Saint Dwynwen (Saint Dwynwen's Day, 25 January). 

The Welsh patron saint of lovers and sick animals.   Dwynwen lived in Anglesey, and her name is still recalled in place names such as Llanddwyn and Porthddwyn.

Tradition says that Dwynwen falls in love with a young man named Maelon, but rejects his advances, she is unable to marry him due to her father's refusal and prays to forget her love for him. An angel provides her with a potion, which Maelon drinks and turns into ice. Dwynwen then prays for three requests, that Maelon be released; that, through her, God look after all true lovers; and that she remain unmarried. She then retreats to the solitude of Llanddwyn Island off the west coast of Anglesey to become a hermit until she dies, in about AD 460. 

 

Saint Eluned   Feast day August 1st

Tradition says that Eluned became a Christian at a young age, but was pursued by a pagan prince. She spurned his advances and ran away to Slwch Twmp (nr Brecon), where the local lord enabled her to build herself a cell, where she lived until her spurned suitor found her. As she ran from him, he cut off her head with his sword.  A spring of water appeared, which became associated with healing and other miracles. 

Saint Tydfil  Feast day August 23rd.   She is said to have met her death at Merthyr Tydfil in 480, at the hands of Welsh pagans. 

 

c.495  Rhein Dremrydd Red-Faced (Reginald) Uncle of Cadwg, king of Gwynllg and Penychen.

c.510  Rigenew ap Rhein

c.540  Llywarch ap Rigenew

c.580  Idwallon ap Llywarch

c.620  Rhiwallon ap Idwallon  Last male descendant of Brychen. 

Kingdom of Dyfed and Brycheiniog

c.640 - c.650   Rhiwallon ap Idwallons' daughter Ceindrych married the King of Dyfed, therefore Brycheiniog passes under Dyfed's control.  

c.715  Rhein ap Cadwgn ap Caten ap Cloten  

c.720  Awst ap Cadwgn

Kingdom of Brycheiniog

c.730  Tewdr ap Rhein 

c.735  Elwystl ap Awst  Rival claimant. Murdered by Tewdr.

c.750  Nowy Hen (the Old) ap Tewdr

c.770  Gryffydd ap Nowy

c.800  Tewdr ap Gryffydd

c.840 -885  Elisedd ap Tewdr  Known to have attended the court of, and submitted to Alfred the Great, seeking protection against the expansionism of Anarawd of Gwynedd. 

848  King Ithael of  Gwent is killed in battle against Elisedd, perhaps sparking a feud that soon draws in Glywissing's king, Hywel ap Rhys.

856 - 886  Hywel ap Rhys of  Glywissing comes into conflict with Elisedd ap Tewdr over the districts of Ystrad Yw (Crickhowell) and the remnant of Ewyas.

c.880  Construction of a crannog  in the middle of Llangorse lake, believed to have been the capital of the Kingdom  built by an Irish master builder to display the king's proud Irish heritage. Crannogs were unknown at this time outside Scotland or Ireland, and this is the only one of its kind in all of Wales.

c.890  Tewdr ap Elisedd

c.900  Gryffydd ap Elisedd

c.920 - 934  Tewdr Brycheiniog ap Gryffydd

916   The Anglo Saxon Chronicle records that Aethelflaed the 'Lady of Mercia' ( daughter of Alfred the Great, widow of Aethelred, 'Lord of Mercia' and sister of  Edward the Elder), attacked and captured the Queen of Brycheiniog from Llangorse lake

921  Further Mercian assaults result in pushing the kings of Brycheiniog further into the arms of Deheubarth, as it is from the 920s that Hywel Dda, king of Deheubarth is generally considered to have extended his control over Brycheiniog. This appears to have been a relatively amicable affair as there is no break in the sequence of Brycheiniog's rulers, but Brycheiniog effectively becomes a sub-kingdom of Deheubarth.

934  King of Brycheiniog reported as attending the English court 

c.940  Gwylog ap Tewdr

c.970  Elisedd ap Gwylog

c.1045  Gryfydd ap Elisedd  Last king of Brycheiniog.  Upon the death of Gryfydd the line of kings appears to come to an end and his lands are divided between his three sons, as Lords of Cantref Selyf, Cantref Tewdos and Cantref Talgarth. Effectively, they are part of the kingdom of Deheubarth, until the Normans conquer the south of Wales in the twelfth century.

 

 

 

 

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7. The early Kingdoms of Powys and Pengwern 425 - 854

The early Kingdoms of Powys and Pengwern

 

 

 

425. Early Powys was made up predominantly from the lands of the Ordovices and Cornovii Celtic tribes, covering modern day east mid Wales, Chester and Shropshire

 . 

525. Note Powys's lands are deminishing under Anglo saxon pressure

Powys and Pengwern in 625. Powys has shrunk further, whilst Pengwern appears in conjunction with Dogfeiling. Also note the expansion of the Kingdoms of Wessex and Mercia

 

 

 

Powys   

Powys's original boundaries extended from the Cambrian Mountains in the west to well inside the modern West Midlands region of England in the east, including the fertile river valleys of the Severn and Trent, and it is thought that this is how Powys got its name, deriving from the Latin word pagus, meaning "fertile country side", hence the region is referred to in later Welsh literature as "the Paradise of Powys"

 It was almost certainly part of Vortigern's native land. with its original centre in Caer Gurion (Wroxeter).

c.425 - Vortigern

c.430 – 447 -  Cadeyern Fendigaid  

Cadeyrn was a warrior king (his name actually means 'Battle-Prince'), he was reuputedly blessed by Saint Germanus.  As Powys was the adopted homeland of  Vortigan and his family it was given to Cadeyrn as the eldest son.  Nennius tells us that when Vortigern appeased the Saxons, his sons  Cadeyern and Vortimer rebelled and rose up and gave battle to the Saxon, at the Battle of Rithergabail (Epsford, Kent), in 447, where Cadeyern was killed as was the Saxon leader Horsa.

c.447 – 460 - Cadell Ddyrnllwg (Cadell of the Gleaming-Hilt) 

Cadell  appears to have been driven out of his Kingdom by Irish pirates during the Saxon insurrection in Southern Britain. He hid himself amongst the peasants of Powys and became a servant of the Irish chieftain, Benlli, hoping, one day, to find an opportunity to retrieve his inheritance. His chance arose when St. Germanus of Auxerre visited Britain,  447, to combat the Pelagian heresy. Travelling into the Midlands, St. Germanus heard of the pagan Irish stronghold and, with his many followers, laid siege to the Powys capital (Thought to have been Caer Guricon (Wroxeter, Shropshire), he was welcomed by Cadell who showed them what modest hospitality he could in his rural hovel outside the city walls.  Then Germanus had a dreadful premonition and advised Cadell to remove all his friends who were within the city walls. That night, the Royal palace was struck by lightning. The resulting fire spread quickly and all within the city were burnt alive. The young Cadell was thus restored to his throne.

Cadell married Gwelfyl, one of the many daughters of King Brychan of Brycheiniog, and was the granfather of St Beuno who was raised in Powys. 

c.480 - Rhyddferdd Frych

c.500 - Cyngen Glodrydd (Cyngen the Renowned)

He is identified as the Aurelius Caninus denounced by Gildas in his late 5th century tract, De Excidio Brianniae. The name is an insult that means "dog-like", as Gildas accused Aurelius-Cyngen of immorality and murder and causing Civil War in Britain.  Cyngen married St. Tudlwystl and later generations, however, appear to have only remembered his patronage of the saints and generous endowments to the church.,  What is probably his memorial stone was discovered being used as a gatepost in Tywyn (Gwynedd) in 1761. He was apparently buried with St Cadfan in the local churchyard.

c.530 - Pasgen ap Cyngen 

c.540 - Morgan ap Pasgen 

 c.550 -560 - Brochwel ap Cyngen (Brochwel Ysgithrog)  Ysgithrog has been translated as ‘of the canine teeth’, ‘the fanged’  (perhaps because of big teeth, horns on a helmet or, most likely, his aggressive manner).  Powys is frequently called "the land of Brochwel" and the poet Taliesin was his bard for a time.

