Seisyllwg
Kingdom of Seisyllwg Teyrnas Seisyllwg ( Old Welsh) | |||||||||
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680–920 | |||||||||
Common languages | Welsh | ||||||||
Government | Monarchy | ||||||||
Historical era | Middle Ages | ||||||||
• Changed name from Ceredigion | 680 | ||||||||
• Union with Dyfed forming Deheubarth | 920 | ||||||||
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Seisyllwg (Welsh: [sɛiˈsəɬʊɡ]) was a petty kingdom of medieval Wales.[1] It is unclear when it emerged as a distinct unit, but according to later sources it consisted of the former Kingdom of Ceredigion plus the region known as Ystrad Tywi. Thus it covered the modern county of Ceredigion, part of Carmarthenshire, and the Gower Peninsula. It is evidently named after Seisyll, king of Ceredigion in the 7th or early 8th century, but it is unknown if he was directly responsible for its establishment. In the 10th century Seisyllwg became the centre of power for Hywel Dda, who came to rule most of Wales. In 920 Hywel merged Seisyllwg with the Kingdom of Dyfed to form the new kingdom of Deheubarth.
Origins
It is unclear when Seisyllwg emerged as a distinct unit. It is assumed to have been named for
Later history and merger with Dyfed
In 872,
After Cadell's death in 911, Seisyllwg was divided among his two sons, Hywel (later known as Hywel Dda, or Howel the Good), and Clydog.[7][8] Hywel probably already had control over the neighbouring kingdom of Dyfed by that time; there are no known kings of Dyfed following the death of Llywarch ap Hyfaidd in 904, and Hywel is known to have been married to Llywarch's daughter, Elen.[7] He certainly had control over it by the time Clydog died in 920, leaving the whole of Seisyllwg to Hywel. Hywel quickly merged Seisyllwg and Dyfed into the new kingdom of Deheubarth, which covered most of southwest Wales.[1][7] From this power base, he later went on to unite almost all of Wales.
Notes
References
- Davies, John (2007). A History of Wales (Hanes Cymru). Penguin Books. ISBN 978-0-14-028475-1.
- Jones, Basil (1851). "Vestiges of the Gael in Gwynedd". Archaeologia Cambrensis, pp. 1–86. W. Pickering.
- Koch, John T. (2006). Celtic Culture: A Historical Encyclopedia. ABC-CLIO.
- Lloyd, John Edward (1912). A History of Wales from the Earliest Times to the Edwardian Conquest. Longmans, Green, and Co. Retrieved July 7, 2010.
Lloyd history of Wales.