The early Kingdoms of Powys and Pengwern
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 FendigaidCadeyrn 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.
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.