 

Vale of Meifod nr Welshpool

Brochwel is particularly known for an incident involving St. Melangell, a stunningly beutiful young woman who had taken to the life of a hermit, living in a small cell in the Powys wilds. One day, Brochfael was out hunting a hare which hid in Melangell's skirt. The dogs would not attack, and the King became so enamoured of the lady's pious beauty that he asked her to marry him. She humbly declined, so Brochfael gave her land to build a monastery instead.  Brochwel did however marry Arddyn Benasgel, daughter of King Pabo Post Prydain from the Pennines in Yr Hen Gogledd.  They were the parents of King Cynan Garwyn and Saint Tysilio.

Brochwel is presented as a warrior hero who was fond of hunting, and one of his resorts was the Vale of Meifod nr Welshpool, which he made his "May-Abode" or summer residence.  He is also connected with Pengwern (Shrewsbury) which was was  a Welsh kingdom.  "Brochwel Yscithroc, Consul of Chester, who dwelt in a town then called Pengwerne Powys, and now Shrewsbury (Salopia), whose dwelling house was in the verie same place where the college of St Chad's now standeth." . It is thought that faced  faced with shrinking manpower caused by a great plague that arrived in Britain in 549, that devastated the Welsh communities, and ever increasing Anglian encroachment he may have moved his court from Caer Guricon (Wroxeter) to Pengwern (Shrewsbury).   The English seem to have been less affected by this plague, as they had far fewer trading contacts with the continent at this time. 

Brochfael died around c.560 and was buried at Pentrefoelas in Gwynedd.

 

?–610 - Cynan Garwyn Also known as "white shanks" as apparantly he had very white legs.  His horse, 'Du Hir Tynnedig' (Tall Black-Tinted One), is named as one of the three chief steeds of Britain.  Cynan married Gwynwenwen daughter of Prince Domangart mac Aidan of the Scots.

Cynan is the addressee of a poem by the poet Taliesin, where he is presented as a warlord expected to free the British from Saxon oppression.  He led many successful campaigns throughout Wales such as, on the River Wye, against the men of Gwent, in Anglesey, Dyfed,  Brycheiniog (which Cynan conquered for a time) and Cornwall.

In Lifris' Life of St Cadog,  Cynan Garwyn intends to undertake a raid against Glamorgan, whose king is so terrified that he asks the monks of Llancarfan to negotiate a peace.  The clerics travel to Cynan and when they are halted at the River Nedd (Neath), one of them climbs up a tree to approach the king from up high. The tree bends in such a way that it forms a bridge to the opposite bank of the river and having so witnessed the saint's miraculous powers, Cynan is dissuaded from his violent plans and proclaims peace on all the land.   Cynan was a commited Christian and in the Welsh life of  St Beuno, he is credited for granting land at Gwyddelwern (nr Corwen, Denbeighshire) to the saint.

610–613 - Selyf ap Cynan  Also known as Sarffgadau (Battle Serpent).

Selyf was a great warrior king.  In 613 he led the Powys army to fight King Aethelfirth of Nothumbria at the Battle of Chester.    The Annals of Ulster entitle Selyf as King of the Britons, perhaps because he led a combined force from more than one Brythonic Kingdom at that battle, however  the British were heavily defeated and Selyf was killed.

613 and 642 - 655 - Manwgan ap Selyf 

Manwgan appears to have been a very young boy when his father was killed at the Battle of Chester in 613 and it is thought that this led to an invasion of Powys by Eluadd ap Glast (alias Eluan Powys), the erstwhile King of Dogfeiling. The usurper probably managed to hold the throne for some thirty years or more before he was killed fighting the Northumbrians at the Battle of Maes-Cogwy (Oswestry) in 642, allowing Manwgan to regain his rightful place on the Powysian throne.

613–642 - Eiludd Powys

King of Dogfeiling.  Usurped the throne of Powys when Selyf ap Cynan was killed at the Battle of Chester. He was himself killed at the Battle of Maes Cogwy (Oswestry) in 642.

655 - 695 - Beli ap Eiludd  

 The son of Mangwyn ap Selyf

695 – 725 - Gwylog ap Beli

725–755? - Elisedd ap Gwylog - Elisedd lived at Castell Dinas-Bran nr Llangollen, it is associated with the Celtic god, Bran, and King Arthur's Quest for the Holy Grail.

He reclaimed the territory of Powys after it had been overrun by the Saxon, and his great-grandson, Cyngen ap Cadell erected the Pillar of Eliseg in his memory which stands not far from the later abbey of Valle Crucis (LLantisillio, Denbeighshire), it was once topped by an enormous cross, and its inscription praises his victories against the Saxons and includes a record of the Powysian pedigree, stretching back to Vortigern and Magnus Maximus. 

 The translation of the part of the inscription referring to Elisedd is as follows:

+ Concenn son of Catell, Catell son of Brochmail, Brochmail son of Eliseg, Eliseg son of Guoillauc.

+ And that Concenn, great-grandson of Eliseg, erected this stone for his great-grandfather Eliseg.

+ The same Eliseg, who joined together the inheritance of Powys . . . out of the power of the Angles with his sword and with fire.

+ Whosoever repeats the writing, let him give a blessing on the soul of Eliseg.

Some old poems refer to Elisedd as having a "special crown" which was a chain of twisted gold links, and armlets and anklets of gold, which were the badges of sovereignty of Powys.

 

755?–773 - Brochfael ap Elisedd 

773–808 - Cadell ap Elisedd 

808–854 - Cyngen ap Cadell

Cyngen, was the King who erected Pillar of Eliseg,  in memory of his great-grandfather Elisedd ap Gwylog.  He re-established Powysian independence after the Saxon invasions of 823, and probbaly transferred the Royal Court from Dinas-Bran to Mathrafal.  Cyngen was the last of the original line of kings of Powys and after a long reign as king of Powys went on a pilgrimage to Rome, the first Welsh ruler to visit Rome after the healing of the breach between the Welsh branch of the Celtic Church and Rome over the date of Easter, and died there in 855.  Although he had three sons, they may have been too young to take crown and his nephew, Rhodri Mawr (the Great), the son of Cyngen's sister, Nest ferch Cadell claimed the throne. 

 

Pengwern  ( Thought to mean headwaters of the Severn )

Pengwern only appears as a Kingdom in its own right in the sixth century, its' first King was either Mawn or Iago ap Brochfael c570 - 613 ( Sons of Brochfael Ysgythrog of  Powys), it was originally part of Powys and stretched deep into the Midlands situated in what is now Shropshire,  its capital was originally Caer Guricon (modern Wroxeter), and was regarded as being the early seat of the kings of Powys , it was abandoned in around 520, for the more defendable location of  Llys Pengwern - the Court of Pengwern  (Shrewsbury).   From 577 onwards, Pengwern's southern border came under pressure from the Hwicce, as the Brythonic kingdoms based around Caer Baddan (Bath), Caer Ceri  (Cirencester) and Caer Gloui (Gloucester)  all fell,  seperating Pengwern from the other British Kingdoms of Dumnonia (parts of Devon and Cornwall) and Caer Celenion (Silchester in Hampshire).  Caer Guricon was later sacked by the West Saxons in 584, but the kingdom survived and continued to resist Anglian expansion until the mid-seventh century.

603   A meeting between the Roman Church and the Celtic Church takes place at Abberley in Worcestershire, probably close to the Pengwern border  with the Hwicce. It is attended by seven bishops of the Celtic Church, along with many monks from Bangor-is-Coed (in Pengwern). The Britons are not impressed with Augustine's imperious manner and the meeting ends in disappointment for the Roman envoy. 

c.612   This point marks the first appearance of the Kings of Dogfeilion of Gwynedd in Powys and Pengwern, it seems likely that a Dogfeilion leader (probably Cyndrwyn Glas) married a daughter of the king of Powys, qualifying his descendants to govern Powys and Pengwern by the rules of descent of Gwynedd 

613   Several Brittish Kings form a coalition to halt Aethelfrith of  Bernicia at the Battle of Caer Legion (Chester).  Selyf of Powys is killed, after which, Dogfeilion Kings appear to rule Pengwern.

617    The fall of Elmet (West Riding in Yorkshire) to Edwin of Bernicia exposes the entire length of the northern border of  Pengwern , making it vulnerable to the aggressive policy of Northumbrian expansion.

642   Cynyddlan ( a King of Dogfeiling, also ruling Pengwern ) joined forces with King Penda of Mercia to protect his realm, and together they fought and defeated  the increasingly powerful Kingdom of Northumbrian at the Battle of Maes Cogwy ( Oswestry), slaying their King Oswald. 

c.654  Pengwern's staunch ally, Penda of  Mercia, defeats the East Angles at Blytheburgh, but is later killed by Oswiu of  Northumbria at the Battle of Winwaed. Northern Mercia is annexed by Northumbria, exposing more of Pengwern to the aggressive Anglian kingdoms.

656  Pengwern is overrun by Oswiu of  Northumbria, the royal family is destroyed and Cynyddlan killed.  The  kingdom of Pengwern is shared between Mercia and Powys and Saxons migrate into the territory to form the minor kingdoms of the Wrocenset and Magonset.

757 - 796   Mercia absorbs the whole territory after the construction of Offa's dyke.

6. The early Kingdom and Sub Kingdoms of Gwynedd 450 - 950

 

 

The early Kingdom and Sub Kingdoms of Gwynedd 450 - 950

 

Gwynedd 

 

Snowdonia. The stronghold of the Kingdom of Gwynedd

 

According to long-established tradition based on generally accepted fact, a group of Votadini Picts under Cunedda Wledig were transferred from the area around Stirling and the mouth of the Firth of Forth. as part of a strategy to secure western Britain from Irish raiders, and he subsequently governed most of North Wales.  Gwynedd was the most powerful of the Welsh kingdoms in the 6th century and 7th century, who in alliance with allies such as Penda of Mercia were  able to lead their armies as far as Northumbria and control it for a period, however like the other Welsh kingdoms, it was mainly engaged in defensive warfare against the growing power of  Mercia.  The name of Gwynedd probably derives from  Cunedda, being distorted or adapted into Weneda and then Gwynedd.

 
c. 450–c. 460 - Cunedda Wledig ap Edern (Cunedda the Imperator) - See seperate post "Introduction to the Dark Ages"

c. 470–c. 480 - Einion Yrth ap Cunedda (Einion the Impetuous) - The seventh  (but apparently the strongest) son of  Cunedda, it is believed he travelled with his father to north Wales in the early 450s to expel Irish raiders from the region. After his father's death, aided by his brother Ceredig, ruler of Ceredigion, and his nephew Meirion, ruler of Meirionydd, Einion built upon his father's successes and further established his family's rule in the region.

c. 500–c. 534 - Cadwallon Lawhir ap Einion (Cadwallon Long Hand) - According to tradition, Cadwallon ruled during, or shortly after, the Battle of Mons Badonicus, and King Arthur's victory over the Saxons. Cadwallon's name is not connected with the legendary battle, but he may have benefitted from the period of relative peace and prosperity throughout Britain that it procured. The most momentous military achievement of Cadwallon's reign was the final expulsion of Irish settlers on Anglesey.  Cadwallon's epithet, Lawhir, may possibly refer to him having longer than usual arms or might also be a metaphor, referring to the extent of his authority. The late medieval poet Iolo Goch claimed that he could "reach a stone from the ground to kill a raven, without bending his back". 

c. 520–c. 547 - Maelgwyn Hir ap cadwallon (Maelgwn the Tall) also known as Maelgwyn Gwynedd - The history of  Brythonic Gwynedd begins with the conquest of the Irish Gaelic peoples of northern Wales by Maelgwn's great-grandfather Cunedda, with the conquest finally completed by Maelgwn's father Cadwallon. Maelgwn was the first king to enjoy the fruits of his family's conquest and he is considered the founder of the medieval kingdom's royal family and thus the Kingdom is named after him.  By tradition, his royal court (llys) was located at Deganwy, in the Creuddyn peninsula of Rhos. Tradition also holds that he died of the 'Yellow Plague' of Rhos at nearby Llanrhos, and was buried there. Other traditions say that he was buried at Ynys Seiriol (Puffin Island, off Anglesey). 

The evidence suggests that he held a pre-eminent position among the kings in Wales and in the parts of northern Britain known as  Yr Hen Gogledd (The Old North). Maelgwn was a generous supporter of Christianity, he made donations to support Saints Brynach in Dyfed,  Cadoc in Gwynllwg,  Cybi in Anglesey, Padarn in Ceredigion, and Tydecho in Powys.  The fact that these donations are not restricted to the Kingdom of Gwynedd implies that Maelgwn had a responsibility to those regions beyond the responsibilities of a king to his own kingdom.  He is also associated with the foundation of Bangor.

 gildas tells us that he had taken up life as a monk but then returned to the secular world; that he had been married and divorced, then remarried to the widow of his nephew after being responsible for his nephew's death; and that he was tall, he also describes him as the "dragon of the island", the island being Anglesey, which was the ancient stronghold of the kings of Gwynedd.

c. 547–c. 580 - Rhun Hir ap Maelgwyn (Rhun the Tall) -  The town of Caerhun (Conwy), said to have been named after him, was one of Rhun's strongholds,  it had great military significance, as it would have guarded an important river crossing of the River Conwy, leading to an entrance into Snowdonia, the defensive heartland of Gwynedd. 

It is thought that the northern prince Elidyr Mwynfawr ap Gorwst Priodawr (Elidyr the Courteous) had been slain contesting Rhun's succession to Maelgwn Gwynedd's throne at Aber Mewydus  in the cantref of Arfon, on River menai. Elidyr's northern relatives invaded Gwynedd in retaliation, burning Arfon in the process.  Rhun quickly assembled an army and proceeded to the banks of the Gweryd (the Firth of Forth) in the North and  waged a war against Alt Clut (Strathclyde) and Gododdin (Stirling).  Rhun and his army remained in the North for a considerable length of time, with Rhun eventually killed in battle.

c. 580–c. 599 - Beli ap Rhun - Beli was the either the father or grandfather of Saint Edeyrn.

c. 599–c. 613 - Iago ap Beli - He may have been killed at the Battle of  Chester, as the result of an axe blow to the head delivered by Cadafael Wyllt (Cadafael the Wild), one of his own men.  He is also credited as having founded a deanery at Bangor.

c. 613–c. 625 - Cadafan ap Iago -  He is known from the grant he gave to Saint Beuno for the monastery at Clynnog Fawr (on LLyn Peninsula), and from his inscribed gravestone at Llangadwaladr on Anglesey,   The inscription refers to him as sapientisimus (most wise), and as this term is historically used for ecclesiastics, it suggests that at some point, Cadfan had resigned as king to live out his remaining years as a monk.

c. 625–634 - Cadwallon ap Cadfan - He is best remembered as the King of the Britons who invaded and conquered Anglian controlled Northumbria, defeating and killing its King, Edwin,  He was thereafter remembered as a national hero by the Britons and as a tyrant by the Anglo-Saxons.

After the Battle of Chester in 613, Edwin of Northumbria, had gone from strength to strength in his attempts to expand his Kingdom, he conquered the Brythonic kingdom of Elmet(west Yorkshire) and launched successful campaigns against Lindsey (Lincolnshire) in 625 and Wessex in 626. In 629 he invaded Anglesey, forcing Cadwallon to flee firstly to Puffin Island off Anglesey and then to Ireland.  Cadwallon returned and in 630, in alliance with King Penda of Mercia, whose Kingdom was also threatened by Northumbria, defeated Edwin at the battle at Digoll (Long Mountain) nr Welshpool, thereby regaining control of Gwynedd.

In 633 the alliance of Cadwallon and Penda along with forces from Powys and Pengwern, went on the offensive and at the battle of Hatfield Chase (nr Doncaster in South Yorkshire) defeated and killed Edwin and his son Osfrith.  Northumbria fell into disarray and split back into the Kingdoms of Bernicia and Deira, as the Anglo Saxon chronicle put it  "Cadwallon and Penda went and did for the whole land of Northumbria".  Cadwallon and Penda continued their advance and after peace talks had broken down defeated and killed Kings Eanfrith of Bernicia and Osric of Deira. 

Bede tell us that following his victories, Cadwallon ruled over the "provinces of the Northumbrians" for a year, "not like a victorious king, but like a rapacious and bloody tyrant." and, "though he bore the name and professed himself a Christian, was so barbarous in his disposition and behaviour, that he neither spared the female sex, nor the innocent age of children, but with savage cruelty put them to tormenting deaths, ravaging all their country for a long time, and resolving to cut off all the race of the English within the borders of Britain."

This negative account by Bede can be thought of as contradictory, as Penda himself was English and a later king of Wessex Caedwalla, was named after Cadwallon suggesting a certain amount of respect.  Also Cadwallon and Penda were acting in response to the aggressive expansionism of Edwin.

Cadwallon was finally defeated  by an army under Eanfrith's brother, Oswald, at the Battle of Heavenfield (nr Durham) and killed at a place nearby called "Denis's-brook".  

634–c. 655 - Cadael Cadomedd ap Cynfedw (Cadfael the Battle-Shirker)

Cadafael renewed the alliance with Penda and the other Welsh kings, and the wars against Northumbria continued with the Battle of Maes Cogwy (Battle of  Maserfield)  near Oswestry c.642, where Oswald was defeated and killed.

Then in 655, when Penda led an alliance of Mercians, Welsh, Deirans, and East Anglians against Bernicia, besieging Oswiu (Oswald's brother) at a stronghold somewhere in the north and compelling him to sue for peace.  Having won the war the alliance returned south, the Welsh in particular pleased to have reclaimed items of dignity (the so-called "Restoration of Iudeu") taken from the kingdom of Gododdin by the Northumbrians.  Oswiu however, although beaten had not been defeated and launched an attack on the alliance at the unknown location called the Winwaed ( Maes Gai, ).  Penda was killed and according to Nennis, Cadafael had left for home the night before the battle (thereby earning him the name Battle-shirker), his reign ended shortly after.   Gwynedd went into decline and would not become a military power for some 200 years.

Oswiu quickly followed up his defeat of Penda by overrunning Mercia and launching a surprise assault on Pengwern's Llys (Royal court), killing King Cynyddlan of Dogfeiling (a sub-kingdom of Gwynedd). After this attack Pengwern disappears from the historical record. 

c. 655–c. 682 - Cadwaldr (Cadwallader the Blessed) -  Two devastating plagues happened during his reign, one in 664 and the other in 682, with Cadwalader himself  becoming a victim of the second one.  Y Ddraig Goch (The Red Dragon) has long been known as a Welsh symbol, first appearing in the Mabinogian. It is commonly referred to as 'The Red Dragon of Cadwaladr', 

c. 682–c. 720 - Idwal Iwrch ap Cadwaldr (Idwal the Roebuck)

c. 720–c. 754 - Rhodri Molwynog ap Idwal (Rhodri the Bald and Gray) 

c. 754–c. 798 -  Caradog ap Meirion  -  It was during Caradog's reign that in 768, the Welsh church adopted the Catholic method of calculating Easter through the efforts of Bishop Elfodd.  In 796 a battle occurred at Rhuddland Marsh, and in 798,  Caradog, was killed by the Mercians.

 

c. 798–816 - Cynan Dindaethwy ap Rhodri -  There is no historical record of Cynan's early years as king, but his reign ended in a combination of natural disasters and military reverses. In 810 there was a bovine plague that killed many cattle throughout Wales. The next year Deganwy, the ancient fortified llys (Royal court) of  maelgwyn Gwynedd, was struck and destroyed by lightning.   His reign was marked by a destructive dynastic power struggle on Anglesey with his brother

Hywel, between 812 and 816, ultimately ending with Cynan's defeat and banishment. He would die in exile within a year.

814–825 - Hywel ap Rhodri Molwynog - Hywel was the last King of Gwynedd in the male line of  Maelgwyn Gwynedd. He rose to power following a destructive dynastic struggle in which he deposed his brother, Cynan. During Hywel's reign Gwynedd's power was largely confined to Anglesey. It was a time of substantial territorial loss to Mercia, with Coenwulf of Mercia taking advantage of Gwynedd's weakness by occupying the sub Kingdom of Rhufoniog and laying waste to the mountains of Eryri (Snowdonia) in 817, then the following year there was a notable battle at Llanfaes on Anglesey and in 823, the fortified stronghold at Deganwy, was burned to the ground. 

825–844 - Merfyn Frych ap Gwriad (Merfyn the Freckled) 

The first king not descended from the male line of Maelgwyn Gwynedd, his claim to the throne came through his mother Ethyllt, a daughter of Cynan and he is primarily known as the father of Rhodri the Great.  He married Nest, sister of the King of Powys firstly allying Powys with Gwynedd and later absorbing it into the Kingdom of Gwynedd. Merfyn came to the throne after a period of sustained pressure from Mercia, but his reign coincided its decline and Mercia never regained its dominance in Wales and Wales began a long period of growth as it renewed contacts with the Continent, and made new ties with Wessex.  The independance of Wales at this time is emphasised by the Anglo Saxon law obliging Welsh people living in England to renounce their Welsh ancestry or leave the country.  Merfyn was killed at the battle of Cetyll fighting Beorhtwulf of  Mercia in 844.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

844–878 - Rhodri Mawr ap Merfyn (Rhodri the Great)   MAP

When his maternal uncle, King Cyngen ap Cadell of Powys died on a pilgramage to Rome in 855 Rhodri inherited Powys, then in 872 Rhodri added Seisyllwg to his Kingdom after King Gwgon drowned accidentally, Rhodri was married to Gwgan's sister Angharad. These peaceful inheritances made him the ruler of the larger part of Wales and the first to be called 'Great' .

During his reign Rhodri had to deal with the ever increasing Viking threat, who were recorded as ravaging Anglesey in 854 and won a notable victory over them in 856, killing their leader Gorm, however Rhodri was forced to flee to Ireland in 876 after a further battle with the Vikings.  On his return the following year, he and his son Gwriad were killed in battle against Ceolwulf II of Mercia. 

After Rhodri's death, his Kingdom was divided amoungst his sons, Anarawd ap Rhodri became the king of Gwynedd, Cadell ap Rhodri (father of Hywel Dda) became King of Seisyllwg and Merfyn ap Rhodri became king of Powys.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Map showing the extent of Rhodri the Great's Conquest

 Gwynedd shown in green

 

 

878–916 - Anarawd ap Rhodri 

Anarwd defeated Lord Aethelred of Mercia  in a battle at the mouth of the River Conwy in 881, in retribution for the death of his father at the hands of the Mercians, it was hailed in the annals as "God's vengeance for Rhodri".  Anarawd then in an attempt to guard himself against further Mercian attacks made alliances with firstly the Danish King of York and then Alfred the Great of Wessex, who stood witness at his confirmation.  The Danish alliance had broken down and in 894 Anarawd repelled a revenge by them on North Wales. The following year Anarawd and Alfred ravaged Ceredigion and Ystrad Tywi (held by his brother Cadell) and in 902 successfully defended an attack on Ynys Môn (Anglesey) by the Danes of Dublin under Ingimund. 

Anarawd is credited with establishing the House of Aberthaw, its name taken from his principal seat of government on Ynys Môn and his descendants would rule Gwynedd until the Edward 1 campaign of 1292.

916–942 - Idwal Foel ab Anarawd (Idwal the Bald)

Along with Hywel Dda and Morgan Hen Fawr of Morganwg, he allied himself with King Aethelstan of England and visited Athelstan's court in 927, 928 and 937. In 927 he is recorded as a witness to Charters agreeing to campaign with Athelstan against Eógan of Strathclyde and by Christmas 935, Eógan of Strathclyde was at Æthelstan's court along with Idwal and Hywel. Aethelstan died in 939 replaced by his half-brother Edmund. Idwal Foel seems to have judged this an opportunity to counter Hywel Dda, knowing that Hywels motive for his alliance with the Saxons was his ambition to displace Idwal as ruler of Gwynedd (as later events confirmed). Thus Idwal in 942 launched an all out attack on the Saxons who had Hywels tacit or actual military support. He did not succeed, Idwal and his brother Elisedd were both killed.  Cousin Hywell Dda with Saxon help seizing the opportunity he coveted, invaded Gwynedd and drove Idwals sons from the kingdom. For eight years Hywel Dda ruled Gwynedd and Deheubarth before the sons of Idwal returned and regained the throne of Gwynedd

942–950 - Hywel Dda ap Cadell 

Map of the extent of Hywel Dda's power

  

Deheubarth shown in blue

 

 

Sub Kingdoms of Gwynnedd  

Gwynedd seems to have remained politically stable throughout the period, with most of its sub kingdoms remaining under its authority, eventually re-merging into the kingdom.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Map from  www.historyfiles.co.uk

• Rhôs (moorland in Welsh)

   It is a region to the east of the River Conwy in north Wales. It started as a minor kingdom of Ceredigion, but became a sub-kingdom of Gwynedd in the late fifth century.  It later became a medieval cantref in the kingdom of Gwynedd.  

Its first king was Owain Ddantgwyn (White-Tooth), who ruled c.480 and is sometimes acquainted with King Arthur Pendragon, his son Cynlas Goch was denounced by the monk, Gildas, who wrote that Cynlas was the “guider of the chariot which is the receptacle of the bear“. The bear refering to the “Fort of the Bear”, possibly Dinerth, the name of a hillfort on Bryn Euryn in Llandrillo yn Rhos and was probably a stronghold of the Kings of Rhos.  The Gwynedd Archaeological Trust have undertaken an excavation of this hillfort and their investigations have revealed a massive defensive stone wall, faced with good-quality limestone blocks originally rising to about ten feet high. The ramparts were eleven and a half feet thick. 

Under the rule of St Einon, Rhos absorbed Afflogion to become the Kingdom of Lleyn, but after his death, Rhos was drawn back under the direct control of Gwynedd, with a ninth generation descendant of Cynlas becoming King Caradog ap Meirchion of Gwynedd.

• Afflogion

A tiny territory on the Lleyn Peninsula, founded by one of Cunedda's sons, Afloyg, however it did not retain its semi-autonomous position and after Afloyg's death, St Einion, King of Rhos, was allowed by his cousin and over-king, Maelgwyn Gwynedd, to absorb it. The enlarged sub-kingdom was rename Lleyn, as Einion now controlled eastern Gwynedd and the whole of the Lleyn Peninsula.

• Meirionydd

Meirionydd was one of the more powerful of the Gwyneddian offshoots. It was founded by Meirchion, a grandson of Cunedda (who was in the original migration from the north). His father, Typaun, was Cunedda's eldest son who apparently died before the migration from Manaw Gododdin. 

• Rhufoniog

Founded by Rhwfon (apparently also known as Brochwel), Cunedda's third son, in the Denbeigh area.  It  seems to have been a short-lived wonder, and was merged back into Gwynedd the mid-fifth century. Maelgwyn Gwynedd seems to have been intent on directly ruling as much of the kingdom as possible, but Rhwfon's immediate descendants still enjoyed a degree of self-rule on Gwynedd's eastern border.

• Dunoding

Based on the area around Porthmadog and Harlech, Dunoding, named after Cunedda's fourth son, and existed until well into the tenth century. 

• Dogfeiling

Dogfeilion existed from 445, it was based around Ruthin. 

Upon the death of Cunedda, his youngest (eighth) son, Dogfael, inherited the land which was named in his honour.  Dogfael's own son, Elnaw, gained the Dumnonian sub-kingdom of Glastenning (Glastonbury), and during the following generation, under Cyndrwyn, the eastern Pengwern sub Kingdom of Caer Luit Coyt(now known as Wall, nr Lichfield in Staffordshire)  was secured for one son (whose own son ruled all of Pengwern), whilst another son continued to rule in Glastenning.  Follwing the death of Selyf Sarffgadau King of Powys at the Battle of Chester in 613 it is thought that Eluadd ap Glast (alias Eluan Powys), King of Dogfeiling invaded and conquered Powys, holding it for around thirty years.  The Dogfeiling dynasty was finally crushed by the Saxons c.656

• Edeyrnion

A sub-kingdom of Gwynedd, situated near Bala. Virtually nothing is known of this realm aside from the name of its founder, Edeyrn, a son of Cunedda. By the twelfth century, the process of merging and dividing Wales between divisions of Gwynedd's later rulers meant that Edeyrnion was controlled by North Powys.

• Osfeilion

The territory governed by Osfael ap Cunedda was confined to Holyhead island, and must have been remote and short-lived.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5. Battles and other significant events in Post Roman Wales (The Dark Ages)

 

Battles and other significant events of this period

 

This is a very active period in the evolvement of the Kingdoms of Britain, free of Roman dominance, there are many boundary changes as Kingdoms look to secure the better lands of their neighbourimg Kingdoms.  There was conflict not only between the Brythonic kingdoms, but when you throw in the Anglo Saxon and Irish invaders and their ambitions for expansion, it gives the picture of a very violent and unstable period of history.  As far as Wales is concerned the expansion of the Anglo Saxon Kingdoms of Mercia, Wessex and Northumbria are the most relevant.  Wales's 180 mile long Border would have seen the most action, with the Kingdoms of Gwynedd, Powys and Gwent standing directly in the path of the Anglo Saxon advance and it is a tribute to the stoic defence by the Welsh Kingdoms of their homelands, that even after their fellow Brythonic speaking Kingdoms in Yr Hen Gogledd and Cornwall had fallen to the Anglo Saxons, they were able to maintain their independance and allow Wales to develop into the country we know today.  It was at this time that the modern Welsh name for themselves - Y Cymru, and the name for Wales - Cymru, first emerged, derived from the Brythonic word combrogi meaning "fellow-countrymen". It would originally have been used in contexed to the relationship of the Welsh with the Brythonic-speaking peoples of northern England and southern Scotland, the peoples of  Yr Hen Gogledd. It emphasised a perception that the Welsh and the "Men of the North" were one people, as can be seen as the Welsh kingdoms became a place of sanctuary for some of the defeated Brythonic leaders of the north during their struggles with the Anglo Saxon kingdoms of Bernicia and Deira.  Towards the end of this era another invading force emerged, the Vikings and their first recorded raid in Wales was in 798.

 

Kingdoms in Britain 425

Kingdoms in Britain 450

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

428  Saxons started to arrive in Briton

430's  Cunedda were persuaded to migrate on masse to North Wales from the northeast of Hadrian's Wall from Manau, the district centred about the modern Clackmannan, in the  to drive out invaders from Ireland 

447   Battle of Maesgarmon near Mold Britons defeated an alliance of Picts and Scots. 

 

 

Kingdoms in Britain 475

Kingdoms in Britain 575

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

c496  Mons Badonicus  The Britons under their "war leader" Arthur defeat the Saxons under King Esla of Bernicia and possibly Cerdic of Wessex. The Saxon invaders return to their own enclaves. A generation of peace ensues.

549  The "Yellow Plague" hits British and Irish territories but not the Saxon.

550  The Anglo Saxon advance resumed, but they were unable to make inroads into Wales except along the Severn Valley as far as Llanidloes.

c.570-79  Battles of Gwen Ystrad and the Cells of Berwyn  The Northern British Alliance of North Rheged, Strathclyde, Bryneich and Elmet, fight the Bernicians  

575  Battle of Leeming Lane  Prince Owein of North Rheged kills King Theodoric of Bernicia at the Battle of Leeming Lane 

 

 

Kingdoms in Britain 600

Kingdoms in Britain 625

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

577  Battle of Deorham (nr Bath)  The Anglo Saxon Chronicle records that the Kingdom of Wessex defeated the Brythonic Kingdoms of Devon and Cornwall, and as a result took the three strategically important towns of Gloucester, Cirencester and Bath.  These towns were both wealthy and relatively sophisticated, and their loss was a heavy blow to the Britons.  It also cut off  land contact between the Brythonic Kingdoms of Wales from those in Devon and Cornwall, and also began the differentiation of  Welsh and  Cornish into two separate languages 

580 Battle of Caer Greu  Kings Peredyr and Gwrgi of the Brythonic Kingdom of Ebrauc (York) are killed fighting the Angles of Bernicia.  

588   King Aelle of Deira is ousted from his Kingdom by the Bernicians and seeks refuge at the court of King Iago of Gwynedd.

590  Siege of Lindisfarne  The Siege of Lindisfarne. The Brythonic alliance of North Rheged, Strathclyde, Bryneich and Elmet almost exterminates Bernicia, but the Northumbrians recover while internal squabbles tear the Brythonic alliance apart.

c.591  The Kingdoms of Dunoting (Northern Pennines) and Elmet invades North Rheged, but are repulsed by its King, Owein, and his brother, Prince Pasgen. 

c.593  The kingdom of Bryneich invades North Rheged and kills King Owein, Prince Pasgen flees to the Gower Peninsula.   

595  Bernicia overruns The Kingdoms of Dunoting (Northern Pennines), killing King Dunaut Bwr, his family flee to Gwynedd.

598  Battle of Catterick  Kings Mynyddog Mwynfawr of Din-Eidyn (Edinburgh) and Cynan of Gododdin (Scottish Borders) defeat the Bernician army of Aethelfrith.

c.600 - Welsh bard, Prince Aneirin of the Northern Pennines, writes the poem, Y Gododdin, recording the events of the Battle of Catterick

601 - The Synod of Chester. Death of St. Asaph, Bishop of Llanelwy.

602 - St. Augustine of Canterbury meets with the Welsh Bishops at Aust near Chepstow. He accuses them of acting contrary to Church teachings, failing to keep Easter at the prescribed Roman time and not administering baptism according to the Roman rite. He also insists that they help in the conversion of their enemy, the Saxons, and look to Canterbury as their spiritual centre. The Welsh tactfully decline.

604 - The Welsh Bishops meet for a second time with St. Augustine of Canterbury. He neglects to rise to greet them, lectures them again and insists they submit to him. The Welsh send him packing. They refuse to recognise the authority of a church within their enemies' territory under such a disrespectful bishop.

604   King Aethelfrith of Bernicia invades Deira and kills its king  Aethelric. Prince Edwin flees to the Court of King Iago of Gwynedd.

613  The Battle of Chester King Aethelfrith  invaded the Gwynedd in order to stop King Iago restoring Edwin, to the Deiran throne.  The joint armies of Gwynedd, Powys, Pengwern & Dumnonia attempted to repel him, but were heavily defeated with King Iago, King Selyf Sarffgadau of Powys and Prince Cadwal Cryshalog of Rhos being killed. The battle was made infamous by Ethelfrith's orders  to slay the monks of Bangor-Is-Coed  because although they bore no arms, they were praying for a Northumbria defeat, Bede says that about 1200 were killed and only 50 escaped.  The significance of this battle was that it severed the land connection between  the Welsh Kingdoms and their allies in the kingdoms of the Yr Hen Gogledd.  From this point on control of the strategically important Chester passed to the English and the kingdom of Pengwern (Shrewsbury) became vulnerable to attack from Mercia

613 Battle of Bangor-is-Coed  Northumbrians killed Bledric ap Custennin, King of Dumnonia (Devon)

c.614 - Proposed annexation of Powys by the Dogfeiling Prince, Eluan Powys, with the help of his brother, King Cynddylan of Pengwern, "oppressor of the Cadelling". The sons of the Cadelling king, Selyf Sarffgadau of Powys, are later described as "landless oafs". The Tarvin-Macefen boundary between Powys and Mercia is delineated.

616  Battle at the Idle River (nr Nottingham)   King Edwin of Deira, conquers Northumbria, killing Aethelfrith 

 

Britain in time of Edwin

 

 

617  King Edwin of Deira conquers Elmet. 

c.620 - King Tewdrig Fendigaid of Glywysing & Gwent abdicates in favour of his son, Meurig. King Llywarch Hen is expelled from South Rheged, probably by King Edwin of Deira. Llywarch flees to Powys and becomes a famous bard.

c.623  King Edwin of Deira is baptised by Prince Rhun of North Rheged at the Royal Court of Gwynedd.

625 - King Cadfan of Gwynedd dies and is buried at Llangadwaladr where his memorial stone can still be seen. His son, King Cadwallon, succeeds to the throne. St. Tysilio re-founds the Monastery of Meifod.

c.626  The rivalry between King Edwin of Deira and King Cadwallon of Gwynedd, which has grown since childhood, reaches a climax. Edwin invades and conquers Anglesey and the Isle of Man.  The defeated Cadwallon is besieged on Puffin Island (off Anglsey), from where he eventually flees to Brittany.

630  The Battle of Pont y Saeson  Tewdrig  King of Gwent had abdicated in favour of his son, Meurig and became a hermit at Tintern. Soon afterward, however the West Saxons invaded Gwent and in particular raided the monasteries including Tintern, so Tewdrig together with Meurig, once more took up arms and drove back the Saxon.  But Tewdrig was wounded and had to be taken to Flat Holm in the Bristol Channel for treatment. An ox-cart was called to take him there but, on their journey, the oxen stopped at a spring (now known as St.Tewdrig's Well), where Tewdrig's wounds were cleansed.  However he died soon after, so Meurig built a great church on the spot which became known as Merthyr-Teyryn (Mathern).  Tewdrig later became known as St Tewdrig

c.630  The Battle of the Long Mountain (nr Welshpool)  King Penda of Mercia besieges Exeter and allies with Cadwallon of Gwynedd returning from exile in Brittany, they march north and re-take Gwynedd.  Cadwallon chases the Deirans back to Northumbria, and ransacks the Kingdom.

632  The West Saxons cross into Wales and defeat King Idris of Meirionydd on the Severn.

633  Battle of Hatfield Chase (nr Doncaster)  Cadwallon ap Cadfan King of Gwynedd in alliance with Penda of Mercia, defeated and killed Edwin of Northumbria, the Anglo Saxon Chronicle says that, following the victory at Hatfield Chase, Cadwallon and Penda went on to ravage "the whole land" of the Northumbrians. 

634  Battle of Heavenfield (Hexham, Yorkshire, close to Hadrians Wall)   The feud between King Cadwallon of Gwynedd against Northumbria had continued, as he slays both King Eanfrith of Bernicia and Osric of Deira rather than negotiate peace terms with them.  Oswald succeeds in Bernicia and Acha in Deira.  Cadwallon again brought a huge army north into Northumbria to fight Oswald. He advanced up the old Roman road called Dere Street, and when the Welsh arrived in the north they were were heavily exhausted from their long journey.  Oswalds' men however were alert and ready for the fight, and despite being outnumbered defeated and killed Cadwallan.

c.635 - King Meurig of Glywysing & Gwent invades Ergyng and re-unites the two kingdoms in the right of his wife.

640 - Death of St. Tysilio, Abbot of Meifod.

642  Battle of Maserfield (Oswestry)  Penda in alliance with Kings Cadafael Cadomedd of Gwynedd, Eluan of Powys and Cynddylan of Pengwern defeated and killed Oswald.  According to Bede, Penda had Oswald's body dismembered, with his head, hands and arms being placed onto stakes.

c.645 - Gwynedd and much of Wales is in the grasp of famine. Would be King Cadwaladr Fendigaid of Gwynedd flees to Brittany. Civil War continues in his kingdom.

c.650 - King Cloten of Dyfed marries Princess Ceindrech of Brycheiniog and unites the two kingdoms

655–658   Oswiu of Northumbria (Oswalds' brother) campaigned in Wales, imposing tribute on the Welsh kings who had previously been Penda's allies such as Cadafael, King of Gwynedd.

655 -   Battle of Winwaed  King Cadafael Cadomedd of Gwynedd and his army join King Penda of Mercia and march on the Northumbrians. Penda clashes with King Oswiu, but Cadafael withdraws before the battle begins.

c.655 - King Morfael of Pengwern retakes Wall (Staffs).

656 - King of Oswiu of Northumbria invades Pengwern and kills King Cynddylan in battle. His brother, King Morfael, and the remains of the family flee to Glastening. Mercians take control of Pengwern and may have invaded Powys at this time

662 - Death of King Brochfael of Meirionydd 

664 - Plague devastates Gwynedd. Probable death of King Cadafael Cadomedd there. King Cadwaladr Fendigaid of Gwynedd reasserts himself in his kingdom by sending his son, Ifwr, from Brittany to be regent. The Synod of Whitby determines that the Northern British should comply with the doctrines of Rome.

665 -  The conversion of the Anglo-Saxons to Christianity ("first Easter of the Saxons") 

675 - 704  Rule of Aethred I of Mercia (Pendas' son). During this period the English kingdoms of Mercia, Wessex and Northumbria were very strong .  Aethelred was preoccupied with war with the Welsh

688 - King Cadwaladr Fendigaid of Gwynedd dies on a pilgrimage to Rome.

704 - 709  Rule of Ceonrad of Mercia.  Contemporary records state that he faced attacks from the Welsh

c.710 - King Seisyll of Ceredigion invades Dyfed and conquers Ystrad Towi to create the greater kingdom of Seisyllwg. A reduced Dyfed and Brycheiniog both appear to have taken on the name of Rhainwg: King Rhain's kingdom now sliced in two.

712 - Death of King Idwal Iwrch of Gwynedd

716 - 757   Rule of Aethelbald King of Mercia   The Anglo Saxon Chronicle tells that Aethelbald had to go to war to maintain his overlordship. In particular in 733 and 740 against Wessex, and in 743 against the Welsh.  It was Aethebald who constructed  Wats Dyke, which is a 40 mile eathwork bank and ditch which runs from Basingwerk Abbey on the River Dee estuary to Maesbury, east of Oswestry, the ditch is on the western side, meaning that the dyke faces Wales and by implication can been seen as protecting the English lands to the east.  It was probably built with King Elisedd ap Gwylog of Powys's agreement as it gives Oswestry to Powys.

Wat's Dyke near Northop

c.720 - Contact between the Welsh Church and Yvi of Brittany is the last known link between the two Celtic countries. After this, each nation goes its own separate way. 

c.730 - Civil War between King Tewdr of Brycheiniog and a rival claimant to his throne, his cousin, Awst. The latter is slain. Tewdr is persuaded to live in peace with Awst's son, Elwystl.

c.731 - King Elisedd of Powys expels the Mercians from his kingdom.

c.740 - Death of King Rhain of Dyfed & Brycheiniog. His kingdoms are divided between his two sons.

743 - Kings Aethelbald of Mercia and Ceolred of Wessex join forces to attack Gwent and Powys.

c.750 - Prince Elidyr ap Sandde moves the exiled Royal House of South Rheged from Powys to the Isle of Man. King Tewdr of Brycheiniog breaks the peace with his cousin, Elwystl, and murders him.

754 - Death of King Rhodri Molwynog of Gwynedd. His sons, Kings Cynan Tindaethwy and Hywel succeed to the throne.

760 - The Battle of Hereford is fought probably between the Mercians and the Kingdom of Brycheiniog under King Nowy Hen. Death of King Dumnagual of Strathclyde.

768 - Archbishop Elfoddw of Gwynedd persuades the Welsh Church to accept the Roman dating of Easter as agreed by the Northern British Church at the Synod of Whitby.

784 - Construction of Offa's Dyke, the artificial bank and ditch boundary between England and Wales, is begun at the command of King Offa of Mercia.

c.795 - Quarrels between Kings Cynan Tindaethwy and Hywel leave the way open for Caradog ap Meirchion (of the House of Rhos) to usurp the throne of Gwynedd.

796  Battle of Rhuddlan  Fought after Prince Caradoc of Gwynedd fought and lost to the King of Mercia, Powys and Dyfed had tried to regain control, Maredudd, king of Dyfed was killed.

798 - King Caradog of Gwynedd is killed fighting the Mercians of King Coenwulf in Snowdonia. Kings Cynan Tindaethwy and Hywel retake the throne

821  Battle at Basingwerk (nr Hollywell in Flintshire)  where the Mercian king, Cenwulf was killed.  The power of Mercia then declined with the Kingdom of Wessex becoming all powerful and its king becoming King of England  

 

 

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4. Introduction to the Post Roman Era (The Dark Ages)

Note from the author

For the purpose of producing episodes for this blog, I have found it neccessary to deal with the history of Wales in blocks, between certain dates.  So the next period I am concentrating on is the one between the departure of the Romans, which in Wales' case I am taking as 383, and the arrival of the Vikings, which I am taking to be 795 and certainly 850, when there appears to be more regular references to them.  I am aware that history is not as deinitive as this, and that certain events happen independently of the time frame I have specified and overrun these dates.  For example, the creation of Deheubarth in c.920 by Hywel Dda out of the territories of Seisyllwg and Dyfed, and later Brycheiniog , and the creation of  Morganwg which occurs in 942, when Morgan Hen Fawr unifies Gwent and Glywissing.  These events occur outside of the dates I am mainly concentrating in the next series of blogs, ie the dark ages in Wales up to the first contact with the Vikings, but it seems the obvious place to take the evolvement of these Kingdoms in one episode.  I will recap such events when I deal with the next block of history.

 

 

Introduction    

The immediate period following the collapse of Roman rule is a very difficult one to interpret as the records we have are vague and at times contradictory, even after the Roman departure, which left the Celtic Britons to fend for themselves some parts of  Roman organised society remained in place.  This tenacious survival by the Romano - Celtic Britons and their descendants in the western kingdoms was to become the foundation of what we now know as Wales, with Powys, Gwent and Gwynedd in particular, continually wrestling with the Anglo Saxon kingdoms of Mercia, Northumbria and Wessex to define the frontier between the two peoples, having lost much of what is now the West Midlands to Mercia in the 6th and early 7th centuries,  a resurgent late-seventh-century Powys checked Mercian advancement resulting in Aethebald of Mercia building Wats' Dyke, to defend the recently acquired lands.

The Roman departure from Wales seems to have released a vacuum, which was filled by attackers and opportunists, fragmenting the area into numerous independent kingdoms, the main attacking threat initially came from Irish raiders who held influence in Dyfed and Breicheiniog and for a time in North Wales, before being driven out by Cunnedda of the Gododdin from Yr Hen Gogledd, who founded the Kingdoms of  Gwynedd and Ceredigion.  In the South and East Vortigern whose family had lived in Glevum (Gloucester) before the Romans departed, imposed himself as leader of  Powys, Buellt, Ergyng and Gwerthrynion, whilst Gwent and Gywissing originated from a defensive strategy by Eugenius son of Magnus Maximus  

 This is the time when Vortigern appears as a military leader of the Celtic Britons  and in the middle of the fifth century he invited mercenary Angles, Saxons and Jutes to defend Britain from the Picts and Scots  but by 500 they had switched from defenders to marauders and along with the Picts  and Scots were tied up in a general land grab, another Celtic  leader at this time was Ambrosius (Emrys Wledig)    It is against this backdrop that the newly formed and evolving Welsh Kingdoms try and establish themselves, whilst still defending themselves from attack from in particular the Irish and the Anglo Saxons.  Before looking at the evolvement and development of the Welsh Kingdoms, I will introduce the periods' main political and military players.

The Irish threat.  In the fourth century, the Roman Empire had grown increasingly unstable and barbarian attacks increased along its borders. The legions in Wales and England were withdrawn to counter threats on the Continent. By 390 A.D., there were no remaining Roman troops in Great Britain, leaving Brittania essentially undefended.  The period was marked by tumultuous politics, and the raids of Irish pirates were a constant threat, in 405 under Nial they ravaged the coast of Wales and  made several settlements in western Wales, the areas of Dyfed and Brycheiniog in particular were heavily colonized by Irish settlers.  In fact the role of of Irish tribes in this era appears to be a mix of invited defenders such as the Deisi in Dyfed, and aggresive attackers such as the Ui Laithin of Munster who were eventually driven out of North Wales by Cunedda and the Votadini tribe from the Strathclyde area of Yr Hen Gogledd.  The organisation of the defensive strategy of this period such as the bringing Cunedda to North Wales and the Deisi tribe to Dyfed is usually attributed to the Roman official Magnus Maximus (Macsen Wledig) before he left in 383 in an attempt to become Roman Emperor

The Anglo Saxon threat.   The Anglo-Saxon advance was reversed in c.496 at a battle called Mons Badonicus and some Saxons left Britain at this time to resettle on the Continent.  This however was only a temporary setback for the Saxons and by 550, their dominance had been re-established in southeastern England and Northumbria.  In Wales they attempted to establish control over the Wye valley, Wales' Eastern border was constantly threatened by the expanding Anglo Saxon Kingdoms of Northumbria and Mercia who strove to secure the fertile plains of the lowlands and push the Welsh into the upland regions, but in the decisive Battle of Pont y Saeson battle in 630 the Welsh of Gwent repulsed their advance and pushed them back beyond the River Wye, this largely unheralded victory helped establish the independance of Wales at the time, the Welsh resistance continued against the Northumbrians,  who had allready overcome the Brythonic tribes of Scotland,  but failed to conquer in Wales despite many invasions of North Wales.  However the Anglo Saxon threat was relentless and continued up to the late 7th and early 8th centuries, the western border of the Kingdom of Mercia to a large degree, defined the Eastern borders of Wales and  in the years 650-800, it expanded to the Dee, Wye, and Severn rivers at the expense of the Welsh kingdom of Powys, and  in the first quarter of the 8th century, in an effort to better defend their new territory, they erected an earthwork barrier, known as Wat's Dyke, extending from the Severn to the Dee estuary.   

 

Yr Hen Gogledd (The Old North)

 Yr Hen Gogledd is a Welsh term used  to refer to those parts of what is now Northern England and Southern Scotland where the peoples were Brythonic speaking.  By 550, the region was controlled by the Brythonic speaking peoples except for the eastern coastal areas of Bernicia and Deira, which were controlled by the Angles. To the north were the Picts, and to the Northwest the Gaelic kingdom of  Dal Riata.  The relationship between Wales and the Old North is substantial with many Welsh and the Men of the North considering themselves to be one people.

The main Brythonic speaking Kingdoms of Yr Hen Gogledd were

Alt Clud or Ystrad Clud – a kingdom centred at what is now Dumbarton in Scotland. Later known as the Kingdom of Strathclyde, It operated as an independent realm before being absorbed into the  Kingdom of Scotland in the 11th century.

Elmet – centred in western Yorkshire,  survived into the early 7th century.

Gododdin – centred in Southeast Scotland and Northeast England, noteable as the homeland of Cunedda.

Rheged – centred in Cumbria

It would be too simplistic to portray this period as just the native, Brythonic speaking Britons defending against the intruding Anglo Saxons, as the Brythonic tribes were not united, and acted independantly to defend their territories as there are many examples of alliances being made across the different ethnic groups, such as 

-  An alliance of Britons fought against an alliance of Britons at the Battle of Arfderydd.

-  Aedan mac Gabrain of Dal Riata appears in the Bonedd Gwyr y Gogledd, a genealogy of the Men of the North, and  fought with the Britons against the Northumbrians.

- The Northumbrian King Oswiu married a Briton who may have had some Pictish ancestry

-  A marriage between the Northumbrian and Pictish royal families would produce the Pictish king Talorgan

-  Cadwallon ap Cadafan of Gwynedd allied with Penda of Mercia to defeat Edwin of Northumbria

However the story of the demise of the Brythonic Kingdoms of the Old North is the same story of the rise of Anglian Northumbria from two coastal kingdoms to become the premier power in Northern Britain, with the Brythonic part of this region being absorbed in the 7th century.  Also  the Anglo Saxons did differentiate between themselves and the native Brythonic speaking Kingdoms, describing them all as Welsh meaning "foreigner" or "not one of us", it was only when they had absorbed all the English Kingdoms, that the term only applied to the people of what we now regard as Wales infact bards such as Aneirin (the reputed author of  Y Gododdin) are thought to have been court poets in the Old North. These stories and bards are held to be no less Welsh than the stories and bards who were actually from Wales. 

 

Cunedda

 

 

One of the traditional stories relating to the creation of is derived from the arrival in Wales of  Cunedda and his sons as "Men of the North". Cunedda himself is held to be the progenitor of the royal dynasty of  Gwynedd, one of the largest and most powerful of the medieval Welsh kingdoms, and an ongoing participant in the history of the Old North. Cunedda, incidentally, is represented as a descendant of one of Magnus Maximus' generals, Paternus, who Maximus appointed as commander at Alt Clut.   Votadini troops under Cunedda relocated to North Wales in order to defend the region from Irish invasion, specifically the Ui Liathain of Munster, Two explanations for these actions have been suggested: either Cunedda was acting under the orders of Maximus or Vortigern, the high king of the British in the immediate post-Roman era. The range of dates runs from the late 370s, which would favor Maximus, to the late 440s, which would favor Vortigern.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Vortigern  (Welsh - Gwrtheyrn) c.370-459  and  Ambrosius (Emrys Wledig)

It has been suggested that Vortigern is a title rather than a name. The Brythonic word "tigern"  had the connotation of "leader", "important person" or "chairman", without a compelling relation to aristocracy. Vortigern then would be the indication of his position in a council. The members of the council would be considered "tigern" (high-ranking persons) and their chairman would be called "upper tigern" or Vortigern.

The lands of Vortigern's sons indicate that his power-base stretched across the western Midlands of England,  Gwent, Powys, Buellt and Gwrtheyrnion (in north-west Radnorshire), the latter area, being named after him. According to the inscription on the famous 'Pillar of Eliseg', Vortigern married a daughter of the Emperor Magnus Maximus named Severa and it was probably this imperial link which enabled him to take control of Britain as some kind of high-king, probably around AD 425, and gave him a line of descent leading to the royal family of  Powys. 
When the British ruler Constantine was murdered by Pictish assassins, Vortigern urged that the late rulers eldest son, Constans, be acknowledged ruler, despite the fact that he was a monk. Vortigern became the young boy's chief advisor, but soon plotted his death and seized control, Constans' younger brother, Aurelius Ambrosius  fled to Brittany. However, this was not a good time to take on the governance of Britain, for, as Nennius, put it, "during his rule in Britain he was under pressure, from fear of the Picts and the Irish ... and, not least, from dread of Ambrosius."   The latter did not return until 437 when he fought and defeated Vortigen at the Battle of Wallop.  The raids from the Picts the Irish on the west coast grew in frequency  and by around 440, the organised defence of the nation had more or less collapsed. Vortigern decided to employ Jutish mercenaries Hengist and Horsa to repel the Picts.  In return, they were given land. This deal went horribly wrong as they revolted, killing Vortgans' son in the process. However further foreign invasions obliged Vortigern to once more to ask for Anglo-Jutish help around 451, but again they renaged, and plying Vortigern with drink, they persuaded him to hand over the Kingdom of Ceint (Kent) to them in return for the hand of Hengest's beautiful young daughter, Rhonwen.   
 In 455, Vortigern's sons, Vortimer and Cadeyrn raised an army and fought Hengest at the disastrous Battle of Derguentid (Crayford) after which Hengest's men chased the British army back to London. Vortimer was subsequently poisoned by his step-mother, Rhonwen. The following year, the less decisive Battle of Rithergabail (Aylesford) appears to have been a British victory, though Cadeyrn was  killed. Eventually a peace conference was called at Amesbury Abbey  in Wiltshire; but the Anglo-Jutes unexpectedly pulled knives from their shoes and massacred the whole British contingent save for Vortigern himself. The king was ransomed in return for control of Essex, Middlesex and Sussex. This event was to become known as the 'Night of the Long Knives'. 
Vortigern fled to the extremities of Wales where he built an impregnable stronghold on the southern slopes of Yr Aran, above Beddgelert (Gwynedd).  According to foklore after construction began, it was found that, each night, the previous day's work was destroyed by unknown forces. Vortigern consulted the druids, who suggested he look for a young fatherless boy, born of the fairies, whose sacrifice would placate the gods and allow for the fortress to be finished. Vortigern's men searched throughout Britain until just such a boy was discovered, most commonly it is said in Caer-Fyrddin (Carmarthen). The boy, called Myrddin Emrys, shortened to Merlin, laughed at the druids and explained that the building works collapsed because they were shaken by the battling of two fierce dragons buried beneath the mountain. The white dragon, representing the Anglo-Saxons, was defeating the red Welsh dragon, thus prophesying their eventual conquest of the majority of Britain. With the dragons removed, the fortress was completed, 
Ambrosius Aurelianus continuing their feud ousted Vortigern who fled once more, to a hillfort at Caer Guorthigan on the Teifi in Dyfed, where in c459  it was struck by lightning and burnt to the ground, killing Vortigern who was inside.
Other fortifications associated with Vortigern are at Arfon in Gwynedd,  Carn Fadrun in Gwynedd, Clwyd in Powys, Llandysul in Dyfed,  Rhaedr Gwy in Powys, Snowdon and Stonehenge.  

 

 

Magnus Maximus

I gave a profile of Magnus Maximus, in the previous post, but to recap, he was assigned Roman Commander in Britain in 380, in 383 Maximus took advantage of the growing contempt for the failing Roman emperor Gratian by revolting and invading Gaul with a large army. In preparation, he took various steps to preserve the security of  Britain, it has been suggested that he organised the peacefull settlement of the Irish Deisi tribe in Dyfed to defend the area, and also organised Cunedda and the Votadini tribe from Yr Hen Gogledd (Southern Scotland) to  deal with the aggressive Irish Uí Liatháin Kingdom of Munster, and drive them out of North Wales. He also shored up the defences of Wales to protect the west coast from Irish raiders,

 

 

 

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